SEE A PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION BY GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND
ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE
Robin,
I flew to Iowa in June 1998 to choose and pick up my Royalair
puppy. You
had two litters at the time for me to choose from and it was an
agonizing
decision because they were all so wonderful. I chose a male and flew him
home to VA; named him Spirit. He is now 6 years old and is the most loved
and lovely dog. He
has educated several people who were previously
extremely afraid of dogs that dogs can be trusted and loved. His reaction
to fear is to take it on as a challenge to win that person
over--and he's
done it every single time!
People stop me and ask me about him. If they
know anything about German shepherd's, they know that there is
something
different about him.
I explain your policy and vision for the breed and
explain the differences to them. They are always impressed and can see the
healthy results that appear so correct and balanced. For the folks that
are not afraid of dogs in general but are a bit timid with German
shepherd's, I tell them that he looks like a German shepherd but
acts like
a Lab. That gives
them the confidence to approach Spirit and to become a
friend.
Last June, my son married.
There were people all over my house and Spirit
was in heaven! At one
point he was in the corner made by two sofas at
right angles to each other.
There were two young children on each sofa
leaning over him with three additional children on the floor. He was
completely hemmed in.
One would think he would become nervous, but one
look at his face and instead, he was in rapture! He would like my house to
be filled with people all the time.
By far he's the best dog who has ever lived with me. He is constantly
impressing people with his intelligence and understanding of the
world. He
totally lives up to his name, Spirit. He is the joy in my everyday life
and a loyal companion.
He like to show off his tricks--lots of basics but
the one that the kids seem to enjoy is "spin" (around to
his left) then
"OK, now unwind" (around to his right). He works almost entirely with hand
signals which is handy when I'm talking to someone and want him
near me or
want him to 'sit' or 'down' or 'quiet'.
I was sorry to hear about his sire, Falco. My heart goes out to you. I
don't know what I'll do when Spirit passes, but I'll be comforted
knowing
that he has more than accomplished his self given mission in life
to
convince everyone he meets that dogs can be loving and kind and
gentle and
generally marvelous creatures.
Thanks,
Marsha Mills (was Sherland in 1998)
Hi
Robin:
Real
glad to hear from you. Your note was great - and reminds me of our two
pups and how lucky we were to find you when we went looking for our German
Shepherd Dogs. We can only echo Marsha's sentiments. Our
brother and sister pair are a real hoot - they keep us young and going, and
they are great together. They are very calm - which is good because they
are inside dogs. As you know, we have a very big yard (for city
standards), but when we're inside - so are they. They sleep at the foot
of our bed and only awaken us when they've heard something or a thunder storm
is approaching (that is Grafin will - Kaiser, I believe would sleep through a
war he is so laid back)....
We
take them everywhere with us - they have command of the complete back of our
Jeep Cherokee. They travel well and always look forward to a ride.
They have developed quite a vocabulary. Many words we have had to spell
out rather than say a-loud, and some words we have had to start spelling
backwards because they figured out what the original spelling was too.
They
are very smart and know much of what we say. Many times we have caught them
listening intently to our conversations, and reacting to what was said.
Kaiser is especially fond of the word "bath" - which we could not
figure out because he does not particularly like the act of getting a
bath. Then one day when he gave Teresa a sloppy lick across the cheek and
we caught ourselves referring to it as giving her a bath - and it clicked
- he associated the word bath with giving his favorite person a kiss.
Ever since, we have had to particularly careful of how and when we use that word.....
These pups have a true cognitive process - they think things out, and they
solve problems.
Teresa
is a real sight to see walking two german shepherd dogs at the same time.
Many times she has been stopped by folks asking about the dogs.
