Hi Shelley!
Hope this finds you and your beautiful family doing well. I just wanted to let you know that Gunner is doing great! His ears are up and he is growing bigger every day! He just finished his second week of basic obedience training and the trainer made a comment that reminded me of some of the recent discussion on the board regarding breeding. She was commenting on how smart Gunner is and she said, “it is hard to find a good Shepherd these days…they have bred all the brains out of them”. I got a chuckle out of this, but in a way she’s right. One of the biggest reasons that we wanted one of your dogs was because you never know what you’re getting with a German shepherd that you purchase from an ad in the newspaper. I have seen first hand dogs with terrible hip problems, not to mention the neurotic temperament that frequently goes with them. I am so glad that the AKSC is attempting to regulate the breeding of these wonderful dogs…I am afraid that if you didn’t, the breed would eventually go the way of the GSD. Already, so many people have asked me if I am going to breed Gunner, and when I tell them that he is not breeder quality, it seems that they are amazed that that is even a consideration, which in turn amazes me!! I just know that when we are ready for another KS, it will be nice to see the advancements that the breed has undergone due to careful breeding practices and not the problems that the breed would have encountered due to indiscriminate breeding. Anyway, this is my awkward attempt at encouraging you in all you do in maintaining the high standards that you have set for these awesome dogs…thanks for everything!
Linda
Gunner at 9 weeks!
Hi Shelley,
Denali and I stopped at the vets today and he weighs over 90 lbs. He is 7 months tomorrow. Everyone there fussed over him and they gave him heart shaped liver treats. Thanks!
Diana
Denali at 7 months!
Hi Shelley,
Hope things are going well there. I just wanted to send you Kodiak's 9 week photo. He is really a great pup. At 8 weeks old he had his first visit to the vet and weighed 25lbs. His second visit was a week later and he weighed just over 28lbs. He is scheduled to be back at twelve weeks old. I'll keep you posted. Kodiak and Grizzly seem to now be joined at the hip, although Grizz still plays a bit rough when they get carried away.
Ken
Kodiak at 9 weeks!
Hi Shelley,
Hope you are all doing well in your new home. Just wanted to keep you posted and updated on Cassie & Charlie. As you can see Cassie is on the left and she is really a great dog. Charlie, who is 8 months and 100 pounds, is like a big teddy bear. He knocks over every thing in his way (even if it's not in his way). They are both doing wonderfully!!!
Marlene & Michael
Cassie and Charlie!
Hi Shelley,
I want thank you once again for the lifetime honor of "Orion". He is an amazing animal & hope to show him at the Spring show. I am hoping he will be easy to train, his tracking sense is already showing. Once again, thank you for you.
Kathy
Orion at 8 weeks!
Dear Shelley,
Debbie and I can't imagine how you handle children, puppies, and more! As for little "Roy" we are all in love and having a blast. The only drawback is the intensity of that blast. If Roy wasn't the Alpha of the litter, he must have been rather high on the pecking order (pecking is the word!) His dominance level and drive to dominate are somewhat high, requiring persistent training and redirection; however there's no sign of viciousness or even nervousness. Roy is affectionate and his intelligence exceeds our best expectation. At ten weeks, Roy is housetrained; he comes and sits almost flawlessly on command, he retrieves a ball with complete awareness and he practices the "down" fairly well considering his drive to dominate. If this drive is slightly excessive, I find it preferable to one that might be submissive. Roy may require some extra effort but Debbie and I are confident that he will repay us by becoming an ideal companion. We love him and wouldn't trade him for the world.
Shelley, we thank you for your care in placing him with us -- down to the last day! It seems clear that all of us made the right choice and that Roy will flourish in the environment we can provide. His health is excellent, he's growing steadily and he's very beautiful. We'll keep you posted
With best regards,
Mike
Roy at 10 weeks!
Hi Shelley,
How are things? We are all doing well here.
Thought you might like to see a fairly recent photo of Boris at just over nine months old. He's such a great dog, and so kind, loyal, playful, friendly, loving, and extremely intelligent.
Claire and I would like to thank you again for Boris. Everybody loves him -- dogs and humans included. The kids from the neighborhood come over at least twice a week to play with Boris in the yard. His favorite game is hockey!
We usually play in the driveway or on the tiled kitchen floor. Boris loves to start off the game by dropping the ball on the floor just like a real referee. But he also takes on the roles of defense, offence and goalie. It's really quite amazing to watch.
In fact, we now have a professional dog walker and trainer who gets a whole team of shepherds in on the hockey action. We've even thought of calling up David Letterman to suggest he have an all-dog hockey game on his show! Anyway, I must close for now.
Take care,
Boris at 10 months!