I love seeing that more and more of our German Shepherd Dogs are receiving many different working titles next to their registered name. It�s also encouraging to see many different health certificate numbers behind his name as well. Heck some dogs have so many titles included in their name that it takes a couple of lines just to type it all out. Most of the time, I confess I don�t even know what many of those titles mean. I do know that these dogs have worked very hard for those titles and that their owners need to be commended for the dedication that they put into bringing out the best in their dogs.
One title that has always fascinated me is the temperament test title. This is where the dog is put through a number of tests to help determine the temperament of the dog. Many owners proudly display this title next to their dogs name certifying that their dog has the ideal temperament according to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America�s standard.
I�ve read through the requirements that the dog needs to pass to receive his certificate on the parent clubs website. Because I don�t have permission to print out the test here on my blog, I will briefly give you an overview of the test. I suggest if you want to know more about it that you visit the German Shepherd Dog of America�s website for full details.
Basically the dog will be tested in different situations to see how he will react to certain stimuli. He will be tested with strangers to see how he approaches each situation. He�ll meet non-threatening strangers as well as those that are more threatening towards him. He will be tested with visual as well as audio stimuli to see his reaction and if he does have one what is his recovery time will be. He will be tested to see his reaction to gun shot noise and an umbrella opened up in front of him when he least expects it. This helps to see if the dog has good steady nerves and how he handles things either in his everyday life or when things happen out of the ordinary.
We�re all proud of the fact that we own one of the most intelligent breeds of dogs capable of doing most anything that we ask of them. My question is this to those that have put their dogs through these trials. Because the German Shepherd is such a smart dog, can�t he be trained to do these tests in order to pass and get his certificate? Now this isn�t to take away from those who own dogs with wonderful temperaments and have passed these tests. I�m just concerned more about those dogs that have been trained to pass them that don�t have such wonderful temperaments. In your opinions, do you think that some dogs that have been certified temperament tested do not really have good temperaments at all, but instead are very well trained by professional trainers? As I said, I�m not trying to take away from those dogs that indeed have wonderful temperaments and they have the certificate to prove it.
Because there is a description telling owners what their dogs will be tested on, I feel that there is no element of surprise if the dog can be trained ahead of time for all of these things. Wouldn�t it be more accurate if they changed some of the things that the dogs have been already trained for? In other words if he�s been trained to have an umbrella opened in his face, can�t they substitute this with something else?
Many years ago I had a professional trainer come to my house looking to buy a puppy. He wanted to see the pups mother. I told him that she was a very devoted and protective dog towards me. He asked me if he could check out just how protective of me she was. So I agreed. We took her out on my front lawn with me holding her on her leash. He put a black long cape over his shoulders and hid his face as he came walking towards us. Well it didn't take long for "Pepper" to hit the end of that leash with her teeth fully exposed. She was ready to "rock and roll" with this guy. He went back to the other side of the lawn and removed the cape. He told me just to keep her on a loose leash, which I did. He walked over to her and me in a friendly matter making small talk. He reached down and petted her on the head and she was no longer snarling at him. He told me, "Now that's a great mind!" She was never trained to do any of this mind you. It was just her natural instinct.
I admit I�ve never had the privilege to actually see one of these trials. It has got to be fascinating to watch. I could learn something from it, I�m sure. So as I said, I have a tremendous respect for those that work with their dogs and train them to realize their ultimate potential. I would just like to know what some of you think of the temperament test and if you think it truly measures the temperament of some dogs?
My rating: temperament testing: (3 - 4)
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
ONE REASON A DOG IS SUCH A LOVABLE CREATURE IS HIS TAIL WAGS INSTEAD OF HIS TONGUE
�ONE REASON A DOG IS SUCH A LOVABLE CREATURE IS HIS TAIL WAGS INSTEAD OF HIS TONGUE� � author unknown
I have always loved quotations. In fact I have many books on the subject. Every time that I see a clever one, I save it and find myself reading it many times over. Well this morning I was reading quotations about dogs. I�ve decided that I will try to write articles around some of those quotations in the future.
Someone recently asked me to write an article about losing friendships over dogs. I gave some thought to this. I put the idea on a �shelf� for awhile and after reading the above quotation, I thought maybe I could try to write something about it now.
When competition presents itself in our life, it can be a good thing. It�s the way sport teams win their games, it�s what makes children want to be the best at whatever they do and it�s what challenges us to better ourselves. However, competition can also bring out the ugly side of people as well.
In the sport of showing dogs competition is a good thing for the most part. It makes the breeder/exhibitor want to bring out his best animal for people to �drool� over and for the judge to honor his dog with the winning points. For the most part, people will show good sportsmanship to their fellow exhibitors. Then there are others that will rant and rave when things don�t go his way and make everyone uncomfortable in his presence.
Whatever it is that you�re involved with because of the ownership of the German Shepherd Dog (showing, breeding, training, rescue, etc.) this brings you in contact with other people that share a similar interest. Bringing people together sharing common interests and goals can be a good thing. It can also bring out the worse in some people, especially those that are highly competitive to begin with. It�s human nature to want to have the best and make other people take notice. My dog�s prettier than your dog. My dog is smarter than your dog, etc. This can open up the door for healthy exchange and some good natured joking around, but it also can lead to those that are not necessarily of the good nature type becoming aggressive and abusive.
What about those that have been our friend for years? You know the ones that I�m talking about. They�re our best buddies. We talk everyday on the telephone with them. We go shopping together. We go out to lunch with them. They�re at all our parties sipping our wine and eating our �famous� barbecued beans. Why heck, even our kids grew up together. We�ve both always owned dogs. But one day, we both own the same dog! We decide to co-own the newest little �superstar� in our kennel. Oh we don�t mind letting her go. She�s going to a good home. We don�t even bother to make out a contract. Our verbal contract is all we need with our best friend, isn�t it? WRONG!
In this authors opinion, I don�t care how well we know someone or for how long. Get EVERYTHING in writing, best friend or not. Best friends can become our worse headache, heartache or nightmare! I guess it�s because we expect more from those people that we love the most and hold dear to our hearts. We feel we can trust them. They would never think of doing something against us. I�m sorry to say, that these are the very people that can sometimes do us the most damage. It�s because of their closeness to us that we would never suspect them of any wrong doing. We might suspect the �trouble makers� of the breed, but never our closest friend.
Again in this writer�s opinion, I believe that these �so called best friends� have other agendas going on that has nothing whatsoever to do with dogs. When a person that is the closest to us turns on us, I believe it was never about the dogs to begin with. I believe that this person is jealous of us, perhaps for our success, perhaps for our lifestyle, perhaps for our intelligence, or whatever! It was never about the dogs to begin with. I believe it was about them and their view of our success or another positive aspect in our life that they felt threatened by. We have something that they want and maybe they will never be able to achieve. So blaming the loss of friendship over dogs doesn�t ring true for me. The �Green eyed monster� (jealousy) is one of the most destructive emotions that man can have. Heck even our dogs are jealous creatures. Just look at how they act when we show attention to another dog. Some have been jealous of other people that are close to us in our life even going as far as preventing those people that they view as a �threat� from sitting on �his� sofa!
If you�ve been in this breed or any breed for that matter for any length of time, you will notice one thing��.dog people love to talk about dogs! And when talking about a dog that leads to talking about those that own those dogs that you�re talking about. I mean there are some of the biggest gossips on the planet when it comes to discussions of dogs and �their� people. Like anything in the world of gossip, from the time it leaves the lips of the first person that shares a little �juicy tidbit� with someone until it erupts into the worst possible offense it can change the course of some people�s relationships forever!
