Our Pets: Furred, Feathered or Scaled

I'm sure I've mentioned it here before but my other half has ALL notifications on her phone turned on. It's always pinging, vibrating and warbling. Her screen is full of notifications, makes me feel quite claustrophobic.
Sms and email is all I have notifications turned on for.

Is she a Gemini? :mobibabe:
 
Did you choose Sheba from a breeder? Or rescue home? How did she come into your life?
Zenjenny, we tried steadily for two years to find a German Shepherd rescue, but here in Newfoundland at least, there just weren't any, and we didn't want to have to resort to having one flown in from out of province. We eventually discovered an amazing young couple living on the west coast of Newfoundland who were breeding their champion German Shepherds, Roxie and Deisel, for the first time, and from the very moment we laid eyes on Mom and Dad we were completely hooked! Several thousand dollars later, we were soon bringing home our beautiful little Sheba at just 8 weeks old. I wish that I could post a few pics of her as a (stunningly beautiful) tiny puppy, but unfortunately we have no mobile photos of her at that age, so you'll have to visit my photography website to see pics of her as a baby. On my "Focus On Newfoundland" website I have an entire photo gallery dedicated to Sheba growing up at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/gallery_728719.html#photos_id=15928645 and you may also enjoy reading "Sheba's Journal" at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/articles.html

As you could probably glean from my earlier post, Sheba has been the absolute best dog ever, and she's indeed worth every single penny we'd invested into her. She had a pretty rocky start to life... due to her fast/excessive growth Sheba was unfortunately a prime candidate for Panosteitis, (or "Pano" for short) which is basically the equivalent of growing pains in teens. The long bones in the legs grow so quickly that they become quite inflamed and painful. They do eventually grow out of it, but as Sheba continued growing right up until her second birthday, the poor girl was crippled up for much of the first two years of her life. But she is finally finished growing, and is thus no longer experiencing any painful bouts of Pano, (after a total of 12 flare-ups that kept her out of commission for a total of 6 months out of her first 22 months of her life) and now just loves to be outdoors running, jumping and playing at every opportunity! But she's definitely also a couch potato at heart, and her favourite place of all is when she is snuggled up tightly with us on the sofa.

Sheba is not our first purebred German Shepherd. 30 years ago we had another stunner named Chrissy; (yes, same name as our Shih Tzu!) not sure why it took us so long to return to this amazing breed, but thank goodness we did! We can't imagine how dull it would be without this gorgeous creature in our lives!! I often joke that an actual horse would have been much less costly to purchase... and with Sheba's immense proportions it really is similar to having an actual pony in the house, (after all, we do call her "Trigger" at times!) but thankfully she is always so perfectly behaved. Sheba has always resembled her Dad, but wow, once she matured she became a carbon copy of her Dad... as in identical... except Sheba is larger!

*EDIT* Hey, I just realized that at the beginning, the breeder had sent us tons of mobile pics of Sheba, taken from 4 to 8 weeks old, so I will attach a few of them here. They're not exactly "National Geographic" quality, but should give you an idea of just how cute she was as a baby!

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Zenjenny, we tried steadily for two years to find a German Shepherd rescue, but here in Newfoundland at least, there just weren't any, and we didn't want to have to resort to having one flown in from out of province. We eventually discovered an amazing young couple living on the west coast of Newfoundland who were breeding their champion German Shepherds, Roxie and Deisel, for the first time, and from the very moment we laid eyes on Mom and Dad we were completely hooked! Several thousand dollars later, we were soon bringing home our beautiful little Sheba at just 8 weeks old. I wish that I could post a few pics of her as a (stunningly beautiful) tiny puppy, but unfortunately we have no mobile photos of her at that age, so you'll have to visit my photography website to see pics of her as a baby. On my "Focus On Newfoundland" website I have an entire photo gallery dedicated to Sheba growing up at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/gallery_728719.html#photos_id=15928645 and you may also enjoy reading "Sheba's Journal" at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/articles.html

As you could probably glean from my earlier post, Sheba has been the absolute best dog ever, and she's indeed worth every single penny we'd invested into her. She had a pretty rocky start to life... due to her fast/excessive growth Sheba was unfortunately a prime candidate for Panosteitis, (or "Pano" for short) which is basically the equivalent of growing pains in teens. The long bones in the legs grow so quickly that they become quite inflamed and painful. They do eventually grow out of it, but as Sheba continued growing right up until her second birthday, the poor girl was crippled up for much of the first two years of her life. But she is finally finished growing, and is thus no longer experiencing any painful bouts of Pano, (after a total of 12 flare-ups that kept her out of commission for a total of 6 months out of her first 22 months of her life) and now just loves to be outdoors running, jumping and playing at every opportunity! But she's definitely also a couch potato at heart, and her favourite place of all is when she is snuggled up tightly with us on the sofa.

