Remembering Nellie

by Gayle Silberhorn
(Lockport, IL)

Nellie was a canine athlete. She was so amazing that she appeared on ESPN and Animal Planet. There were numerous articles and pictures of her in newspapers including the Chicago Tribune. Her high-flying acrobatics attracted constant attention and cars almost went off the road while the driver watched her wondrous feats of agility. No, Nellie did not have wings. She was a frisbee dog!

Nellie started to win competitions at just one year old. At age 2 she went to Alpo regionals for the 1st time. When she was there, she exhibited another talent: she could open any door that was between her and where she thought she should be. She was found wandering the hallways looking for her "dad" who had gone to retrieve the luggage. Another amazing talent that Nellie had was that she knew her frisbee song from all others. The one she liked the best was Jump, Jive and Wail by Brian Setzer.

At age 4, Nellie again went to Alpo regionals and tied for 4th place with a dog that had gone to world competition for 2 years in a row. When she was 5, she qualified for the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge freestyle disc championship. She appeared on the TV broadcast. She also appeared on the Animal Miracles TV show.

Nellie left us on June 24, 2010 at 13 years old. She was never an old dog, but remained happy and contented with her retirement from frisbee. She enjoyed the company of her daughter, Sera, and her granddaughter, Molly, who both miss her very much. We love you forever, you crazy girl!