Though conditions were poor at best, Allex's family always had dogs. With the exception of a small poodle that lived for 22 years, their other dogs were taken in as strays. With addiction, mental instability, isolation and the resulting financial hardship consuming her parents, the dogs were often Allex's closest childhood friends.

Allex Michael: "It's weird how your life history develops. Not long after I moved away from home, I got my first dog. A black shepherd bouvier cross, Ebby was a great sniffer and tracker, so I looked into training her as a search dog. Unfortunately, the closest unit was several hundred miles away and the associated costs were too expensive for me.

The black Ebby was originally going to play the search dog in my first film Search Dog's Raven. As problems with the film's budget dragged on, she became too old for the role and I was devastated. Moving out at such a young age, Ebby and I had been through a lot together. We knew each other so well that the film exploited all her comical quirks and behaviors. Not only was I about to lose my loyal companion, (I later found out she had Lupus), but I would now have to look for another dog and rewrite the script. It was a very stressful time. I didn't have the heart to get another dog while the first Ebby was still around, plus I was also badly injured at the time, so we waited until her time ran out about a year and a half later.

I wanted to preserve the story line of the handler's dog near the end of her career. So I needed to find a young dog who could pass for much older. Plus I needed to find a good natured dog with humorous quirks like my first Ebby.

Once again, destiny made the choice for me. The current canine star of Search Dog's Raven is the best choice for the role. Though filming likely would have taken half the time with the first Ebby, who was exceptionally obedient and eager to please, the current Ebbey has plenty of character and loads of audience appeal. No matter how difficult or stubborn Ebbey can be, you just can't help but love her."

When compared to photos of the first Ebby, the current Ebbey's large eyes and floppy ears makes her look like an overgrown puppy. This is likely why Ebbey the canine actor is so appealing to most people.