Dear Robin,
Thanks so much for the puppy you sent us-We
are calling him Nico. He is the most etraordinary puppy I have ever owned and
he has captured our hearts lock, stock & barrel.He came through his journey
without problems, we have had him out for socialization at the local park where
a camp of 12 kids between the ages of 6 & 9 were playin g. Nico ran right
over and included himself in the playing to the delight of the campers and
their counselors .Everyone had the opertunity of petting him and the counselors
remarked to eachother about one youngster who had problems-that her face lit up
when she was petting Nico.The Next day he wound up playing with young girls
(5-8) years of age. Who took turn holding him as if he were a doll. The adults
weÕve met have all commented on how friendly, calm and relaxed he is.He has
already learned to come and is getting used to the leash. He is very easy to
train! WeÕve also got him learning to retrieve a ball as well and he can really
run! As far as his housetraining, he uderstands that he is immedialty supposed
to do his stuff.(we thank you for that!) He has had only one accident so far.
We are amazed how easy he is to take car of for a puppy.
Peter Diamond, NJ
Hi Robin, This is Steve Fillmore I purchased
a female from you a year and 3 months ago. It has been a struggle for me the
dog is doing fine. I started training at 7 months for Search and Rescue and
then the guy training me got a job promotion and I just wasn't satisfied with
the training time so in the meantime my friends and I went on a pheasant hunt
in Northeat Kansas and one of the guys with us happened to be a k-9 officer and
I told him my story and he told me about a dog trainer in Lawerence, Kansas so
I called him and told him about my dog and he said bring her up. So I did and I
said I wanted to do Search and Rescue with her so we started and he was
impressed with the drive and nose she had. This went on for a couple of weeks I
went up there twice a week. So I knew I had something special and he ask me if
I ever thought about having her be a detection dog, so we done a test to see if
she had it in her and she did. So now I'm doing the tracking and doing narcotic
work with her and now he thinks she would be a Schutzhung dog so we are just
getting started with that. I'm sorry that this is long but I just wanted you to
know just how wonderful she is, not only to me but to my community. Dixie is to
me as Falco is to you. Once she is State certified in narcotics and has a
tracking and Schutzhund title I will get back with you. Thank you for the
wonderful dog that you brought into my life! Steve Fillmore
Hi Robin - I just wanted to give you an
almost one year report on Nick. He is fantastic!! I little hyper at times, but
truly charming and a joy to have as a member of our house. He is growing up to
look exactly like Falco. He sits on our couch exactly like the picture of Falco
on your web-site. I took both of them to the vet two weeks ago and he weighed a
whoppig 82 pounds of pure muscle!! (about 8months) maybe we could get together
sometime and I can show him to you?
Linda Quinn
Robin,
Merry Christmas! Widus is a great dog! He
seems to be everyones envy in our nieghborhood HereÕs a picture of how heÕs
grown, He is 13 months and is 120lbs.
Lu Brevetti, CA
Hope you enjoy the photo's- must mention last feb
Kieth and I went to the mall shopping, we were gone for about 31/2 hrs. when we
returned the dore was about 4" open.Joshua was right there waiting . a few
things wer upset but nothing taken.I don't think they got to far. A few others
in our area had items stolen. When we leave he is always inside.I can't say
enough about my Joshua.
Barb , Michigan
Hi Robin:
I wanted to keep you posted on Zest's
progress in her training with Guide
Dogs of America. As you know, she is now 9
months old.
She came into season for the first time
August 17. GDA likes us to have
them stay in their kennel while the females
are in heat and so during the
three weeks Zest was there, they took the
opportunity to do hip x-rays and
her evaluation. I do not have a
"good-fair-excellent" reading on the
x-rays
yet, but suffice it to say they were good
enough for her to continue in
the
program and since she was in heat when the
x-rays were taken, it is
probable
when she is not in season, the rating will be
even better.
Her evaluation was also done and a copy is
below. At the time she was
having a second bout of panosteitis in her
left front leg. Both lasted
approximately 2-3 weeks and were managed well
with anti-inflammatories and
rest while in the kennel.
Puppy Temperament Progress Report
This is an evaluatiuon
by guide dogs in CA
Recommendations and Summary:
Generally Zest was easy to manage and control
on the evaluation walk. She
was not hat interested in environmental
stimuli. She did not show any signs of
fear while out. She did well around traffic
and noises. She walked well on leash and
maintained a loose lead for the majority of
the walk.
