AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE WHO ARE ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE

A few weeks ago, I wrote about this subject and then just this past week, I got an e-mail from two other concerned dog owners asking me to support them about this kind of behavior on Facebook. I never posted this on my blog, but now I am.


AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE WHO ARE ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE


I bet most of the people that are on your Facebook page you don’t even know. I doubt that most of us know the couple of hundred or more people that call us “friends” as friends. I mean can you call anyone of them up at three o’clock in the morning needing help and expecting to hear them say, “I’ll be right over!”

When I joined Facebook, I did so because I wanted to connect with family and friends and perhaps make some new friends. I joined to be entertained and amused and never took it seriously. I considered it light entertainment. I enjoy looking and sharing pictures and videos with my friends. I enjoy reading and posting quotations. What I don’t enjoy looking at or reading about is cruelty to animals! I am repulsed and sickened by the horrific and graphic pictures that some post on Facebook! I did not invite anyone on my Facebook to post such disgusting pictures.

A couple of weeks ago someone felt the need to post a picture of a dog being roasted on an open pit like a suckling pig! I see pictures of dogs used as target practice with their bloody wounds practically bleeding through the page. It's just too much sometimes. Then just a few nights ago when I thought I seen it all, I hadn’t. As I scrolled down the page, imagine my shock and repulsion when staring helplessly back at me was a picture of a German Shepherd (or what was left of him) with half his face blown off! It seems that some perverted kids were looking to have “fun” and decided to stick explosives in this poor helpless dog’s mouth that they so generously duct taped shut! I’m surprised he was still alive……his whole jaw and nose was missing. Obviously he must have been put to sleep as he could never live without these things on his face.

We live in a sometimes very brutal and sadistic world. I know what goes on out there. I read the news or see it on television. I do not need or appreciate seeing these types of graphic photographs on my Facebook page. This person was removed from sending me any more photographs as was the second person that felt the need to post it again last night.

If one feels like they MUST get the word out there about the lowest ones that masquerade themselves as human beings, PLEASE put a WARNING on your subject matter and include a link for those that want to view the photograph. I choose not to look at these types of pictures and would NEVER open a link that warned me about the graphic nature of the subject. But at least I get to choose what I want to look at or not. PLEASE don’t make up my mind for me by sending this type of material through.

Let me tell you how I reacted when I saw the roasted dog. I cried and had a talk to God about the cruelty in the world. I shook my head in disbelief. Now how did I act upon seeing the German Shepherd with half his face blown off? I became hysterical crying and I had to get up and go into the bathroom because I was gagging so badly from the sight of the horrific picture. The dog’s black eye’s stared back at me from the white page with his erect ears still standing tall reminding me that he was still a German Shepherd with only a bloody pulp left where his beautiful nose and mouth once graced his face. What did this poor animal do to deserve this fate? Nothing he could have done could ever have warranted this type of punishment!

I never did read the story because I was too sick to do so. I just read that some kids did this to him. When we live in a society that produces MONSTER’S in children, I say to myself that I don’t belong here. So let’s see now what our law enforcement will do about this? Are they underage kids? Will they get a slap on their wrists? Will they have to do community service for a month or two? Community service? What the hell does that teach them? Go blow up an animal or torture it to death and for your punishment you’ll have to sweep the streets of its debris for a month or two. I’m sure they’ll learn their lesson with that one! Their sorry little butts need to be locked away for awhile with some real hard ass criminals that will teach them a thing or two about what it means to be scared. Just like they scared this dog when they taped his month shut. Oh boy, these kids are lucky they don’t have me as a parent……but then again if I produced kids like this, I’d pick up the mirror and question myself as a parent to begin with! If this case ever went to court (I doubt it), these kids would never want me on the jury. I’d do everything in my power to make sure that they “reaped what they sowed!”

Until our laws change and take animal abuse more seriously, we will be rubbing elbows with the future menaces to society. Animal abuse is the first step in the serial killers demonic “rap sheet!”

So once again if I see anymore of these disgusting pictures, I will delete the people that are responsible for posting it. I know we live in a sometimes cruel, cold world, but there is also many good things going on in it as well. I choose to read about those things. Let me have a choice as to what it is I want to read and see. Put a WARNING on your post so I know to avoid it!


My rating: 1 - 4 depending.....

NOT CREATED FOR BORING SAMENESS

I confess that the title of this article wasn’t the brain child of myself, but came from a program I was listening to over the week-end. It got me to thinking of how it applies to us and our dogs.

One of the great things about the German Shepherd Dog is that he is so versatile. If you don’t want to show him in conformation shows any longer, you can train him for obedience trials. If you don’t want to do that, you can just enjoy him as your family pet. He wasn’t born for just one thing. Take him for hikes, take him camping, boating, fishing, jogging or even for rides in the car. He’s not picky. Whatever it is that you enjoy doing; the German Shepherd Dog enjoys doing it with you. There probably isn’t a better companion dog than this breed! Truly this dog’s happiness comes from his interaction with his owner!

How much of your dog’s brain is being utilized? Do you provide him with the stimulation that he needs to develop his fullest potential? How many of these dogs die never knowing what it is to come out of a kennel and go for a walk with their owners? How many fetch a ball? In fact how many of them even know what a ball is and what to do with it?

If your dog was hooked up to one of those brain monitors in the hospital, would a straight line appear all across the screen indicating that he’s brain dead? Or would there be a lively zig zag running across the screen indicating that this dog’s brain is well and very much alive because his owner recognized the need for stimulation in this dog’s life?

Do we owe our dogs anything more than food, water and shelter? Does our responsibility to them extend further than the heat in their kennels in the winter and the air-conditioner in the summer? Is that enough? Do we owe them more than this or are we of the mind set that their basic needs are being met and they’re only a dog and some of us put too much time into “humanizing” them?

So what does that mean…….humanizing them? It would seem to some beyond the three essentials (food, water and shelter) anything more would give the dog a more human nature than that of an animal. So does he need more than the essentials to live? No he could and many do exist just on the essentials. Day in and day out, the same old/same old! After all some would argue, he’s an animal and his basic needs are being met so what more could he want?

To agree with this mind set would be to ignore the very nature of the dog and that is foremost and above all else the reason for his existence in the first place. That is to be a companion to man. Very simple. Very basic. He wants and needs to be with his owner. Once his basic needs are met, his primary goal is to be with his master. Now if one owns a kennel full of dogs, that’s not going to happen too often for most or them or even a few of them.

I’ve read that the brain of a German Shepherd is equal to the brain of a seven year old child. Gee, considering that most of what we learn, we learn in the first five years of life, means that this breed of dog has the capacity to learn so very much. How many of them are being taught all that they can learn? How much stimulation do they receive lying on the floor of a kennel? Very little.

We now know that the dog is capable of more than having an intelligent, teachable brain. We now know that he is also very capable of emotions and feelings. He’s sad when he loses one of his own kind and sad if he should lose his owner. He mourns losses just like we do. He rejoices in companionship with his kind and our kind.

When’s the last time you looked into your dog’s eyes and seen that there is a whole lot more going on behind those “Hershey Browns” then just a dumb dog looking for a treat from his owner? Get close to a dog and he anticipates your every motion. He responses to your every mood. Sometimes it’s as if he knows you’re going to do something before you do! They have this uncanny ability to read us better than we read ourselves.

When you have a “love affair” with your dog…..that is letting him participate in your life, the enrichment that he brings to it would never have been fully realized without him having your permission to truly live his life. In this writer’s opinion a dog that lives his life ONLY in a kennel has never truly lived, rather he’s existed in a small fenced in area in a great big world because his owner didn’t invest the time it would take to realize his dog’s potential. Just imagine what that would be like only being able to walk back and forth, day in and day out and you had the intelligence of a seven year old kid? Now that’s called sad…..


From the book: "HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE"....Kaufman, director of the Option Institute and author of A Land Beyond Tears ( LJ 4/1/82), contends that if you change a belief or attitude you can change your life. A decision to pursue happiness, he claims, can improve relations with others: "We can engineer our own responses, choosing love over hate, peace over conflict and happiness over depression." The first five sections relate Kaufman's philosophy and offer stories of clients' successful changes while in therapy. Section six has short chapters detailing shortcuts to happiness. The book has a four-page bibliography and two pages of additional readings. A cut above most self-help books; recommended.


My rating: Teaching and training the GSD: (4)

THE DOG OWNERS BILL OF RIGHTS

The dog owner has the right not to have to share his bed with a 90 lb. flea bitten, hair shedding, bad breath “in your face” dog who hogs all the pillows.

The dog owner has the right not to be awakened at 4:00 am because his dog didn’t finish his business outside the night before and decides he wants to finish what he started now.

