BOARD REPORTS: President: Donna called the meeting to order and welcomed guests. !Vice-President: Laura reported on the state of the May 9 and 10 specialty shows so far. !Donna Gonzalez will be in charge of trophy donations. !• A food chairperson is needed for Saturday’s

lunch. • Leslee Hoober will bring donuts both mornings. • Lorrie Nerney and Ed Sodden are in charge of

the raffle this year. !A job list will be available at next month’s meeting for signups. !Secretary: No report. !Treasurer: Dalene reported there is $1,619.56 in the checking account and $9,051.46 in the savings account. !Obedience: Kerry requested stewards for the May 9 and 10 obedience and rally trials. She will need 4 stewards per day for rally and 3 stewards per day for obedience. !March 7 and 8 is the Seattle Kennel Club shows and the club will once again have a breed booth. Volunteers are requested. The club will also participate in “Meet The Breed.” Dogs must be

obedient and clean! !Education: Caralin reported that the March meeting will be a CGC test judged by Kerry Southern. The cost is $15 per dog, or to obtain a title certificate the cost is $35 per dog. Dogs must be 6 months or older. !COMMITTEE REPORTS: Membership: Kimberly Seward was voted into membership. !Website: No report. !Newsletter: Kerry is having color malfunctions on her equipment for copying the Newsletter. She and Dalene will discuss cost to have the copying done elsewhere. Herding: !Laura reported that the Herding Instinct Test and event is August 8, 2015 at Ewe-topia. !OLD BUSINESS: None !NEW BUSINESS: Kerry has a lot of old club equipment in storage at her place and asked permission to get rid of it. NOTIFIED BUSINESS: Judge nominations for the 2016 specialties should be given to the Board by February 16, 2015. Plaque Awards: !• Sandy Casto’s Eli earned his CD. • Dalene McIntire was voted Member of the Year.

!ANNOUNCEMENTS: This February meeting was Dalene McIntire’s 50th year anniversary as a member of this club. !! !!

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

(Continued next page)- 17 -

German Shepherd Dog Club of Washington State, Inc.

!MINUTES OF GENERAL MEETING

February 5, 2015

BRAGS: !• John Sadler’s Tango went BOB on Sunday at

Puyallup. She is now a Grand Champion Bronze. !• Juanita Williamson’s Cole went WD Saturday

and Sunday at the Puyallup shows. !• Kerry Southern’s Addie, handled by Megan

Aalmo, earned her Beginner’s Novice in three shows at Puyallup. !

!• Glenn Patterson handled Kuro to his Beginner

Novice and CD titles that week end. !Meeting adjourned. !!!A word here about BRAGS! Whether you give your Brag at a meeting (as in this case) or you want them in the newsletter, please submit them in

writing either to the secretary at the meeting or to the editor via the club’s web site. !On the web site, click on Misc, then on Brag Box. Toward the bottom of the page it shows you what information to send in. Click on “page admin” in blue which gives you an email to the editor. As far as the NSN is concerned, you can send as much information about your brag as you

2

7

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NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

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Scanned copy of a letter received from NAIA in Feb.

See the title above? The letters are all different sizes, some caps, some lower case. Although the letters make for a catchy title, they are not uniform, “standard”, or all the same “type”.

Kerry Sent me a press release from AKC about “The Loveable Bulldog Hits Highest Spot Ever, While Labrador Retriever Remains Number One.” It always irritates me that AKC and others go on and on about the number 1, 4, 10 and 11 breeds, but nary a word about the No. 2 Breed - THE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG.

Below the hootin’ and hollerin’ about the “other” breeds is the list of the top 10 most popular breeds in 2014 and 2013. The German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever were No. 2 and No 3 respectively, the only other 2 breeds to keep their same spot as last year — and good spots they are.

However, if you click on the breed’s name in this list, and then look down the page, it brings up the breed standard. Since this is fairly buried, I am reprinting it here so more Shepherd people can learn a little more about our breed’s “Standard”.

On the following page I have copied their illustration of the GSD and the accompanying text which is taken from the Standard. Since I am giving AKC the credit for this, I assume I won’t be carted off to jail for reproducing it here. Let’s face it — I am no artist and couldn’t begin to come up with this without copying someone. The Standard itself can be copied from numerous sources…but I know a lot of you never bother to read the standard, or haven’t read it in a long time…it should be your “blueprint for every breeding you do.”