So our feelings can be hurt, our friendships can be lost and our dreams can be shattered when we realize the one who we cared for the most didn�t feel the same way. I wonder if it really is worth it all in the whole scheme of things. The older I get, the more I realize that I�ll be �stepping up to the plate� sooner than later. Blaming the loss of friendship over dogs is foolish. It goes deeper than that but maybe it took owning dogs to find that out!
Oh the stories we pass on, oh the lies that we tell���Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.�
From the book: "THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR: HOW TO GET CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE YOU CARE FOR....A must read to strengthen friendships, timeless classic, a manual for living, warms the heart and helps you remember what's really important in life!
My rating: friendships are important: (4), healthy competition when showing dogs: (4)
I have always loved quotations. In fact I have many books on the subject. Every time that I see a clever one, I save it and find myself reading it many times over. Well this morning I was reading quotations about dogs. I�ve decided that I will try to write articles around some of those quotations in the future.
Someone recently asked me to write an article about losing friendships over dogs. I gave some thought to this. I put the idea on a �shelf� for awhile and after reading the above quotation, I thought maybe I could try to write something about it now.
When competition presents itself in our life, it can be a good thing. It�s the way sport teams win their games, it�s what makes children want to be the best at whatever they do and it�s what challenges us to better ourselves. However, competition can also bring out the ugly side of people as well.
In the sport of showing dogs competition is a good thing for the most part. It makes the breeder/exhibitor want to bring out his best animal for people to �drool� over and for the judge to honor his dog with the winning points. For the most part, people will show good sportsmanship to their fellow exhibitors. Then there are others that will rant and rave when things don�t go his way and make everyone uncomfortable in his presence.
Whatever it is that you�re involved with because of the ownership of the German Shepherd Dog (showing, breeding, training, rescue, etc.) this brings you in contact with other people that share a similar interest. Bringing people together sharing common interests and goals can be a good thing. It can also bring out the worse in some people, especially those that are highly competitive to begin with. It�s human nature to want to have the best and make other people take notice. My dog�s prettier than your dog. My dog is smarter than your dog, etc. This can open up the door for healthy exchange and some good natured joking around, but it also can lead to those that are not necessarily of the good nature type becoming aggressive and abusive.
What about those that have been our friend for years? You know the ones that I�m talking about. They�re our best buddies. We talk everyday on the telephone with them. We go shopping together. We go out to lunch with them. They�re at all our parties sipping our wine and eating our �famous� barbecued beans. Why heck, even our kids grew up together. We�ve both always owned dogs. But one day, we both own the same dog! We decide to co-own the newest little �superstar� in our kennel. Oh we don�t mind letting her go. She�s going to a good home. We don�t even bother to make out a contract. Our verbal contract is all we need with our best friend, isn�t it? WRONG!
In this authors opinion, I don�t care how well we know someone or for how long. Get EVERYTHING in writing, best friend or not. Best friends can become our worse headache, heartache or nightmare! I guess it�s because we expect more from those people that we love the most and hold dear to our hearts. We feel we can trust them. They would never think of doing something against us. I�m sorry to say, that these are the very people that can sometimes do us the most damage. It�s because of their closeness to us that we would never suspect them of any wrong doing. We might suspect the �trouble makers� of the breed, but never our closest friend.
Again in this writer�s opinion, I believe that these �so called best friends� have other agendas going on that has nothing whatsoever to do with dogs. When a person that is the closest to us turns on us, I believe it was never about the dogs to begin with. I believe that this person is jealous of us, perhaps for our success, perhaps for our lifestyle, perhaps for our intelligence, or whatever! It was never about the dogs to begin with. I believe it was about them and their view of our success or another positive aspect in our life that they felt threatened by. We have something that they want and maybe they will never be able to achieve. So blaming the loss of friendship over dogs doesn�t ring true for me. The �Green eyed monster� (jealousy) is one of the most destructive emotions that man can have. Heck even our dogs are jealous creatures. Just look at how they act when we show attention to another dog. Some have been jealous of other people that are close to us in our life even going as far as preventing those people that they view as a �threat� from sitting on �his� sofa!
If you�ve been in this breed or any breed for that matter for any length of time, you will notice one thing��.dog people love to talk about dogs! And when talking about a dog that leads to talking about those that own those dogs that you�re talking about. I mean there are some of the biggest gossips on the planet when it comes to discussions of dogs and �their� people. Like anything in the world of gossip, from the time it leaves the lips of the first person that shares a little �juicy tidbit� with someone until it erupts into the worst possible offense it can change the course of some people�s relationships forever!
So our feelings can be hurt, our friendships can be lost and our dreams can be shattered when we realize the one who we cared for the most didn�t feel the same way. I wonder if it really is worth it all in the whole scheme of things. The older I get, the more I realize that I�ll be �stepping up to the plate� sooner than later. Blaming the loss of friendship over dogs is foolish. It goes deeper than that but maybe it took owning dogs to find that out!
Oh the stories we pass on, oh the lies that we tell���Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.�
From the book: "THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR: HOW TO GET CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE YOU CARE FOR....A must read to strengthen friendships, timeless classic, a manual for living, warms the heart and helps you remember what's really important in life!
My rating: friendships are important: (4), healthy competition when showing dogs: (4)
Monday, 7 June 2010
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
So a few years ago, I was just getting ready to step in to the shower when the telephone rang. In my �birthday suit� (more than you needed to know), I scurried across the floor to see who it was. I saw that it was my friend Marilyn Smith of Darby Dan kennels. I quickly picked up the phone and said, �Hi Marilyn.� She said �I need you to do me a favor and help me with something.� Forgetting that I�m standing in the middle of my living room in �what God gave me,� I�m thinking to myself, �Gee, this sounds serious. �Okay, Marilyn, what�s going on?� I asked her. She told me, �Well I�ve held onto this male puppy from my �Trouble� litter and I still haven�t registered him and we want to show him. Can you help me come up with a name for him?� �Oh is that all?� I replied. Well Marilyn, you just caught me getting into the shower. Let me call you back when I�m finished.� �Okay she says, but don�t forget because I need to send this in right away.�
So I take my dirty little body back into the bathroom, pull back the shower curtain, step in and proceed to pull my hair out trying to help my friend come up with a name for her youngster on such short notice. So because she told me his daddy�s name was �Trouble,� I thought perhaps I could come up with a few names around that name. So from the time she called me until the time I got back to her was no longer than forty minutes, tops! The phone rings at her house. She picks it up. I tell her about the few names that I thought might be of interest to her. She proceeds to tell me, �Thanks, but I�ve already named him.� �Wow that was fast I told her. So what did you name him?� I ask her. She replies, �Just Jack.� �Jack? I repeated with a quizzical expression on my face. �No not Jack, she answers me. Just Jack.� I scratch my head and ask myself, isn�t that what I just said, just the name Jack. But no, she meant his whole name would be �Just Jack!� So my friends, that is how I �HELPED� Marilyn come up with the name for Select Ex 5 2X Can Select Ch Darby-Dan�s Just Jack OFA H/E. (See the above picture). Most of you never knew my part in helping name that famous dog, now did you? And as they say, the rest is history!
When choosing a kennel name that people want to run their breeding business with, many will combine the husband�s and wife�s first names together. For example, one of the most famous breeders in the German Shepherd Dog world is the Fran-Jo kennels taken from the names Fran and Joan Ford. Others come up with more unique names for their kennels. My kennel name, �Chieftain�s� came from the old Gimbels department store. They had an estate by that name that we used to drive past once in awhile and the name just stuck with us. How did some of you come up with your kennel name?
