Date 01/05/2012
Mary,
It's been awhile since I updated you on Lilly. She's now two and a half years old and absolutely the most amazing and beautiful dog. Over the holiday some dad's
and I took our daughter's camping on the Appalachian trail in the North Georgia mountains. Lilly loves to hike but it was her first campout and she was awesome.
There are bears in the mountains and while we saw none, the girls took comfort in having Lilly at their sides.
Lilly is now about 70 lbs and, according to our vet in perfect condition thanks to our daily commitment to exercise her and your great breeding. Now fully mature
she has a "presence" about her of extreme confidence. She's as gentle as she is beautiful and a continuous source of joy for our family. I thought you'd enjoy
the picture of one of your "girls" all grown up.
Take care,
Paul
Date 12/26/2011
Hello Mary,
Sending you and your family our love and licks (from Niko of course)!
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2012!
Mel
Date 12/25/2011
Mary,
Liza and I send holiday greetings to you and your family!
Liza’s first Christmas is a cozy and quiet one today, but we had a big celebration here last night. She was just wonderful through all my daytime preparations and then remained
a calm and loving girl when everyone arrived. She continues to amaze and delight me. At a few days shy of nine months, she is now going with me everywhere in public and is so
well behaved, including at restaurants where she will now do an extended down-stay. She completed her three week training camp at River Dogs some time ago, but she goes back
for a day every week or two for some follow-up training and socializing with the other dogs. They say she is just the happiest, most friendly and loveable dog, her tail is
always wagging. Of course that is no surprise to me!
Her sound training is also coming along well, she has the timer down well and we’re now starting on the morning alarm and sirens when we’re in the car. All of her senses are
so acute, especially her hearing and nose -- actually Liza would have made a good bomb detection or SAR dog too, her nose is always on the ground, I have to really work with
her on that in the grocery store to keep it off the floor. She’s so gentle and loving with the people at the nursing home, they really love her and look forward to our two hours
there on Wednesdays. Liza’s temperament couldn’t be better, she adjusts very quickly to new situations, nothing seems to disturb her, and while she does not "guard" me at all
(a good thing for a service dog), I’m confident that if there were a situation that called for it, she would be right there.
She is a big, beautiful girl with a lovely long hair coat – people will often stop in awe of her. Wish I had a better camera to capture her beauty, but here’s a slightly fuzzy one snapped quickly today after a round of ball in the backyard. She still loves her water play even in the winter. After her chewing through a couple of kiddy wading pools, I found someone with an unused, heavy duty hard rubber livestock water tub, and it’s perfect for her post-ball “water digging” and feet clean-off.
Our best to you on this holiday, and thank you again for my wonderful companion!
Danielle
Date 12/01/2011
Mary,
Happy to report that Franklin's first beach walk was a huge success. Lotsof dogs to meet and people to greet.
Also happy to report that both his ears have been continuously up for an entire week. Our little puppy is now a toddler ;-)
K&J
Date 11/26/2011
Happy Thanksgiving, Mary!
Just wanted to send you an update on Guinness, aka Yuta, (DOB 11/24/06)
Her 5th birthday was on Thanksgiving!
She is the joy of my life! People always comment how beautiful she is and she is the class clown! We've been doing some K-9 Nose Work and just started rally obedience.
She plays as hard as she works and then wants to play some more! Yesterday, I was playing with her in a big field and someone drove by, saw us, turned around and just
had to meet her. They love GSD's and thought she was the most beautiful dog they've ever seen. Of course, they asked about the breeder and I proudly offered your
information. Told them I would only buy a dog from you!
I'm sending you a couple pics to show you her personality...however, as you know, the stills do not capture the true feelings of her expressions. One pic is on halloween
of this year, one with her soccer ball, and one during our blizzard of this year.
I sure do love this dog! I can't thank you enough!
Bev
Date 11/20/2011
Mary,
Things are going well with Rueger Bear and Ziva. They really like each other. Our yellow lab is fond of the pup too.
Penny, the Maine Coon doesn't like any of the dogs, but that's expected of her. Bell, the black cat has already let
Rueger know who's boss.
Rueger actually wears Ziva out. Ziva gets so tired of watching and caring for him all day.