So I hear someone saying, “I don’t need the standard, I know what I like in a German Shepherd and that’s what I breed.” Case in point are the “King Shepherds.”

But that’s the whole idea of having a Standard, so

the German Shepherds produced by various breeders in the country will all look like German Shepherds with the main variants being their color…the body parts should be basically the same…I say basically, because there are going to be some differences due to genetics (some of which you aren’t possibly aware of in your dog’s background). Even if you breed the same sire and dam together multiple times, the puppies from the different litters won’t be “exactly” the same, but they will look like German Shepherds. There is the saying in Thoroughbreds that dog people have adopted…”You breed the best to the best, and hope for the best.” We have such a large gene pool in this country now, it would be impossible to come up with identical dogs. Maybe in some of the less popular breeds it would be easier because their gene pool isn’t as large, they don’t have anywhere near the number of ancestors behind their dogs as in our breed.

In dog shows the same dogs do not always win — it is not uncommon for a dog to go Best of Breed one day, and then not even place the following day. This comes from the judges having their own interpretations and/or likes and dislikes about a breed. I guess it is only human for this to happen as long as the judges do not go too far off the track, but ideally judges are supposed to be judging a breed by that breed’s standard, not their personal likes and dislikes. And the same is true of breeders — breed to the standard, not to your personal likes and dislikes. There may be a certain amount of room for variation, but not a whole lot. If there is so much about the German Shepherd you do not like, then perhaps you should switch to another breed.

So read the breed standard excerpts on the following page, become familiar with them, and begin to apply it to dogs you see at dog shows, trotting down the street, or in your own back yard.

The German Shepherd Dog Standard

(Continued next page)

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

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NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

GENERAL APPEARANCE — The first impression of a good German Shepherd Dog is that of a strong, agile, well muscled animal, alert and full of life. It is well balanced, with harmonious development of the forequarter and hindquarter. The dog is longer than tall, deep-bodied, and presents an outline of smooth curves rather than angles. It looks substantial and not spindly, giving the impression, both at rest and in motion, of muscular fitness and nimbleness without any look of clumsiness or soft living. The ideal dog is stamped with a look of quality and nobility - difficult to define, but unmistakable when present. Secondary sex characteristics are strongly marked, and every animal gives a definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to its sex.

- 20

HEAD — The head is noble, cleanly chiseled, strong without coarseness, but above all not fine, and in proportion to the body. The head of the male is distinctly masculine, and that of the bitch distinctly feminine. The expression keen, intelligent and composed. Eyes of medium size, almond shaped, set a little obliquely and not protruding. The color is as dark as possible. Ears are moderately pointed, in proportion to the skull, open toward the front, and carried erect when at attention, the ideal carriage being one in which the center lines of the ears, viewed from the front, are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. 

BODY — The neck is strong and muscular, clean-cut and relatively long, proportionate in size to the head and without loose folds of skin. When the dog

is at attention or excited, the head is raised and the neck carried high; otherwise typical carriage

of the head is forward rather than up and but little higher than the top of the shoulders,

particularly in motion. Topline- The withers are higher than and sloping into the level back. The

back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach, and relatively short. The whole

structure of the body gives an impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness.

(Continued next page)

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

FOREQUARTERS — The shoulder blades are long and obliquely angled, laid on flat and not placed forward. The upper arm joins the shoulder blade at about a right angle. Both the upper arm and the shoulder blade are well muscled. The forelegs, viewed from all sides, are straight and the bone oval rather than round. 

COAT — The ideal dog has a double coat of medium length. The outer coat should be as dense as possible, hair straight, harsh and lying close to

the body. A slightly wavy outer coat, often of wiry texture, is permissible. The head, including the

inner ear and foreface, and the legs and paws are covered with short hair, and the neck with longer

HINDQUARTERS — The whole assembly of the thigh, viewed

from the side, is broad, with both upper and lower thigh well muscled,

forming as nearly as possible a right angle. The upper thigh bone parallels

the shoulder blade while the lower thigh bone parallels the upper arm. The metatarsus (the unit between

the hock joint and the foot) is short, strong and tightly articulated.

Ironically, AKC did not include one of the most important aspects of a German Shepherd Dog — Temperament, the second paragraph of the standard. So important whether the dog is a show dog, working dog, or pet. !Gaiting is another important description left off; as well as Size, Proportion, Substance; Neckline, Body; Coat; Color; and Disqualifications. !The present standard was approved by the GSDCA Board of Directors and then AKC in 1978 with a reformatting done in 1994. It has stood the test of time in spite of some people trying to change it for personal reasons rather than for the betterment of the breed.