Sheba is not our first purebred German Shepherd. 30 years ago we had another stunner named Chrissy; (yes, same name as our Shih Tzu!) not sure why it took us so long to return to this amazing breed, but thank goodness we did! We can't imagine how dull it would be without this gorgeous creature in our lives!! I often joke that an actual horse would have been much less costly to purchase... and with Sheba's immense proportions it really is similar to having an actual pony in the house, (after all, we do call her "Trigger" at times!) but thankfully she is always so perfectly behaved. Sheba has always resembled her Dad, but wow, once she matured she became a carbon copy of her Dad... as in identical... except Sheba is larger!

*EDIT* Hey, I just realized that at the beginning, the breeder had sent us tons of mobile pics of Sheba, taken from 4 to 8 weeks old, so I will attach a few of them here. They're not exactly "National Geographic" quality, but should give you an idea of just how cute she was as a baby!

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Oh. My. Goodness. How adorable is that little puppy with her uncontrollable ears! :lmao: She is sooooooo adorable. I can see why you love her so much.
 
*EDIT* Hey, I just realized that at the beginning, the breeder had sent us tons of mobile pics of Sheba, taken from 4 to 8 weeks old, so I will attach a few of them here. They're not exactly "National Geographic" quality, but should give you an idea of just how cute she was as a baby!
:hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:
 
s a baby. On my "Focus On Newfoundland" website I have an entire photo gallery dedicated to Sheba growing up at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/gallery_728719.html#photos_id=15928645 and you may also enjoy reading "Sheba's Journal" at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/articles.html

of Sheba, taken from 4 to 8 weeks old, so I will attach a few of them here. They're not exactly "National Geographic" quality, but should give you an idea of just how cute she was as a baby!

View attachment 150039


View attachment 150041


View attachment 150042

Okay, my husband says no more pics of Sheba, please. We already have our darling 50kg small pony Djanga, who was supposed to be a Jack Russell cross, and I have always loved German Shepherds above all dogs. So the way I figure it, I’m owed a JR and a German Shepherd. And my DH is getting worried about me following him around the house with pictures of your Sheba.
 
Okay, my husband says no more pics of Sheba, please. We already have our darling 50kg small pony Djanga, who was supposed to be a Jack Russell cross, and I have always loved German Shepherds above all dogs. So the way I figure it, I’m owed a JR and a German Shepherd. And my DH is getting worried about me following him around the house with pictures of your Sheba.
Heehee, your comment just made my day, zenjenny! Hey, what you need to do now is show your husband our "Sheba" gallery on my photography website. (currently have 47 more pics of her on there!!) That ought to get him going! I must agree with you... Germans Shepherds are the best!!
 
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Zenjenny, we tried steadily for two years to find a German Shepherd rescue, but here in Newfoundland at least, there just weren't any, and we didn't want to have to resort to having one flown in from out of province. We eventually discovered an amazing young couple living on the west coast of Newfoundland who were breeding their champion German Shepherds, Roxie and Deisel, for the first time, and from the very moment we laid eyes on Mom and Dad we were completely hooked! Several thousand dollars later, we were soon bringing home our beautiful little Sheba at just 8 weeks old. I wish that I could post a few pics of her as a (stunningly beautiful) tiny puppy, but unfortunately we have no mobile photos of her at that age, so you'll have to visit my photography website to see pics of her as a baby. On my "Focus On Newfoundland" website I have an entire photo gallery dedicated to Sheba growing up at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/gallery_728719.html#photos_id=15928645 and you may also enjoy reading "Sheba's Journal" at www.focusonnewfoundland.com/articles.html

