Rani

Raven received her companion dog degree at the St. Paul cluster show held Jan 5, 6, 7, 2001. Pictured is AKC obedience judge Patricia Nevins awarding Raven her ribbon.

Raven certainly has some potential - if I can bring it out. She scored 185 1/2, 191 1/2, 188 to qualify in three consecutive show.

Quea vom Leerburg

This is the picture taken during her TDX presentation on 10-4-98.

In owning & training German Shepherds for over 30 years, Iwa is the best dog I have ever had! Her drive is great, and her outstanding temperament has made her a gread ambassador for the breed!

Isar SCH 3

Ed,
Didn't know if you had a current pic of Isar so I took a couple photos and thought I'd send them to you. I decided to go ahead with the breeding and Lynx will be bred this week. I really hope it works out...the puppies should be very nice, considering the linebreeding on Greif (4,5-5). Isar was a very nice dog... very sound. I am pretty excited to see how this litter will turn out. I will let you know how things go.

--- Jeffrey Kestler

Ronney
Certified Police Service Dog

Here are some photos of Ronney. Ronney is an Otis/Penny male. One photo shows us doing some muzzle work. The next shows us (geared up) waiting to go do a simulation training-building search. The last photo shows us after the Uspca Region 21 Narcotics trial in October. (193 out of 200) Rooney has just turned 4 and is Uspca PD1 certified and Narcotics certified and will hopefully do a Uspca tracking certification in the spring.

Thanks,
Mark Reed

Uwe vom Leerburg

Isis vom Leerburg

August 31, 2002

Today we did some dumb bell work. I tied her off to a pole on a long line and had a small light weight dumb bell on a string and worked up her drive and then played tug with her and then let her carry around the pole. She barked immediately for the dumb
bell and carried great and she did not chew the dumbbell.

Thanks again,
Ginger

Argus vom Leerburg BH CGC

Dillon in training for a water recovery dog

Dillon (Argus vom Leerburg), is an outstanding Leerburg dog that we hope to be able toi breed during our 2005 breeding season.

He is a working Search & Rescue Dog with the K-9 Emergency Response Teams based in Appleton, WI. He is trained and has been very successful in SAR Tracking (thru drive, not footstep as in Schutzhund, we are working on that . . .) Cadaver Search & Recovery (Land & Water), evidence recovery, area & building searches. We went to Camp Adderberry in Indiana in 2002 ( a FEMA training & testing facility), this time training in cadaver search and recovery.

Dillon has his BH. He is a very well balanced dog with full mouth grips. We will continue on with the natural progression in Schutzhund . . . Dillon really LOVES it.

Dillon is an exceptional K-9 in many, many ways . . . he is very smart, learns new things very fast and is a *thinking* dog as our Schutzhund training director would tell you. He LOVES everyone, (and is absolutely crazy about handler protection), is great with children, and has such Enormous DRIVES . . . the more he learns and works, the happier he is, it is kind of exhausting sometimes, ha!

He humbles me every day,- smarter then me, and I feel so fortunate to have him, his devotion to me . . . he is my partner!

Wendy Wied

Dillon outside a rubble pile in training for S&R work

A cool picture of Dillon making a S&R find during training - the camera caught him as he barked for Wendy to come and see what he just found. Anyone who thinks that S&R dogs cannot be Schutzhund dogs should meet Dillon. We hope to be lucky enough to breed him here at our kennel in 2005.

August 21, 2002

Hi Ed!

Just to let you know that Dillon (Argus vom Leerburg 4/00 Ron & Sadie), had his first successful Water Cadaver Recovery on Tuesday. We were called out to help divers recover a drowning victim in the Fox River in Oshkosh, WI. by the Winnebago county Sheriff's Dept.

This was Dillon's first water recovery call-out, and he worked so hard and his indication was extremely strong . . . right above the victim. The Fox River in this area had cross-currents of 5 - 10 knots, and the wind speed was about 6mph. The diver's had great difficulty, because of all the debris in the river bottom, logs (used to be tons of them in the old days for all the paper mills in the area - could not drag bottom), and zero visibility. They could not see a thing under water and had to feel for the victim.

I am very, very proud of him and his work ethic . . . I assisted in removing the body and was my first experience with this, very sad and I am feeling mourning, but glad we could give closure to the family waiting on shore. Without Dillon's indication they would have probably had to wait until the body started floating . . . victim was a large 220# African American male who slipped and fell in while fishing from shore.

In addition we were in a seminar with Ivan Balabanov for obedience and protection on August 16 & 17. It was a wonderful experience and Dillon's first intro to protection work. He totally went after the sleeve with a full grip and no hesitation, he even did several bark and holds . . . with no prior training or exposure . . . . Ivan was extremely impressed with him and his intensive natural drives. He kept teasing me about . . . . you are sure this is a Search and Rescue Dog? this is a Schutzhund dog?

