| NORTHGATE would like to share with you "BRADY'S" STORY GRAND CHAMPION NORTHGATE'S TURN THE PAGE, OFA, CERF, PFK clearances Born October 24, 2007, Pedigree for Brady (Ch. Kehre Northgate's My Way, OFA, CERF ex Ch. Northgate's Serendipity, OFA, CERF) |
| "Brady" was born at Northgate on October 24, 2007. His star quality was evident from the beginning, and we knew that we were going to keep both he and his sister, Bitsy. As he grew and developed, we were delighted to see that his little white tipped tail never stopped waving! A show dog must be at least 6 months old to enter a dog show. We began showing Brady as soon as there was an available show beyond his 6 month birthday. That show happened to be a Specialty put on by the Keystone English Springer Spaniel Club held in conjunction with the prestigious Trenton Kennel Club all breed show in Trenton, NJ. At this show, Brady was only 6 months and 10 days old, and was competing against much older dogs. To my amazement, "Brady" won Best in Sweepstakes at this Specialty, a very exciting win for such a youngster! We believed this would be the start of a fabulous show career for our youngster. Unfortunately, in the short term, we were very wrong. A mere ten days after Brady's big win, he became suddenly critically ill. He had been given a newly prescribed NSAID drug (akin to dog aspirin) when he had wrenched his front leg while playing, and suddenly suffered a very serious adverse reaction to this drug, which nearly took his life. At first we didn't know the cause of his symptoms. But eventually with the help of vets at prestigious universities around the country, we determined the cause to be this canine NSAID drug, which is a sister drug to Vioxx - the human drug that was pulled from the market when it began causing heart attacks in humans. While Brady did not suffer a heart attack, his entire blood system was seriously compromised. He required a bone marrow biopsy, multiple transfusions, many new drugs, and months of recovery to survive. Through months of tests and treatment, Brady never gave up his strong will to live - even when some of his veterinarians were giving up on him. He suffered and endured a lot in his first year of life, but ultimately he made a complete recovery! His medical story has been published in several places in our attempt to give back to the animal community, and hopefully save someone else from going through the horrible struggle to live that Brady went through. Thus far we know we have helped save several other dogs by sharing our treatment regimen to those who suffered similar reactions. Brady was out of the show ring for an entire year. Frankly I never expected him to make a return to showing - his health was my priority and I never gave up on him, or his expensive medical treatment. Eventually his improving health, lively enthusiasm and positive attitude encouraged me to tentatively begin showing him again. He excelled! He loves to fly around the ring, proudly waving his white tipped tail as if it were a banner proclaiming his victory over near death! In 2009 he quickly completed his UKC championship and has now earned the additional title of Grand Champion. He has thus far won 2 all breed Best in Shows, many Groups, and is ranked at the #1 Top Winning Springer in the country for 2009! Brady's courage and strength have been amazing, and he is truly one in a million! Brady will forever be my "heart dog" and is an amazing inspiration in my life. We proudly look forward to Brady's upcoming puppies. |
| "Brady" - on May 4, 2008 winning Best in Sweepstakes at 6 months and 10 days of age. |
| "Brady" - on May 24, 2008, 20 days after winning Best in Sweeps. This photo was taken after his bone marrow biopsy and many trips to the ER hospital. |
| "Brady" on July 19, 2009 - winning one of four Group Firsts in one cluster of shows |
| "Brady" on November 1, 2009 shown winning one of his all-breed Best in Shows |