But she is such a good puppy mama and we are so glad we have her to play with Rueger. Rueger plays hard and then
crashes a few times a day. Rueger and Ziva love tug-a-war. He hasn't been left alone yet as he would be sure to get
into something (probably the garbage).
Attached is a picture from 11/13 of Rueger and Ziva with their bones. All for now.
Sincerely,
The Griffith Family
Date 11/18/2011
Mary,
Thought you'd enjoy seeing the latest in dog pics at The Steele Away.
Franklin's ears have each been up and down, but this morning both his ears were up for quite a long time and I was able to grab the camera in time.
K&J
Date 11/11/2011
Mary,
Thought you would enjoy this picture of Wrangler (Drago), he was about a year and a half when this was taken, so he has filled out a little more. He has been
through four obedience classes, has his GCS, and now we are working agility (he LOVES it!) He is an amazingly sweet and gentle dog. He isn't around kids hardly
at all, yet when I take him out in public, he always gives the kids a good kiss in the face! The other day we were waiting outside a store, a family came up
with a small child, they let the toddler get in has face and pull on his ears, I was ready to pull Drago back at his first sign of distress, but he just stood
there and wagged his tail. In some ways he is just a big overgrown baby. You can see in the one picture his "green spider" it's like his blanket, when he is
tired or upset he runs and gets his spider, then just holds it in his mouth, or uses it as a pillow. I can't even begin to tell you how much he means to me,
my life revolves around this very spoiled baby.
Thank you for breeding such a wonderful dog!
Shelley
Date 11/11/2011
Hi Mary,
One Year Max update!
Date 11/11/2011
Hi Mary,
Update on "Peru" who is now a certified Service Dog!
Date 11/11/2011
Hi Mary,
They are best friends!! Coco (Foxi) is wonderful!! I meant to email you sooner to thank you, but the little one has been keeping us busy/entertained!!
Thank you,
Diane
Date 10/20/2011
Hi Mary,
Duncan (your BJ) has grown into quite the beautiful young man. I have taught him some basic obedience but will be seeking some professional guidance with more advanced training.
Here he is with my sons on an outing. I hope all is well with you and yours. If things go as planned I may be looking for a companion for D next year!
Tracy
Date 9/11/2011
Hi Mary,
Hi Mary, thought I would update you on Liza’s progress. She has grown so much, it’s unbelievable, to me anyway, but I’m sure you’re more used to seeing puppies change so quickly. What
a joy she is, and her puppy antics are also calming down (ripping up paper etc – but she’s never been destructive to anything other than paper bags, toilet paper etc).
I’ve started taking her to a small, fully enclosed and friendly dog park close by, and she just loves playing with the other dogs, and it releases her boundless energy. It is so fun watching
her, she has a wonderful temperament and socializes so well with all types of dogs. The only problem I’ve encountered is that she has started guarding the big pan of water under the spigot
at the dog park, so we’re working on that. She thinks it’s her private wading pool, like at home, and has occasionally yipped at other dogs trying to get a drink. From the beginning she
has always loved her water bowl and often slept with her feet curled around it. And when she drank, she wanted to tip it over and play.
She will graduate from the AKC STARS puppy program next week (I’m sure she’ll pass her test!). For her trick, I’ve started her on sound training and she nudges my hand when a loud portable
timer goes off. However, she loves being around the dogs in class so much, I hope she will pay attention. We will move on to Super Puppy classes in early October.
Everyone just loves her, I’ve heard so many people say that she is the most beautiful German shepherd they’ve ever seen, and so calm. She goes with me into stores and even a couple doctor’s
appointments (though I’ve had to anchor her leash, she’s still working on staying down for a longer time, but getting there!). She seems to know that when she’s wearing her vest it’s an
important time and she needs to be on best behavior. Liza is so incredibly intelligent and aware of all her surroundings every second. We were in a store the other day when she stood
still and focused on the ceiling. I asked the clerk if
anything was going on, and she said there was some bleeping from an overhead intercom. Good girl! She is also so very stable, some kids around here have been shooting off firecrackers at
random times, and while she barks once, she immediately settles down and focuses on it for just a few seconds and then we go on playing in the back yard. And I was so impressed with her
today, I have a floor heater vent cover that has a scroll pattern. It’s next to my bed. Somehow Liza got her foot/toe caught in one of the small spaces. All of a sudden I heard her yelping
and running around the room, I had no idea what had happened. Then I saw the vent cover attached to her foot. I finally caught her and with difficulty extracted her foot, she was squirming
so much. I thought she would be traumatized, but I calmed her a bit, gave her a treat and put the vent cover back in, and she was just fine, even came over to investigate it, no residual
fear at all. She has such an incredible temperament, like you predicated.