My very first show dog that I bought came from a small Connecticut breeder. The owner of the kennel graduated from Cornell University. She told me that she took the name Cornell and spelled it backwards. Cornell spelled backwards is Llenroc. So my first show dog�s name was Llenroc�s Summer Harvest. She and I called him Harvey, coming from the part of his name that was Harvest.
Unlike the simple names that kennels like Darby Dan uses when naming their dogs (Just Jack, Eve, Samson, Miranda, etc.), some people when naming their litters will have a theme that they will use to help them name their puppies. Some themes that some people have used are car names, fragrance names, song titles, movie titles, etc. Some of the most unique names that stand out to me are from the Edan German Shepherd kennels. You�ll recall that I did an interview with Ann Schultz here a few months ago. Ann always comes up with such wonderful names for her marvelous dogs that I don�t hear other people using. Some of those unique names are: �I�ve got it all of Edan, Am Can Sel 4 Ch Me First Me First of Edan, Ch You Ain�t Seen Nothing Yet of Edan, Select Ch MMM MMM Good of Edan, Sel 6 Ch I'm All That Matters of Edan (pictured above)��to name a few of her many, many champion dogs.
Another kennel that I did an interview here several months ago with is Geran's German Shepehrds. Gerald and Angela Roach come up with some wonderful names for their dogs as well. One of their most famous litters was born on Christmas day and so they named their dogs with Christmas names. For instance, �Ch All I want for Christmas, aka Zak.� Other times the Geran Shepherds are named for songs. One puppy Gerald came up with a unique name for is �Geran�s Down to My Last Dollar, aka Reichen� (see the picture below). As Gerald explains it: Reichen became very ill at 4 weeks after being sick for a week and a half and three different vets diagnosed him with a kidney infection. But I remember telling my wife that when we hit $1,500 paying out medical bills on him, I said I was down to my last dollar. Hence his name.
It�s funny sometimes how we all try to come up with names that are different or ones that will stick out in people�s minds, only to call them something totally different from their registered names. Don�t we do that sometimes with our children as well? It�s like we go out of our way to come up with these distinquished names only to call them these �baby� names!
I suppose many people can say, �What�s in a name?� After all it�s the quality of the dog that really counts. This is true, but it can be so much fun when trying to come up with names that you like or that people might remember. My own personal favorites from my dogs that I bred were from my �K� litter. (I was one of those kennels that followed the alphabet when naming my dogs). The two names that I loved from that litter were Select #3 BOF Am & International Ch Chieftain�s Kharu CD and Ch Chieftain�s Kazaan. Kharu�s name (pronounced Ka-roo) was such a unique and masculine name. It seems the name extends all the way back to ancient Egyptian times. It was really such a good fit for this dog. Kazaan was perfect for him as well because the dog had an exuberant, happy out going personality.
So when naming your litters, what have been some of your best loved names? How did you come up with your kennel name? I would love to hear some of your stories.
My rating: coming up with unique names when naming your German Shepherd: (4)
When choosing a kennel name that people want to run their breeding business with, many will combine the husband�s and wife�s first names together. For example, one of the most famous breeders in the German Shepherd Dog world is the Fran-Jo kennels taken from the names Fran and Joan Ford. Others come up with more unique names for their kennels. My kennel name, �Chieftain�s� came from the old Gimbels department store. They had an estate by that name that we used to drive past once in awhile and the name just stuck with us. How did some of you come up with your kennel name?
My very first show dog that I bought came from a small Connecticut breeder. The owner of the kennel graduated from Cornell University. She told me that she took the name Cornell and spelled it backwards. Cornell spelled backwards is Llenroc. So my first show dog�s name was Llenroc�s Summer Harvest. She and I called him Harvey, coming from the part of his name that was Harvest.
Unlike the simple names that kennels like Darby Dan uses when naming their dogs (Just Jack, Eve, Samson, Miranda, etc.), some people when naming their litters will have a theme that they will use to help them name their puppies. Some themes that some people have used are car names, fragrance names, song titles, movie titles, etc. Some of the most unique names that stand out to me are from the Edan German Shepherd kennels. You�ll recall that I did an interview with Ann Schultz here a few months ago. Ann always comes up with such wonderful names for her marvelous dogs that I don�t hear other people using. Some of those unique names are: �I�ve got it all of Edan, Am Can Sel 4 Ch Me First Me First of Edan, Ch You Ain�t Seen Nothing Yet of Edan, Select Ch MMM MMM Good of Edan, Sel 6 Ch I'm All That Matters of Edan (pictured above)��to name a few of her many, many champion dogs.
Another kennel that I did an interview here several months ago with is Geran's German Shepehrds. Gerald and Angela Roach come up with some wonderful names for their dogs as well. One of their most famous litters was born on Christmas day and so they named their dogs with Christmas names. For instance, �Ch All I want for Christmas, aka Zak.� Other times the Geran Shepherds are named for songs. One puppy Gerald came up with a unique name for is �Geran�s Down to My Last Dollar, aka Reichen� (see the picture below). As Gerald explains it: Reichen became very ill at 4 weeks after being sick for a week and a half and three different vets diagnosed him with a kidney infection. But I remember telling my wife that when we hit $1,500 paying out medical bills on him, I said I was down to my last dollar. Hence his name.
It�s funny sometimes how we all try to come up with names that are different or ones that will stick out in people�s minds, only to call them something totally different from their registered names. Don�t we do that sometimes with our children as well? It�s like we go out of our way to come up with these distinquished names only to call them these �baby� names!
I suppose many people can say, �What�s in a name?� After all it�s the quality of the dog that really counts. This is true, but it can be so much fun when trying to come up with names that you like or that people might remember. My own personal favorites from my dogs that I bred were from my �K� litter. (I was one of those kennels that followed the alphabet when naming my dogs). The two names that I loved from that litter were Select #3 BOF Am & International Ch Chieftain�s Kharu CD and Ch Chieftain�s Kazaan. Kharu�s name (pronounced Ka-roo) was such a unique and masculine name. It seems the name extends all the way back to ancient Egyptian times. It was really such a good fit for this dog. Kazaan was perfect for him as well because the dog had an exuberant, happy out going personality.
So when naming your litters, what have been some of your best loved names? How did you come up with your kennel name? I would love to hear some of your stories.
My rating: coming up with unique names when naming your German Shepherd: (4)
Friday, 4 June 2010
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?
A few days ago I printed Kathy's first story about her dogs. I asked her if she had any other interesting stories to please send them to me. Well she did and this story is my favorite of the two. I knew immediately that I wanted to share it with my readers here. Thank you once again Kathy for sharing a part of your life with your dogs here with us.
When our dogs leave this earth, are they truly gone? Of course a part of them remains in our hearts forever. Sometimes dogs that I've lost come to pay me a visit in my dreams. They are exactly how I remembered them to be, only they're gone when I awake which makes me long for them even more. But what about Kathy's dogs? Did she and her husband Joe grieve so hard for their beloved dogs that their dogs felt a need to return to them to let them know it was alright to say goodbye? Do you believe that animals have souls? Do you believe in ghosts? It's one of my favorite type of stories! I can get lost in them. Read on.....
The Magical Mulberry Tree
October 24, 2007 � Kathy Sater-Partch
There was once a man that was down by a river pondering his life. There appeared a man that spoke to him of many wonderful things to come; he then vanished as quickly as he appeared. Many years later this same man appeared to him to teach him more wonderful things. He asked this familiar person, aren't you the man that came to me while at the river many years ago? The man's response was: why don't you go back there and ask him?