Next month I’ll continue this article with the portions left out of this one. !Really, you shouldn’t try to digest the whole standard at once if you’re new in the breed. Take each section, dissect it, and apply it to dogs you see. When that is easy for you to see and evaluate, move on to the next section until you can eventually look at the whole dog and evaluate it. Our specialty shows are coming up in May which will be a great time to sit at ring-side and apply the standard to the dogs being judged. !Be sure to watch for the continuation of this article in the April issue of the NSN. ! …..Dalene

- 21-

by Mark Oppenheimer - Jan. 16, 2015

In December, Pope Francis got the attention of pet owners everywhere when he was quoted as saying, “Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” Alas, media outlets, including The New York Times, confused the remarks and the circumstances under which they were made. The pope had actually made a broader comment about heaven during an event in November. The quotation itself was reportedly taken from remarks made years ago by Pope Paul VI. !Still, the attention led to renewed interest in a longstanding theological discussion about pets and the afterlife. Questions about the religious status of animals have always been with us; popular theology refuses to deny animals their souls. Our sense of spiritual kinship is already latent in the bootees and little sweaters we buy our pets, and the sidewalk baby talk with which we embarrass ourselves, and perhaps them. Consider how we treat our pets in death. !“Today, there are nearly 600 functioning pet cemeteries in the United States,” Amy Defibaugh, a Temple University graduate student, said recently at the American Academy

of Religion conference in San Diego. She was delivering a paper titled “Toward the Weeping Willow: An Examination of the Dying and Death of Companion Animals.” !Beginning in the 19th century as a largely urban phenomenon, “pet cemeteries have become and continue to be a viable and significant option for the practical disposal of the bodies of our companion animals,” Ms. Defibaugh said, “as well as creating and preserving a sense of sacredness in their death.” !She cited the research of an anthropologist, Stanley Brandes of the University of California, Berkeley, who in a 2009 article, “The Meaning of American Pet Cemetery Gravestones,” noted the “definite and growing tendency for owners to link these creatures to specific religious communities.” !That’s right: Maybe your dog isn’t just soulful, but is also, in fact, a member of a faith community. Maybe your dog is a Christian, perhaps of one denomination or another. Presbyterian pooch. Methodist mutt. Or maybe your dog is Mormon. Or Mennonite? Perhaps even Jewish.

!In his paper, based on research at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in Hartsdale, N.Y., Professor Brandes described Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David that adorn pets’ gravestones. !“It is evident,” he wrote, “that owners who bury pets at Hartsdale believe that their companion animals possess immortal souls.” One dog “gets her goodbye with the promise, ‘Until We Meet in Heaven.’ ” On the gravestone of a boxer named Champ was written, “We Pray That We Will Meet Again.” !

(Continued next page)

From Seminary to the Cemetery, Fascination Persists Over Pets and the Afterlife

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

- 22 -

A cat named Corky lay beneath a stone with a Star of David, while “a dog named Sushi has two Stars of David symmetrically placed at the top of his gravestone, on which there is also Hebrew lettering that reads ‘Shalom’ (meaning both peace and goodbye).” Then there was the inscription for a cat named Sheebah: “Sheebah/who went to Heaven on Yom Kippur Day.” !In his paper, based on research at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in Hartsdale, N.Y., Professor Brandes described Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David that adorn pets’ gravestones. !“It is evident,” he wrote, “that owners who bury pets at Hartsdale believe that their companion animals possess immortal souls.” One dog “gets her goodbye with the promise, ‘Until We Meet in Heaven.’ ” On the gravestone of a boxer named Champ was written, “We Pray That We Will Meet Again.” !A cat named Corky lay beneath a stone with a Star of David, while “a dog named Sushi has two Stars of David symmetrically placed at the top of his gravestone, on which there is also Hebrew lettering that reads ‘Shalom’ (meaning both peace and goodbye).” Then there was the inscription for a cat named Sheebah: “Sheebah/who went to Heaven on Yom Kippur Day.” !Next to some of the animals’ graves sat yahrzeit candles, traditionally lit to remember Jewish people who have died. !The idea that pets are like humans in their relationship to God seems to be everywhere. Catholic teaching may not yet grant animals souls, but priests and monks of the Franciscan order have long had a tradition of blessing the animals on Oct. 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Some Episcopalians have also taken up the practice. !Several popular children’s books also promote the idea of animal ensoulment. There is the 1995