I have recently rented one of my rooms to a young male Chinese student going to the college nearby, a friend of mine knows him. He adores Liza and plays with her often and takes her for
walks. I think it’s good for her not only because of the play but because she is not only adjusting to a male presence but one who speaks with an accent.
She has been sleeping in Baewulf’s big 48" wire crate, but it’s been so hot lately that I’ve let her sleep outside of it, and she’s done so well. She doesn’t get into anything (until I get
up and she wants some attention). I’ll attach a few pics of her from last week, one with her nose in one of my shoes while I was getting ready for work and she didn’t think I was paying
enough attention to her. She doesn’t damage anything, just her way of saying, hey, look at ME! What a sweet, beautiful girl she is!!
Okay, enough talking your ear off,although I was happy to hear that Jacob came down to visit you and that he is planning to get a pup next spring. He can’t get enough Liza loves when we
go into the pet store.
Thanks Mary, I’m just so happy with Liza, she is even more than I could have wished for.
Danielle
Date 9/6/2011
Hiya Mary,
Just wanted to share a tough photo I finally got of Eric/Miakoda zooming through the agility tunnel of Zoom.
5 months and getting stronger and able to outrun me up the hill now.
Cheers and take care.
Scott
Date 8/25/2011
Hi Mary,
Kiva was our first baby, coming before any children, and then beautifully integrated each of our children into her watchful fold. She was a strong, loving, and noble girl
who lived at the heart of our family. Her spirit will continue to do so.
Thanks for helping to bring this blessing into our lives.
Warmly,
Tami
Kiva Isabelle
10/1/97 - 08/11
Date 8/2/2011
Hi Mary,
I just thought I would send you some pictures and let you see how Brooke is doing! She's an amazing little girl; she is the biggest baby but also is a very
good protector. I swear she can read my mind. She'll be three in two weeks! Hope you're doing well. Thank you for such a great dog
Date 7/22/2011
Hi Mary,
Seven years later and we love Barak more than ever! He's such a big baby! Here's the latest caper he pulled, getting into the chair and then afraid to jump!
Date 7/2/2011
Hi Mary,
Thought you'd enjoy seeing how beautiful Zeta is! Zar is still on our mind, but house still hasn't sold :(
Jennifer
Date 7/1/2011
Hi Mary,
Just a quick note to say HI! I hope you, your family and all the dogs are doing well. We are well. Alara finished Kindergarten this year and Ross is 1.5 yrs old already. Ross
absolutely loves Niko. He calls him KOKO. He’s a real animal lover. Very cute.
Niko is doing very well. Health is good, energy is great (especially if any kind of play is involved…tireless!). Now that he’s 4.5 yrs old, he’s starting to show some signs of
possibly mellowing out (ha ha). He’s such a sweet guy and minds well. He’ll even bark once in a blue moon to remind us that he’s a dog after all (usually at the deer or other
critter on the other side of the fence; and once in a while at someone walking their dog up the road). Just throw his ball and he’s happy as can be.
I wanted to share this photo with you. What a lovely boy he is!
Warmest regards,
Mel
Date 7/1/2011
Hi Mary,
Hope all is well with you. I thought I would send you some current pictures of Zeger (13 months) and Garon (Obama). Garon will be 3 years old in a couple months. Scary how
fast time goes by!
The "boys" are getting along very well together, and they are both GORGEOUS, as you can see. We found that Garon's coat continued to grow until he was nearly
2 years old, so I suspect Zeger's coat will end up being longer than it is currently.
Both guys are fearless and outgoing, and although every shepherd I've ever had has been highly intelligent, I must tell you there is something very special about Garon . . . off
the charts (almost eerily) intelligent.
