We are Tom and Connie Little, living with our four Boxers, on five forested acres northeast of Seattle, Washington. Our daughter Dana pointed us to the breed in 1996 after reading that Boxers take a dim view of children being reprimanded! We found that idea quite humorous, given Dana's unbridled privilege as an only child. We doubted, at that time, that Dana actually knew the meaning of "reprimand."

Why the Icon name? Connie's business provided graphic arts to several high-tech corporations in Washington. Much of that business centered around development of just the right visual representation, or icon, for books and computer applications. When it came to the dogs, we thought that was a worthy approach — pursuing a competent visual representation of the breed, and so the Icon name.

We do not consider our dogs any sort of a business, rather they are a very precious part of our family. We seldom breed, however there is an occasional litter. Despite our dogs remarkable show careers, showing is far from our favorite aspect of having Boxers. The true joy of these dogs is their very nature as loving, enthusiastic and personable companions.

Besides the Boxers, we enjoy time spent around the koi pond that we designed and constructed a few years back. Tom can be found occasionally at barbecue competitions, bringing home some nice awards of his own. Dana's interest, beyond horses and dogs, has centered around law and politics since — well, for as long as we can remember. In recent years she's worked for the Labour Party in London, and then as a staff assistant to U.S. Senator Murray in the "other" Washington.

Our Personal Message to Dana