Hello, you know my name <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I live in Ontario Canada and am owned by an american pit bull terrier named Sweetie and a rottiXbullmastiffX?? lab maybe named Chedda'. I also own 8 fancy rats, a sugar glider, a chilean rose hair tarantula, a ball python and 2 cats.
I grew up with american show line German shepherds, my aunt breeds them and I was raised helping to train and work her kennel. I spent the first 8 years of my life running around on all fours barking, I was a dog obsessed kid. I was always fascinated by aggression, and alwaqys had to pet and play with the aggressive dog or the wild cat that nobody could touch. I have rarely ever been bitten in my life, and never seriously. I learned from a young age how to read dogs, and my first dog of my own was a severely dog aggressive GSD bitch from top show lines at 8 years old. Her name was Jessie and she was my best and constant friend until this december when she torsioned at 11 1/2 years old. I took her to classes where we were best working partner and she became the demo dog for the handling classes. We bought a 5 months old male GSD pup when Jessie was about 5 years old and she eventually learned to love him. He turned out to be a big, stupid brute named Xander. He was an awesome companion. He was extremely well rounded and behaved and I did not have to worry with him with other dogs. He also passed away in december, a week and six days after Jessie, of bone cancer. He was 6 years old. I was working for an animal sanctuary at the time and I eventuallty brought Sweetie home to realize I had encountered a challenge. Sweetie had been severly abused and had major fears of quick movements, anything you held in your hand (especially cups and bottles), lighters and scissors. She also had absoloutley no manners and was over the back of the couch, on the counter, on the coffee table. It was a challenge because she didn't know right from wrong, but if you were too stern she would cower. Well she has come a lone way and we are finishing our work to get her canine good neighboor certificate and I am hoping to get her BH and AD when she's had a bit more work. I also plan to compete her in IWPA weight pulling, which I did with Jessie aswell. I would love to work her in Schutzhund, but with the pit bull epidemic right now there does not need to be protection trained pit bulls out there.
My other dog is a rescue aswell, and when I first met him he could barely walk, had worms coming out of his bum, had severe skin infection and ear infection and an infection in his feet. He also seriously wanted to kill other dogs and you could not break his focus. In 6 months he has come so far. With proper excercise, training and stimulation, he now sees that I will deal with other animals if we encounter him, and he is to look to me. I think he has lived most of his life tied to a dog house as he was very independant.
I am in college right now for behavioural therapy and plan to go to the Tome Rose school afterwards to get my master dog trainers certificate and specialize in aggression. Although I am open to school suggestions, I just found this course to be more thourough and intense than some others. It is my dream to own a kennel of czech/ddr line shepherds and breed and train for protection, police k9 and general working dogs. I also plan on having a flock of sheep and train the HGH (if memory serves me right) style of herding.
I plan in a little less than a year to hopefully buy myself a nice czech line puppy to start myself off with. Any good recoomendations for kennels is welcome. I have been looking into Narnia Kennels, as one of their dogs 'Val' reminds me very much of Xander, and they have a planned breeding with a nice sable czech bitch and the puppies would be ready for when I am looking to get a puppy.
Anyways, I didn't mean to talk you ears off. I am excited to be here, have been a leerburg site ready for a long time now and have read soooo many of eds pages. I can't wait to learn as much as I can.
"My pit bull is a hero because she holds her head up high despite what the world thinks of her"