Hi Shelley
It's hard to believe that Wolfgang is 8 years old. He is the most gentle, loving dog, I have ever had. He is still very active and every morning when I let him out, he loves to howl a "good morning" to all the neighbor's dogs.
Thank you for my Wolfie.
Trude
Wolfgang at 8 years old!
From "Gunner's" trainer's (J-Lee Kennel, Sandi Clement) web-site entitled "WHAT BREED IS THAT? MEET THE KING SHEPHERD":
What a beautiful and totally amazing pup has crossed our path. Gunner, a King Shepherd, is a breed that you probably have never heard of before. Somewhere back in time I remember a reference to a "King" Shepherd but didn't realize it was a breed unto itself. I had assumed it was someone referring to a larger than normal German Shepherd.
Bruce Fogle DVM writes in his book, "The New Encyclopedia of the Dog": This is a large, solid, well muscled dog. As its ancestry suggests, it is meant to be a hardworking, biddable, obedient breed with an easy gait and plenty of stamina. This is a courageous watchdog, yet it should be gentle with family members. The breed standard calls for an air of "self-confidence and natural nobility."
From what I have seen of Gunner so far he will definitely live up to his ancestry. He has to be one of the most confident and obedient pups that I have seen in a long time. The total attention that he pays to his 'Mom', Linda, is just amazing. Puppies that young very seldom have that much attention span, let alone the desire to please that is so evident in this young dog.
One story that Linda told me happened when Gunner was about four months old. Her husband leaves for work very early in the morning and Linda starts her day a little later. Gunner who normally waits for Linda kept running into the bedroom trying to get her up. Deciding that he needed to go out pretty badly she follows him out of the bedroom. When they get to the living room she sees that the door had been left wide open - he didn't need to go out - he was trying to let her know something was wrong, that door should be closed. Unbelievable!
One of mine would have been out that door and seeing what the neighbors were having for breakfast! Yet this pup already had the sense of something needing to be fixed - and he also knew how to make it happen.
Now approximately seven months old he is starting to get a little head strong and independent, but even so he takes to his lessons well. We will be featuring Gunner again soon to see how he is developing physically and to follow is training - are you working him Linda?
For more information on the King Shepherd take a look at the site of Shelley Watts-Cross. It is loaded with pictures and all types of information concerning this breed. Look for Bustah, the sire of Gunner, and Chelsea his dam. Bustah appears to be the 'King' of the King Shepherd, as Linda says, his titles too numerous to mention.
Gunner at 12 weeks!
Hi Shelley, Happy Spring! We are glad to say goodbye to all the snow we've had this winter, although it's been fun getting out with Kona every day to romp and play. He continues to grow so fast. We just love people's reactions when they meet him and find out his age - they usually do a double take. Of course we're biased, but most people who meet Kona comment on how handsome he is and are amazed at his good manners. That comes in part from hard work on our part, but he is so smart and eager to please. Kona loves to play and will bring his toy of choice over to us and push it into our legs, or if we're lying on the couch, drop it on our heads. Tug-of-war is one of his favorite games, but he also loves to run and fetch. Kona is very bonded with Josh which is just wonderful to witness. This past weekend we had a great outing at the beach and Kona kept close to Josh's side as they ran along the shore. We can't say enough how much we love having Kona as part of our family.
We hope you and your family are well,
Jean, Jeff and Josh
Hi Shelley, Please let us know all the details about the Extravaganza. I'm not sure if we can make it, but would like to know what is planned. I'd love for you to see Kona and it would be fun to be around lots of other Kings. Jeff is so taken with the breed that he now wants a second when Morgan is no longer with us, although hopefully she'll be around for quite a while yet. He even said that if we had more land, he would like a third! Now this is from a man who thinks I tend to go overboard with the number of animals in our household. Kona is a real treasure! We got permission to take Kona up to the assisted living facility where we've been doing pet therapy with Morgan - Josh is participating in a community service program through his school. We had been talking about "the puppy" and everyone wanted to meet him. The activities director was leery to have a dog so young come into the facility but agreed to interview him. She was blown away with his good behavior and agreed for him to visit. The attached pictures were taken about a month ago during that visit. We're going to take him with us again this week. I am hoping to get him certified as a therapy dog when he is a year old.
I'll look forward to hearing from you about the Extravaganza,
Jean
Kona at 7 months!
Kona at 6 months working as a Therapy Dog!
Hi Shelley,
I know its been awhile and I wanted to send you a picture of Sasha (our other dog Cocoa is next to her). She will be two this July can you believe it!? :):) Time really has flown.
I hope you and your family are keeping well.
Gwen :)
Sasha & Cocoa!
Here is Denali,
He took the therapy dog test last Saturday and had a great time. Every one loved him, and he was a total ham as usual. He was definitely the friendliest dog there and didn't flinch at anything, when they chased him with a wheel chair from behind, dressed up like weird zombies or banged pots and pans together behind him. He totally loved when four volunteers attacked him at once from all four directions. He rolled over on his back so they could pet his tummy as well. But he just couldn't stop talking about the other dogs. He would lie down and try to make friends with little dogs that just wanted to bite him, and he would never show any sign of aggression . He always talks to me too. All kinds of silly whining and barking noises. Anyway they said he was too immature (they want them over a year, and had made an exception in letting him test) but he gets a free evaluation in the fall. How can a dog that can gently kitten sit, and walk on water possibly fail? Anyway Logan and Denali both start obedience classes this Saturday with lots of other dogs and maybe Denali can learn not to talk so much. There is also an agility club in the area and Lisa will be enrolling Logan in that next spring. Logan is quite vocal too. When Lisa lets her out in the morning and she is ready to come in she stands right outside the back door and says woof woof woof woof woof woof until the door opens. Hey I like that better than scratching the door. They are both really great dogs and I am sure Denali will pass the test next time.
Have a great day,
Diana
Denali "walks on water"!
Denali "kitten sitting"!
Shelley,
I would like to express my gratitude for your commitment in not only providing loving care for these noble creatures but also the opportunity to allow others with the same interest an avenue for obtaining the same happiness through ownership. I would like to pursue this further and am interested in the process of purchasing one of these magnificent animals. I currently am assigned as a Sergeant Major with the United States Army and am dreading a retirement (after 30 years) scheduled for this November. I would greatly appreciate the companionship of a King Shepherd as it will help to fill the void after my retirement having worked beside countless Soldiers through harsh environments and close combat and believe the King would compensate for the sudden emptiness.
Very respectfully,
John
Hi Shelley,
How are you, just a little note to let you know that Bear is a great dog,he is loving, very playful, obedient, great guard dog and very toned in to me. I am attaching a couple of his pictures, he is 1 year and 5 month and about 31" and 120 pounds and he is slim. I am also attaching a picture of Coco she is 5 month and over 70 pounds.
Regards,
Roni
Bear at 17 months!
Cocoa at 5 months!