The dog owner has a right to eat his food in peace without having his dog think “everything she eats, I eat.”

The dog owner has the right to talk on the telephone to her friend without having her dog dropping dirty toys on her lap, nudging her hand for a pat, or circling her while barking in protest for being ignored.

The dog owner has a right to put the dog in the run to do his business outside rather than have him come back in and deposit it on the floor.

The dog owner has a right to use the bathroom and close the door without you sticking your nose in and making your presence known by bringing your ball in and looking for the owner to play catch with you at this very “private” moment.

The dog owner has a right to get up from his chair at his desk and not have to step over you to prevent him from falling on the floor.

The dog owner has a right to have a clean house without picking up dog hair on the bottom of his socks or picking it out of his food.

The dog owner has a right to have a well behaved dog that comes when he’s called and stays when he’s told to rather than be ignored hoping you go away.

The dog owner has a right to get up in the middle of the night to go in the kitchen for a snack and not step on one of your squeaky toys thinking he just stepped on a mouse.

The dog owner has a right to take a vacation once in awhile that doesn’t include going to a dog show or taking a dog with him.

The dog owner has a right to take a ride in his car that he just washed and waxed and not take you for a ride slobbering all over the windows or throwing up all over the back seat.

The dog owner has a right to have beautiful wooden end tables in his living room rather than wired dog crates with your toenails sticking out the front end.

The dog owner has a right to kiss his wife and perhaps look for a little “amour” without having you pop your head up between the blankets planting a wet one on his face.

The dog owner has a right to buy herself a fashionable outfit without feeling guilty that she didn’t spend the money on another workout outfit to pick up your dog run.

The dog owner has the right and the need to be the alpha without you challenging her every step of the way.

The dog owner has rights even if you see it a different way!


My rating: Dogs and people sharing their lives: (4)

OH THEY SLEEP VERY WELL!

Well here it is Friday and the start of another week-end already. I’ve never seen time go by so quickly. My mother always told me after my twenties, time will fly by quickly. Well I haven’t seen my twenties in quite sometime, but I can attest to the fact that time indeed flies by too quickly. For instance, where the heck is the summer going? In a couple of days, August will be here. And fall, I just love the fall, but it goes by way too quickly and then we’re looking at “Old Man Winter” who always hangs around a lot longer than we want him to. Oh well onto today’s subject.

I got a little more mail than usual this week about some of the subjects that I wrote about pertaining to breeding problems with the German Shepherd Dog. Quite a few were very concerned about the practices that they are witnessing in our breed by those breeders that never take into consideration the health of our breed. Someone wrote to me to tell me of a breeder that continues to breed one of his animals that has produced mega in two litters and is now repeating it for the third time. Must make that almighty dollar no matter how you have to do it! And now he can use the bad economy as an excuse!

Someone also wrote to tell me of a so called “big shot” breeder that just dumped his dog in a shelter because the dog that he had been using for his breeding program was no longer of use to him so he dumped him in a shelter complaining about the dogs bad temperament. As this writer continued, just imagine how stressful the kill shelter environment was for that already fearful animal!

Then there’s another letter someone else wrote talking about those breeders that knowingly breed dogs with terrible temperament and then send it off to a handler for training so he can be shown. The dog may be so well trained in the ring and behaves flawlessly, but step out of the ring with a crowd of people gathering around him and his shaking legs can barely hold him up. This man questioned how these people sleep at night. My response to him was, “Oh they sleep very well.” These are the type of people in the breed strictly for what the breed can do for them. Winning at any cost is their motto.

Oh and here was the best one. Someone wrote to say that a dog that someone bought for showing turned up having seizures and the owner decided he wasn’t going to use the dog for his breeding program. The breeder has the nerve to ask him, “You’re still going to show him, aren’t you?” Where’s my gun???

I have a couple of problems with some of this. First of all, why are dogs that have bad temperaments being sent to handlers to “fix” so they can be shown in the first place? Answer: So they can produce another champion and give some more ROM (register of merit) points to their undeserving breeding animals. And why are handlers even taking these dogs to train them to stand for examination? Let’s take it one step further, WHY ARE SOME BREEDERS BREEDING TO DOGS WITH BAD TEMPERAMENTS TO BEGIN WITH? What is that about? What are they doing to the breed? And even more amazing, they're paying a big stud service for the "privilege" of breeding to the bad tempered male! In this writer’s opinion, breeders are responsible for nearly ever genetic problem that we have in this breed.

As in one correspondence that I had with someone last night, we discussed that if the “forces to be” tells the fancy that this is the dog that they should be breeding to then those that are easily influenced will do just that. Then I don’t call that person that is easily influenced a breeder. They’re just a follower.

Someone wrote to ask how come some judges are putting up bad temperament? Now they’re not talking about dogs that have a reputation for this type of temperament. They’re talking about those dogs that spook from the judge in the ring and they still put them up because of who’s on the end of the lead or who owns the dog. In these types of scenarios, I’m always amused (sort of) when I see the “big shot” owner on the outside of the ring bringing attention to herself to make sure the judge knows who owns that dog. It’s is so obvious what they are doing.

Our dogs deserve better reputations than this. Bad temperament is a reflection on bad breeding and lack of proper socialization in my opinion. If a breeder knowingly breeds a dog that has a bad temperament or breeds to one that does, the offspring shouldn’t have to suffer because of their greed and lack of concern for their dogs. Giving them the needle or dumping them at a shelter isn’t the answer. Why should the dog have to give up his life when they are the one that made him this way in the first place? The answer is don’t intentionally breed to bad temperament. Everyone now and again may produce a puppy or two that doesn’t have the ideal temperament. But to knowingly breed to it is a crime against this noble breed.

I’m smart enough to know that just because I write about this it won’t amount to a hill of beans to those that are guilty of these practices. But for those that do care and love the German Shepherd Dog, hopefully they will stay away from those who continue to poison the genetic pool with their unhealthy breeding practices.


From the book: FRIENDS TO THE END: THE TRUE VALUE OF FRIENDSHIP..... Friends and life. Life and friends. The two are so tightly interwoven it's impossible to imagine one being remotely worthwhile without the other. As Bradley Trevor Greive points out, "there are very few truly solitary creatures on this planet. And most of them have serious personal hygiene issues." What makes friends so special? What does our choice of friends say about us? What sparks the best friendships and keeps them burning? In Friends To The End: The True Value of Friendship, BTG uses hit trademark witty narrative illustrated with irresistible animal photos to explore the daily magic we experience through our friends. Best described as a cross between his famously successful Dear Mom and The Blue Day Book, Friends to the End examines themes such as why we can't live without friends, how great friendships grow from humble beginnings, how to identify different types of friendship, what to do when good friends turn bad, and why it's all so worthwhile. "When I think back to all the really great or the horrendously bad times in my life," says BTG, "I can't help but think about how my friends made the former all the more enjoyable and the latter at least survivable. I want this book to help people appreciate friendship for all it is and all it can be." Friends to the End promises to have the same cultural impact achieved by his previous books. His modern classics The Blue Day Book and Dear Mom have been New York Times best-sellers and made the author a household name in more than 35 countries. BTG's seven previous volumes have sold more than eight million copies worldwide.


My rating: Temperament problems: (1)

WHAT YOUR EYE IS USED TO LOOKING AT

I’ve done articles here before about the different coat colors and coat lengths of the German Shepherd Dog. We have a breed standard, but you could line up all these different dogs with their unique coloring or coat length and there really wouldn’t be any consistency in their breed type. Oh they may all be beautifully structured, but they really wouldn’t look alike except for the erect ears that this breed is known for. So even if they all were the best representatives of their breed only in different colors and coat length, no two of them would look alike.

Many pet people have never seen an all black German Shepherd for instance. Some have never seen or know what a sable looks like. A bi-color may totally confuse them. Most people have seen a white German Shepherd so that wouldn’t be too confusing. Probably the most favored color is the black and tan dog.

Over time if you live with one of the different types of this breed, your eye gets used to looking at that type of dog. Correct or not, this is what you’re used to seeing so when you see something else that doesn’t look like your dog and may even be a better representative of the breed, you still think that you dog has the better quality. That’s because that’s what your eye is used to looking at.

For example, if you are used to showing a specialty type of dog that has more hindquarter than an All-Breed dog, than that’s what you think is correct. It works both ways. The All-breed exhibitor will think his dog is the correct standard for the breed. If your kennel is known for producing good fronts, you will automatically be looking at the competition to see if they have the front and side gait that you’re used to looking at. The same thing goes for the kennel that consistently produces good hindquarter angulation. If a dog has anything less than what you’re used to looking at, then you’ll think it lacks hindquarter. It’s all because this is what you are used to looking at in your own dogs.

