So, here we go... - Page 3

Thanks Keith, she was a pretty spectacular girl.

Nice pics!

My intro to the GSD isn't that spectacular. My moms parents had one when I was born, up until I was about 3. He was a sable that they had bred... named Rusty. I do remember him - he was a good dog. Actually one of my earliest memories was grabbing his bowl of water and trying to run it down the stairs to him (he was thirsty!) and I slipped, fell, and cracked my head open on the cement. LOL

After he died, they went out and got me a puppy... who was just adorable, and supposedly part husky and wolf too, but other than walking in that "hunched/stalky" way, she looked full Shepherd... except her one ear never completely stood. I named her Tornado (she was WILD) and she was my best buddy.


(sorry for the crappy quality.... this is a picture of a picture from a couple years back... can't find the original to scan ATM)

She was such a sweetie... loved to play. And I loved her smile (you could see it in her eyes too). Unfortunately she lived with my grandparents, and when they died, we happened to live in an apartment and it would've been too unfair to keep her in that small of a space. So I had to say goodbye to my buddy (I was 6), and I cried and cried. That picture was taken the day she went to her new home, and they would call every now and then and give updates, but eventually the calls quit coming.  I hope she lived a good, happy life in her new home.
What really sucks is about a year later we moved into that house, where we could have continued to keep her.

Then for Christmas when I was 9, I got Dallas (who, yes, was named after the Am. Champion who I fell in love with on TV a few years before... even though she was a girl).



Being the fact that my parents had just gone through a nasty split, and dad was working all the time, she was quite litterally my only friend in the world at that time. Her and me against the world. We spent countless hours of the day going for walks through the cornfield, racing down the gravel road, or just playing in the yard. When I would make a TV dinner (anyone remember those big Hungry Man ones? With 2 patties of ribs, 2 patties of chicken, and then a bunch of mashed potatoes?) I'd always split it with her, LOL. She was a great dog... a true shepherd, through and through (aside from those ears that only stood when they felt like it)... and we lost her in such a terrible, stupid way... I miss her like crazy. But she is responsible for me falling in love with the breed. My favorite memory of her involves her carrying a garter snake around by it's head (I had been trying to catch it, and she decided she wanted too)... she just PRANCED around with this thing dangling from her mouth, her head and tail high. It was so funny to watch. And she surprisingly didn't kill it either, dropped it when I told her to and it slithered away. Priceless. <3
I have no idea what her lines were... she was $25 in the paper, one of two pups left. I'd put money on it though, that she was some kind of working line. She would've, IMO, made an awesome SchH dog.

So now I'm trying to get deeper into the breed. I just love it! I've got this big sweetheart now...



Kinda still trying to figure out the route were gonna take, so for now she is mainly a pet. She's so cute though, loves to play (can you tell?), and EVERYONE loves her... even my cat, not that she'll admit it. Crazy smart and loves to be talked to. I'll say something and look in the rearview and see those ears turn sideways, haha. She comes to work with me every night, listens like a dream, has the routine down pat... knows when she gets to come outside the car and when she stays... absolutely perfect for what I want (have I said thank you yet, Jen? LOL). Shes also my first GSD with both ears standing all of the time - LOL! And I love how she tilts her head - I swear it will just roll right off one of these times. Also very sweet and cuddly.

I'm not posting any pics, not going to make it that easy for you guys for pick on an old woman LOL. Besides, Keith's hair is much nicer than mine.

I started showing and breeding dogs in 1970, not GSD's. At the time I worked for a vet who had a GSD named Blitz bred by a breeder/judge some of you may remember, Harlan Gibbs, Kragspoint. Harlan's best known dog was Ch. Brandwine's Fels.  Harlan imported some dogs and bred them to ASL's including the dreaded Lance LOL. At any rate, I loved Blitz and knew one day I would have a GSD. I liked to show my own dogs back then and knew that an amateur handler hadn't a chance in the GSD AKC ring, so I showed and bred my first breed until it was time for a GSD.

Since 1994 I have had 4 GSD's, 2 ALS x GSL, 2 100% GSL's. My current dog is 3/4 ASL 1/4 GSL, an AKC CH sired by an 1/2 GSL x 1/2 ASL AKC CH with a Sch3.  She has her CHIC certifcation -hips, elbows, thyroid, cardiac, temperament, DM, BH, RN. I co-owned her great-granddam. I show her in OB and rally, and am training her in tracking and agility.