A true teacher will not validate or invalidate a person's experience. It is always up to us to discern what is real to us or not!
I would like to share this phenomenon with you. About two years ago my husband, Joe and I were sitting at our kitchen-Island reminiscing about our late, white German Shepherd Dog, Lobo and how much we missed him. Shortly after that conversation I got up and went to the kitchen sink. When I looked out the window above the sink at our large mulberry tree in the back yard, there was a perfect image of Lobo's face on its trunk. I had to look twice to believe what I was looking at. I said to Joe, �Come quickly to the window and tell me what you see on the mulberry tree.� In a second of his glance he said, �Oh my! It�s an image of Lobo's face!� Not the image of any shepherd. It was the exact image of this photo I had taken of of him laying by that tree years ago. The same photo I used in a story I had written about him, titled: "Divine Messenger." It wasn't my imagination; Joe saw it right away too. I ran quickly for my camera. But by the time I got to the tree, the wind came up and totally distorted the perfect image that had been placed there by the sunray�s coming through the tree leaves. I waited for the wind to calm down, but by the time it did, the suns� position changed just enough for the image to not reappear. I looked at the clock to see what time it was so I possibly could see the image again the next day -- it never returned.
All day I haven�t been able to get Lily off my mind. I think of her often, and miss her deeply. We shared an incredible fourteen years and some months together. [It will be a year this November eleventh since she left us].
Some time has gone by now since Lobo�s passing. And with Lily gone too, and no more dogs at the moment, I think of her constantly. Joe and I are sitting at the kitchen-Island once again for a lunch break as Lily�s memory lay strongly on my mind. I cannot tell you why I did this, but within seconds of intense thoughts of her, I looked out at the mulberry tree. And there she was! A huge chill ran up the back of my neck as goose bumps covered my arms. I�m so thankful Joe was there once again to share another unusual occurrence. �Joe, look quickly on the trunk of the mulberry tree,� I said. �Can you believe what�s there again?� He rushed to the window, and calmly said in a subtle voice, �It�s Lily.� �Am I crazy or what?!� I asked myself. �Well, then we both are because that's Lily�s face,� Joe said. Once again I hurried for my camera. And this is what I finally captured. Evidently Lily's spirit-energy was strong enough to allow me at least four different shots of the image. Then her image started to move around with the wind, just as Lobo�s image had done. I checked the time on the clock when it appeared. I waited for the next day to possibly see her again � there was just a slight image left. Probably the average person couldn�t have made it out unless they had seen it the day before, but she was still there.
And just think; Joe and I were there both times to witness the extraordinary likenesses� of Lobo and Lily on that mulberry tree. Maybe for only a few minutes, but for both of us, I think was extremely quaint. There must be something magical about this mulberry tree, because my German Shepherd Dog, Koda now lies in the very same place as my other shepherds use to rest in the hot summer days of Arizona.
The image as we saw it on the mulberry tree, October 24, 2007. When you sit back a bit, the image becomes unmistakable.
Wasn't that incredible? Just look at how much that image on the Mulberry tree looks like the picture of beautiful Lily! Wow, I wish I saw some of my beloved dogs that are no longer with me come visit me like that. Well maybe......or maybe not.......it might just freak me out also, so I better be careful what I ask for!
My rating: believing animals have souls: (4)
From the book "GHOST WHISPERS: TALES FROM HAUNTED MIDWAY".......Have you ever felt uneasy chills upon entering an old house or cemetery? Sensed someone watching you from the dark at the top of the stairs, when you knew you were alone? If so, then dim the lights and stoke up the fire. These stories will thrill and bewitch you, and unveil the hauntedness in us all. Read them and be scared... With his first book, "Ghost Whispers: Tales from Haunted Midway," local author William Gorman journeys deep into what modern master and Illinois native son Ray Bradbury called the 'October country'; that dark, unseen region where the natural and the supernatural worlds touch and sometimes bleed into each other. Only this time, it's right here in our own back yard: Rockford, Illinois, and her nearby environs. Within these pages you'll meet the ghost of a murdered girl who still wanders her former Haight Village neighborhood on rare, dread occasions; a southern-born taxidermist who lived as strangely as he died, and whose moody soul now will not rest until he finds his lost burial casket; the spirit of an old woman from Belvidere named Nellie, who donned her faded wedding dress one night and walked into the river like vapor; the vengeful phantom of an infamous Freeport assassin, who once killed a U.S. president and was hanged for his crimes; and lingering ghosts of a Rockford gone by, as three young boys take a coming-of-age midnight stroll through their fair city as it was in 1905, a burgeoning place filled with fleeting shadows and with a present already sadly becoming past. Plus many, many more. At times unsettling, at other times lyrical and life affirming, and at times just plain frightening, there's something here for everyone in this macabre collection of spooky tales. True or not, folklore or fact, strangers who visit this upper Midwest region-after reading these chilling accounts-will arrive from now on with a new appreciation of its spirited history and its somewhat haunted landscape. And local residents will never pass by and look at their own Gothic architecture or tree-shrouded graveyards in quite the same way again.
When our dogs leave this earth, are they truly gone? Of course a part of them remains in our hearts forever. Sometimes dogs that I've lost come to pay me a visit in my dreams. They are exactly how I remembered them to be, only they're gone when I awake which makes me long for them even more. But what about Kathy's dogs? Did she and her husband Joe grieve so hard for their beloved dogs that their dogs felt a need to return to them to let them know it was alright to say goodbye? Do you believe that animals have souls? Do you believe in ghosts? It's one of my favorite type of stories! I can get lost in them. Read on.....
The Magical Mulberry Tree
October 24, 2007 � Kathy Sater-Partch
There was once a man that was down by a river pondering his life. There appeared a man that spoke to him of many wonderful things to come; he then vanished as quickly as he appeared. Many years later this same man appeared to him to teach him more wonderful things. He asked this familiar person, aren't you the man that came to me while at the river many years ago? The man's response was: why don't you go back there and ask him?
A true teacher will not validate or invalidate a person's experience. It is always up to us to discern what is real to us or not!
I would like to share this phenomenon with you. About two years ago my husband, Joe and I were sitting at our kitchen-Island reminiscing about our late, white German Shepherd Dog, Lobo and how much we missed him. Shortly after that conversation I got up and went to the kitchen sink. When I looked out the window above the sink at our large mulberry tree in the back yard, there was a perfect image of Lobo's face on its trunk. I had to look twice to believe what I was looking at. I said to Joe, �Come quickly to the window and tell me what you see on the mulberry tree.� In a second of his glance he said, �Oh my! It�s an image of Lobo's face!� Not the image of any shepherd. It was the exact image of this photo I had taken of of him laying by that tree years ago. The same photo I used in a story I had written about him, titled: "Divine Messenger." It wasn't my imagination; Joe saw it right away too. I ran quickly for my camera. But by the time I got to the tree, the wind came up and totally distorted the perfect image that had been placed there by the sunray�s coming through the tree leaves. I waited for the wind to calm down, but by the time it did, the suns� position changed just enough for the image to not reappear. I looked at the clock to see what time it was so I possibly could see the image again the next day -- it never returned.
All day I haven�t been able to get Lily off my mind. I think of her often, and miss her deeply. We shared an incredible fourteen years and some months together. [It will be a year this November eleventh since she left us].