Many times you can follow a specialty judge and know what he likes by looking at the type of animals he’s bred and raised. If he’s bred some top winning dogs, many times that’s the type he’s going to put up. It’s what he’s used to looking at everyday and it’s what he’s won with. Some judges are movement judges. Some are breed type judges. Some like lots of rear. Some like lots of front. Ideally you want to show under a judge that takes the whole package into consideration when he judges. Hopefully you show under a judge that has a “trained” eye. He’s lived with and knows dogs and specifically the German Shepherd Dog.

It can be very difficult for some people to develop a “trained” eye. You will never know what a good dog is unless you’ve lived with them and bred them. Living with these beautiful specimens of the breed is all the education one needs. To have bred and lived with dogs that “take your breath” away is the best education you could ever hope for when you step into the middle of that ring. No book, no magazine, no video could ever prepare you to what it’s like living with one of these properly structured animals. I used to love letting my dogs out in the back yard and just sit watching them float around the yard like it was no effort at all. And that’s the key……a good dog moves like there is no effort at all. The other dogs will have to put out more energy to move. That’s probably why you see your better movers in the ring floating rather than charging. The dog that is not as good of a mover will have to put out harder to make up for the lack of his proper structure, whereas the good mover makes it look easy. You won’t see him huffing and puffing at the end of his lead like the charging dogs in the ring next to him.

Someone said to me not too long ago when talking about a fellow exhibitor, “What does she see in that dog? Why is she still showing him?” She said that the dog was a really horrible dog. I replied to her, “It’s what she’s used to looking at.” Is the owner right or is he wrong in showing his poorly structured dog? It’s really not a question of right or wrong. It’s all about what her eye is used to looking at. Until she educates herself, she will still think her poorly structured dog is correct.

So if your dog lacks the front or rear and he’s not a very good mover, you won’t really know it until you put him in the ring next to those that have these attributes. When you watch a dog that is not properly put together, because you live with him, you believe he’s the best thing next to a “hot off the grill” cheeseburger. Then when you put him in the show ring and you see the other dogs, you think that there’s something the matter with the other dogs. They look nothing like your dog does. It’s all what your eye is used to looking at. This is called being kennel blind. Your education begins when you are forced to re-evaluate your breeding and show stock.

You can chose to like whatever it is that you find appealing in this breed’s structure (hindquarters, fronts, movement, etc.) but for all the variety that is out there, there is only one correct structure and that is dictated by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s breed standard. Once you become familiar with it, you may come to realize what your eye has become used to is not what the standard calls for in a correctly structured animal.


My rating: Get familiar with the breed standard: (4)

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

Imagine jogging on a sandy beach somewhere with your dog and seeing a bottle bobbing up and down in the water. You watch as the next wave washes the bottle up on shore. You pick the bottle up and notice that there is a folded piece of paper in it. Could this mean there’s a message on that piece of paper? Perhaps it’s a map showing you where a buried treasure lays waiting to be discovered. You don’t even recognize the bottle because it’s very old and it’s not even made any longer. Your dog is barking and jumping up on you looking for you to throw the bottle in a game of fetch. You push him away and instead pick up a stick and throw it in the opposite direction. You struggle to remove the rusty cap trying to avoid cutting your fingers. At last the cap turns and you wonder how you are going to grab hold of the paper without tearing it. You shake the bottle and turn it a few times until you position the paper at the neck opening. A corner of the paper lies in the narrow opening and you gently and slowly pull the fragile paper out of the bottle. You make sure the paper doesn’t get wet as your heart beats a little faster in excited anticipation as you unfold the aged worn note. You see it’s dated Saturday June 18, 1921. All the note says is that someday the German Shepherd Dog will be one of the most beloved and popular dogs on earth. You look at the date again and smile in bewilderment knowing this writer wasn’t wrong. You look at your own dog who you continue to throw the stick for and ask yourself if you were to write a message in a bottle about the German Shepherd Dog, what would it be?

So if you were to write that message about our breed, what would you want the reader to know? If like me, you would probably like your message to be floating around the ocean for many years before someone “rescued” it and scooped it up out of its watery home. What would the recipient of your note be reading, lets say one hundred years from now?

You might tell him about the heroics of this breed. You could share with him the comedic personalities this breed exhibits. You could tell him about the beauty, the nobility or just the pure joy of having ownership of this great breed of ours. You might tell him of how he rescued a child. Maybe he alerted you and woke you from a deep sleep when a fire broke out in your house. You could tell him how he visits your Aunt Gertrude in the nursing home and the spark of light it ignites in her eyes every time she sees him. You might even be as bold to tell him that by the time he reads your note, the German Shepherd will go from being the number two dog in the country to the number one dog in the country. And if you really get daring, you could put your message in one of those big soda bottles and include a few pictures to show the world what the breed looked like in 2010! Yeah, I think if you’re going to do it right, you might as well include a few pictures for everyone’s enjoyment.

Who knows by the time someone finds your message in the bottle, there may even be a new breed standard by then. Yeah, I’m sure there will be. I wonder if the person that receives your message owns a German Shepherd Dog and as he looks at your picture and looks at his dog, he marvels at how much they’ve changed. I wonder how the German Shepherd will look in another 100 years!

Will there be dog shows one hundred years from now you wonder. Will the German Shepherd Dog have his own reality show on Animal Planet? Will Animal Planet even be around then? Will shelters be a thing of the past? Will there still be lots of breeders or will there only be a select few? Will there even be an AKC to register them with? Will registration even be necessary? Will there be a National Specialty show to go to? Will the German Shepherd Dog Club of America still be in existence?

If there are shows yet, will there still be professional handlers or have the exhibitors decided to show their own dogs? Will another great book be written about the breed? Will there be a German Shepherd Dog Review to advertise in? Will there be something to replace the internet?

What would your message be about our breed that you would like someone to read many years from now? Mine would be: The German Shepherd Dog was born of greatness, it is right now as I write this and until the time that you read this message in a bottle it always will be. I may be gone, but the German Shepherd will live on as long as people continue to love and nurture them. Time will never change that. Pass it on......


My rating: The German Shepherd for all time: (4)!

EVERYONE'S GONE TO THE MOON

Yesterday’s blog about Specialty Clubs drew a lot of conversation on the different e-mails lists that I send this blog to everyday. One e-mail stood out in my mind. Someone wrote to me and said that she found this subject interesting as she contacted a specialty club in her area and she never heard from anyone. That’s very telling. Then someone called me this morning and asked me to continue this subject and perhaps talk about the lack of entries at shows. We touched upon some of the reasons that the clubs are falling that I wrote about yesterday. She agreed 100% with one writer that said that some of the fault lies with having access to the internet. We would have normally gone to a club to discuss certain things about the breed. However, with modern technology we no longer need to leave the comfort of our overstuffed furniture to get the answers to our questions about anything pertaining to our breed. You can “Google” anything and you’ll receive a gazillion answers. You can go on a German Shepherd Dog e-mail list and there’s a world of knowledgeable people willing to help you. We’ve become a lazy society. I jokingly said to my friend, “Heck why go to a dog show? We can have a virtual dog show right on our computer!”

So lets take this subject another step further as my friend requested. If the clubs fold up, so do the shows. The clubs are the ones that are responsible for putting on the shows. No club…..no show………hmmmmm, I wonder where that would leave the AKC? Would the AKC become just be a place to register dogs? They would no longer be anything called an AKC registered show.

So my friend brings up a very good point to me in our conversation about shows. She says to me, next time you go to a show take a look around you. What do you see? Who do you see at these shows? She answered her own question……she said most of the people that go to these shows are over 50 years old! She continued by saying it is very rare to see any young people. Very good observation, my friend! Where is the youth in our breed? Oh sure we have the junior handlers that love to show. But what percentage of these kids will actually be the breeders and ultimately the future of our breed? Have we seen the last of the likes of the Covy Tucker Hill or the Fran-Jo kennels? Are the days of the big show producing kennels a thing of the past? Who will the next great German Shepherd Dog book be written about? Will the author have to rely on the great dogs of the past to fill the pages of his up coming best seller? Will there be anyone left to even be interested enough to buy his book?

Serious show people still hunger for those major producing shows every week-end. Without them they can not finish their dog’s American championship. So they telephone their friends, they announce it over the e-mail lists asking for people to help make a major at these shows. Sometimes they’re successful in getting the right amount of entries by maybe one or two dogs, only to be sadly disappointed when those one or two dogs don’t show up making the show not able to hold the major points. Where does the fault lie? Again it goes back to the specialty clubs. If we want to have major pointed shows, we can’t depend on calling our friends or soliciting people on the e-mail lists for their entries. It might work for one or two shows, but ultimately it will fail. The only answer in my opinion is to strengthen relationships with your club members so another club doesn’t die a slow death.