She did go out to sniff distractions and
needed corrections for this
behavior. This is the area where she needs
the most work. She should be corrected for
attempting to go and sniff the environment
when she is on leash with you. The only time
she should be allowed to sniff the ground is
when she is given the GET BUSY
command and when she is on free play. Even
when she is sniffing for the GET BUSY
command it should not be excessive and she
should not be allowed to "lock
in" on smells.
She had average interest in strange dogs that
were barking at her. She
alerted to them but was easily managed past
them.
Appeared to be pretty stable.
Health Comments: Lameness throughout walk.
Puppy raiser was aware prior to
eval and it was diagnosed as panosteitis.
I plan on having Zest temperament tested by
the GSDCA when she is a year.
Could you send me a copy of her pedigree? I
don't have a current picture
ofher, but she looks a lot like her father
and is a good retriever. Her
sister Zealand, who looks like her mother, is
also still in the program
and both are attending the obedience class
taught by Bob Penny. Bob is in
charge of temperament testing for the GSDCA
and has been involved with
GSDs for more than 50 years.
Ann and Zest ^~^
Hi Robin,
Just happend to see your ad in the German
Shepherd magazine and I
just found your website........love looking
at your pictures. You might
remember me....Pam Thomas from Des Moines,
Iowa......we purchased
"Tasha" from you in July of
1990....she is the most beautiful
Silver-gray shepherd that anyone has ever
seen.
Anyone and everyone who meets here is amazed
at how wonderful she looks
even at her age. Just wanted to let you know
that is Tasha is still
with us and remains in good health......will
send you a picture of her
soon. Thank you for raising such wonderful
animals!
Sincerely,
Pam Thomas Tasha wa 11-1/2 when that was
sent-she lived to be 13 1/2
Robin,
Just a quick note to tell you that Liberty is the finest dog
I have ever
had. She's my fourth German Shepherd, too.
She weighed in at 54 pounds the other day.
Still lean and growing faster han her fur can keep up.
Linda has had her to Doggie Kindergarten twice now and she is
doing
really well, the teacher keeps asking if she has any search
and rescue
dogs in her family tree. Everybody including my dad thinks
she's a he, because of her size. The
smallest any of the doctors (even when we got her), said she
would go 90
pounds, her Kindergarten teacher is also a
doctor and a (doggie shrink)
says probably 100. Take Care, Linda and Dave Huff
. Hi Robin ---
Just a note to let
you know that Rosie (of Falco and Emma) is doing
spectacular. What a
wonderful dog!
She is in her second
round of training and is responding quite well. She is
a bit of a rebellious
teen on occasion: refusing to come when called,
harassing the cats
and other such misdemeaners. But overall
she is perfect. And
very, very beautiful.
Congratulations,
Robin: You breed tremendous dogs.
Doug, Sally, Jacob
& (of course) Rosie.
Minneapolis
Hi there Royalair German Shepherds,
I was so very excited when I came across your
web. Wish I had a picture of my Joshua. He looks just like his daddy luke. Love
him very much. He is a house dog but likes to play out doors. He is spoiled....very
spoiled and wants for nothing. I prayed for a very special dog, with all the
mix up I sometimes was little doughtful, but in the end god did answere. I
would not give him up for anything.
God bless, Barb grant, MI and Joshua von
Grant.
Dear Robin,
Could find a picture with a smaller boy and a
bigger dog! Sophie is doing well. SheÕs still leading the good life protecting
her boy and her cats. SheÕs finished beginning obedience(won the Blue in fact)
Hope all is well with you
Judy
Dear Robin,
We just wanted to write you and let you know
how our puppy is doing. He is one of Kira and FalcoÕs boys. He is about 4
months old now and he is so good. HeÕs not quite house broken yet but heÕs
almost there. IÕve enclosed a picture of Ranger for you to see. He has
beautiful markings and very large paws. I canÕt wait to see him full grown. I
take him to puppy kindergarten. HeÕs extremely intelligent and learns very
quickly. Were almost done with the class and are signing up for puppy advanced
classes. ItÕs amazing how smart he is. We are very happy with him.