Some time has gone by now since Lobo�s passing. And with Lily gone too, and no more dogs at the moment, I think of her constantly. Joe and I are sitting at the kitchen-Island once again for a lunch break as Lily�s memory lay strongly on my mind. I cannot tell you why I did this, but within seconds of intense thoughts of her, I looked out at the mulberry tree. And there she was! A huge chill ran up the back of my neck as goose bumps covered my arms. I�m so thankful Joe was there once again to share another unusual occurrence. �Joe, look quickly on the trunk of the mulberry tree,� I said. �Can you believe what�s there again?� He rushed to the window, and calmly said in a subtle voice, �It�s Lily.� �Am I crazy or what?!� I asked myself. �Well, then we both are because that's Lily�s face,� Joe said. Once again I hurried for my camera. And this is what I finally captured. Evidently Lily's spirit-energy was strong enough to allow me at least four different shots of the image. Then her image started to move around with the wind, just as Lobo�s image had done. I checked the time on the clock when it appeared. I waited for the next day to possibly see her again � there was just a slight image left. Probably the average person couldn�t have made it out unless they had seen it the day before, but she was still there.
And just think; Joe and I were there both times to witness the extraordinary likenesses� of Lobo and Lily on that mulberry tree. Maybe for only a few minutes, but for both of us, I think was extremely quaint. There must be something magical about this mulberry tree, because my German Shepherd Dog, Koda now lies in the very same place as my other shepherds use to rest in the hot summer days of Arizona.
Wasn't that incredible? Just look at how much that image on the Mulberry tree looks like the picture of beautiful Lily! Wow, I wish I saw some of my beloved dogs that are no longer with me come visit me like that. Well maybe......or maybe not.......it might just freak me out also, so I better be careful what I ask for!
My rating: believing animals have souls: (4)
From the book "GHOST WHISPERS: TALES FROM HAUNTED MIDWAY".......Have you ever felt uneasy chills upon entering an old house or cemetery? Sensed someone watching you from the dark at the top of the stairs, when you knew you were alone? If so, then dim the lights and stoke up the fire. These stories will thrill and bewitch you, and unveil the hauntedness in us all. Read them and be scared... With his first book, "Ghost Whispers: Tales from Haunted Midway," local author William Gorman journeys deep into what modern master and Illinois native son Ray Bradbury called the 'October country'; that dark, unseen region where the natural and the supernatural worlds touch and sometimes bleed into each other. Only this time, it's right here in our own back yard: Rockford, Illinois, and her nearby environs. Within these pages you'll meet the ghost of a murdered girl who still wanders her former Haight Village neighborhood on rare, dread occasions; a southern-born taxidermist who lived as strangely as he died, and whose moody soul now will not rest until he finds his lost burial casket; the spirit of an old woman from Belvidere named Nellie, who donned her faded wedding dress one night and walked into the river like vapor; the vengeful phantom of an infamous Freeport assassin, who once killed a U.S. president and was hanged for his crimes; and lingering ghosts of a Rockford gone by, as three young boys take a coming-of-age midnight stroll through their fair city as it was in 1905, a burgeoning place filled with fleeting shadows and with a present already sadly becoming past. Plus many, many more. At times unsettling, at other times lyrical and life affirming, and at times just plain frightening, there's something here for everyone in this macabre collection of spooky tales. True or not, folklore or fact, strangers who visit this upper Midwest region-after reading these chilling accounts-will arrive from now on with a new appreciation of its spirited history and its somewhat haunted landscape. And local residents will never pass by and look at their own Gothic architecture or tree-shrouded graveyards in quite the same way again.
Thursday, 3 June 2010
THE HUMAN BEING STANDARD
Good afternoon everyone. I'm getting this out late today as my computer had the "hic-cups" on and off today. I couldn't get any messages to anyone. Then my phone stopped working as well. They're both connected to one another. So much for modern technology. So I'm sending out one of my old writings that some of you may have read and many of you have not. It's one of my satires (showing my quirky sense of humor) poking fun of us humans. If the German Shepherd Dog can have a standard which we judge them on, what about one for us then?
THE HUMAN BEING STANDARD
By
Barbara J. Galasso
Of course, as in our Human Being Standard and depending upon who is judging on any given day, it is left open to interpretation as to what signifies a good or ideal Human Being. Some judges must have a good front, others insist upon a great rear, while still others temperament reigns supreme and without it, you won't win under them. So just what does the ideal Human Being Standard call for and what does it take to be a "winner"? According to the "Human Being Standard of the United States of America"............
GENERAL APPEARANCE: The first impression of an ideal human being is one who is well muscled rather than flabby, alert rather than half dead, taller rather than wider, a hard, lean working machine, secondary sex characteristics are pronounced. If male - we're talking here - Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Brad Pitt. If female - as close to Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie or Shania Twain as you can get.
SIZE, SUBSTANCE: The desired height for males is 6 feet and above from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. For females, the desired height is anywhere in between as long as she looks like the aforementioned ideal woman from those above. Size and substance should give you the impression of one who is not too round, no pot bellies, no sagging flesh.
HEAD: Males should be masculine and strong with a chiseled bone structure although if all other things are equal, then even a little coarseness is okay here........it kind of adds to his masculinity. The model look "scowl" with furrowed brow is only to be considered a minor fault and shouldn't be too heavily penalized. Females should have high cheek bones, arched brows, almond shaped eyes, full mouth not enhanced by collagen injections, with a clear, flawless, blemish free complexion. A few stray whiskers on a male is acceptable, but a disqualification on a female.
TEETH: Most any number is acceptable as long as they're your own. No dentures please. No missing teeth in front or sides of mouth that can be viewed when you smile. Anyone who has had teeth replaced with a gold or silver tooth that can be seen when they smile shouldn't smile at all or suffer the penalty of being put to the end of the class.
NECK, BODY: The neck is long and lean and swan like. Any folds of skin, wrinkles, creepiness, or age spots are undesirable. Goose necks, overly pronounced Adams apples and sunken in hollows at the bottom of the neck are all major faults and should be dealt with accordingly. The body should be well toned, not spongy or flabby and be willing to perform for what it was bred for: having and rearing children, car pooling, mowing the lawn, feeding and picking up after the dog, channel surfing, cooking dinners, washing dishes, scrubbing the floor, tolerating the in-laws and crabby neighbors, all done behind a smiling face no matter what's going on inside your head and what you are really thinking. None of these thoughts should be expressed because depending upon the judge can be considered a major fault and cause for disqualification.
TOP LINE: The ideal human being is to stand upright, no rounding of shoulders, no crouching over when walking, or holding the hip area when in motion. The top line should be smooth without any bumps, or humps, and curvy rather than angular.
ABDOMEN: As called for in the German Shepherd Dog standard - firmly held and not paunchy. For males: a six pack iron stomach. For females: an iron board abdomen is the only one acceptable. Any rolls, pot bellies or hanging flesh is a disqualification.
HINDQUARTERS, TAIL & CROUP: The ideal hindquarter, tail end and croup for both males and females are "bootilicious". Any flat, drooping or dimpled rears is considered a serious fault.
FOREQUARTERS & CHEST: The shoulders should be held back with a proud posture. For males, the chest should be deep and well filled out with bulging, rippled muscles. For females, any chest size that is well filled in with no sagging is acceptable
FEET: The ideal human being foot is small, well groomed and compact. Any calluses, corns, long overgrown toenails and offensive odors are room for immediate disqualification.
GAIT: For both males and females, the ideal gait is an athletic sprint. Males should not have an exaggerated strut nor should females have an exaggerated swinging of the hips. Any wobbling or shifting or hopping in their gait is considered a serious fault. Suspicion of steroid use in either sex is cause for immediate disqualification.