Someone else wrote to me yesterday proudly telling me how well her club is doing. Perhaps someone from her club can tell others how they do it. Tell them how they attract new members and how they keep those that they have ensuring that they come back time and time again. Give the membership a reason to show up and I believe they will. If people are made to feel that they are important and that they count for something, I believe they will show their “pretty little faces” there each month. We can’t ask people to come out each month to an atmosphere filled with moans, groans, whines and complaints every time they walk through the door. We can’t ask people to come out only to be ignored when they get there. Give people a reason to come out and I believe that they will. Make them feel welcomed. Answer their questions. Mentor them. There is no better way to get to people than to make them feel like they are needed. It makes them feel good and when people feel good, then they’ll come back to the source that’s making them feel that way. Act like you don’t appreciate them. Act like your can’t be bothered with them because you’re better than they are because you’ve been around forever. Then watch the walls come crumbling down and say good bye to the once great club that you helped build.

The new generation needs the older generation to help show them the way and to pave out a future to ensure that our beloved German Shepherd Dog is properly presented to the general public. The only way we can do this is by educating them. There is no better teacher to the “newbie” than the seasoned experts of the breed to help lead the way. If we truly love this breed, each and every one of us owes it to the “best dog on the planet” to ensure that the next generation gets it right! It’s not fair to die with so much knowledge inside us without sharing it with the next generation. You may not get your name in the history books, but what you leave behind ensures that the German Shepherd Dog is properly taken care of and his legacy for generations lives on. The breed will love you for it!

No longer is it true……”Give them a show” and they’ll come! I believe if we don’t start making showing dogs a fun and positive experience we will eventually see (like my friend suggested) only the geriatrics of the breed showing up. Then we can all sit around and complain about our arthritis, aches and pains without the worry of those pesky “youngins” (newbies) snickering and giggling at us.

Then one day, there are no more shows. The geriatrics no longer shows up because “Everyone’s gone to the moon!”


From the book: "FRIENDS TO THE END: THE TRUE VALUE OF FRIENDSHIP".....Friends and life. Life and friends. The two are so tightly interwoven it's impossible to imagine one being remotely worthwhile without the other. As Bradley Trevor Greive points out, "there are very few truly solitary creatures on this planet. And most of them have serious personal hygiene issues." What makes friends so special? What does our choice of friends say about us? What sparks the best friendships and keeps them burning? In Friends To The End: The True Value of Friendship, BTG uses hit trademark witty narrative illustrated with irresistible animal photos to explore the daily magic we experience through our friends. Best described as a cross between his famously successful Dear Mom and The Blue Day Book, Friends to the End examines themes such as why we can't live without friends, how great friendships grow from humble beginnings, how to identify different types of friendship, what to do when good friends turn bad, and why it's all so worthwhile. "When I think back to all the really great or the horrendously bad times in my life," says BTG, "I can't help but think about how my friends made the former all the more enjoyable and the latter at least survivable. I want this book to help people appreciate friendship for all it is and all it can be." Friends to the End promises to have the same cultural impact achieved by his previous books. His modern classics The Blue Day Book and Dear Mom have been New York Times best-sellers and made the author a household name in more than 35 countries. BTG's seven previous volumes have sold more than eight million copies worldwide.


My rating: The importance of dog clubs: (4), The importance of mentoring: (4), The importance of friendships: (4)

ATOPIC DERMATITIS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS

Is your dog scratching, biting and licking himself excessively? Then he might have Atopic Dermatitis or Inhalant Dermatitis. This is when your dog has an allergic reaction to something that he’s inhaled such as dust, dust mites or pollen. He becomes extremely itchy.

What are some of the symptoms of a dog that has Atopic Dermatitis? You may see your dog licking, scratching or biting his skin around the face, feet armpits and ears. You may notice red, scaly, raised areas on his skin. He may shake his head a lot. You may see staining of his skin from his saliva where he’s been licking himself. His skin may thicken and he may have increased skin pigmentation.

If you are looking to treat your dog naturally this is what is recommended: First identify the source of the allergen (pollen, mold, dust, etc.). Then reduce your dog’s exposure to it. Next bathe him weekly with an anti-itch moisturizing shampoo. Make sure you provide him with omega fatty acids to help reduce the inflammation. Support the immune system by feeding him a high protein, low carb, moderate fat diet.

Many dog owners will use a steroid or antihistamine to help with their animal’s skin allergies. However a more natural approach may be to support his immune system by reducing the occurrence of flare-ups and allergic responses. Having a strong immune system helps clear out allergy response cells like histamines. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the amount and effects of histamines that are released during an allergic response. They help to reduce inflammation and improve your pet's coat quality by creating a protective barrier in the skin to block out irritants and infections.

Along with the Atopic Dermatitis, your dog may also have food allergies. Many times commercial dog foods are to blame for a range of health problems so feeding your dog a high quality food or raw diet is essential to his well being.
Why are Fatty acids essential for a healthy skin and coat for your dog? Omega 3 essential fatty acids play a vital role in your dog’s overall health and are very beneficial for his skin and coat. Omega 3’s help create a protective barrier in the skin to block our irritants and infections and it also reduces inflammation. A deficiency in certain types of fatty acids can result in a dull coat and dry itchy skin. This makes the skin susceptible to irritations and allergic episodes.

Extensive research indicates that omega 3 fatty acids reduce inflammation—which many experts consider to be the root cause of most chronic diseases. However, it is very important for your dog to maintain a balance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in its diet since omega 3s help reduce inflammation, while an over-abundance of most omega-6s tend to promote inflammation. Consequently, an inappropriate balance of these essential fatty acids contributes to health problems, while a proper balance helps maintain and improve your pet's health.
Supplementing your dog’s diet with Omega 3 fatty acids can prove very beneficial in inflammatory disorders because it regulates your dog’s eicosanoid production which means your dog may find relief from itching and the pain associated with it.

Dogs need essential fatty acids just like us humans do. Neither one of us can live without them! They are critical to every cell in the body and regulate nearly every bodily function. They help build muscle mass and strong bones and teeth. They nourish the skin, hair, mucous membranes, nerves, thyroid, adrenals and much more. They also keep the gastrointestinal tract lubricated and aid in smooth, efficient digestion and elimination. They control the way cholesterol works in the body and play a key role in the functioning of the brain in regulating inflammation and healing and immune, digestive, reproductive and cardiovascular functions.

What is an Omega-3 fatty acid? They include: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA can be found in cold-water fish such a salmon, mackerel, halibut and herring as well as fish oil supplements. ALA can be found in dark leafy greens and in soybeans, walnuts, flaxseeds and flaxseed oils as well as canola oil.

In scientific studies the Omega 3 fatty acids have demonstrated that they: support healthy brain development, exert positive effects on inflammatory problems which may include stiff and aching joints, lower risk of heart disease and cancer, support healthy blood lipid levels and blood viscosity, and provide high levels of vitamin A and D which is necessary for the development of strong bones, teeth and healthy skin and mucous membranes as well as healthy nigh vision.

Studies have shown the positive effects that Omega 3’s have on heart health. It has been shown to stabilize irregular heart beat, reduce blood pressure, reduce clotting of blood platelets which means lower risk of stroke and reduce abnormal heart rhythms. These fatty acids may also help heal tissue lining the heart has suffered by the damage caused by heartworms and help animals with congestive heart failure live longer.

Although studies are still being performed, some have shown that they may reduce cancer risk by reducing and stopping the growth of tumors as well as the reduction of skin damage from radiation treatment. Omega 3’s are also beneficial in helping stop cancer cachexia (weight loss).

Omega-3s increase prostaglandins that reduce inflammation in the kidneys and improve blood flow to them. Since omega-3s also support healthy blood lipids, and dogs with kidney disease often have elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, this is a double benefit.

Preliminary research suggests that omega-3 fatty acid supplements may decrease inflammation and improve lung function in pets with asthma.

There are many natural and holistic products on the market that can provide your dog with the Omega 3’s that are vital to his health.


My rating: Omega 3's: (4)

Review of "GRIZZLY SALMON OIL ALL-NATURAL DOG FOOD SUPPLEMENT" (there are 89 customer reviews on this outstanding product)....Derived from wild Alaskan Salmon, this nutrient-rich 100-percent pure salmon oil provides essential building blocks dogs need for a healthy heart and strong immune system. In addition, it helps relieve dry itchy skin, reduces shedding, makes fur soft and velvety, and helps keep the heart, eyes, and joints healthy. The all-natural supplement contains over 15 beneficial Omega 3, Omega 6, and Arachidonic fatty acids, plus a fresh fish flavor. To use, simply pump the salmon oil onto the dog's food directly from the convenient 32-ounce pump-bottle dispenser. A handy weight chart on the label displays the correct amounts to use.

