Posted on 11/20/2008 8:04:13 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel
MISSING DOG
The owner of the duplex where the fire started is looking for his dog, which ran away after firefighters broke out the window of the home.
(Excerpt) Read more at ksla.com ...
This is a low-volume list, so dont worry!
(Please Freep-mail me if youd like to be on or off the list.)
Dog gone!
How wonderful to see a photo of a GSD *before* people screwed up their rear ends!
Thanks!
She is the original “Beauty of the Breed”, c. 1911. I give you, -the Great-, Flora Berkemeyer.
I have seen utterly magnificent “old type” GSDs trotting around junkyards and hillbilly back yards and thought “That dog could save the breed”.
Sadly, they wouldn't last 10 seconds in the “show ring”.
She truly is possessed of a great and lost beauty.
Hard to believe they used to look this way:
http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/417697.html
This is so sad! Prayers will be said! My daughter’s Giant GSD, 135lb looks like that picture! He is 10 years old and is the greatest dog I have ever known! That is sayin’ something!
I think many so-called “backyard” low-bred GS are actually better in type, and probably health and temperament.
I’ve been beating this drum now more and more on a GS forum (see pedigree linked in thread). Many “reputable breeders” and the like don’t want to hear it. But then, there are many others who are starting to speak out.
I and my sister have had mostly breeders’ GS of some sort or other. My best ever (no dog is better; I’ve heard of none) was bred by a top handler - but she was half German and American (good lines if you go by popularity at least), so she never passed muster for anyone. My 1st was a farm dog. All my own dogs look very good conformationally, but vary temperamentally and health-wise (allergies). My sister’s close to good conformation, great temperament, but very poor health (allergies). ALL the allergies are in the pure-German dogs.
I’d bet on it.
Out of all the “low born” GSDs I’ve known, none had to be put down for crippling dysplasia.
They usually dropped dead of extreme old age.
It’s tragic what “they” do to perfectly good dogs.
I had Dobermans from age of 14 up til my late 30s and I watched them basically ruin the breed in the late 70s/early 80s.
I would dearly love have another one but now, you have to run a bazillion genetic tests on a pup to make sure you aren’t buying heart break.
Ibizans have only been registered with the AKC since the 70s and are already a morass of genetic diseases.
The breed survived in its native form for over 5000 years “remarkably free of disease, genetic or otherwise” [from the original AKC breed description] to the mess they are now.
A lousy 30-some years over here and *bip*...they’re screwed.
When you disregard function for some insane “idealized form”, you have fast-tracked your breed on the road to doom.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.