COAT: (or in this case HAIR): For males, hair can be any color of black, brown, blonde, or salt & pepper. Any baldness is undesirable, but will be considered secondary if all other things are of superior quality. Any pony tails, or hair hanging below the ears is considered a long coat and although not a disqualification, considered a minor fault. For females, hair can be any color of black, brown, blonde, or salt & pepper. For females all hair length is acceptable, although in her case, long is most desirable and not considered a long coat.
TEMPERAMENT: The ideal human being should be approachable at all times under all circumstances. Any signs of aggressiveness, foul mouth, crankiness, ill tempered, sarcastic, back stabbing, gossiping, jealousy, holding back of affection, yelling & screaming, moodiness, lying, stealing and down right a pain in the butt to live with is all considered disqualifications and SHOULD be removed from the ring. Any person attempting to bite the judge after they lose the first place ribbon is banned from ever being shown again.
And that folks is what the ideal human being should look like!
My rating: standards are only as good as those that understand them: (1 - 4)
THE HUMAN BEING STANDARD
By
Barbara J. Galasso
Of course, as in our Human Being Standard and depending upon who is judging on any given day, it is left open to interpretation as to what signifies a good or ideal Human Being. Some judges must have a good front, others insist upon a great rear, while still others temperament reigns supreme and without it, you won't win under them. So just what does the ideal Human Being Standard call for and what does it take to be a "winner"? According to the "Human Being Standard of the United States of America"............
GENERAL APPEARANCE: The first impression of an ideal human being is one who is well muscled rather than flabby, alert rather than half dead, taller rather than wider, a hard, lean working machine, secondary sex characteristics are pronounced. If male - we're talking here - Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Brad Pitt. If female - as close to Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie or Shania Twain as you can get.
SIZE, SUBSTANCE: The desired height for males is 6 feet and above from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. For females, the desired height is anywhere in between as long as she looks like the aforementioned ideal woman from those above. Size and substance should give you the impression of one who is not too round, no pot bellies, no sagging flesh.
HEAD: Males should be masculine and strong with a chiseled bone structure although if all other things are equal, then even a little coarseness is okay here........it kind of adds to his masculinity. The model look "scowl" with furrowed brow is only to be considered a minor fault and shouldn't be too heavily penalized. Females should have high cheek bones, arched brows, almond shaped eyes, full mouth not enhanced by collagen injections, with a clear, flawless, blemish free complexion. A few stray whiskers on a male is acceptable, but a disqualification on a female.
TEETH: Most any number is acceptable as long as they're your own. No dentures please. No missing teeth in front or sides of mouth that can be viewed when you smile. Anyone who has had teeth replaced with a gold or silver tooth that can be seen when they smile shouldn't smile at all or suffer the penalty of being put to the end of the class.
NECK, BODY: The neck is long and lean and swan like. Any folds of skin, wrinkles, creepiness, or age spots are undesirable. Goose necks, overly pronounced Adams apples and sunken in hollows at the bottom of the neck are all major faults and should be dealt with accordingly. The body should be well toned, not spongy or flabby and be willing to perform for what it was bred for: having and rearing children, car pooling, mowing the lawn, feeding and picking up after the dog, channel surfing, cooking dinners, washing dishes, scrubbing the floor, tolerating the in-laws and crabby neighbors, all done behind a smiling face no matter what's going on inside your head and what you are really thinking. None of these thoughts should be expressed because depending upon the judge can be considered a major fault and cause for disqualification.
TOP LINE: The ideal human being is to stand upright, no rounding of shoulders, no crouching over when walking, or holding the hip area when in motion. The top line should be smooth without any bumps, or humps, and curvy rather than angular.
ABDOMEN: As called for in the German Shepherd Dog standard - firmly held and not paunchy. For males: a six pack iron stomach. For females: an iron board abdomen is the only one acceptable. Any rolls, pot bellies or hanging flesh is a disqualification.
HINDQUARTERS, TAIL & CROUP: The ideal hindquarter, tail end and croup for both males and females are "bootilicious". Any flat, drooping or dimpled rears is considered a serious fault.
FOREQUARTERS & CHEST: The shoulders should be held back with a proud posture. For males, the chest should be deep and well filled out with bulging, rippled muscles. For females, any chest size that is well filled in with no sagging is acceptable
FEET: The ideal human being foot is small, well groomed and compact. Any calluses, corns, long overgrown toenails and offensive odors are room for immediate disqualification.
GAIT: For both males and females, the ideal gait is an athletic sprint. Males should not have an exaggerated strut nor should females have an exaggerated swinging of the hips. Any wobbling or shifting or hopping in their gait is considered a serious fault. Suspicion of steroid use in either sex is cause for immediate disqualification.
COAT: (or in this case HAIR): For males, hair can be any color of black, brown, blonde, or salt & pepper. Any baldness is undesirable, but will be considered secondary if all other things are of superior quality. Any pony tails, or hair hanging below the ears is considered a long coat and although not a disqualification, considered a minor fault. For females, hair can be any color of black, brown, blonde, or salt & pepper. For females all hair length is acceptable, although in her case, long is most desirable and not considered a long coat.
TEMPERAMENT: The ideal human being should be approachable at all times under all circumstances. Any signs of aggressiveness, foul mouth, crankiness, ill tempered, sarcastic, back stabbing, gossiping, jealousy, holding back of affection, yelling & screaming, moodiness, lying, stealing and down right a pain in the butt to live with is all considered disqualifications and SHOULD be removed from the ring. Any person attempting to bite the judge after they lose the first place ribbon is banned from ever being shown again.
And that folks is what the ideal human being should look like!
My rating: standards are only as good as those that understand them: (1 - 4)
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A "ROCKY" MOMENT?
For those of you that know me well, you would probably say that I�m the type of person that most people go to when they need a good shoulder to cry on. I carry so many people�s problems in my head that I almost forget what my own problems are sometimes. I have always been the champion of the underdog. I love to see the little guy do well.
That said I happened upon the old movie �Rocky� last night while surfing through the channels. Who hasn�t seen this movie more than one time? I�ve probably seen more of the sequels to this movie than the original. So I sat back and started watching the original �Rocky.� I remember a scene in the movie that said that America is the land of opportunity. Wow, I bet not too many people say those words anymore. But it was true; this was a land of opportunity. I felt a swell of pride when I remembered when�..
So because I write stories and articles about dogs (and German Shepherds in particular) my mind is always looking for a subject to write about. And it just hit me, how many of us have had a �Rocky� moment in dogs? For those rare people that never seen this movie, the concept is quite simple, the underdog, the one that no one notices, the going no where fast type of person, gets a break and it changes his life forever. Suddenly the underdog is the top dog!
Is there not a more exciting moment than when an unheard of dog owned by a not so easily recognized handler goes in to the ring and blows all the competition out of the ring? In walks the big shots of the breed�..you know the ones that I�m talking about��the top handlers with the top breeder�s dogs straining at the end of the leash. Then in walks a dog that no ones heard of before and is owned by someone that no one ever notices. People start to whisper and point, who is that magnificent animal standing in the middle of the ring that demands their attention? Oh the crowd is surprised all right when this little unheard of dog floats around the ring like a well oiled machine and stands like an Adonis just daring the judge not to award him that blue ribbon today! It takes a mighty good and honest judge to award this dog the whole kit and caboodle when some of the top winning dogs are waiting for their next winning points. The judge knows there is not other option. At this moment, at this time, on this day, the �Where the hell did he come from dog� must be awarded the winner! The crowd bursts out in a thunderous applause at this �Rocky� moment. I live for this stuff!