Randy & Jill Guzz0
Dear Robin,
As you can see Spirit is growing up just
fine. He still has to grow into his ears though! HeÕs such a good dog even
though he is in a slightly defiant stage. Actuallly heÕs quite obedient for his
age. But still so easily distracted. I sent the one where the snow is on his
nose because he reminded me of his dad on in that photo. Thought you might
enjoy seeing the resemblance. Spirit is a real people dog and adores kids. He
doesnÕt understand yet that he is frightening to some of the kids , but IÕve
seen him belly crawl up to a group to be closer to their level. I donÕt think I
broadcasting to much to say he is very smart with such a sweat personality.
Although I remind him dailey that german shepherds donÕt cry, HeÕs extremley
vocal and IÕm sure he thinks IÕm talking. As you can tell we are enjoying each
other , Thankyou for breeding such a terrific dog!
Marsh Sherland
robin,
just a note to let you know about cassie. she is a
big hit at the park. lots of people ask if they can pet her as they walk by.
several people have expressed how beautiful they think she is. i have met more
people in the last three weeks when i take her as opposed to the three years
that i have gone there to run. she is very friendly with everyone and enjoys
all of the attention. she continues to grow. i had to go buy a new harness for
her tonight. the pink one was going to be too small soon. she sleeps in my
bedroom now on a pillow and blanket. she likes to go for a drive. it was
raining the other day and she just wasn't sure about the windshield wipers.
thanks, i do appreciate what a good pup she is.
randy
HI! Here are 2 pictures of Rex- who is now about 2
1/2 years old- youcall a few weeks ago and inquired- he has been in good health
and has acompanion- a lab- Daisy who is a year younger- is a happy boy-
thanksagain for sending us such a great companion-
Ilsa Werrion
Hi Robin,
Just happend to see your ad in the German Shepherd
magazine and I just found your website........love looking at your pictures.
You mightremember me....Pam Thomas from Des Moines, Iowa......we
purchased" Tasha" from you in July of 1990....she is the most beautifulSilver-gray
shepherd that anyone has ever seen.Anyone and everyone who meets here is amazed
at how wonderful she lookseven at her age. Just wanted to let you know that is
Tasha is still with us and remains in good health......will send you a picture
of hersoon. Thank you for raising such wonderful animals!
Sincerely, Pam Thomas
robin,
just a note to let you know about cassie. she
is a big hit at the park.
lots of people ask if they can pet her as
they walk by. several people have
expressed how beautiful they think she is. i
have met more people in the
last three weeks when i take her as opposed
to the three years that i have
gone there to run. she is very friendly with
everyone and enjoys all of the
attention. she continues to grow. i had to go
buy a new harness for her
tonight. the pink one was going to be too
small soon. she sleeps in my
bedroom now on a pillow and blanket. she
likes to go for a drive. it was
raining the other day and she just wasn't
sure about the windshield wipers.
thanks, i do appreciate what a good pup she
is.
randy
HI! Here are 2 pictures of Rex- who is now
about 2 1/2 years old- you
call a few weeks ago and inquired- he has
been in good health and has a
companion- a lab- Daisy who is a year
younger- is a happy boy- thanks
again for sending us such a great companion-
Ilsa Werrio
Hi Robin,
Just a short line to fill ya in on Reco. The
ear is coming up and he is
looking good!!!!!
He started school last night. I should say we
all started school because me,
Bob and Reco are all going and learning. Its
just basic obedience for now. He
did really well for the 1st night and you
could tell he was really getting
into it. The instructor said Reco is the
first German Shepherd Dog that's
she's had in class for a long time that has
such a good disposition. She said
the ones coming though lately have really
been nippy. Im so proud of my fur
kid!!!!!
Hope you and your family have a nice
Thanksgiving!!!!!!!
Thanks again for our boy.
Cyndi Robinson