LETTERS, I GET LETTERS.....

All right so I’ve worked on this blog all morning long and wrote it, proofread it and it was all ready to go. I copied and pasted it to my blog and it came out a total mess. Sure I could have opted to send it out like that, but I’m too particular that way so this is what I’m going to write today instead. I’ll have to fool around with the other article some way to get it to print the way that I want it to.

Anyway, I get many letters sent to me privately and they address certain things with me or they ask if I will write about certain things. So because I’m keeping the authors of those letters private, I will still share some of their thoughts and questions here anyway.
Maybe some of you can offer advice to them or add your own ideas on a particular subject.

Yesterday a well known breeder wrote to me and suggested I write about this on my blog. Here’s what she said. “If you co-owned a dog and you found out it had been neutered without your consent, what would you do?” Now I don’t know the writer personally, but we’ve enjoyed some e-mails back and forth occasionally. So I wrote back to her with my answer. I told her: I’D CHOKE THEM! I don’t think she was amused. I think she was looking for more than that answer. But my quirky sense of humor what it is, I just couldn’t resist. Anyway on to her question.

Because I don’t have any other particulars about this question, I’m going to assume that the co-owners had a written contract. I’m going to assume that they had everything spelled out what each one expects. Sometimes in contracts not everything that can happen is spelled out. But in this case because this is a top breeder, I’m assuming she made it very clear what she expecting when this person bought a puppy from her. I’m assuming she might have wanted to breed to the dog herself and she probably wanted the dog shown.

Some co-ownerships can be a wonderful experience for all that are involved. For others, it can be a total disaster. It really depends upon the moral integrity of the person that you co-own with. Most people want to live up to their part of the co-ownerships expectations so everyone is happy. Unfortunately it doesn’t always happen that way. One may get greedy and want it the way that they want it, forgetting (or choosing to forget) their responsibility with the other co-owner. Some people’s true colors show their ugly little faces when they want to do it their way and betting on that the other co-owner never finds out. Well I just love it when they do and good prevails over bad and the truth comes out! I don’t know what the legalities are in the case of this breeder and her co-owner. Perhaps she might need to check up about that.

On the other side of the fence about co-owners, sometimes it can be truly a wonderful experience for all that are involved. Many of your top breeders won’t even consider letting some of their best dogs go if they are not a co-owner on that dog.

Another letter that I received awhile ago was about asking me to address the much debated subject of German vs. American lines. I told her that I had written an article about this all ready, but it seems that this subject will continue as long as there are German and American bred dogs in this country. I really could never understand the controversy myself. Isn’t a German Shepherd a German Shepherd no matter where he was born? I guess it’s just me, but like I never liked the division of “them against us,” “you against me,” “whites against blacks,” “Christians against Jews,” I really hate it even more when it comes to our breed. Why must there be this division within our own breed? Is it the way of human nature? Who knows? So to the writer that wrote me about this subject…..you say you’re proud of your German bred dog and plan on showing him anyway but you’re upset about all the snotty comments that are made to you. As I wrote in one of my other articles……..DO IT ANYWAY! The hell with the rest of them!

Then there’s the letters that I get from time to time from people that write to tell me that they’re afraid to stand up for their beliefs because they fear the criticism that they’ll receive. Now believe it or not, I’ve heard this quite a few times from those just starting out in the breed, but I’ve also heard from a judge that has been in the breed for many years right about this very same subject. Then there are some very well established breeders that have told me the same thing. They say that they just sit back and read what is posted, but no longer respond because of the fighting and bickering. What these people are saying is if they put an e-mail out over any of the specialty e-mail lists that many of us belong to, that they get ripped into or read the riot act! Why is this I wonder? Aren’t these lists places that we all should be able to give our opinions about any given subject? One would think so. Some of these people have written to me and have asked me to write about something or ask a question on the list for them. Many times I have done this for them. I've also addressed some of their concerns by writing articles here on my blog. Why should anyone fear to write what’s on their minds without worrying that someone is going to go off on them? I always look forward to a HEALTHY exchange of ideas.

Oh well there you have some of the letters that I get from people. I also want some of my readers that are not on these e-mail lists or maybe only might belong to one of them, many of the responses to my articles on this blog, you never get to read. I wish that some of them would respond on this blog so everyone can read some of the very important information that they share with the rest of us. Some people will respond here, but the majority responds on the e-mails lists. I send this blog to five e-mail lists.

So I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the many, many wonderful e-mails that you send to me. I try to respond to all of you. Excuse me if I’ve missed a couple of you. Although that’s rare, it does happen. So now back to trying to figure out how to get my other article up for tomorrow. I hate modern technology that was invented to make my life a whole lot easier! NOT!


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