classic “Dog Heaven,” by Cynthia Rylant, which promises that “God has a sense of humor, so He makes His biscuits in funny shapes for His dogs. There are kitty-cat biscuits and squirrel biscuits.” Lest Ms. Rylant be seen as pro-dog at the expense of cats, the sequel “Cat Heaven” arrived in 1997. Last fall, the best-selling children’s author Nancy Tillman published her book “The Heaven of Animals,” in which “when dogs get to heaven they’re welcomed by name, and angels know every dog’s favorite game,” and where “horses in heaven are never alone, and grass is much sweeter than grass here at home.” !Ms. Tillman, who attends a nondenominational, evangelical Christian church near her home in Portland, Ore., said she was “not a theologian.” She got the idea for the book “years ago,” when she was looking at her dog and cat. !“They were gazing off into the distance,” Ms. Tillman said. “And I thought, ‘What a lovely thought if they see heaven. And wouldn’t that comfort children if they lost a pet?’ ” !In teaching children that animals go to heaven, it only makes sense that we would want to given pets a good send-off when they die. According to Ms. Defibaugh, the graduate student, cemeteries for people, recognizing the market, are also getting into the pet business. !“Many funeral homes have extended their services to companion animals for memorials and religious services,” Ms. Defibaugh wrote in her paper. “Some human cemeteries are now allowing companion animal burial.” !Of course, the burial of animals, like that of humans, raises another question: What if your dog is of a different faith than you? No word yet on whether Jewish cemeteries are allowing burial for Christian collies.

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

- 23 -Article submitted by Barb Donahey

FROM AOL:

Dog Shows Up at Hospital Where Owner Is Battling Cancer !

A little thing like distance wasn't going to keep a miniature schnauzer named Sissy away from her owner. !On Saturday, Sissy escaped from her yard, walked the 20 blocks to Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where her owner, Nancy Franck, has been for the past two weeks, and strolled right through the front door. !Franck has been recovering in the hospital after a cancer-related surgery. !"She missed Mom. That's all I can say: She missed Mom," Franck's daughter, Sarah Wood, told KCRG. !"That was great just being able to see her. That was perfect," Franck said. !We hear about pets going missing and then somehow traveling hundreds of miles to return to their families all the time. !In 2013, a scientist told The Washington Post a dog's sense of direction is tied to its sense of smell. !Turns out, a dog's sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times more powerful than a human’s. !Franck's family told KCRG while Sissy had never been to the hospital prior to Saturday, Franck works in a building next to the hospital, so it's probable that Sissy followed her scent all the way there.

TRACKING TEST - !Wenatchee Kennel Club, Inc.

Sunday, March 8, 2015 !KV RANCH

PALISADES, WASHINGTON !Test Chairperson: Ernie Hobbs, 5237 Majeska Lane,

Cashmere, WA 98815 509-664-1259 !

Test Limited to 6 TD Entries and 3 TDX Entries !Closing Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2015, 5:00 PM !

Entry Fee: TD =$60.00, TDX=$90.00 !Entries of dogs which have not yet passed an AKC

Tracking Test must include a form certifying that the dog is considered ready for such a test. This form

must be an original statement, dated within one year of the test and signed by a person who has been

approved by the AKC to judge tracking tests. !Entries of dogs in TDX must have passed an AKC

Tracking Test. !To Enter the Test: !

Use an AKC Official Entry Form found in any dog show premium list. !

Send, with entry fees, to Maggy Susman, 1817 Garnet Place, Wenatchee, WA 98801. !

For more information or a premium list, contact Ernie Hobbs listed above.

Submitted by Max Fischbach and Barb Donahey

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

- 24 -

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

WSOTC Spring Obedience Trial

March 28-29, 2015Evergreen Fairgrounds,

Monroe WA

�

Judges: Carol Callahan

John CoxPatricia  GannonRichard Strong

Cash Prizes for High in Trial, High Combined, Other Classifications in Obedience and

High Combined in Rally.

Gift bags with treats, toys, surprises, for all exhibitors.

Premium list available in February at BaRay Event Services, Inc. (360) 755-7086

dogshows@barayevents.com

For information contact  Nancy Light chair at (425) 354-3609 or kylahgold@aol.com

All Regular and Optional Titling classes in Obedience

Entries for

WSOTC’s March

Obedience Trial

close at 12:00 PM

PST, Wednesday,

March 11, 2015. !- - - - - - - !!

