This is the exact picture which I originally posted on this site soon after I started it, in October of 1996.. now twelve years, past! It was my privilege to be the first ever to put this picture online. Robert Felcher was the photographer, and gave me another photo of Don which has never yet been published. This shows Mark Reed (importer) of Massachusetts, with Don vom Rolandsteich. While Don was not the first DDR DSH import to the US (nor Reed the first importer), the importation of "Don R" really started a movement!..and I was a part of that, now twenty years ago! I owned two Don sons (brothers, Roy and Roccer von der Müritz), and the first of these two was imported by Mark Reed in 1988. I also had the privilege of owning such famous dogs as Candy von der Knappenmühle, Pele vom Kiebitzmoor, and Quai vom Baruther Land, and many other lesser-known but very interesting dogs as well. I bred some very good offspring from these dogs, and made some people happy. It was an exciting time, of which I have both happy and sad memories.
Indeed, it is sad to lose the "one-in-a-lifetime" dogs like these, but no one can take the great memories away! It's the stuff of a lifetime, and what makes life worth living: Doing what you choose and making your own dreams come true! For those who truly love great dogs, and hold them in the greatest respect, there is no greater joy than to own an awesome and unforgettable dog! The MOST memorable and awe-inspiring German Shepherd Dogs that I ever saw in my 25 plus years with the breed, were the dogs of East Germany ("DDR"). Typical presentation for a DDR GSD (DSH) is that of an unspoiled dog, robust and strong, with very good pigment, and coming in all of the original colors allowed by the breed standard.
It has been now ten years since I bred my last litter. However, I am giving quality referrals for other breeders who have puppies.
I took hip and elbow dysplasia VERY seriously, having OFA certified ALMOST 100 dogs with OFA, over a period of over 25 years. I lost exact count (would have to go back into my records to make a new count), but I believe that the exact number would be right around 98 dogs and bitches. And, here is where my interest in the DDR dogs came in, that the vast majority of the dogs I was eventually able to certify "normal" were DDR (East German) dogs!
My first litter from a Don Rolandsteich son was the first time I had ever had 100% normal hips in a litter. Since Don was known to produce almost 100% normal hips, and the DDR dogs overall produced an average of over 85% normal hips, I saw the light! Before, with West German lines, I was only able to get one out of every four or five to OFA, and here I was getting maybe one out of every five which would NOT OFA!!!
I eventually switched over to pure old-line DDR breeding and never looked back!
Now featuring a GSD pedigree research bank, hosted by Guardian Forest Kennel. Feel free to look around. At some point in the near future, I hope to make available a very large library of research materials for the DDR (East German) GSDs.
I just finished a trip to the Dominguez's kennel in Arizona, and I want to report on my experiences there. The Dominguez family were gracious and accomodating, and their country home is charming and rustic, in keeping with the beautiful southwestern Arizona culture. All of the dogs there are happy and in great health and good condition. The kennel accomodations are spacious, featuring indoor / outdoor runs, and two very large lots, available for exercise and training. Judy has some of the best black German Shepherd Dogs I have ever seen in one kennel, and she has some truly rare bloodlines, known to produce such dogs. They have exceptionally good nerves and dispositions and strong heads, bone and feet. If you are looking for a very special black dog, I would recommend that you contact Judy.
Judy's website.
Congratulations to Brisa vom Ostschutz, who just went OFA "good", hips and certified normal elbows. Judy Dominguez of Arizona is the proud new owner! Brisa has been bred to Arek von uns Heimaturt, in my opinion an excellent dog!
Judy's specialty is black German Shepherd Dogs from East German (DDR) bloodlines. You can contact her and see her dogs at Judy's website.
Hip screening is important! Question breeders who can't be bothered. Each dog which is used for breeding should be screened via radiograph (x-ray) so that we have this information.
Individual radiographs are the ONLY tool we really have to know whether a dog or bitch is or is not affected by hip and elbow dysplasia. While there are certainly many environmental factors involved, the tendency to sublux a femoral joint and develop hip dysplasia is very much inherited. But, informed choice is the only way to maintain and slowly improve a family of dogs. If we will make choices in breeding partners, then let us make this one selection a priority, and well considered.. not like throwing darts blindfolded.
This is a good time to address ethical considerations, relevant to registration. Dog breeders and fanciers should form trustworthy relationships and benefit from them. The dogs will, too. The idea is that we got something we value from others before us, and we must pass it on. We are like relay racers, passing a baton. We cannot drop it. Some breeders have a very proprietary interest in their own bloodlines, and use AKC's "limited registration" option to restrict breeding privileges to themselves, on puppies sold to others. I believe this to be unethical, unwise, and possibly illegal, on several fronts.
First, there is the reality that while individual breeders make great contributions to the development of bloodlines (and deserve a reward for their hard work and investment), that our dogs are a legacy, borrowed from the efforts of past breeders and carrying forward to those of future breeders. I know that I am repeating myself, here, but this cannot be overstated. We must take great care not to deprive future generations of the best genetic contributions of promising animals, especially if they are from rare bloodlines which offer greater genetic diversity. We MUST be selective in our breeding, and limited registrations can be a valuable tool for breed improvement (by preventing use of de-selected dogs / bitches in breeding programs).
Where registration schemes with breeding limitations were actually intended to allow breeders to deselect puppies with undesirable traits from the gene pool (selling them as pets, only, with no breeding privileges), some breeders are using this tactic to limit distribution of especially good and desirable bloodlines, in a strategic move designed to insure their advantage in trade. That is, by definition, a monopoly. Registries should take care not to aid and abet in such trade protectionist schemes. Trade monopolies and interference with commerce are illegal under United States law.
At this time, there are no possibilities of patenting with animals in the US, such as are provided for with plants ("plant patents").
Not much good can be said about the sincerity of breeders who profess to be "helping" their breed, when they are in fact hindering it by limiting distribution of rare and potentially valuable bloodlines and running down or undermining the efforts of others. Their motivations are transparently self-interested.
While there may at times be legitimate reasons for limiting or restricting propagation of purebred domestic animals and their specific bloodlines, it is a dangerous idea when it is practiced in the absence of comprehensive ethical considerations and responsibility. Trade protection schemes do not characterize breeders who are sincerely trying to assist their breed.
Our community is in great need of partnerships and friendships based on honesty, integrity, and selflessness; i.e., a willingness to put the dogs first and to "do the right thing" when it comes between our own interest and their future.
I would like to give a special mention and thanks to:
Kris Kotsopoulos of "von Forell" kennels, in Australia , a world leader in progressive and scientific breeding of working dogs..
...who did well in continuing with some of my bloodlines when I closed down my breeding program, and who very generously contributed seed money to the founding of an international preservation effort.
NEWS FLASH!!!
Very soon, now, you will be able to come to this site to view original data, never before published on the internet, relevant to the DDR dogs! Included will be Körbücher and Siegershow catalogs! Please check back frequently!
The time has come to save our dogs! E-mail Us at webmaster@tailwag.com!
We support dogs on the web.
It's summertime, and fleas are one of the worst problems for German Shepherd Dogs, causing long term dental wear and tooth breakage, and autoimmune & skin disorders, which can flare up with even a few flea bites! Those steroid shots and pills are NOT the answer! Prevention IS! Stop fleas dead in their tracks with Frontline Plus!
Hint: By treating all of the pets in the house, you will get the maximum control, and the most quickly, but only SOME of the pets can be treated, if you don't want to treat all.