Few people can deny the appeal of the underdog that upsets the whole show. Oh those that are used to winning find nothing appealing about it at all. Their answer to this �most unlikely event� happening again is that this dog was lucky and he had a very good day. They say that this is the last that we�ll hear about this dog. Sometimes what they say may be true, but it�s not always the case.
A �Rocky� type of dog is one that comes out of nowhere and beats the top winners at their own game. Probably just as surprised as many others are the owner of this dog. Oh not that he didn�t believe in the qualities of his own dog, but he didn�t believe in the system. He didn�t believe that if you have a good dog whether or not you have a well known handler doesn�t matter. He didn�t believe that a judge would have the knowledge and the guts enough to put up this unknown dog. Are there politics in the showing of dogs? Oh yes there is. Don�t let anyone tell you that there isn�t. On the other side of the coin, there are excellent judges who judge the dogs to the standard of the breed. They do their own thing in the ring and don�t care if ring side likes it or not. You hired him. This is his moment. He does it his way. It might not always be the popular choice, but it�s his choice and that�s why you hired him. If he puts up the little guy over the popular guy, he may be told when he steps out of the ring that he�ll never get another judging assignment. Oh yeah, I�ve heard this said before. But it�s the confident judge that doesn�t get flustered by these remarks and attitudes. He sleeps well at night with his choices.
As for my own �Rocky� dog moments, I�ve had a few. These types of moments are not common in the dog game, but when they happen, it�s probably the moments that you remember the most. I had four of them that I can remember. I had a Best in Maturity winner under Dave Rinke. I never met the man. He never seen my bitch before and I was one of the �little guys� in the breed. My stud dog produced a Select champion under Ernie Loeb which I almost fell out of the bleaches when he was awarded this honorable award. Another �Rocky� moment is when one of my girls took Best Opposite Sex in her Maturity and a five point major reserve the same weekend under Ralph and Mary Roberts. And the cream of the crop was when one of my dogs that I bred was awarded Select #3 under Connie Beckhardt. Why was this the cream of the crop moment for me? Because my Select dog that was a Best Opposite Sex Futurity winner and the Reserve Winners dog at the national the year before trotted into the ring with a much unknown handler. This dog was shown to his championship by Gail Sprock. That�s who everyone associated this dog with. Gail had other commitments so his owner was left to find someone else. Good luck. Come the National time, the top handlers are all ready booked up with their committed clients. Where she got this very young girl from I don�t know, but she and the dog showed their hearts out. When they won, it was one of those �tear producing� moments for me. What made all these moments even more memorable was that these wins were awarded to my dogs by some of the most recognized and respected judges in the breed.
So how about you have you and your dogs had one of those �Rocky� moments? I would love to hear about it.
My rating: �Rocky� moments: (4)
That said I happened upon the old movie �Rocky� last night while surfing through the channels. Who hasn�t seen this movie more than one time? I�ve probably seen more of the sequels to this movie than the original. So I sat back and started watching the original �Rocky.� I remember a scene in the movie that said that America is the land of opportunity. Wow, I bet not too many people say those words anymore. But it was true; this was a land of opportunity. I felt a swell of pride when I remembered when�..
So because I write stories and articles about dogs (and German Shepherds in particular) my mind is always looking for a subject to write about. And it just hit me, how many of us have had a �Rocky� moment in dogs? For those rare people that never seen this movie, the concept is quite simple, the underdog, the one that no one notices, the going no where fast type of person, gets a break and it changes his life forever. Suddenly the underdog is the top dog!
Is there not a more exciting moment than when an unheard of dog owned by a not so easily recognized handler goes in to the ring and blows all the competition out of the ring? In walks the big shots of the breed�..you know the ones that I�m talking about��the top handlers with the top breeder�s dogs straining at the end of the leash. Then in walks a dog that no ones heard of before and is owned by someone that no one ever notices. People start to whisper and point, who is that magnificent animal standing in the middle of the ring that demands their attention? Oh the crowd is surprised all right when this little unheard of dog floats around the ring like a well oiled machine and stands like an Adonis just daring the judge not to award him that blue ribbon today! It takes a mighty good and honest judge to award this dog the whole kit and caboodle when some of the top winning dogs are waiting for their next winning points. The judge knows there is not other option. At this moment, at this time, on this day, the �Where the hell did he come from dog� must be awarded the winner! The crowd bursts out in a thunderous applause at this �Rocky� moment. I live for this stuff!
Few people can deny the appeal of the underdog that upsets the whole show. Oh those that are used to winning find nothing appealing about it at all. Their answer to this �most unlikely event� happening again is that this dog was lucky and he had a very good day. They say that this is the last that we�ll hear about this dog. Sometimes what they say may be true, but it�s not always the case.
A �Rocky� type of dog is one that comes out of nowhere and beats the top winners at their own game. Probably just as surprised as many others are the owner of this dog. Oh not that he didn�t believe in the qualities of his own dog, but he didn�t believe in the system. He didn�t believe that if you have a good dog whether or not you have a well known handler doesn�t matter. He didn�t believe that a judge would have the knowledge and the guts enough to put up this unknown dog. Are there politics in the showing of dogs? Oh yes there is. Don�t let anyone tell you that there isn�t. On the other side of the coin, there are excellent judges who judge the dogs to the standard of the breed. They do their own thing in the ring and don�t care if ring side likes it or not. You hired him. This is his moment. He does it his way. It might not always be the popular choice, but it�s his choice and that�s why you hired him. If he puts up the little guy over the popular guy, he may be told when he steps out of the ring that he�ll never get another judging assignment. Oh yeah, I�ve heard this said before. But it�s the confident judge that doesn�t get flustered by these remarks and attitudes. He sleeps well at night with his choices.
As for my own �Rocky� dog moments, I�ve had a few. These types of moments are not common in the dog game, but when they happen, it�s probably the moments that you remember the most. I had four of them that I can remember. I had a Best in Maturity winner under Dave Rinke. I never met the man. He never seen my bitch before and I was one of the �little guys� in the breed. My stud dog produced a Select champion under Ernie Loeb which I almost fell out of the bleaches when he was awarded this honorable award. Another �Rocky� moment is when one of my girls took Best Opposite Sex in her Maturity and a five point major reserve the same weekend under Ralph and Mary Roberts. And the cream of the crop was when one of my dogs that I bred was awarded Select #3 under Connie Beckhardt. Why was this the cream of the crop moment for me? Because my Select dog that was a Best Opposite Sex Futurity winner and the Reserve Winners dog at the national the year before trotted into the ring with a much unknown handler. This dog was shown to his championship by Gail Sprock. That�s who everyone associated this dog with. Gail had other commitments so his owner was left to find someone else. Good luck. Come the National time, the top handlers are all ready booked up with their committed clients. Where she got this very young girl from I don�t know, but she and the dog showed their hearts out. When they won, it was one of those �tear producing� moments for me. What made all these moments even more memorable was that these wins were awarded to my dogs by some of the most recognized and respected judges in the breed.
So how about you have you and your dogs had one of those �Rocky� moments? I would love to hear about it.
My rating: �Rocky� moments: (4)
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
LIFE WITH SKIPPER - GUEST WRITER - KATHY SATER-PARTCH
If any of you would like to share your stories or pictures with me and would like to see them on my blog, please forward them to me for my review and perhaps we can get them here as well. So here is Kathy's beautifully written heartfelt story. Enjoy!