RV Parking Available !

- - - - - - - - !Full particulars

at BaRayevents.com

Cash Prizes for High in Trial ($100), High Combined,

Other Classifications in Obedience and High Combined in Rally.

!FIRST THROUGH FOURTH PRIZE, EACH OBEDIENCE & RALLY CLASS:

Braided Fleece

- 25 -

!

NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

PLEASE NOTE: The listings of litters in this newsletter

are a courtesy to members. A listing does not constitute an endorsement of either the

dogs or the breeders by the German Shepherd Dog Club of

Washington State. !Two litters per year may be listed in the “Litter Box” for two months for free. After that there is a charge of $10

per month.

!

NOTE: In future listings in the Litter Box,

breeder must supply a copy of a dog’s OFA

certificate in order to have “OFA Hips &

Elbows” listed with a litter. Since having OFA hips and elbows is very important and since it

can be a selling point (and it is too easy to just say they are), proof must be supplied. Such copies will

be kept on file so they need not be supplied with subsequent listings for

that dog.

!

!

Photo submitted by Donna Sater

No Litters This Month ! !!Check back next month or on the club’s web site for new listings. !To have your litter posted for free for two months (members only), send information to Dalene (editor) or to the club’s Web Site. !Information required: ! Whelping Date Sire Dam How many puppies (sex & color) Breeder’s Name & Phone Number Breeder’s Phone Breeder’s Email and/or Web Site

!

!

!

!

! !!

!

!

!

Breeders’ Directory

For $10 per year Your business card

Will be here!

- 30 -

This list of “Coming Shows” is printed to aid you in planning

which shows in the Pacific Northwest you wish to enter.

The shows at the beginning of the list have already closed their

entries, but are kept on the list as a reference for those wishing

to attend them as spectators.

!MARCH - 2015 !Seattle Kennel Club - March 7-8 Seattle, WA Supt: BaRay !Peninsula Dog Fanciers - March 21-22 Bremerton, WA Supt: Onofrio !Chintimini Kennel Club, Inc. - March 28-29 Albany, OR Supt: Onofrio !Washington State Obedience Training Club March 28-29, 2015 Monroe, Washington Supt: BaRay !APRIL - 2015 !Ephrata-Moses Lake Kennel Club - April 11-12 Moses Lake, WA Supt: BaRay !Palouse Hills Dog Fanciers, Inc. - April 17-18 Moses Lake, WA - Supt: MB-F !Lewis-Clark Kennel Club, Inc. - April 19-20 Lewiston, Idaho Supt: MB-F !Walla Walla Kennel Club - April 25-26 Walla Walla, WA

Supt: Onofrio !MAY - 2015 !Olympia Dog Fanciers Association - May 2-3 Elma, WA Supt: Onofrio !German Shepherd Dog Club of Wa. St. Renton, WA - May 9-10 Supt: BaRay !Mt. Baker Kennel Club, Inc. - May 16-17 Lynden, WA Supt: BaRay !Spokane Kennel Club - May 23-24 Spokane, WA Supt: Onofrio !Yakima Valley Kennel Club, Inc. May 30-31 Yakima, WA Supt: Baray !SUPERINTENDENTS: !BaRay Event Services, P.O. Box 508, Burlington, WA 98233 -- (206) 818-3647    dogshows@barayevents.com !M-BF Inc., P.O. Box 22107, Greensboro, NC 27420-2107 (336) 379-9352 mbf@infodog.com !Onofrio Dog Shows, P.O. Box 4660, Portland,OR 97208-4660 (336) 239-1080 www.onofrio.com !Rau Dog Shows, P.O. Box 6898 - Reading, PA 19610 - 610-376-1880 www.raudogshows.com

!NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS March - 2015

March - 2015NORTHWEST SHEPHERD NEWS

!

!

Northwest Shepherd News

!

To:

!The Official Publication of The

German Shepherd Dog Club of Washington State, Inc.!

Best Newsletter 1967, 1968,1970, 1974-1976, 1986, 1990, 2009, 2011-2014 Second Place!1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988,1989, 2008, 2010 Third Place 2001, 2006 Fourth Runner Up!2002-2007 Honorable Mention!1971, 1972, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 2003 !!!!

FIRST CLASS MAIL

FROM: Dalene McIntire 11054 SE 192nd Street Renton, WA 98055

Go Sea

hawks

!!

2014 Supe

r Bowl

cham

pions