HALO (purely for pets) DOG FOOD AND OTHER NATURAL PET PRODUCTS

I’ve been watching this brand of dog food for awhile now. I always wanted to give it a try for my dogs because I really liked the ingredients in this food. So recently I tried their dry dog food as well as their canned dog food. The first thing I noticed with this company’s dry food is the wonderful smell of the product. It’s not overwhelming. It doesn’t smell unusual, but what it does smell like is human FOOD! It smells that good! If it smelled good to me, I knew that it smelled good to my dogs as well. It made me realize that the excellent ingredients in this dog food made it smell the way that it did! This made me confident that I was feeding my dogs a top quality food. Halo is a holistic natural dog food.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients in the dry food. It comes in two varieties – Wholesome Chicken and Wild Salmon. I used the chicken formula and here are the ingredients.

Chicken, Eggs, Pea Protein, Oats, Vegetable Broth, Pearled Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Whole Peas, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Flax Seed, Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Pea Fiber, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Green Beans, Carrots, Cranberries, Zucchini, Alfalfa, Inulin, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Salt, Vitamins (Folic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum.

I tried all three varieties of the canned food which comes in beef, chicken and salmon. Here are the ingredients in the beef formula.

Beef, beef liver, broth, carrots, green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, green peas, mustard greens, celery, water (sufficient for processing), dried kelp, calcium citrate, flax seed meal, oats, pumpkin, sweet potato, declaim phosphate, ascorbic acid.

When you open up a can of this company’s food, you actually can see the chunks of vegetables in their product. Again the food smelled excellent.

Their products never contain artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, nor does it contain rendered meat, poultry, fish, and animal or plant meals. Speaking of ‘meals” one of the things that stuck out for me was the fact that they didn’t use any “meal” in their products (chicken meal, beef meal) etc. Practically every dog food out there has some sort of meal listed on their ingredient label. This company’s does not!

The Halo Company points out some interesting things about using “meal” in dog foods. I already knew that “by-products” was a big no-no in dog food, but I didn’t know too much about using “meal” in a dog food. This is what Halo has to say about using chicken meal in a dog food.

Legally unfit for human consumption.
Subject to only the less-stringent animal food safety standards.
May contain animal products: diseased animals, animals that were dying prior to butchering, animals that were dead prior to butchering, and disabled animals that may carry more infections. Halo does not use rendered meats. They do not use restaurant waste, supermarket waste, meat processing facility waste or packinghouse waste. When a meal product is used in a dog food it is not subject to testing for quality standards or nutrient levels which may vary widely from batch to batch. Halo dog foods meets FDA safety and quality standards for human food.

In doing research on this company, I didn’t know that they have been in the business for the last twenty years. I thought that they were a relatively newer company. Their commitment to the health and well being of our animals through wholesome, natural, quality pet products is unparalleled.

I also treated my three dogs to some of this company’s Live-a-Littles 100% Freeze-Dried Chicken Breast Protein Treats. Did they like them? They gobbled them up. I kept them in the refrigerator like the package suggests and it provided my girls with a cool snack for these hot humid days that we have been experiencing in New York. This is a high protein, low carb snack that my dogs sat waiting impatiently for me to open the refrigerator for!

The Halo Company believes in treating your dog with the best natural products inside and out. They make supplements and cleaning supplies as well. I tried their Vita-Glo “Daily Greens.” This nutritional product helps to maintain your pet's nutritional balance, digestion, blood purity, urinary tract strength, cell efficiency and stamina. It comes in a convenient tablet form and the dog eagerly takes them without having to hide them in their food.

Their new Holistic Clean Super Stain and Odor Remover I used the other day on my rug for a spot of blood and then for muddy paw prints after all the rain we just had. This product comes in a spray bottle. It has a pleasant smell when you first use it. However, once you spray the spot and wipe it clean, the smell disappears which I liked. Some products that I’ve used in the past leaves a lingering smell which I don’t like. I don’t want my house smelling of chemicals. I just want it to smell clean. This is an all natural, biodegradable solution with double-strength naturally occurring enzymes to eliminate really tough pet stains and odors…….and it does! It is non-toxic, non-polluting, no detergents, alcohol or phosphates. It was awarded the US Environmental Protection Agency “Designed for the Environment” label which distinguishes products that are safer for people and the planet.

You can check out this company’s whole line of holistic dog and cat products on their website at: www.halopets.com/ If you sign up for their newsletters, they normally include money saving coupons for their products. It is a pricier product so the coupons come in handy. One would expect to pay more for a holistic natural product anyway. You can order their products on line and Petco as well as some independent pet stores carries their products. They have a store locator on their website.

I am very happy with the outstanding quality of this company’s products from their dog food and snacks to their vitamins and stain and odor remover environmental friendly products. Also this is a very friendly company and has shown me that they put our pets first and foremost. You owe it to yourself and most importantly your dog to check out this company’s outstanding products.  As for my dogs, they loved it and never left a morsel behind.  Their stools were excellent as well.   Happy pets and happy owners make for a happy company! Way to go Halo!

My rating:  quality of food:  (4), quality of supplements: (4), quality of odor remover: (4)

GETTING THE STORY STRAIGHT

Wow.....this is my 200th. article that I've written for this blog. I never believed that I could find that many things to write about.

GETTING THE STORY STRAIGHT
By
Barbara J. Galasso


So I tell this guy the other day that I own a few German Shepherd Dogs. He says to me, “Hey, what do you want to own those kinds of dogs for? They’re very vicious.” To which I reply, “No they’re very protective.”

“Oh yeah, well I hear that they turn on their masters. Who wants to raise a dog that’s going to turn on you?” he shouts back at me. “The only one they turn on, I tell him, are those trying to hurt his master. And believe me, that’s when you’d be glad that you owned this dog!”

“Well I don’t care what you say. I wouldn’t want them around my kids. I’d never trust them.” I tell him “A more loyal and protective companion you won’t find for your children. There’s no better guardian to watch over them.”

“I hear that they’re wild and uncontrollable” he continues. I tell him that they need to be trained and given something to do because of their high intelligence. Looking over at his children punching and kicking one another, I tell him, “No sir, he won’t be any more wild and uncontrollable than your darling little angels.”

He ignores me and continues his rambling. “Why just look out how crippled they are in the rear” he almost shouts at me. Those back legs are all messed up. Who wants a dog that looks like that?” “Oh probably all those people who own them and made them the second most popular and beloved breed in the country,” I smugly reply back to him.

“And what about all the hair that they leave all over the house?” he questions me. “Well you got me on that one,” I tell him honestly. “They constantly shed so you will have to brush his coat often and vacuum the house at least every other day”, I tell him hoping this will finally shut him up.

“I just got one more thing to say to you my friend,” the man continues. Friend, he called me friend? I’m wondering when that took place? “Those German Shepherds have got wolf in their blood! Just look at those teeth!” he shouts at me. “Will this never end with this guy?” I ask myself. And when I can no longer tolerate one more second of his stupidity, I turn and look him straight in the eye and tell him, “Yeah, and the better to eat you with MY FRIEND!”


I love stories about animals because I feel we can learn so much from them. We are truly blessed when we are owned by a dog. Check this book out if you are looking for a "laugh out loud" enjoyable read.

"THE DIARY OF JINKY: DOG OF A HOLLYWOOD WIFE"...........Jinky's "mom" and "dad" might be complainers, but Jinky is just happy to be alive. He enjoys every minute and he can't understand why his lucky, pampered Hollywood parents and their show business friends are such miserable whiners. After all, Jinky's life started badly:
"My life began in a cage in San Pedro, California. Some creepy guy bought me for his stupid wife and she didn't want me. . . . One night, the guy took me to the pound. They threw me into a cold, wet crate and slammed the gate. . . . I was scheduled to be 'put down' or, as I like to say, murdered. But I got lucky."
Now Jinky lives in a beautiful house in the Hollywood Hills. He has a pool and a Jacuzzi and sports cars and a fat blond terrier girlfriend named Finley who loves to lick his ears. Jinky went from an unloved and abandoned pet to sleeping in bed with his mom (a former Pet herself, in Penthouse¿she looks good) and eating delicious food off his dad's plate (his mom cooks good, too). Jinky knows what's important in life, and he wishes his mom and dad could stop worrying about their status in Hollywood and enjoy life as much as he does. He can't understand why show business people are always so unhappy, especially the funny ones. Every "pitch" meeting Jinky overhears, every Hollywood dinner he eavesdrops on, every Hollywood barbecue, lunch, and casual encounter in coffee shops is another chance for these people to bitch and moan about "the business." But Jinky's "tail" is not just about his hilariously self-obsessed parents and their friends. And his message is not just that happiness is not about how much we have, but how we love. His is a tale about how hope, perseverance, and even one small act of kindness can change a life.