Life with Skipper
1967 � 1975
Kathy Sater-Partch
Hold on to the memories of our animal friends. Let your heart reach out and touch the things that happened to those we loved so dearly. Take a deep breath and make a carbon copy of your feelings. And then ask yourself, �Why are these memories so important?� Think about where these thoughts have taken you. It is often on a journey of pride and laughter, but also one of worry, sighs and tears. The experiences of living with our animal friends can happen in ways that are unexpected, wild and fast. These endeavors, positive and negative have greatly enriched my soul.
Skipper was buried on his place in the year of 1975. We now believe without question that his spirit still roams that place he so dearly loved and protected.
Let me go back in joyful memory to when Joe first brought Skipper home to me. There had to be no other person in this entire world as happy as I was at that moment. Since I was a very small child, all I could see were dogs and horses. Some years later it was Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Bullet and other famous canine friends I loved so much. Even though both of my parents were raised on farms, neither one of them wanted to continue to have animals after they married. All I cared about as a child was anything that had fur on it. No dolls for me. Dogs and horses were my greatest love. As the years went by with my parents, I did have the privilege of a few cats, a bunny, fish and turtles. Weekly visits to my grandmother and grandfather�s farms brought me much joy with their dogs and other farm animals.
I have to smile. Some years after Joe and I married, my mother and father then got their first German Shepherd Dog, a puppy they named Kelly. I guess it just happened for them. They were at the right place and time, and Kelly picked them for her new family. She was a beautiful black and silver. Mother and father were blessed with this stunning, healthy, good tempered companion. They experienced many fantastic years with Kelly. As she lived her life, she gave much joy to many. I truly believe each and every animal born is a blessing for those who love them.
When Joe left that early morning the second day of our marriage to search for our first German Shepherd Dog, he had no idea how the day would start or end. When I think back, how could he even think he could just go out and get any German Shepherd Dog to bring back home with him? He knew of no German Shepherd Dog breeders in the area, nor any other source to achieve this goal. But for some reason, when he left the house that day he believed that he was coming home with a German Shepherd. We still reminisce about this amazing goal he set out to accomplish. Joe drove right to a rescue place he knew of not far from our home. When he arrived, he got out of his pickup, and just looked around for a while at the kennels that held quite a few different breeds. Then a caretaker approached Joe and asked if he could help. �Yes, I would really like to find a German Shepherd Dog to take home with me today,� Joe replied back. �It can be a female or a male, it doesn�t matter.� The caretaker thought for a moment and said, �Gosh, at the moment, when I think about it, we don�t have any shepherds at this time.�
So Joe looked around some more and came upon a gorgeous Malamute staring back at him with incredibly intense ice-blue eyes.� Joe really was impressed by his handsome face and large masculine size until the dog did a low rumbling growl at him. �I don�t think you need or want this dog because we have found him to have some serious aggression issues,� the caretaker said in a firm voice. Being a bit disappointed, Joe said, �I�m just going to walk around for a while and keep looking.� The caretaker followed behind. Joe was becoming more aware of what he was hearing in the background. It was loud enough for him to take notice, but not until he was there for some time did he realize the barking and whining was coming from a pump-house not far away. Joe asked the caretaker, �Why do you have a dog locked up in there?� �What kind of dog is that?� The caretaker looked a bit sheepish at that point and was having a bit of a problem finding the correct reply. �Oh yes, by the way, hmmm, now that I think about, we do have a shepherd that just came in and we put him in the pump-house for the time being.� Surprised at the caretaker�s suspicious answer, Joe asked immediately to see the dog. When the caretaker brought the beautiful intact German Shepherd Dog puppy out of the pump-house, it was love right from the start. The dog was very exuberant and, of course, immensely pleased he was finally out of his little prison. Oh yes, this was a weird situation, and Joe didn�t want to ask any other questions except for one more, �How much are you asking for him?� �I�m asking thirty-five dollars,� the man said. �Will you take twenty-five dollars?� Joe replied. And the caretaker said, �Yes.� The young shepherd jumped willing into Joe�s pickup, and off they drove. When I first saw my dog, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I really can�t say to this day why we named him Skipper. The name just came up from what I remember; we both agreed, and that was it. By the next day, the puppy was coming to his new name, Skipper. Life was good.
We continued to share many awesome times together. Joe and I came home one day when Skipper was about a year old, only to find he had totally torn my whole house apart. He ate an entire pound of butter plus bread to go with it. He shredded all my new towels and pillows. There wasn�t one thing he didn�t miss, right down to a favorite large teddy bear my late grandfather Sater had given me when I was a teenager. That bear was totally unrecognizable. I do have to laugh at this now because I saw the remains of the bear scattered all over the living room floor. But the funniest of all, with thousands of bits and pieces lying about, placed neatly in one corner of our living room were the bear�s two eyes and nose next to each other. They were actually making a face all by themselves on the floor. I�ll never forget that. How in the world did Skipper do that?
In May of 1997, just before we made our big move from Minnesota to Arizona, we wanted to drive by our old hobby ranch one more time. We had fourteen wonderful years of great memories there. Joe and I left on a quiet Sunday morning to visit the old farm. As we were nearing the scene of many memories we had left behind, we drove slowly along the old fence line we worked so hard to put up for our horses back then. We were amazed to see that the fence was still standing, but the rusted wire leaned heavily on its weary wooden posts. We finally stopped by the beginning of the long-winding driveway that led to our custom built house and barn. By now, my heart was beating with excitement and along with that, some sadness fell upon me as many memories raced through my mind. The numerous trees that lined the farms driveway were now unrecognizable. Their growth made our handmade archway at the end of the drive look insignificant. The archway, still standing, now had a slight lean due to its period of enduring years.
Within seconds of our stop by the long driveway, we couldn�t believe what we set eyes upon. There before us stood a mature beautiful black and tan German Shepherd Dog. He stepped slowly out of the thick woods. The shepherd just stood there looking at us with his long full tail wagging slowly back and forth in anticipation. He carried a stunning head with black eyes that seemed to look attentively into our souls. This was the exact thing Skipper would do when we would come home, and stop at the end of the driveway to retrieve our mail. It absolutely took our breath away. I looked at Joe and said, "Can you believe what we�re looking at?" �I know," he said with a big sigh. The shepherd, with his welcoming body language, was a carbon copy of our late Skipper. With all the many breeds, coat colors, and gender, how could this particular dog display himself at precisely this exact moment in time?
Many years after Skipper�s death, Joe and I feel that his spirit manifested itself in a way we�ll never forget. Losing Skipper like we did has left a very deep, dark hole in our hearts, and it seems to have haunted us forever. I couldn't stay one minute longer by the end of that driveway. I asked Joe to drive on as I started to shed tears. The beautiful shepherd watched us drive slowly away. I looked back one more time in disbelief as the dog receded into the thick wooded terrain he came from and disappeared.
Treasures of Skipper
Please soften my last memory of you,
For your departure was all too unkind.
Your photos from the past ache in my heart,
A German Shepherd Dog you were so fine.
Glory in all things you accomplished,
Set free your legend to tell.
For you were revealed in your lineage,
And I gloried in their wonders as well.
A spirit so powerful yet lost in a flash,
Brought back in that one special day,
One day meant to be so long ago,
In this memory you�ll always stay.
You were of grand elegance,
A masculine dog hence defined.
My dog of much gentleness and spirit,
A German Shepherd Dog of infinite design.
� Kathy Sater-Partch
My rating: Stories about German Shepherd Dogs: (4)
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