As you could probably glean from my earlier post, Sheba has been the absolute best dog ever, and she's indeed worth every single penny we'd invested into her. She had a pretty rocky start to life... due to her fast/excessive growth Sheba was unfortunately a prime candidate for Panosteitis, (or "Pano" for short) which is basically the equivalent of growing pains in teens. The long bones in the legs grow so quickly that they become quite inflamed and painful. They do eventually grow out of it, but as Sheba continued growing right up until her second birthday, the poor girl was crippled up for much of the first two years of her life. But she is finally finished growing, and is thus no longer experiencing any painful bouts of Pano, (after a total of 12 flare-ups that kept her out of commission for a total of 6 months out of her first 22 months of her life) and now just loves to be outdoors running, jumping and playing at every opportunity! But she's definitely also a couch potato at heart, and her favourite place of all is when she is snuggled up tightly with us on the sofa.

Sheba is not our first purebred German Shepherd. 30 years ago we had another stunner named Chrissy; (yes, same name as our Shih Tzu!) not sure why it took us so long to return to this amazing breed, but thank goodness we did! We can't imagine how dull it would be without this gorgeous creature in our lives!! I often joke that an actual horse would have been much less costly to purchase... and with Sheba's immense proportions it really is similar to having an actual pony in the house, (after all, we do call her "Trigger" at times!) but thankfully she is always so perfectly behaved. Sheba has always resembled her Dad, but wow, once she matured she became a carbon copy of her Dad... as in identical... except Sheba is larger!

*EDIT* Hey, I just realized that at the beginning, the breeder had sent us tons of mobile pics of Sheba, taken from 4 to 8 weeks old, so I will attach a few of them here. They're not exactly "National Geographic" quality, but should give you an idea of just how cute she was as a baby!

View attachment 150039


View attachment 150041


View attachment 150042
Oh. My. Goodness. How adorable is that little puppy with her uncontrollable ears! :lmao: She is sooooooo adorable. I can see why you love her so much.
. A very nice German Shepherd dog especially with it’s straight back. Like yourself, I’d be proud to own this beautiful specimen of a German Shepherd..
 
. A very nice German Shepherd dog especially with it’s straight back. Like yourself, I’d be proud to own this beautiful specimen of a German Shepherd..

Thank-you Breconrambler! Yes, it's getting more and more difficult to find quality German Shepherds these days. There are now so many backyard breeders out there, who are doing absolutely nothing to help to improve the breed. Poor posture unfortunately seems to have become the norm with this breed, with badly-formed hindquarters that practically guarantee that they'll be crippled-up from birth. It is no wonder that the number of cases of hip dysplasia have skyrocketed in recent years.

It took us over two years of extensive daily searching to finally locate a top-quality German Shepherd puppy, but I must add that Sheba was indeed well worth the wait, and the effort, and every penny. But it saddens us to see so many unhealthy, unkempt, overweight/obese dogs nowadays... it's no wonder that the average life expectancy for a purebred German Shepherd has plummeted in recent years; was previously 12-14 years of age, but down to just 9-12 years today. We hope and pray that we will always be able to provide our dear Sheba the absolute best, happiest life of any dog, and that she will continue to live to a very healthy, ripe old age. And all dogs deserve this! If someone doesn't believe that they can give their dog the very best life possible, and remain right by their side for its whole life, well, they maybe shouldn't have a dog. They are a big investment, and a big responsibility. But it's so very much worth it to have one of these lovely creatures in your home and enriching your lives!

I have lost count as to how many people have contacted us over the past 18 months or so, asking (or begging!) us to breed Sheba. We could never do it though, as I just know that we would instantly fall in love with all of her puppies, and thus we'd be unable to ever part with any of them! Well that, plus we wouldn't want to have to put her through such a gruelling ordeal. But wow, we can just imagine how stunningly beautiful her offspring would be!
 
Yes just catch and release . And the hook used was a special one as not to injure the fish in the mouth when you take it out. When the fish was out of the water we had a chance to check it over for parasites that sometimes grow on big specimens and true enough we were able to clean some off of the bigger fish of the two. The smaller one was in perfect health. The ones that really do some damage to the carps around here are the otters. They often kill the fish and then don’t eat them...
 
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Thank-you Breconrambler! Yes, it's getting more and more difficult to find quality German Shepherds these days. There are now so many backyard breeders out there, who are doing absolutely nothing to help to improve the breed. Poor posture unfortunately seems to have become the norm with this breed, with badly-formed hindquarters that practically guarantee that they'll be crippled-up from birth. It is no wonder that the number of cases of hip dysplasia have skyrocketed in recent years.

