Cassandra's German Spitz

04/25/2024

Really worth the read

I saw this a while back but forgot about it.
Really worth a read though.

Everyone who is thinking of getting dogs should read this because you need to understand this reality:

***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for fighting bears.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.

I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.
You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!
If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.
I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.
So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

04/24/2024

The PVWDC is conducting a survey about people's ability to identify dogs' body condition scores based on photographs. You can take the survey at bit.ly/PVWDC-BCS!

04/24/2024

Truth.

04/24/2024

Agouti is one of the oldest and most common color genes in mammals. It can be found in deer, rodents and rabbits, and one main reason why it’s so common is that it provides excellent camouflage being, as it is, an overall grayish color with a brindled, or “salt and pepper,” appearance. People ...

04/18/2024

Get ready, tis the season😊

Jeffers is your trusted source for the best products for horses, cattle, livestock, pets, & more all at great prices & with fast shipping. Free Shipping over $49!

04/14/2024

🥰

Scientists measured canine brain waves to shed light on language learning.

03/31/2024

Wishing all German Spitz folks a Happy Easter.

03/16/2024

This 100%!

03/16/2024

Drives me nuts.

We turn to Ecclesiastes 9:11 (King James Version) to launch this post: “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance [.....

03/14/2024

😁

03/06/2024

ARE YOU WORTH COMING BACK TO?

I often cringe when I watch people trying to get their dogs to come back when they call.

They call and call and get increasingly angry and frustrated as their dog keeps ignoring them.

When their dog eventually does come back, or has been chased and "captured” by the now really angry person, they get screamed at, yanked about, smacked or punished in some way for taking so long and not listening.

Why on earth would a dog want to return to someone who does this to them!

Genetics may play a big part in this when an environment is far more stimulating and exciting.

Coming back to you is often the last thing a dog may want to do when genetic instinct is triggered.

An exciting scent or seeing something to chase can all override a response to recall.

Genetics aside, the most common reason that dogs don’t come back when called is because it’s not a positive experience.

Make coming back to you worth it by always making it a rewarding experience and keep practicing this throughout a dog’s life.

Have a little patience if it takes longer than you would like, let your dog finish what they’re doing before calling them, practice in different locations and environments and never reprimand or punish them for coming back.

There is never a guarantee of a perfect recall each and every time, but making it a rewarding experience will greatly improve the rate of success.

03/02/2024

🥰

We are SO FREAKING EXCITED!

Thank you, Adrianne L. Dering, for proposing - and getting passed TODAY - West Virginia Senate Resolution 60. WV joins Georgia, Colorado, Maine, and Connecticut as states that have joined the National Purebred Dog Day family! From the press release:

Charleston, WV, March 1, 2024: In a rare moment of bipartisan unity, the WV Senate passed SR-60, Recognizing May 1, 2024 as Purebred Dog Day in West Virginia. In passing this resolution, West Virginia joins the states of Connecticut, Georgia and Maine. Among other things, SR-60 recognizes that, “Dedicated individuals in West Virginia breed dogs to develop unique, predictable characteristics that enable dogs to excel in a wide range of beneficial areas.”

The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, at the request of long-time dog fancier, Adrianne Dering of Hopecrest Cotons, in Morgantown. Dering, who breeds and shows the Coton de Tulear breed with the American Kennel Club, reached out to Senator Caputo after being inspired by Georgia’s passing of the same resolution on January 24 of this year.

“I wanted this resolution to act as a way to honor our dogs as well as those who dedicate their lives to the health, training and welfare of the dog breeds we love,” Dering said.

Over the years, West Virginia has been home to multiple of top winning dogs in the American Kennel Club. We are also the home state of Fido TV founder Tad Walden, well as the home of Carrie Chase, who was both a Westminster Kennel Club group judge and the National Dog Show Best in Show judge in 2023. American Kennel Club affiliates host multiple conformation dog shows, field trials, obedience, agility, and rally events here in West Virginia throughout the year.

In 2017, the original idea of a special day to recognize purebred dogs was the brainchild of writer and Puli fancier, Susi Szeremy. “Purebred Dog Day marks an opportunity to bring balance to the conversation about responsible dog ownership by including the voice of purebred dog owners. I believe that all dogs should be valued, whatever their ancestry, but the purpose-bred dog and the predictability of its breed is to be cherished and preserved,” said Szeremy.

“In a time where it is sometimes difficult to find common ground, I believe that West Virginians can all agree we love and cherish the dogs who share our lives and serve us in countless ways as a society,” said Dering.

Yay!!!!!!!

01/24/2024

Truth.

Let’s set the scene. This may become a bit sensitive for some, and I apologise in advance.

You’re out somewhere. You might be at a restaurant, a bar, a public park on a sunny day enjoying the sunshine with your family. It may be that you’re on your way home from work or trying to catch the bus. You’re just minding your own business.

Suddenly, a person comes straight up to you. They give you anxiety. What is this person going to do? I don’t know! The person is walking with a friend and the friend sees you’re a bit anxious and calls out to you saying “Don’t stress, she/he’s all good!’’ But they keep approaching you. And when they finally reach you they randomly hug you. Touch you. Walk circles around you. Start talking to you. Don’t let you leave.

What would you call that? Harassment? Assault in severe cases?
How would this make you feel?

Now, after the initial shock you find your courage and you ask the person to go away. Leave you alone. But the person doesn’t stop and instead touches your arm or your hair. “Oh come on, we’re alright. I’m not doing anything bad I’m friendly! Just let me be around you.’’You get upset and might push the person. Shout at them. If you’re a bit more of an assertive person you might punch them. Who knows.
Then the person and the friend get upset. Well? WHY are you here then? What are you doing in this public space if you don’t like being around other people? You have no business to be here, minding your own business in this park with your family without allowing me to sit with you, play with you, touch you, talk to you. Actually, you know what you should do? You should be more social! You should go more often to random groups of people.

_______
Do you see what I did there?
If you thought any of the above situation is not okay (and I sure as heck hope you do), then why do we think it’s okay to let dogs run up to strange dogs and say ‘It’s okay he’s friendly’?

What we do in the dog world is the exact opposite what we should be doing. We label the harassed dog as aggressive and the harassing dog as the victim.

Dogs have emotions. They have feelings. They have their own characters and personalities. There are many, many dogs that are not interested in making new friends or being with dogs they don’t know they can trust.

And sure, some dogs love playing with other dogs. Those are the extraverted dogs. Just like we have people that LOVE hugging or love making new friends even as adults, but to be honest.. how many of those people do you know? I think if you put it into a % its lower than the people that rather just are with their select group of people and be left alone by random strangers in public spaces.

So don’t assume the dog your dog is running towards on the beach, is willing to play with your dog. Being in a public space means you need to have your dog under effective control. And if you can’t call your dog back, it should be on a long line until you can.

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In case you’re interested.. after quite a few requests I made a video version of this blog as well.

Your dog is NOT friendly, he's harassing others
https://youtu.be/YlWf02MHKCo