Tell us about yourself: My name is Ben. I've been a dog lover for my entire life. I currently own a GSD (Hopper) and a Boxer (Phoebe). They are my kids and best friends.
As far as DS's go, I've never owned one and this is the reason I'm here. I'm looking to learn more about the breed since I'm thinking of adding one to my family.
Hello All. I've been lurking through the forums for the past few days now and figured it was about time I introduced myself. I don't actually have a DS yet, that's mostly why I've been around here. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about them to decide if they are for me. And from everything I've seen, I feel almost completely confident that my next pup will be a Dutchie.
I've read through a lot of the forum and I have to say I am impressed with the amount of knowledge and devotion to the breed here. It's really refreshing to see. I look forward to learning a ton and *hopefully* drinking the DS Cool-Aid with the rest of you.
Ben, Ginny & Phoebe.
Hopper - Waiting patiently at the bridge.
Tell us about yourself: Hi there. I WILL be a new Dutch Shepherd owner on July 20th!!! Puppies are on the ground and a huge litter at 14! Very excited. I chose the Dutch because I like high drive dogs and my husband likes shepherds. We both have had GSDs in our past. I also am interested in search and rescue training. I live in the mountains of California and have two older Australian Shepherds. I do know that I have a job managing this pack. My husband is on board with it all. No kids. Both of us have flexible jobs. We are active folk but aging! ;-)) Still we mountain bike, hike, cross-country ski and my husband runs. I walk in the woods with the dogs 3 times a day and we are lucky to have US Forest right out the door. So that is it.
I never thought about it but it is sort of like drinking "the kook-aid".
Welcome. Where in Wyoming. I spent six years in Fort Collins and would wonder into WY from time to time.
Karin In Lake Tahoe
Ptygo de las Flores (Tee-go)
Born May 24, 2013
Tell us about yourself: My name is Ben. I've been a dog lover for my entire life. I currently own a GSD (Hopper) and a Boxer (Phoebe). They are my kids and best friends.
As far as DS's go, I've never owned one and this is the reason I'm here. I'm looking to learn more about the breed since I'm thinking of adding one to my family.
Welcome! Hopefully you'll find lots of useful info here. What made you interested in a DS? It looks like you already have a good combo there to start with. The DS I have are much like a boxer's goofiness with the GSD's seriousness and loyalty and an extra few (ton) doses of crazy and high drive.
Stephanie
'Odin' NV PTA Odin of Another Kingdom RL1
'Elli' Drawing Our Own Constellations RL1 CGC CGCA
Tell us about yourself: My name is Ben. I've been a dog lover for my entire life. I currently own a GSD (Hopper) and a Boxer (Phoebe). They are my kids and best friends.
As far as DS's go, I've never owned one and this is the reason I'm here. I'm looking to learn more about the breed since I'm thinking of adding one to my family.
It was actually kindof an imperfect storm that brought me to the idea of a Dutch Shepherd. Hopper (my GSD) developed epilepsy earlier this year and it's gotten progressively worse faster than I can believe. I've been on the verge of taking him to the vet to say farewell several times in the past couple of months because his quality of life seems to be dropping so fast. I know that there won't be a dog that's going to fill that hole but at the same time I don't want to leave it completely empty for long.
When I came to the realization that I've only had four years with Hopper and he's probably not going to be around for much longer, I decided to do a lot of research into the next dog I get. I love German Shepherds but they just seem to have so many health risks. I was researching mals and a few other breeds when I came across the DS.
Several other factors have brought me around to the DS as well but that's the main portion of it.
By the way, you just picked out my absolute favorite characteristics of both Phoebe and Hopper and put them all into one dog, with some extra crazy and drive for fun. Sounds perfect to me.
Ben, Ginny & Phoebe.
Hopper - Waiting patiently at the bridge.
Well you're on the right track now. The DS are quite a bit healthier than the GSD overall, but there are still some crappy breeders out there. Health tests on the parents should be mandatory for any breeder you consider. My male, Odin, was found on the streets in Chicago and it's thought he's from a "breeder" in the area that is breeding mals and DS without really caring about anything and constantly dumping dogs. He has the genetic form of lumbosacral stenosis and it's heartbreaking to see him struggle with things. He's very much that one in a million dog for me.
I had big plans for competing with him and we still train, but now I'm looking for sports that don't involve jumping or lots of running and can only go to venues where he can crate in the car.
Stephanie
'Odin' NV PTA Odin of Another Kingdom RL1
'Elli' Drawing Our Own Constellations RL1 CGC CGCA
Tell us about yourself: My name is Ben. I've been a dog lover for my entire life. I currently own a GSD (Hopper) and a Boxer (Phoebe). They are my kids and best friends.
As far as DS's go, I've never owned one and this is the reason I'm here. I'm looking to learn more about the breed since I'm thinking of adding one to my family.
That's horrible. I'm sorry to hear that you're boy is sick too. I know it's hard on all sides.
My wife always called me a "dog snob" when I said I wanted to do my research and spend a little more to get a dog from a reputable breeder. I think she's starting to understand my motivations now.
I know there's always a chance of these kind of health issues no matter which avenue is chosen, I just want to do everything I can to avoid having to go through this again.
Ben, Ginny & Phoebe.
Hopper - Waiting patiently at the bridge.
My heart goes out to you with Hopper. It's horrible knowing what they're going through and feeling so damn helpless. We know in our hearts they'll tell us when it is time, but there's always those false starts we can't help but make.
On a lighter note...........DS Kool-Aid..........
Welcome.
Though I can only hope to become the person who my animals believe I am, the things that they have taught me have made me a better human being. ~~~Sharon~~~
Facebook page.
