I aquired my very first Dalmatian "Spot" purely by accident when my Ex brought him home from a co-worker when he was only 4 weeks old. We were very fortunate that he had a wonderful temperament we knew nothing about his pedigree.   "Spot" turned out to be a very smart dog and got me started with my love of not only Dalmatians but also my start in the world of performance events. With "Spot" as my partner I earned my very first performance title (AKC CD-Companion Dog) in the Fall of 1995 from the Novice A class. Due to being diagnosed with hip dysplasia I decided to retire "Spot".  I lost "Spot" at the early age of six to kidney failure.

My next Dalmatian came in 1994 when we adopted "Roxxie" from the Dal Rescue in Tulsa, OK. "Roxxie" also earned an AKC CD and we trained a little further and I earned my first  (AKC CDX - Companion Dog Excellent) in 1997. We were very busy in 1997 and also earned a UKC CD and had our first taste of agility earning the first level UKC agility title.

I aquired my first SHOW dog in 1996 "Rocket".   He was my first Champion (shown exclusively by me) among many other firsts. Rocket also earned his AKC CD & CDX plus he earned his UKC CD & CDX.  We trained at the UD (Utility Dog) level but never seemed to get our act together to actually show. Rocket also earned his UKC Championship the same day he finished his U-CDX gaining him a TOP DOG award honor. He was also a All Breed Best In Show Veteran during our hometown Fall Cluster. With Rocket I got my first true taste of agility competition earning both Novice & Open AKC titles as well as competing at the higher level of UKC Agility. We also played in NADAC agility briefly (just not enough trials in our area). "Rocket"  earned 23 various titles during his lifetime.  I would like to thank Lori Finlayson for trusting me with what I consider a wonderful representation of our breed (plus she knew I was very competitive and didn't give up easily) to her daughter Lindsey for accidentally letting "Al" and "Tina" together at the right time and to SueMac for picking him from the puppy video and saying he would be the perfect dog for me because I couldn't agree more.  I lost Rocket January 12, 2007 unexpectedly to a baterial infection that could have been caused by a tick bite at the tender age of 11. I miss him terribly. "Rocket's" pedigree  has some great dogs of the past and I had Rocket collected for use in the future as I hope to keep him in my breeding program.

Now we come to our future with Rocket's daughter "Janet".  I love what I have in Janet and I want to preserve it in my breeding program. She is not only beautiful, conformationally correct but she has to be the smartest dog I think I have ever come into contact with. I was slow in getting her involved in performance (Janet earned her first 2 CD legs at the 2004 National in May) as I never expected her to finish her championship so fast (7 weekends).  "Janet" is my first homebred Champion and finished from the Bred-By class. I would like to thank Sally Lakness for giving me the opportunity to Co-breed my first litter and not only having faith in me but my special boy "Rocket".  "Janet" will be our foundation bitch and she has a wonderful pedigree with some great dogs of the past and present.  We are very excited about the future of our breeding program and hope to produce dogs that not only do well in the conformation ring but also the performance rings.  We hope to have puppies in the Summer of 2007.

The overall goal for Checkered Flag Dalmatians will be to consistantly produce smart , healthy Dalmatians with GREAT temperaments to participate in the world of dog shows or be the perfect family pet and always have a reputation to be proud of.