THE GERMAN SHEPHERD SENTINEL
FEBRUARY 2007 - NEWSLETTER OF THE
GSDC OF GREATER RALEIGH
Pat Embrey, Newsletter Editor
1390 Sanders Road, Benson, NC 27504
PH: 919-934-6232, E-Mail: VonRillca@aol.com
Website: www.gsdcofgrraleigh.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Board Policy on Dogs at Club Sponsored Events
2. February Meeting Information
3. Preliminary XRays to the OFA
4. Ten Peeves Dogs Have About Humans
5. An Article from Sarah
6. Georgia Crash Victim Saved by GSD
BOARD POLICY ON DOGS AT CLUB SPONSORED EVENTS
The GSDC of Greater Raleigh welcomes your German Shepherd at our events, including meetings. However, the following rules must be followed:
Anyone with an aggressive dog (one that growls, snaps, or is in any way aggressive towards other dogs or people) must be muzzled.
Dogs will be free of loose hair and external parasites (fleas or ticks). Please brush your dog prior to bringing it to the meeting as we must clean up the room after we are finished.
For the safety of all members, guests and their dogs, it is strongly recommended that all dogs be kept up to date on their vaccinations. ALL dogs that are old enough, MUST have a current rabies shot.
FEBRUARY MEETING INFORMATION
The next meeting of the GSDC of Greater Raleigh will be held on Wednesday, February 7 at 7:00 PM for the socialization part of the meeting, and 7:30 PM for our program. As usual, our meeting will be held at the Exchange Park on Spring Forest Road in Raleigh. With our January meeting having been postponed,to the 17th, the February meeting will be here sooner than you realize. Our program for the February meeting is Officer Phil Medlin with the Raleigh Police Department's Special Operations unit which includes the K-9 Unit. Officer Medlin is Sgt. / Trainer with the said K-9 unit. He will discuss K-9 training for the Police Department and answer questions we have.
Janine Hamlin will bring her demo-dog to the February meeting.
Mary Bjelica will be furnishing refreshments this month. Also, everyone please remember to bring your dues for 2007.
OFA REPORT – PRELMIN X-RAYS UNDER TWO YEARS OF AGEAt our January meeting we had a discussion of the accuracy of preliminary x-rays taken at from 6 months on and the adult x-rays submitted to the OFA for a final reading. This article came out recently, and I felt it would be of interest to our members and guests.
Comparing normal prelim grades to age grades:
· 100% reliability of a prelim grade of excellent being normal (excellent, good, or fair) at 2 years of age
· 97.9% reliability of a prelim grade of good being normal (excellent, good, or fair) at 2 years of age
· 76.9% reliability of a prelim grade of fair being normal (excellent, good, or fair) at 2 years of age
Reliability of preliminary evaluations increases as the age at the time of the prelim increases, for normal preliminary evaluations:
· 89.6% reliability of a prelim at 3-6 months being the same basic phenotype (normal or dysplastic) at age 2
· 93.8% reliability of a prelim at 7-12 months being the same basic phenotype (normal or dysplastic) at age 2
· 95.2% reliability of a prelim at 13-18 months being the same basic phenotype (normal or dysplastic) at age 2
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Ten Peeves that Dogs Have
About Humans
1. Blaming your smells on me...
not funny... not funny at all !!!
2. Yelling at me for barking..
I'M A DOG, YOU IDIOT!
3. Taking me for a walk,
then not letting me check stuff out.
Exactly whose walk is this anyway?
4. Any trick that involves
balancing food on my nose...
stop it!
5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.
6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw.
You fooled a dog! Whoooo Hoooooooo
what a proud moment for the top of the
food chain.
7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip",
then act ing surprised when I freak out
every time we go back!
8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
9.Dog sweaters.
Hello ???,
Haven't you noticed the fur?
10. How you act disgusted
when I lick myself.
Look, we both know the truth,
you're just jealous.
Now lay off me on some of these things,
We both know who's boss here!!!
You don't see me picking up your poop
do you ???AN ARTICLE FROM SARAH
In this day and age when there is so much bad stuff going on, it’s wonderful to see there are still a lot of good people out there.
THIS IS A TRUE STORY.