Outstanding dogs. Thank you!
Becky & Jess
Date 6/30/2011
Hi Mary,
I promised not to bombard you with emails, but I had to tell you that Eliza was spectacular at the nursing home today. This probably isn't a surprise to you, but I wasn’t
quite certain what to expect with all the people in wheelchairs, walkers, all the activity. She was simply stunning, doing everything perfectly, even though she was in such
unfamiliar territory, new sounds, smells, etc. She of course loved all the attention and everyone loved her. A favorite resident of mine, a younger man confined to a wheelchair
and who really loved both Rosie and Baewulf, has been awaiting her arrival but didn't expect her so soon. He was so excited, and since he couldn't bend down to pet Eliza, I
picked her up and put her in his lap, and she was so gentle and loving, no squirming, just giving him lots of puppy kisses. I was almost in tears. Mary, she is just so wonderful,
how can a puppy so young be so good with such little training . . . she was actually much better than Baewulf on his first (and many subsequent) visits, and he had a solid year-plus
of training. She is just so calm, intuitive and loving, what a rare combination. An "open door" alarm went off while she was resting, and Liza immediately responded alertly with
her eyes focused exactly where the sound was coming from. Also to mention, her "watch me" is so strong, did Hailey train this or is it intuitive? After a good nap at work when
we got back there, I had to stop at a small supplement store and decided to take her in with me. Although I needed only to get one thing, I took a small cart to see how she would
react. A little hesitant/curious for about five seconds, then she was right there
walking with it. We didn’t go very far, but wow, what a girl! Went through checkout, she sat when I told her to sit, and she's doing wonderful leash work. Won't keep you, but I
can’t tell you how happy and amazed I am, Liza is one incredible little puppy. Her potential is limitless, and I will be dedicated to letting her be all she can.
Thank you, thank you!
Danielle
Date 6/30/2011
Hi Mary,
Here is your weekly Eica update with attached Photo's. She continues to amaze me everyday. I absolutely love her and can't thank you enough.
Have a nice weekend
Steve
Date 6/30/2011
Hi Mary,
Can't believe she's two now . . . couldn't remember if I sent you these, but here are a some photos from the Multnomah Falls Clean Up day. It's a fundraiser day for the Oregon
State SAR council. We do trash pick up along the trails, and of course the dogs are GREAT for raising $s.
I think these photos do a great job of showing everything a GSD should be . . .
Gabby
Date 6/26/2011
Hi Mary,
Hi, Mary. It's brooklyn. I just thought I'd let you know how Sascha is doing. He is very smart and outgoing. A quick learner. When I'm at home, he is always near me. He is
very affectionate with the family and loves meeting new people and dogs. I've taken him on my days off to a nursing home to visit the residents and he did very well. Everyone
loved him and he was very calm, curious, and friendly. He is very gentle with the elderly and with children. They all seemed so impressed with his temperament. I do plan on
taking him back again because of how well he did. I think it's a good way to socialize him and to brighten everyone's day there. He is just a great dog and we've all gotten
attached to him. I took him to a friend's house so they could meet him and he was already as tall as their adult dog. (They have a Pit-Shepherd mix) He's growing so fast and
loves water. We filled our kiddie pool and he'll bite the water, stick his front paws in, and bark. Very cute to watch. Oh, and he is potty trained now! I hope things are
going well for you, too. How are those little ones doing that I saw earlier this month?
Brooklyn
Date 6/24/2011
Hi Mary,
Here's an "OK" picture of Bentley. I'm mostly sending this so you can see how friendly he is to everyone and everything. He's kissing a horse here. We stopped at a
state park where three horses were being groomed by their owners (who were kind enough to let us expose Bentley to a new experience).
He did great, as you can see. The horse was very kind, and Bentley was very interested and caring.
He's a LOT OF DOG (90# already) ... still on a diet of raw and Holistic Select. He's doing great!
Helen
For information about our AKC German Shepherd dogs and von Waldhimmel Breeder puppies . . .
Call 5 0 3 - 4 3 5 - 2 8 0 3 or email
von Waldhimmel German Shepherd Breeder