And that's all I have to say about that.........

 

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n495/Vandagriff/2012-01-27_07-26-03_67.jpg


I'm on my phone, so I can only post a link. This was my first GSD as an adult, from the old Army PTs some might guess that it's from the very early 90s. I believe we were 21 when we brought him home, I don't know his pedigree, just that he was a product of a grandfather and granddaughter pairing. He was such a great dog, I knew I would always have a GSD.

My parents got a border collie puppy when I was a baby and we grew up together. She was wonderful and put up with just about anything I dished out, except for putting grass in her food... lol... because I saw her eat it on occasion... but she then would not eat her food.. poor girl!
 1963
Princess died when we were 12 and that's when I got my first GSD - Mitzie. Mitzie was truely an exceptional dog and that's where my passion started and will not end until I die.... even then I hope there are GSD's in heaven!! lol1970
Sorry Keith.... no open shirt! ; )
She stayed with my parents when I left home.
My first GSD in my adult life was Katra


and then the start of it all... with Ebon  
Absolutly the best dog ever! My first SchH dog.

Debby

Growing up I was always around my uncle George & his working dogs. For as long as I've been around (35yrs) he's trained sch, hunting, pp until recently. Age catches up with everyone. He's the spark that made me love dogs, not just working, all dogs. I owe him alot for bringing so much happiness into my life. Heres some pics of him & his dogs back in the 70's & early 80's. 

The first German Shepherd I had was a big, rangy Blk/Silver dog my Dad brought home from work, a co-worker gave him to us, he was about 3 or 4 and tall, me being a horse crazy little girl thought he was perfect for pulling my wagon and he had such a nice disposition he complied happily with all my horsey whims, we had him for another 7 years before he died, than my parents bought a puppy from the newspaper for a whopping 60.00, they thought that was exspensive, and I suppose in those days it was for my parents as we had a large family, Baron was the German Shepherd that cemented the breed deeply in my heart, he was a fantastic dog, we were inseperable and he became such an integral part of my life. I remember one day when I was 12 I stayed home from school with a cold, my parents had an Insurance Office a few miles away and would come home for lunch everyday, I was in bed watching TV with Baron when I heard noise in the kitchen, I thought my parents were home and got up and went in the kitchen where I came face to face with a strange man who was going through our drawers, I remember being absolutely terrified and was frozen in place, I could actually hear the blood pounding in my head, the man started to walk towards me when out of the corner of my eye I saw Baron run and launch himself at the man, who turned and ran into our den and down the hall trying to find a quick way out, I could hear Baron's nails screeching and clawing on the linoleum as he chased the man growling and barking, the man was screaming at me to get the dog, but I was too small to control a large German Shepherd in protect mode and couldn't get him, the man finally jumped out a window near the entryway falling onto the porch and cutting himself up, unfortunately for him Baron followed after him and nailed him on his lower leg and thigh before I could actually grab ahold of his collar and pull him inside the house........ the worst horror of that day is we got sued and lost for the dog bite!!!!!!!!

I lost Baron at 14 and it so devastated me that I couldn't have a German Shepherd for a while, I got into horses and had a JRT and a Corgi for years, than I bought my own horse property and found myself living alone in the boonies with just small dogs, so naturally the breed that came to me was another German Shepherd and I got a couple of nice German Shepherds from fellow horse breeders and than decided to get a really nice German Shepherd and found my current dog, Alta-Tollhaus Gavin, he's the epitome of my perfect German Shepherd and the love of my life.  I will never again be without a German Shepherd. :)

I think I met you, Deb, at Steve & Cindy's while you were training with Ebon.  Weren't you driving a huge Cadillac back then?  ;o)

Not a GSD but this dog "Link" saved me from drowning in a swmming pool


Handling a family friends rescue dogs in some sort of OB fun match - the big "yellow" one might have had some GSD - love the big dirty dog coat

After that I messed around with more mutts, pit bulls and presa canarios.  Did not get a "real" GSD until 2005, I'll never not have one as long as I live.

Yes, I think that's where we first met Keith. Yes, a big ole caddy! lol All 3 dogs could fit in the back seat! Then we trained a few times at your friend Mike's in Whitestown. 
Debby