My rating: "The Diary of Jinky": (4), dog stories: (4), the week-ends here: (4)

DON'T BUG ME!

I just love the springtime……the warm temperatures caressing my face, the fresh air playing with my hair, the mild breezes with their fragrant scents stimulating my nostrils, music coming from cars with windows rolled open, dog shows with excited exhibitors, family gatherings, lifted spirits and oh yes, all those awful BUGS crawling on my skin and biting me and my dogs! Can I tell you how much I hate bugs? I can hear some of you saying, “But those bugs have a purpose here on earth.” Well I say, “Take your “purpose” someplace else because you sure are UGLY! Go do your thing on the plants and trees and stay the heck away from me and my dogs!” But alas, those bugs don’t any attention to me because sooner or later they find themselves coming back to me and my “fur kids!” For being so tiny, they are certainly stubborn and persistent critters. Looks like it’s me against them in a never ending battle of their love for me and my dogs and my hatred for them! So if I have to share the planet with them, they need to keep their sorry little butts off of me and my dogs and stay outside and not trespass into my house.

It seems like the insects of the world are living longer life’s than ever before. They seem to endure weather changes so much more now than I’ve ever seen. I had a “resident” spider that lived in between the window and screen all through the winter and up until this spring. How this little creature lived through the cold brutal temperatures of the winter, I do not know. I really don’t care either as long as it remained outside.

I’m going to list some products made for controlling the bug population on and in our dogs as well as ourselves and our property. For the last couple of days I’ve been talking on several of the lists that I belong to about a product called Diatomaceous Earth. Someone brought up the subject on an All-Breed list that I belong to and I took it to my German Shepherd lists to get their feedback about this product. I have yet to use it, but now that I’ve gathered all the information that I want about it, I will place an order and start my dogs on it as well. If I get brave, I might even take it myself as it can be used by humans as well as dogs. VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE…….MAKE SURE THE PRODUCT IS HUMAN FOOD GRADE!! DON’T USE IT ON OR IN YOUR DOGS IF IT ISN’T! It seems this product helps take care of fleas and ticks when used on the dog’s skin and coat. Be careful not to breathe in the powder when you use it. Some people recommend using gloves when using it on the dogs. Also make sure the dogs don’t breathe in a lot of the dust as well. Use it gently. When using the product to add to your dog’s food, this is also supposed to help with internal worms. It can be used in and around the house. Everyone that I got feedback from about Diatomaceous Earth LOVED it! Product description: GreenSense Diatomaceous Earth - This fossilized skeletons of tiny aquatic organisms. When untreated, the razor sharp edges of this mined product scratch the exoskeletons of hard bodied insects, making them susceptible to fatal attack from natural organisms in the soil.

On this same All-Breed list that I belong to, I read that a few people swear by a product called “Flea Treats” which I had never heard of before. This is what the description says about this product……….Flea Treats keep fleas (and ticks!) off your pets. They're free of hormones and insecticides. They're reasonably priced. They're guaranteed. They're safe, healthy treats, too! You might be wondering how we do that. Read on.... FLEA TREATS are a B vitamin complex, specially formulated for dogs and cats. They're flavored with real liver--your pet will love them.

A product that I use for myself to keep the little “buggers” away is Avon Skin So Soft. I mentioned this product already recently, but am doing so again for this article. Anytime I take the dogs for a walk or when I’m cleaning up the dog runs, I make sure I spray myself with this product. I love it! I’ve even sprayed it on the dogs as well. From the description: Repels mosquitoes that may transmit West Nile Virus for 8 hours. Provides effective protection against gnats, no-seeums, sand flies and biting midges. DEET-free, dermatologist-tested, hypoallergenic. 2-in-1 protection.

Some people swear by brewers yeast and garlic. Others don’t believe it does anything at all. Years ago I used to use this when I fed my dogs and looking back I must say I never had a flea problem. From the products description: Four Paws Brewers Yeast with Garlic tablets contains an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and natural proteins to promote healthy coats and control shedding. This formula also contains garlic which is known to be a natural, superb deterrent for fleas.

Another product to help protect you and your dogs against bugs is a bug zapper for the yard. I used to have one hanging from a big old tree not too far away from my dog runs. The bugs are attracted to the light. They fly in to it and “ZAP” they fly no more! Here is the product description: High Intensity Black Light Bug Killer – Bk15d 15 Watt Electric Bug Killer - Flowtron's advanced electronic insect control system can eliminate thousands of flying insect pests while providing an environmentally-friendly way of eliminating these pests from your outdoor living areas. Built into the Flowtron insect abatement system is a high-intensity ultraviolet light which can lure these light-sensitive insects through an outer protective enclosure to an electrostatically-charged killing grid, where they are quickly and safely eliminated without the use of any toxic chemicals. Dead insects simply fall to the ground and become clean feed for birds and animals. You will also find that the Flowtron's exclusive lantern styling enhances any backyard setting and also doubles as a security light. These practical and environmentally friendly bug zappers are maintenance free and provide an economical way to rid your yard of those troublesome insect pests.

I have really tried to stay away from the poisons that I have used in the past like the spot on flea and tick preventatives that are so popular with most dog owners. They’re expensive and I’m paying all of this money to the companies to poison my dogs??? There are alternatives out there and I’m on a quest to find as many of them as I can while protecting my dogs from all the bugs that have a right to be on this planet too………..only not on me and my dogs please!


My ratings: natural non-poisonous flea & ticks products: (4), poisonous flea & tick products: (1)

KEEP YOUR SPECIALTY DOGS OUT OF MY ALL BREED RING!

So it seems that there are a lot of mumblings among the specialty people about the lack of entries at the Specialty Shows recently. “Give them a show and they will come” is no longer the motto heard around the Specialty clubhouse anymore. Oh we’re all going to blame the lousy economy for the lack of entries. And for the most part this is very true. No money…..no shows. You can’t put on a show with no entries or a very limited amount of dogs being shown. There’s no profit it in for the hosting club. People most of the time only want to drive long distances to a show when the show has pulled a major. (For my readers that are not familiar with dog shows, a major is a show that a dog can win 3, 4 or 5 points at one time). This has become very frustrating for the serious exhibitor that is looking to show their dog this spring season. Where are the majors? We need those majors!

Until the last several years most German Shepherd Dog people only showed their dogs at Specialty shows. There were a number of reasons for this. Most of the time the specialty clubs were the one’s that pulled the major entries. The size of the ring was another important reason they showed at the specialty shows. Remember that this is a dog that will be judged on his side gait along with his other attributes. Therefore, the German Shepherd normally requires a larger ring to appreciate this dogs flying trot.

Most of the time, the only reason the All-Breed shows had an entry for German Shepherds was when the dog only needed a few points to finish his championship. Also this is a nice ring for the novice or bred-by exhibitor to showcase their dogs. It’s a nice show for the owner/handler. In more recent years, the All-Breed shows have seen major entries for the German Shepherd Dog. In fact in some cases, the All-Breed rings have drawn majors while the local Specialty club has not. Why is that? If the All-Breed club is getting the majors, why isn’t the Specialty club able to do the same thing?

From what I’ve been told by my friends that show almost exclusively and successfully at the All-Breed shows is that the people are friendlier at the these shows. Good will and good sportsmanship is the norm here where many feel the Specialty shows sadly lack in this area. The novice exhibitor feels more welcome at these shows. The owner/handler feels more welcome at these shows. Has the Specialty clubs snubbed the very people that help make their entries grow and therefore help make their club prosper? If these very same people can go to an All-Breed show and be welcomed and show their dogs without having snide remarks about their dogs reach their sensitive ears, then which one do you think they’re going to go to?

What is the All-Breed shows doing that the Specialty clubs aren’t doing? From what I’m being told is that the people don’t feel harshly judged by their peers when they show at an All-Breed show. Many of these same people say that they are intimidated when they show at a Specialty show. Many complain that the very same people that love and exhibitor the German Shepherd Dog look down on the new comer or someone that may not have a dog from the most popular stud dog that is fashionable at the time. In other words, the feedback that I’m hearing is that the “newbie” doesn’t feel welcome at the Specialty show so they take themselves and their dog and go someplace else where they do feel welcomed.

I remember when I was taking my girls to the local All-Breed handling classes in my area and the difference in the people there compared to a Specialty club. Most people were friendly and helpful. I didn’t feel the intense competitiveness that I might have felt at a Specialty Club. Everyone was more concerned about socializing and training their puppies rather than comparing who had the “best one!”

