The German Shepherd Dog

Max v. Stephanitz on Horand von Grafrath SZ1, the first registered German Shepherd Dog

"His character corresponded to his exterior qualities; marvellous in his insinuating fidelity to his master; towards all others the complete indifference of a master-mind, with a boundless and irrepressible zest for living. Although untrained in his puppyhood, nevertheless obedient to the slightest nod when at his master's side; but when left to himself, the maddest rascal, the wildest ruffian and an incorrigible provoker of strife. Never idle, always on the go; well-disposed to harmless people, but no cringer, mad on children and always ---in love. He suffered from a suppressed, or better, a superfluity of unemployed energy; for he was in heaven when someone was occupied with him, and he was then the most tractable of dogs. "

The photo is of my Mikey. He's changed a lot since that photo was taken shortly after we adopted him. The words that Max wrote about Horand could have been written about Mikey. Mikey is all GSD.... wants to work, has a passion for learning and trying to understand what I want. He's a trouble maker when left to his own devices... knocking over trash, barking at the turn of a blade of grass and antagonizing the horses. He also has a passion for women's panties. He has captured my heart as only a proper GSD can. I love all my dogs, don't get me wrong. It's just that I'm a GSD girl, have been since childhood. This breed can still captivate and astound me in ways no other breed can. Intuitive leaps in training, iron-clad loyalty, always up for whatever I want to do, and willing and able to provide serious protection should I need it.

Turning Dog Hair into Cash

Look what I found while scouting around the Terrierman's Daily Dose blog! Love this: "Better a sweater from a dog you know and love than from a sheep that you'll never meet." Lovely sentiment.

But what to do if you don't have a dog? Or if your dog is just too small to produce enough hair for a sweater? I have the answer!

Turns out, I have a machine that will separate dog hair from loose dirt. I also have two german shepherds, one amstaff, and a very hairy border collie.... white with black spots, along with a few frequent visitors of the hairy kind.

For a one time fee of $10.00, I will supply the machine, the electricity to run it, and all the hair you can collect in two hours time. All I ask is that you remove any dirt collected from the premises, and state in writing that you understand the hair will required more cleaning.

That's it! Purchase this book, then contact me for your appointment. http://tinyurl.com/kvflu6

Buddies

Teak and Jonathan, napping after breakfast.

Thought for Today

Another day, another issue, another rant

'Kids' are baby goats. Fur grows on animals, and on some male humans. I like fur when it's on the creature that grew it. Dead fur creeps me out, but I would never stand in your way if you wish to own dead, dull, icky things. I might point and laugh, though.

"Fur-kids." Gag me. The hair {not fur!} on the back of my neck stands up every time I read, or hear, this doG-awful term. What the hell is a fur kid? Is it a human infant that must be shaved to find it's mouth? Because that's what *I* think of when I hear 'fur kid'. {Yes, I'm an odd little ducky, let's move on, shall we?} . Maybe it's a term meant for.... I'm reaching here... cashmere and angora goats? Well, they don't have fur, they have HAIR. Please believe me, I've known many, many members of the goat family up close and personal. Lovely, lovely creatures. All of them have hair.

Today, while reading a working line GSD forum, a woman that I know to compete in Schutzhund {a working dog event that has 3 phases: obedience, protection, tracking} referred to her serious, working line GSDs as 'fur-kids'. At first I gasped, as I'm familiar with her rep as a serious trainer of serious working dogs. FURKID????? REALLY??? Then I shook my head in disbelief. All this guardian/caretaker/fur-kid crap is percolating into serious dog circles. If this doesn't frighten you, you're not paying attention.

I am not, not, NOT the freakin' guardian of 'furkids'! I OWN DOGS. I love and adore dogs. Dogs have been my friends my entire life. I've been protected several times by dogs, for which I'm very grateful. The word 'dog' is very special to me, I have no need or desire to describe them as anything _but a dog.

What does the word 'dog' mean to you? Something stinky? Non-stop barking? A pain in your behindermost bits? Even more work for you to do? Shedding? Annoyance? Money pit? Something to occupy the kids?

A dog is the most loyal of creatures, always there with a wag of the tail, so forgiving of human frailities. Honest. Dependable. You can always count on a dog to be himself, day in, day out.... one of their finest qualities in my opinion.

When you bring home a dog, and especially when you put a collar and leash on him, you enter into a covenant.. One that says you will be patient, kind, and understanding. That you'll provide for ALL of his needs... training, exercise, medical care, quality food, clean water, fun and games, shelter, love and affection. A safe and comfy place to sleep. That you'll protect him should the occasion warrant. That you will love him unconditionally. And, finally, that you will be there for him at the end, humanely and gently releasing him from this life when his quality of life is low.

This, dear friends, is what good dog OWNERS do for their DOGS. I have no idea what one does with a 'fur-kid'. Dress them up as princesses? Put them in uniforms? NO! Wait! I remember!

The 'guardians' of 'fur-kids' shave their faces so they can find their mouths~! Ah, don't ya just LOVE a blog post that comes full circle?

Teaky's surgery! Warning: graphic photos

Nicely done! Many, many thanks to Dr. Meiners and his wife.

I was so worried about this, but we couldn't have hoped for a better

outcome. We did a needle biopsy earlier, and all they got

was synovial fluid, so there was concern that a) the tendon was

involved, and b) that there wouldn't be enough skin to close well.

Now we wait until Thursday when we'll take the pressure bandage off

and see how the stitches are holding up. The pressure bandage is necessary to

keep the swelling down so the stitches don't pull out.

Finding a good horse vet isn't easy. My friend Kim uses Dr. Meiners for her

horses. I was caring for them one time when he came out to look at her older mare,

and I really like his calm, easy going demeanor. I can't say enough good

about this man.... and the horses like him!

With any luck, we'll be on the mountain in a month!

YEeeeeeHawwwww!

He shifted one hoof, one time during the whole procedure.

We did have to have a little chat about him expecting me

to hold his head up for him. :-)