“Some of you may know that our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my four year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. She dictated and I wrote:
“Dear God,
Will you please take special care of our dog, Abbey? She died yesterday and is in heaven. We miss her very much. We are happy that you let us have her as our dog even though she got sick. I hope that you will play with her. She liked to play with balls and swim before she got sick. I am sending some pictures of her so that when you see her in heaven you will know she is our special dog. But I really do miss her.
Love,
Meredith Claire
PS: Mommy wrote the words after Mer told them to her:
We put that in an envelope with 2 pictures of Abbey, add addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Mer stuck some stamps on the front (because, as she said, it may take lots of stamps to get a letter all the way to heaven) and that afternoon I let her drop it into the letter box at the post office.
For a few days, she would ask if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, for Labor Day, we took the kids to Austin to a natural history museum. When we got back, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch. Curious, I went to look at it. It had a gold star card on the front and said “To: Mer” in an unfamiliar hand
Meredith took it in and opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, “When a Pet Dies.” Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God,. In its opened envelope (which was marked Return to Sender: Insufficient address). On the opposite page, one of the pictures of Abbey was taped under the words “For Meredith.” We turned to the back cover, and there was the other picture of Abbey, and this handwritten note on pink paper.
“Dear Mer,
I know that you will be happy to know that Abbey arrived safely and soundly in Heaven! Having the pictures you sent to me was such a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
You know, Meredith,, she isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me-just like she stays in your heart- young and running and playing. Abbey loved being your dog, you know. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets!-so I can’t keep your beautiful letter. I am sending it to you with the pictures so that you will have this book to keep and remember Abbey.
One of my angels is taking care of this for me. I hope the little book helps.
Thank you for the beautiful letter. Thank your mother for sending it. What a wonderful mother you have! I picked her especially for you..I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am in heaven and wherever there is love.
Love,
God, and the special angel who wrote this after God told her the words.”
As a parent and a pet lover, this is one of the kindest things that I’ve ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is some very kind soul working in the dead letter office. Just wanted to share this act of compassion.
GEORGIA CRASH VICTIM SAYS DOG SAVED HER LIFE
I heard this story on the evening news on Friday, February 2, and after following it up, this is what I read.
From the Associated Press (AP): Shannon Lorio, 36, strokes "Hero," a German shepherd
she credits with saving her life on Friday,...
THOMASVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A south Georgia woman bloodied in a car wreck says
she owes her life to a dog who wouldn't stay in his yard.
Shannon Lorio says that after her car careened down an embankment, the
wayward dog found her bruised and battered on the vehicle's trunk, pulled
her by her shirt collar, dragged her about 50 yards through briars to a
highway and let her lean against him so she could flag a passing motorist.
His new name: Hero.
"That dog is always going to have a special place in my heart," Lorio said
Friday. "He's my hero."
Kennel worker Harry Smith, 24, plays with Hero, a
2-year-old German shepherd who is credited with...
Hero's previous owners have signed him over to the Thomasville-Thomas County
Humane Society since the Jan. 26 accident because he kept wandering off.
He won't be in the shelter long: Not only have at least 50 people offered to
adopt him, a dog trainer has agreed to see if he has the right stuff for
search and rescue work.
Lorio's car tumbled backward down an embankment in a remote, heavily wooded
area. She said she lost control on a curve and was thrown onto the trunk.
"I was bleeding from my face and my nose," she said. "All of a sudden, I
felt a presence - a really huge presence. He was straddling me. I have
watched too many horror movies about werewolves and vampires. I thought he
was going to eat me."
Instead, the dog licked her face, she said.
The 2-year-old dog, weighing 70 pounds, dragged the 136-pound Lorio to the
highway, then stood by to help her summon help before she collapsed, she said.
Lorio, 36, of Pavo, said she can't adopt Hero because she already has six
dogs, but she's showered him with gifts including a huge bone and a stuffed
animal.
"If he ever needs anything, I'll be there," she said.
Dog trainer Heidy Drawdy, of Thomasville, will take Hero next week to see if
he's cut out to be a search and rescue dog.
First item on the agenda for the wandering canine: obedience training.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070203/D8N1U0200.html
Hope to see all of you at the meeting on Wednesday. Pat
THE (REAL) EDITOR AT THE COMPUTER