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved going to my Specialty club meetings and shows. I guess I was one of the fortunate ones. I had many friends. I was on the board or committees. I participated. I joined in. I was asked to help with special things. It felt like we were all on the same page……the betterment of the breed and the enjoyment of our breed. Oh sure there was competition at the shows, but speaking for me, if my friends won, it was never too hard for me to congratulate them.

So now the All Breed shows are attracting more and more German Shepherd Dog people. The entries are becoming larger and more dogs are winning majors at these shows. And how do the All-Breed people feel about the specialty people coming over to “their” rings? After all, these are the very same people that they wanted to get away from. Some are not too happy about it and others don’t really care. They feel that the more entries, the larger the major will be. And still others feel that the good will and good sportsmanship that they love so much at the All-Breed shows will suffer.

Geez……….have we adopted our breeds standard of temperament to our own personalities and temperament? Are we the owners of this fantastic breed……….showing a certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships? Can we be criticized and blamed then if we who admire this noble breed so much imitate their temperaments? Is it fair that we be judged so harshly? Are we really “stuck up” or are we just acting aloof? Do we look down on those who are not in our little “clique” or are we just “standoffish” because we don’t make immediate and indiscriminate friendships? Are we really like our beloved German Shepherds after all, or are we the “snobbish, I know better than you” unapproachable stiffs that some have labeled us to be?

So the Specialty people come to the All-Breed ring. You won’t hear their whistles, bells or horns making noise at this ring. You won’t see people being knocked over by the double handlers outside the ring. In fact what you will see and hear is a dog show the way a do show was meant to be. You’ll hear the claps and cheers for the winners. You’ll see people shaking one another's hands. You’ll hear the dogs barking and see them wagging their tails. You’ll see little Johnny eating his second hot dog. You’ll see the vendors trying to sell their dog breed jewelry and t-shirts. Does it mean that everyone leaves an All-Breed show happy? No it doesn’t. There are just as many dogs here that don’t bring home the blue ribbon. Does it mean that you don’t hear a mean word about someone’s dog spoken by a disgruntled exhibitor? No it doesn’t. People are people after all. Some leave happy and others go home sad or upset that they didn’t win. It’s all part of a dog show. Win some……lose some. It’s just that AKC rules are more strictly adhered to at these shows. Many times these shows are judged by All-Breed judges and therefore, don’t know a lot of the exhibitors showing under them personally so they do exactly what they want to do. There don’t feel the same pressure as SOME specialty judges MIGHT feel.

I personally feel that both Specialty and All-Breed shows serve a function. Of course they are both places to show our dogs and to win points toward their championship. My hope is that our Specialty shows thrive and show a healthy profit for their clubs. In my opinion, there is nothing better than seeing a German Shepherd shown in a large ring where ringside can see and appreciate this dog’s most unique gait….the flying trot. You do not see his flying trot when he’s made to walk by his handler’s side. This is something someone told me about the other day that exhibited at an All-Breed ring. The winners dog was a dog that WALKED by his handler’s side in his presentation. This is not a walking dog. This is a movement dog - a herding breed. That is probably my biggest complaint about the All-Breed shows is it’s “lack of knowledge” judges that don’t know the first thing about the German Shepherd Dogs movement. Then they don’t have a right stepping into the same ring with this breed (in my opinion)!


My rating: Specialty Shows: (4), All-Breed shows: (4), kindness & good sportsmanship: (4)

From the book: "On Kindness".....We must value people for what they are, not for what we want them to be. In their last chapter, the authors look at modern kindness, noting that our contemporary " 'enterprise culture' means a life of overwork, anxiety, and isolation," one that "divides people into winners and losers" and breeds excessive heartlessness. Yet without a balancing kindness, our inner lives are disastrously lopsided. People often think that "they envy other people for their success, money, fame, when in fact it is kindness that is most envied, because it is the strongest indicator of people's well-being, their pleasure in existence." Kindness "makes life worth living; and . . . everything that is against kindness is an assault on our hope." "On Kindness" is, as I've said, a rich and provocative book, revealing the complexity of a simple-seeming virtue and showing it to be far more than institutionalized benevolence, ego-gratification or sentimental indulgence. To live the successful modern life, we are enjoined to become less kind and more selfish. That is this small but profound volume’s animating premise. Phillips and Taylor argue that in today’s fast-paced, anything-to-get-ahead culture, kindness “has become our forbidden pleasure.” Kindly behavior is perceived as both dangerous and suspicious, nothing less than empty sentiment and simplistic moralizing. Most of all, kindness is taken as a sign of weakness.

WELLNESS CORE PREMIUM DOG FOOD

It looks like a grain. It feels like a grain. And maybe it even smells a little bit like a grain. But it’s not a grain! Wellness Core is a GRAIN FREE dog food! In fact it’s a dog food that’s FREE of many other things as well. Like it’s free of Wheat or Wheat Gluten, Free of Soy, Free of Dairy, Free of Corn, Free of Artificial Colors, and Free of Flavors or Preservatives.

After trying this companies Wellness “Super Mix” dry food a little over a month ago and reporting how much my dogs loved it, I was very anxious to try their top of the line dog food known as Wellness Core. Would I notice any significant difference I wondered? Just what is so special about this food compared to others that line the shelves of the better known dog food stores?

I am fortunate that my dogs are good eaters and pretty much eats whatever is put in front of them. So getting them to eat this new food wasn’t a problem. But like the other Wellness food, they loved this one as well. They licked their bowls clean and wondered if a second helping was coming their way. I liked that there weren’t any strong odors in the bag when I opened it. The dog food itself is a small kibble so it’s easily digested.

So just what’s so special about this premium food? Well besides not adding all of those unnecessary ingredients that I mentioned in my first paragraph, I like a food company that adds probiotics to their food. If you read this blog enough, you know how much that means to me. The German Shepherd Dog can have digestive problems so when a company addresses this by adding probiotics, then I know that they are concerned about the health of our dogs. The one thing that I noticed within a week of feeding this food was the dog’s stools. They were well formed and they were hard. No soft stool at all, so clean up was a breeze. That is always an added bonus for me.

Now lets look a little further about why this Wellness Core grain free dog food is recommended by “The Dog Food Journal.” Could it be because it’s All-Natural With added Vitamins, Minerals and Taurine , or because of it’s higher, not extreme levels of protein, or that it has moderate fat & calories, also it has controlled minerals, lower carbohydrates , preventative health benefits or maybe it’s because it has a delicious taste from higher meat content. I believe that it’s all of these things combined in one dog food.

Wellness CORE is based on the raw feeding philosophy of providing nutrient-rich, high-quality meat to a dog's diet. Each grain-free recipe is packed with meat from deboned turkey and chicken, turkey meal, chicken meal, whitefish meal and chicken liver along with a proprietary blend of fruits, vegetables, oils and botanicals that nurture your dog to the core.

I tried my dogs on the Core original formula and this is the ingredients that it contained. Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potato, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Canola Oil, Chicken Liver, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins & Minerals, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Products, Rosemary Extract.

The crude protein is 34 and the crude fat is 14. I didn’t feel that the higher protein level was too extreme as I’ve seen other companies that go up to 42% crude protein or higher. I felt for a high quality product like this 34% wasn’t excessive especially for show dogs or athletic obedience and working dogs. I feel it would be too high for puppies and even the company’s website recommends feeding this food to dogs that are over a year old.

The Wellness Core brand contains 80% more meat than other dry dog foods made from grains and being that the dog is a carnivore, this makes this dog food that much more appealing. I would venture to guess that the fussy eaters would enjoy this food immensely because of its high meat content.

After trying this companies two top selling brands of dog food, I am confident that the Wellness lines of canine food have the best interest for our dog’s health and well being. My dogs did very well on it and after all, if they are happy, then I am happy. Did I tell you how good their stools were?

Wellness Core is on the pricey side of the spectrum when it comes to dry dog food. However, if you look at the ingredient label again, you are not spending money on a food that is loaded with grains. Your money is being well spent on a high level of meat ingredients. The saying, “You get what you pay for” would be well suited for this excellent line of grain free products!


My rating:  Wellness Core dry dog food quality: (4)


From the book: "Dogs: The Ultimate Care Guide: Good Health, Loving Care, Maximum Longevity"......Reap the knowledge and wisdom from more than 100 veterinarians, groomers, trainers, etc.......Discover:
* Why changing your dog's food bowl might make him healthier (page 236)
* How to stop fleas for good (page 325)
* Premium foods-- are they worth the extra cost? (page 216)
* A complete guide to the top 50 breeds (page 17)
* A toy that's guaranteed to stop barking (page 144)
* Why dogs stick their heads out car windows (page 202)
* How to teach your dog to wave-- and other fun tricks (page 134)

THE WELLNESS SUPER 5 MIX DRY DOG FOOD

The Wellness recipe for dogs was first introduced in 1997, but the company began doing research in the early 1990’s by working with a team of animal nutrition experts, veterinarians and scientists to develop their brand of dog food that they would be proud to put their name on. They created a food that was nutritionally balanced and contained only whole foods with no wheat, corn, soy, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors. The company’s philosophy is food is the first step to a long, happy and healthy life and a proper diet can be a preventative step to combat future ill-health.