It took us over two years of extensive daily searching to finally locate a top-quality German Shepherd puppy, but I must add that Sheba was indeed well worth the wait, and the effort, and every penny. But it saddens us to see so many unhealthy, unkempt, overweight/obese dogs nowadays... it's no wonder that the average life expectancy for a purebred German Shepherd has plummeted in recent years; was previously 12-14 years of age, but down to just 9-12 years today. We hope and pray that we will always be able to provide our dear Sheba the absolute best, happiest life of any dog, and that she will continue to live to a very healthy, ripe old age. And all dogs deserve this! If someone doesn't believe that they can give their dog the very best life possible, and remain right by their side for its whole life, well, they maybe shouldn't have a dog. They are a big investment, and a big responsibility. But it's so very much worth it to have one of these lovely creatures in your home and enriching your lives!

I have lost count as to how many people have contacted us over the past 18 months or so, asking (or begging!) us to breed Sheba. We could never do it though, as I just know that we would instantly fall in love with all of her puppies, and thus we'd be unable to ever part with any of them! Well that, plus we wouldn't want to have to put her through such a gruelling ordeal. But wow, we can just imagine how stunningly beautiful her offspring would be!
There is a deliberate attempt to deform and damage the German Shepherd and some other dog breeds. Croft’s and the Kennel Club and others come to mind, where, at their dog shows, these poor deformed creatures win prices and indicates to breeders the really bad way forward. Be it low backs by the German Shepherd or way too much skin by those Chinese dogs or way too short noses by the British Bulldog who can hardly breath because of this deformity. Lucky your dog is healthy now after it’s bumpy start and looks so good with it’s straight back. All dog lovers should oppose breeding deformities for show purposes!!!
 
Thank-you Breconrambler! Yes, it's getting more and more difficult to find quality German Shepherds these days. There are now so many backyard breeders out there, who are doing absolutely nothing to help to improve the breed. Poor posture unfortunately seems to have become the norm with this breed, with badly-formed hindquarters that practically guarantee that they'll be crippled-up from birth. It is no wonder that the number of cases of hip dysplasia have skyrocketed in recent years.

It took us over two years of extensive daily searching to finally locate a top-quality German Shepherd puppy, but I must add that Sheba was indeed well worth the wait, and the effort, and every penny. But it saddens us to see so many unhealthy, unkempt, overweight/obese dogs nowadays... it's no wonder that the average life expectancy for a purebred German Shepherd has plummeted in recent years; was previously 12-14 years of age, but down to just 9-12 years today. We hope and pray that we will always be able to provide our dear Sheba the absolute best, happiest life of any dog, and that she will continue to live to a very healthy, ripe old age. And all dogs deserve this! If someone doesn't believe that they can give their dog the very best life possible, and remain right by their side for its whole life, well, they maybe shouldn't have a dog. They are a big investment, and a big responsibility. But it's so very much worth it to have one of these lovely creatures in your home and enriching your lives!

I have lost count as to how many people have contacted us over the past 18 months or so, asking (or begging!) us to breed Sheba. We could never do it though, as I just know that we would instantly fall in love with all of her puppies, and thus we'd be unable to ever part with any of them! Well that, plus we wouldn't want to have to put her through such a gruelling ordeal. But wow, we can just imagine how stunningly beautiful her offspring would be!
A dog is for life not just for x-mad ...
 
Thank-you Breconrambler! Yes, it's getting more and more difficult to find quality German Shepherds these days. There are now so many backyard breeders out there, who are doing absolutely nothing to help to improve the breed. Poor posture unfortunately seems to have become the norm with this breed, with badly-formed hindquarters that practically guarantee that they'll be crippled-up from birth. It is no wonder that the number of cases of hip dysplasia have skyrocketed in recent years.

It took us over two years of extensive daily searching to finally locate a top-quality German Shepherd puppy, but I must add that Sheba was indeed well worth the wait, and the effort, and every penny. But it saddens us to see so many unhealthy, unkempt, overweight/obese dogs nowadays... it's no wonder that the average life expectancy for a purebred German Shepherd has plummeted in recent years; was previously 12-14 years of age, but down to just 9-12 years today. We hope and pray that we will always be able to provide our dear Sheba the absolute best, happiest life of any dog, and that she will continue to live to a very healthy, ripe old age. And all dogs deserve this! If someone doesn't believe that they can give their dog the very best life possible, and remain right by their side for its whole life, well, they maybe shouldn't have a dog. They are a big investment, and a big responsibility. But it's so very much worth it to have one of these lovely creatures in your home and enriching your lives!

