Memories of a great Keeshond by breeder/owner: Donna Stekli

JD was killed when he was just nineteen months of age, in February of 1991. This was a very sudden death, an accident. He was hit by a car and killed instantly from a broken neck on Interstate 70 near our home. The events that lead up to his death, such as how he got out of our dog compound, how he was apparently chased by farm dogs and subsequently ran into traffic to escape their pursuit are not completely clear to us. All we know for sure, is that it doesn't take much time for all of this to happen and to have your most promising dog killed. In our case, it was less than one hour from the time we discovered him missing to the time when the first sighting of him took place. By the time we were able to track him down, he was dead.

JD made a very positive and greatly missed impact on the Keeshond breed and this will be explained. We sincerely thank everyone who admired this dog and offered their sympathy when we needed it most. As time has passed, JD's memory has faded but we will never forget him. We miss him very much because, besides being an excellent Keeshond, he was a joy for us to live with, a fun and loving dog to own.

JD was a very special dog from the time he was just a few weeks old. I could see that special "something" in his attitude and carriage. It is what I term "IT" that separates a great dog from the rest. From the time he was a puppy, JD possessed a silhouette, carriage and structure that every breeder dreams of. He had nice angulation, not too much, he had great length of neck, good color, nice amount of body for a puppy, good tight cat feet and a good head study. He was structurally sound [OFA preliminary rating of GOOD] with a good topline. He was a real eye-catcher. He started his impact on the Breed at the early age 10 months when he won Reserve Winners Dog at both the Heart of America Keeshond Club Specialty and the Keeshond Club of America Specialty in May of 1990 out of 101 class males. He finished his championship in November of 1990 with a 5 point major winning the Breed over 5 specials. He had 7 points towards his Canadian championship, having been there only one weekend. By the way, JD was handled always by his breeder/owner.

He was my husband's [Lem] favorite house dog. Lem raised JD because I was on a work assignment in Florida during his formative time. Lem named him JD after his favorite drink, Jack Daniels. A strong bond developed between the two.

JD sired only one litter out of Ch. Windrift's Anecdotes CD. Fortunately, we were able to obtain "Chipper" [Ch. Keeshusker's Blu Chip A*starz ROM*] who was our pick male. From that litter of 5, 2 males & 3 bitches, three finished their championship and another is pointed.

JD's traits are carried on through "Chipper" and his sister, "Bubbles" [Ch. Keeshusker's Pink Champagne] who have both produced JD grandkids. We, of course, are excited about these puppies and are starting to see them carry on the excellent qualities JD contributed.

Although JD was in the world for a short 19 months, he touched all that saw and met him. He will always be a part of our lives and contribute to the Breed in the Kees that carry a piece of him in their genes. He will contribute more as we start to linebreed on him in the future. I still get that spine-tingling thrill when watching videos of JD. He was an excellent Keeshond in all respects.

Ch. A*starz And Stripes, aka: JD, 7/3/89-2/9/91

Champion Offspring:
out of Ch. Windrift's Anecdotes CD
Ch. Keeshusker's Cash V Windrift ("RC")
Ch. Keeshusker's Pink Champagne ("Bubbles")
Ch. Keeshusker's Blu Chip A*starz ROM* ("Chipper")

JD grandkids out of these pairs:
7/93 Markwright's Leather N Lace x Chipper
7/93 Ch. Windrift's Summertime Blues HOF x Bubbles
11/93 Sherwood's Simplicity x Chipper
1/94 Sylvan A*starz Vogue x Chipper
1/94 Ch. Komaga Change of Pace x Chipper
8/94 Ch. Perikees' Delices de Papa x Chipper
5/95 Ch. A*starz Dolce of Westcrest x Chipper
7/95 Ch. A*starz Novel Dee Light x Chipper
1/96 Pymmint's Lyric of Westcrest x Chipper