Recently I had the opportunity to try one of this companies top sellers; Wellness Super 5 Mix. Their Super5Mix recipes represent a synergistic combination of natural ingredients. This food contains natural, premium ingredients which include pure protein sources and wholesome grains. Then they combine them with their unique mix of complementary nutritional supplements. They call it their 5 for Life Supplement System. They add fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant power, phytonutrient rich botanicals and herbs for wellbeing, and utilize omega-fatty acids for cellular function. They also include essential vitamins, chelated minerals and active probiotic cultures. Anyone who has been reading my blog knows that I am a big fan of probiotics especially for the sensitive digestive track of the German Shepherd Dog.

Their Wellness Super 5 Mix comes in a variety of yummy flavors that your dog is sure to enjoy. Wellness uses premium meats: deboned chicken, New Zealand lamb, and ocean whitefish. I chose the chicken formula for my dogs. My dogs readily ate this food with not a crumb left in their bowls. I am happy to report that their stools were firm and not loose which is always a concern of mine when trying a new food.

What does their trademarked “5 for Life Supplement” mean? With the exception of their Whitefish and sweet potato recipe, which is a limited ingredient diet, the rest of the meat varieties contain fruit and veggie antioxidants, Omega 3 & 6 which are essential fatty acids for cellular function and healthy skin, a botanical blend, essential vitamins & minerals for cellular health, immunity and disease resistance and ActiCoat with live active probiotics which are added after the cooking process to promote a healthy intestinal tract and overall digestive health.

Wellness recipes include guaranteed levels of key nutrients like Taurine for optimal heart health and a combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin to promote joint health. Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin E, Beta Carotene & Lycopene are also at guaranteed levels.

The first eight ingredients in the Chicken formula that I chose for my dogs are: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Tomato Pomace, Rye Flour and Canola Oil. The protein level is 22 and the fat level is 12 so this made me feel positive about this food as well. The protein level wasn’t very high and I liked that.

Every year, the Whole Dog Journal, a respected guide to natural dog care, reviews dry dog foods and compiles the "Approved Dry Dog Foods" list. For 10 years Wellness has made the list and they are proud they made this list again this year.

The Wellness Company is so sure that your dog will love their food that if for any reason that he doesn’t, you can get a full refund of your money. Now that’s what I like to see is a company that stands behind their products. They know that if your dog is happy then the consumer is happy and happy customers are life long customers.

I was hoping to be able to review this company’s grain free product called “Core,” but I haven’t gotten a chance to try this yet. I hope to in the near future and at that time I will do a review on that one as well. For now though, my dogs and myself were very happy with the Wellness Super 5 Mix. I think it is a product that will be beneficial to breeding and show animals as well as anyone’s beloved pets. The company also makes allergy formulas, canned food and treats all with the health of your dog in mind. To check out more information about the Wellness brand of dog foods, just go on their website at: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/

My rating: quality: (4), value: (4)

THE REFLECTION I SEE LOOKING BACK AT ME

I’m not dumb enough to think what I write will set the world on fire or that it’s going to change the world…..or more importantly the people in it. But maybe, just maybe it might touch someone enough…..

Because we all share our love for the German Shepherd Dog, it brings many different people from all walks of life to this hobby of ours called “showing dogs.” It attracts the little guy to the big shot to the "wanna be’s" to the well established. The sport of showing dogs doesn’t discriminate. Its doors are open to all who show a desire and dedication to promote our breed. Many, many years ago the only people that showed dogs were the aristocratic of society. It is after all, a very expensive hobby to be involved in.

With today’s technological advancement in communication people can share their love of the breed and acquire knowledge about it quicker than ever before. In a matter of minutes, most all of any information you need is readily available at your fingertips. There are thousands upon thousands of websites available for the serious student of the breed. There are a tremendous amount of e-mail lists that one can choose to belong to with other liked minded individuals. Here is where you’ll see an exchange of ideas and information. We are a passionate lot of people and some have stronger convictions and viewpoints than others and sometimes heated arguments will occur. I’m all for a lively discussion as long as everyone plays fair.

PLAY FAIR………hmmmm……...we would hope that when we show our dogs that our dogs are getting a fair look from the judge. But this article isn’t about what goes on inside the ring. This is about what goes on outside the ring! Some of you may know that I have an on line store where I sell many dog related products like t-shirts, mugs, greeting cards, mouse pads, etc. I’m always looking for cute little sayings to put on them. Well someone gave me an idea for this. She said how about using these words on some of your products……”Dog shows…the only place where there are more bitches outside the ring than in it!” I laughed out loud with that one because she was very new to the sport of showing dogs but she had already picked up on the atmosphere at some of the shows that she went to.

We question why our clubs are becoming smaller and smaller. We wonder why the entries at dog shows can barely pull a major. It’s not about the dogs. It never was. It’s about the people that show the dogs. People haven’t lost their interest in the German Shepherd Dog. They’ve lost their interest in showing the German Shepherd Dog. They can take their dog home with them and give them all the love they need. They can enjoy their dog playing ball with him in the back yard. No the complaints that I hear is about the treatment people are receiving from the so called dog community. These complaints are not just from the new person to the breed. These complaints are by people that have been in the breed for many years having owned Select and Group winning champions. One person told me that she’s just about ready to stop showing dogs.

The spoken word is probably one of the most powerful of tools that man has available to him. It can provoke comfort, love, and affection and can make someone’s day. On the other hand, words spoken in anger or with venom can hurt, ridicule, and break hearts. It can win wars or stop wars depending upon the words one would choose to use. They’re only words, but they can be stronger than if you were to punch someone. Their sting can last a lifetime. The sting of a punch may last a couple of days. The sting of words may never go away.

We all have our perception of what an ideal dog should look like. We have a standard that dictates what they should look like. When it comes to being a human being, there is no standard. One size does not fit all. It is not our business to go around telling other exhibitors how they should dress or comb their hair. It’s not our business to tell one another who to hang around with and who to stay away from. It not our business to tell someone that their dog is nothing but a pet unless that person asked us for our advice. It’s not our business to go around breaking hearts and squashing someone’s dreams. It’s not our business to laugh at and make fun of someone because he doesn’t fit into our perception of what beauty should be. If someone wants to dress comfortably going to a dog show, it’s not our business to tell them that they need to invest in new wardrobe.

We never know what is going on in someone else’s life. Not everyone tells you of their illnesses or family problems. We may not be aware that this person is a month away from losing her home. Maybe she’s eating another can of pork and beans tonight. We don’t know what anyone else’s life is like. Showing kindness and offering help when it’s needed is probably one of the most rewarding of experiences. The person that we are making fun of may not be our “ideal” person, but her heart breaks just as easily as ours does. She goes to dog shows because she loves the breed. She may be looking for a little friendship from people that love the breed just as much as she does. No time like this time to extend kindness when the economy has taken so many victims.

Oh my (I apologize), I didn’t mean to get too preachy here, but recently I’ve heard some heartbreaking stories about the mistreatment from some in our dog community. It breaks my heart when a friend breaks down and cries or threatens to leave the showing of dogs that she loves so much. That said, MOST people in the dog show community are some of the most wonderful people that you will ever meet and many long standing friendships have lasted for decades. MOST people are willing to share their years of knowledge with those who chose to listen. For the MOST part it is a fun community of some great people that you will cherish for the rest of your life!

We are all on this journey together sometimes choosing a different path to take, but all looking for the same thing.....acceptance. I should hope that when we all leave this great big earth that we would want to be remembered more about who we were as a person than about the dogs that we owned. And as for the dogs…… well they are wonderful just the way they are because they like us humans just the way we are!

"KINDNESS OF STRANGERS: Amazon.com Review
A road-trip and self-discovery book with a difference: McIntyre hitchhiked across America with no money, accepting only the "kindness of strangers"--rides, food, shelter, and the occasional beer. This book grew on me with every page, just as McIntyre's feelings for the ordinary people he met grew with every mile. Few books I've read since Studs Terkel's Hard Times (a classic oral history about the Great Depression) so effectively captured the day-to-day lives of typical Middle Americans, with all their strengths and weaknesses. Highly Recommended.


My rating: KINDNESS OF STRANGERS: (4), kindness to all: (4)