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Christian Indyn Summer Spice RV-N/NAC-V, JS-O/OJC, JV-E-OP/O-EJC-V, GS-N/NGC, S-TN-E, NA, NAJ, NJP, CD, ONYX, CGC, TDI June 14, 1995 - January 31, 2007 Red with copper and white 21.5" and 47 working pounds Full Dentition/Scissors Bite Allergy Free NBT - Not Docked Neutered Male - Full brother to Bree OFA Prelim-GOOD/ CERF-CLEAR 1/20/01 ASCA, AKC, UKC, NAFA, NADAC, USDAA, and NSDR Registered I have lost my beloved Curry, my "Mr. Perfect." Words can never express the grief I'm feeling right now over losing him. Below is what I wrote to all his friends on the day of his passing as my heart can't bear rewriting something at this time... It is with a saddened heart that I said goodbye to Curry last night. He was such the trooper with all I and the vets have done to him over the past two months. However, he let me know yesterday morning that it was his time to go - he was sick of all the pain, poking and prodding, so I let it be so. During the last two months he had mostly pretty good days and a few SUPER good days, thanks to some of you - and I'll be forever grateful for that. But the last week has been very difficult for him, and he was tired of it all. And in typical Curry fashion, he took care of me to the bitter end by making sure I knew it was HIS decision, that HE was the one ready to go. I am so grateful to him for that as I won't have any regrets. And we had one last romp in the woods/lake yesterday, so hopefully he went to the Rainbow Bridge a happy dog. Curry completely changed my life. He wasn't my first agility dog, but he was my first aussie and he was the one who really taught me everything and he was patient (although mouthy) with all my mistakes. He was also the one who got me involved with flyball, which is how I got to know most of you. And herding? All I can say is he LOVED it and I wish I could have done more of it with him, though I'm sure the sheep are glad we didn't pursue that venue. And Colin, thank you very much for one last romp with the sheep last weekend - we both know how much he enjoyed that. I'm hoping he's now enjoying life free of pain. I'm sure he's harassing Cody at the bridge, my GSD whom I lost several years ago, who was the dog that was truly Curry's best bud. And I have no doubt he's also bossing around all his other friends that are there. He will forever be my "Puck" dog and is the one in which all dogs will be measured. He was psycho, but also a gentleman, and my Mr. Perfect. Curry was the 2002 High Point Agility Dog for the Carolina Australian Shepherd Club! Curry is the third dog to have entered my life and is the one of my dreams. He is a red-tri australian shepherd. When I began my search for an aussie, I knew what I wanted, but didn't know how to get it.
I came across a great internet list, Aussie-l, and met some wonderful and knowledgeable aussie people. They gave me great advice on what "lines" to look for in
order for me to get what I wanted. I was able to narrow my search down to three local people who breed dogs specifically to work cattle. Even though none of the dogs were OFA'd or CERF'd, I took my chance and ended up with Curry. It was one of the best decision I have ever made. My color/sex preference was a red-tri male. In the three litters I was considering, Curry was the only red-tri, much less being a male. However, I refused to let myself choose him based entirely on those attributes. I wanted to choose my aussie puppy based on its temperament. When the litter was five weeks old, I went to visit. It was an incredibly hot summer day and the puppies refused to come out from under the cool shade of a bush. All except for Curry. He was the only one who would come out to play with me. I knew then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he and I were meant to be together. Even though Curry is the dog of my dreams, it has taken constant training from the very beginning to get him that way. Also, he is not the dog for everyone. He is an extremely dominant dog which requires a lot of extra work. He is
constantly challenging my authority, and I feel lucky that I know how to handle his challenges without crushing his spirit. 
Curry (aka Puck) is a work-a-holic and he gives everything 110%. He is a wonderful obedience dog who could easily obtain his OTCH if he had an owner who cared about obedience trials. Since I'm not a huge obedience competitor, I plan to quit competing in obedience with him once he obtains his CD in ASCA, AKC, and UKC. Curry also has the potential to be a top agility competitor. With his intensity and love to work, agility has actually been a little more difficult to train. He loves it so much and is so fast, I have not been able to handle him until recently. We have worked hard over the years and I finally began to really compete with him in agility trials in the Spring '01. He is so intense and fast that we either crash and burn or come home with first place ribbons. But either way, he is a joy to train and compete with. If you are interested in finding out about obedience or agility, please visit: The Dogpatch. In the November/December 2001 issue of the Australian Shepherd Journal (the official publication of the United States Australian Shepherd Association), under the USASA Agility Standings, Curry was ranked as the #2 Novice A - 20" agility dog from January 1, 2001 - May 31, 2001! That is so awesome! He is also listed as the #3 Novice A 20" dog in the Jan/Feb 2002 Journal (ranking for Jan. 2001-July 2001), #2 Novice A 20" dog in the Mar/April 2002 Journal (ranking for Jan. 2001-Sept. 2001), and #3 Novice A 20" dog in the May/June 2002 Journal (ranking for Jan. 2001-Nov. 2001)!   
Curry at the Start Line - Oct. 2004 Agility Photos Credit: Diane Lewis Since I'm not fond of obedience trialing and I wasn't a good enough handler to compete in agility when Curry was young, I found the next best dog sport available, Flyball. Curry was one of the fastest aussies on the east coast, with his fastest time being 4.254 seconds over 9" jumps at the Hairier Jump Jets tournament in March 2003 (at almost 8 years of age!). Curry is addicted to Flyball and loves it very much. When he competed, we were on a team based in Raleigh, NC called Blockade Runners. As of May 2005, we are now running with a team called Dogsmack. If you are interested in finding out about Flyball, visit the web page at: Flyball Homepage. On April 5-6, 2002, Curry got to tag along as his sister, Bree, who competed with the Blockade Runners, at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge. Curry even got to compete in the 60 weave pole challenge! To view pictures and stats of our experience, please click here. On December 2001, Curry competed in Talladega, Alabama. He obtained the FMCh title and was only the third dog from NC - FL to do so and the first aussie. And on January 10-11, 2004, Curry competed in his last Flyball Tournament in Raleigh, NC. He obtained his ONYX and will now retire from flyball to concentrate entirely on agility, obedience, herding, and tracking.   Curry and I at the Tarheel 2000 Flyball Tournament Photo Credit: Donna Hunt When not training in Flyball, agility, and obedience, Curry trains in herding. He passed the Instinct Test under Hubert Bailey in AHBA, which is the first of two parts for the HCT title. I hope to further train in herding since Curry is from strong working lines. I feel it's important to give him the chance to do what he was bred to do. If you are interested in herding, visit: Herders-L Homepage or Stockdog Website  Photo Credit: Donna Rothenberger when Curry was less than 1 year of age 
Because of Curry, I have been able to do things most people would never get a chance to experience. In May 2000, we performed an agility demo, along with other dogs from the Winston-Salem Dog Training Club, at the MudCats Baseball Game in Raleigh, NC. In March 2000, our Flyball team performed Flyball demos during half-time at the Harlem Globetrotters Show in Charleston, SC and Raleigh, NC. While in Charleston, SC, several of us visited Folly Beach - a dog friendly beach in the area. This was Curry's first time in the ocean! Additionally, our Flyball team will be performing Flyball demos at the MudCats Baseball Game in Raleigh, NC on August 13, 2000. 
 Curry at Folly Beach, SC Photo Credit: Laura Slusher Even though Curry is a phenomenal athlete and competition dog, his greatest asset is being my best friend. He is very protective and has backed that up on a
few occasions. He is one of the most important things in the world to me and I love him with all my heart.
Pamela Christian and may not be reproduced without written permission.
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