The cameras were flying etc., and will be sending you pictures and some video footage . . . .you will have to excuse me, because this was also my first exposure to handling a dog in protection work and I was really, really excited by Dillon's ability and my timing was a real off to . . . good thing Dillon knew what to do! There were people and dogs from all over the states here and I was complimented on Dillon by all, lots of Malinois people from Schutzhund and French Ring Sport. He went from playing with some 12wk. old GSD puppies there, and loving everyone up to total intensive bite work and then back to be Mr. Social Butterfly!

Best Regards,
Wendy & Dillon

April 5 , 2004

Hi Ed! Just got home from our Mike Ellis seminar that FVPSC hosted this weekend. Dillon did just an awesome job and my handling skills are getting better and better . I asked Mr. Malinois Mondio (that's my nickname for Mike Ellis), what his true opinion was of Dillon after the weekend was done. He smiled and replied ; Dillon is what a German Shepard Dog is supposed to be. When I think of what a true working GSD should be, I think of Dillon. Look at all that he does, he is very impressive and can fire up on the schutzhund field, he is an accomplished service dog, he can just hang out at home and is very friendly. He could be VERY serious civilly. He is one of the most balanced, strong, tough GSD's with a hell of a bite, has just awesome nerves, and is very smart. The only fault I can see with him is he's a little too big. He (not I yet), is ready for Schutzhund III. (Mike kind of groans - as our club helpers do, when he catches and swings Dillon in the air on the sleeve, I have to get a picture of *Air Dillon* doing that one day).

Just thought I'd share that with you - I think that is quite a compliment!

See you in July!!

Wendy Wied and Argus vom Leerburg

Odo vom Leerburg

Dear Ed, Well, we started our show career at an ASCA show in Los Lunas, NM. The Boom won 2 first places in Novice A with a 194.5 and a 198. The judge said she had never given such a high score to a novice a dog. The First judge said Boomer was magnificent. She even stayed to watch the second day. Wow! What a dog. I know Novice is pretty low on your list, but we have to start somewhere.

My dogs make a stir wherever we go. Everyone wants to know where they come from. They make those poor articulated dogs look crippled.

With great thanks and affection, Anne W. Hodde

Odo vom Leerburg (call name Boomer) received his CD title on May 24, 2003. He took 2nd place in the show and highest GSD in the show in Albuquerque, NM.

March 21, 2004~

Dear Ed,

Here are the promised pictures of Big Boomer. We always have an audience when in the ring. He is a Clown! The judges seem to love him. In the picture of his AKC, CD, he is looking at a ball, and I am begging the cameraman NOT to throw it. He also has his ASCA CD. That was won with 3 first places (one with a score of 198).

His AKC, CDX was finished in Las Cruces, NM. The temperature was 98 in the shade. Actually he jumps a lot higher than what is pictured, but everyone was too tired and hot to lug out any more panels. We even had a hot air balloon swooping down. We placed in every class. At the ASCA shows, he also got his CDX, winning every class.

I took him to Amarillo for more Open practice before going on to Utility (pray for us). He took high German Shep. Oh, he also got high Germ. Shep. at the AKC trials at the Albuquerque Fair Grounds.

We have only done one UKC Open (he has a UKC,CD). He won first there, too. The judge said he looked at Boomer before he sent him over the broad jump, and Boomer was looking at the dumbbell the judge was still holding in front of him. Judge Stanly said, "I asked myself if I could outrun that dog." The answer was "NO". So he hid the dumbbell behind him. He loves his dumbbell more than a ball. Boomer likes to try to sway the baby gates between exercises. He almost brought one down in Amarillo.

I lost points once because he came over the high jump with the dumbbell. Gently put it down, sniffed something on the side of the ring, then picked it up and came to a perfect front. He is the most fun dog!!!!! Everybody loves the Boom.

Peaches (Rambo, Bailei) makes her "debut" soon. She is very precise, but not very enthusiastic. I love her to distraction.

Thank you for breeding such wonderful dogs.

Sincerely from your biggest fan,

Anne Hodde


10/05

Dear Ed, Peaches(Marci-Rambo-Bailei) is a bit shy yet in Utility. She is very close and passing Open nicely. Boomer(Odo-Ron-Ulla) did really well. He got two more UDX legs and two High GSD's. We probably won't go to any more shows until next year. As you can see, we do try.

Sincerely,
Anne W. Hodde

Ullrich vom Leerburg

Snowflakes, bubbles, he loves to chase them both. Flinks methods will work well with him. He will do about anything for his toys.

Chance and Dallas

Chance's (Ulrich v. Leerburg) reward for passing his B on June 5, 2005