I have lost count as to how many people have contacted us over the past 18 months or so, asking (or begging!) us to breed Sheba. We could never do it though, as I just know that we would instantly fall in love with all of her puppies, and thus we'd be unable to ever part with any of them! Well that, plus we wouldn't want to have to put her through such a gruelling ordeal. But wow, we can just imagine how stunningly beautiful her offspring would be!
 
Hi. Would it be possible to post a picture of Sheba taken side on so one can see the straight back and the long back legs and full height. I feel like starting a campaign to bring back natural healthy dogs..
 
Hi. Would it be possible to post a picture of Sheba taken side on so one can see the straight back and the long back legs and full height. I feel like starting a campaign to bring back natural healthy dogs..
Breconrambler, I have many pics posted of her in the "Sheba Gallery" on my photography website called "Focus On Newfoundland", but these were captured prior to my getting the smartphone, and unfortunately I'm not allowed to post any non-mobile images on here. But if you go to my website, (see link in my signature) the posted photos will give you a good indication of Sheba's perfect posture/stance/proportions/markings.

PS: I just measured Sheba a moment ago, and it turns out that our girl is even taller than we thought... standing an incredibly tall 30-1/2 inches at the shoulders... that's a whopping eight inches above that of an average adult female... and a full six inches taller than the average adult male! And she sports a massive 38 inch chest circumference. Yikes!
 
Yes just catch and release . And the hook used was a special one as not to injure the fish in the mouth when you take it out. When the fish was out of the water we had a chance to check it over for parasites that sometimes grow on big specimens and true enough we were able to clean some off of the bigger fish of the two. The smaller one was in perfect health. The ones that really do some damage to the carps around here are the otters. They often kill the fish and then don’t eat them...
That’s so lovely.... :notworthy: :inlove: I didn’t know people had special hooks. I’ve never understood “catch&release” because I thought “Why put the fish through the pain of that horrible hook? How do they get the hook out without ripping its flesh?” Thank you for your compassion. xo
 
All dog lovers should oppose breeding deformities for show purposes!!!

Amen to that.

or begging!) us to breed Sheba. We could never do it though, as I just know that we would instantly fall in love with all of her puppies, and thus we'd be unable to ever part with any of them! Well that, plus we wouldn't want to have to put her through such a gruelling ordeal. But wow, we can just imagine how stunningly beautiful her offspring would be!

I hear you re unable to part with the puppies! Been there, done that - have the scars.

I have no expertise in particularly high-bred dogs, and I would be interested to hear from you if there is a difference. From my own experience of sturdy either mixed breed or just not highly bred dogs, I don’t see pregnancy as an ordeal — at least not in and of itself. Over the years I have become more convinced that it’s good for a female dog (or cat) to experience their full physiological/hormonal cycle, and not so good for them if they don’t.

The standard vet pronunciations I have read about compulsory sterilisation are centred on issues arising from unwanted, abandoned litters — a very relevant concern — with no mention of the well-being or otherwise of the dog. (I’ve done a fair bit of reading of same precisely bcs this single focus seemed too ...single.. to be true) .

As well, I am appalled by the sterilisation methods actively approved by many if not most vets — I see the removal of the entire reproductive system, and at the age vets are keen to do it, as savagery.

I get the tragedy of social irresponsibility. And wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way of ensuring only good kind aware responsible loving people were granted the privilege of dog ownership.

We intend to let our Djanga-dog have a litter. We protect her in her seasons (it’s not as difficult as some think - especially if you actually know your dog and learn to read her ‘biorhythms’, sotospeak). Djanga is not yet three years old, so a litter isn’t on the radar. She has to grow into her self, her bones have to mature and she has to have had lots of practice being a puppy, being loved & nurtured & protected, being daft and playing and galumphing around (she’s good at galumphing) so that she can love and nurture her own babies in due course.

And my DH and I (well, tbh, me - my DH is much more pragmatic) will need therapy to prepare for all of it. Choosing a sire good enough for our girl is just the start of it o_O
 
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