Will Alexander: An Impresario Started it All

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90 – March, 2022

By Joan Harrigan

If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that having more than one source of income is desirable—if not vital, for survival. Will Alexander, of Milton, Ontario understands this well. He’s a successful businessman with several dog-related endeavors, as well as a handler who has reached one of the pinnacles of the sport—Best In Show at Westminster. “My life revolves around dogs,” he says. “So everything I’ve done—seminars, classes, transport services, writing, producing grooming products, and handling—involves them as well.”

Alexander grew up in Millbrook, Ontario, some three hours north of Toronto. “My mother was intrigued by dog shows, and had always wanted to show dogs,” he recalls. “She knew she wanted either an Irish Setter or a Saluki.” The setters won out, and the family brought home their first Irish when Alexander was 6 or 7 years old. As is often the case, this first pet shop Irish Setter gave them a love of the breed, but wasn’t show quality. They turned to Winfield Kennels for a show and breeding prospect, later adding dogs from two American kennels, Meadowlark and Tirvelda.

At the tender age of 7, Will Alexander began showing in junior showmanship. From the very beginning, he knew that he’d found his future career. “I had my first big win (the Ottawa finals) under Malcolm Fellows when I was 10,” Alexanders says. “That same year—1975—Fellows was the first Canadian to win Westminster.”

“My parents were behind me in all this and never wavered,” he says. “They wanted me to go to school, but understood that dog shows were where I felt at home and belonged.” While still at home, young Will Alexander bred English Cockers using “Wilspride” as his kennel name—his parents’ Irish Setters were simply too large for him­–at age 7–to show in juniors.

From the Theater to the Show Ring

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90 – March, 2022

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