OLD READER...NEW MEMBER - Page 1

When I lived in the UK we had a shepherd bitch and she was the light of my life for 14 years then sadly she succumbed to a brain tumour, during her life she had one litter of ten pups and seven survived two of which were donated to Cheshire police and went on to make the grade. After she passed away I looked for another with similar bloodlines but unfortunately the breeder had moved to South Africa and taken her dogs with her, sad to say, she the breeder died shortly afterwards and as much as I wanted another I was very wary about who to go to  for another, I seen an advert in a local paper for a 16 week old dog that was close by and immediatley went to see him, I took him out for a walk and he was fine, paid for him and took him home, then he had me by the arm twice (not to big of a prob but my grandaughter had grown up with my other dog and she could do anything she wanted with it) , so unfortunatley he was taken back the next day and I lost my money, no big deal, better to have the right dog. I left it for a few weeks and then in a moment of madness I purchased a Bichon Frise (Sprout) we then decided to move to Spain and took Sprout and Tigger our Manx cat, we were then adopted by a Spanish kitten called Connor so we seemed like a happy contented family living in the sunshine but I couldn't get the idea of another shepherd out of my head, I had problems walking any distance and it was diagnosed as a blocked artery in my groin, a couple of weeks later and I was Jack the lad I could walk miles so then I went onto the internet and spent a long while looking for a good shepherd bitch puppy, found one and went to see her at 4 weeks of age and guess what I bought the first pup they showed me... a dog pup. Rico is now 15 months of age and he is the reason I fall out of bed in the morning, he is my reason to live, he is my mate, I love him so much. I had/have intentions of putting him through BH, possibly SCH1 but at the moment I just want to share his youth with. He was nearly 8 months before both ears stood, he was gangly, he is beautiful now , the ugly duckling that turned into a swan.

Some of the posts you get on here are a bit bitchy but the majority are very informative for us beginners, what we must remember is that one mans meat is another mans poison, read all the posts and see what works for you and your dog.

Thanks for all your info for the last 12 months. 

you bought the first pup they showed you?
eek.

They showed me dogs and bitches but Rico was the first one they showed me and my heart belong to him. All I wanted was another well mannered, well bred shepherd, I had waited ten years for this. I just wanted a pet, a mate and he has turned out to both of those, I know this site is mostly about breeding and showing but it's nice to know that some people like me just want a shepherd as a pet moreso in memory of the years of pleasure my other gave to me being my first shepherd. His Grandad is Yasko so I must have some chance with him. Luv him, luv him.

Obviously you like the first dog you saw and he is perfect. Don't feel bad, many pick their dogs and still are  not  happy!  Welcome!

I Don't feel bad about picking Rico we were meant to be.

Unfortunately here in Spain the pounds are full of all breeds of dogs, shepherds included but you don't know their backgrounds, and I wanted a pup that I knew would not suffer from dysplasia or other illnesses cos I wanted to be able to spend the rest of my life with him/her and not go through the heartbreak like last time. Just today on the local radio some person had left their shepherd with a neighbour whilst they went back to the UK and they never returned, that dog was 7 years of age, you have to be desperate or heartless to do that. dogs of whatever breed don't ask for much... just love and loyalty which is what we expect of each other.

ruddyroach, was your first Shepherd a "Janshar" one?

 Welcome back.    I too am a beginner and I have started a list of suggestions for folks unfamiliar with this board, in it's present state.  
Pedigree Database Survival Kit and Use Guidance:   - Place all beverages and liquids at least 2' from your computer.... this could save your expensive keyboard and/or prevent accidental death from electric shock.   -Remove all easily accessible hard objects from your reach. This is mostly a life and death thing.
  -Wear a party hat and get yourself some noise makers constructed of soft material... a dog squeaky will work well and they are easy to come by, if you own a pup that likes to gut his toys, like I do.   -Unless you already have one for use when watching your stock ticker, buy yourself a Nerf Ball Gun..... this could save you the cost of your monitor, or as in my case with a Mac, your entire computer. This is a multi use item, as you can also use it when watching the politicians lie to you on your expensive large screen Plasma TV. It's also handy if your wife interrupts you during a football game, a mortal sin in my house. Buy several balls so that you can quick reload....I have  20 of them..... so people tend to leave me the heck alone. ; >)    -Even if you don't drink, try to keep a bottle of booze near you, because you're going to have to be "on your lips drunk" to be able to understand some of the crybaby fights and other such nonsense, that is all too often posted on this otherwise very helpful dog board.   - Finally, prepare a copy of an ITA form that you can obtain from your local mental heath facility. That's a form that makes it more efficient when the need arrises for law enforcement to place you on an Involuntary Commitment hold to protect you from yourself and others. Having this form filled out in advance doesn't get you better food, but it can speed up the process, so that you will have a better chance of selecting your meal from the menu.   Stress kills.... Have fun.... I am... LOL          

I come from Northwich, Cheshire and Janet Thompson dogs were in my dogs bloodlines, she had whippets of me, I went from little skinny dogs to great big terrifying (joking) dogs thanks to Janet

Hello!  I'm guessing you know that Janet died some years back?  She bred some great dogs.

Very best of luck with your new one and welcome aboard.

Ahem... just read your first post properly... sorry, you did know!