AKC Registered German Shepherd Breeders

Article Title: AKC Registered German Shepherd Breeders
Author: Jan A Ryan

Who hasn't passed a pet store and noticed the cute, sad-eyed
puppies behind the glass? What most don't know is the history
behind those puppies and the pet store itself. Unfortunately,
pet stores are not the best place to purchase puppies. This
article will explain the reasons why. Pet buyers shopping for
purebred German Shepherd puppies must take care in where they
buy their desired pet. Thorough research into German Shepherd
breeders and other sellers must be done. Additionally, pet
buyers must research the breed they are buying and be prepared
to care for its specific needs.

The German Shepherd is a large sheep-herding dog breed. The
breed's history is recent. The first German Shepherd breeder,
Max von Stephanitz, founded The German Shepherd Dog Club of
Germany which classified the German Shepherd in 1899. The
American Kennel Club (AKC) registered the breed in the herding
group in 1911. Though German Shepherds come from one of many
versions of German sheep-herding dogs, they perform many other
functions today.

The German Shepherd dog has a large body and is wolfish in
appearance. Stephanitz initially inbred the line to retain its
lupine beauty, intelligence and utility. Unfortunately,
inbreeding also caused genetic defects. German Shepherds are
highly prone to hip dysplasia and other skeletal disorders. It
is recommended that any potential buyer ask for a warranty from
the breeder that their dog has been evaluated and cleared for
hip dysplasia.

There are many places where a buyer can acquire a purebred
German Shepherd. These include breeders, brokers, the Internet,
the newspaper (private owners), pet stores, shelters and rescue
centers. Simply put, the best place to buy a purebred German
Shepherd is from a certified, ethical German Shepherd breeder.
These breeders have their own kennels and often work in tandem
with rescue centers or house rescues within their own kennels.
All other sellers of German Shepherds cannot provide a full
history and put buyers at risk of purchasing dogs with health
and behavioral problems as well an uncertain ancestry.

A bad German Shepherd breeder only breeds dogs for cold hard
cash and nothing more. They see the puppies and the parents as
merchandise, not as living creatures. The term puppy mill or
backyard breeder is the name given to these illicit breeders.
The females are bred each and every season leading to shorter
life spans and ill health. They are confined to very small cages
and have no socialization of any kind. The puppies are kept in
the same kind of conditions, which can lead to physically and
emotionally unhealthy litters. These are the kind of puppies
found at pet stores.

The best advice is to find a reputable German Sherperd breeder
that really cares about the puppies they produce. This kind of
breeder will ask questions of potential buyers to ensure the
well being of the puppy in it's new home. They will have all the
appropriate paperwork such as American Kennel Club registration
and veterinarian health reports as well as plenty of care
information to pass on to the new family.

About The Author: Jan Ryan is an animal lover and supports
reporting any illicit German Shepherd breeder. German Shepherds
are intelligent, hard-working dogs and it is important to find
http://www.officialgermanshepherdguide.com/German_Shepherd_Breeders/index.php
German Shepherd breeders that can help educate the buyer about
German Shepherd care. This article provides
http://www.officialgermanshepherdguide.com/German_Shepherd.php
German Shepherd information and cites ways to obtain German
Shepherds, whether through a pet shop, broker or German Shepherd
breeder.

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Dog Days

Title: Dog Days

I found a rugged quartz crystal in our garden yesterday and
brought it to my writing table, to gaze at its beauty and
reveal its mystery as I write, like gazing into a crystal
ball.

The five crystals in the center of it are perfect, in their
own wild way, like the days I spent in total conflict with
myself, with society and the world.

It brings to mind one of my favorite Alphia stories, my
golden German Shepard Collie of the 1960's, the pre-Funk
commune years, occurring several months after the communal
caravan arrived in San Francisco.

We found our large Victorian house after several weeks of
illegal camping around the jagged Pacific shore hideaways
and in the many untamed parks for which the city is famous.

The caravan people had remained disgruntled in spite of the
constant dog/God guidance surrounding us.

A chasm developed between those who wanted to join the
ranks of the work-a-day world, and the four of us who went
on to establish the Funky Farm community and knew that
going to work was antithetical to living creatively by the
seat of our pants.

I had come to a place within myself where I needed to live
outside of the mainstream, established 9-5 ho-hum I'm
beaten down, kill me now style of existence I imagined my
father ascribing to for his thirty-five working years, at
the same place, doing the same job, everyday. I'd think of
an exhilarating alternative, bet on that.

My life as a rip off artist now began in earnest.

One day, I took Alphia Lee for a walk in Golden Gate park.
A squirrel distracted her from the beloved stick, and damn
it if she didn't run in front of a fast moving car. She
crawled back to the side of the road.

I remember crying and kneeling beside her, going over her
body, getting a sense of how badly she was hurt. A car
pulled over and a young man asked to take me where ever I
wished to go.

He had an old blanket and we carefully laid her on it.

Then he drove Alphia and me to the big rambling Victorian
house that was our temporary abode.

We prepared a bed for her with old blankets and rags.

She'd look at us with a forlorn Muki eye, the dog who
joined me 28 years later to show me true love.

That look inspired me to slip into the meat department of a
local Safeway, and steal one steak a day for her, and for
her only.

Then we'd sit with her for hours, stroking her neck and
body and encouraging her to come back to us.

The long intimate times we spent with her were patient and
happy. We did not desperately plead with her to live rather
than die. Rather, we coaxed her gently, showing her our
love, and gave her the great option of living with a
handful of rogues completely alienated from society.

She opted to spend a few more years with us in our
experiment of living--dangerously.

About the Author:

Kate Loving Shenk is a writer, healer, musician and the
creator of the e-book called "Transform Your Nursing Career
and Discover Your Calling and Destiny." Click here to find
out how to order the e-book:
http://www.nursingcareertransformation.com Check Out Kate's
Blog: http://www.nursehealers.typepad.com

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