Hey Lynne,

Thanks! I had tried Deanna Thompson's link and it didn't seem to open. Perhaps I just wasn't patient enough and it was running slow. This time it worked and I'm going to email her.

I love my timing, I'm mailing people when puppy season is over, all the puppies are long gone and and everyone is outside working their keepers. At least that's true here in New England. We are having fabulous weather!

Thanks again,
Margaret

Edited by Margaret Wheeler (06/08/2009 11:59 AM)
Edit reason: spelling and typos

 Quote: Margaret Wheeler

Thanks! I had tried Deanna Thompson's link and it didn't seem to open. Perhaps I just wasn't patient enough and it was running slow. This time it worked and I'm going to email her.

No, you weren't too impatient. Her link posted in her profile doesn't work. I had to google her site...
Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress in finding that perfect pup!

ZOMG! I think we have contact Houston!

Thanks everyone! I <3 you.

As soon as everything gets squared away, I hope I'll be posting pics in the near future.*

*If thats allowed by all concerned parties and permitted on the board.

We love pics! Board rules are 2 pics in the bio section, when you introduce your pup, but as many links to pics (ie photobucket) as you want...
Technically sig pics are not allowed, but may people have a small signature pic that shows every time they post.
I don't want to jinx it, but is the potential pup a GSD?

Scott, not to burst your bubble about Rotts but I know someone that had his house robbed while he & his family were out for several hours in the evening & his Rott was sitting right there loose in the house. It appreard from what they ( the police)found, that they ushered the dog out the back door to the backyard by using furniture to guide him out the door. This a good sized 8 year old dog not a puppy or young dog. This dog has also had SchH training. This was a typical neighborhood home, not in a remote area at all or secluded in any way.
So unless your dog is trained to 'guard' your house in your absence, just their presance & or barking my not be enough. Although we all hope that it will act as some deterrent, it may not. Multiple dogs may be a greater deterrent, but still no guarantee. I have 2 GSD's, but again no guarantees. I just hope that the GSD guard dog signs & the alarm system signs & the barkiing dogs will deter would-be robbers to find a more easily accessible home to rob.

Totally. It's hard to stop someone who's really determined, especially if you only have one layer of home security. The Discovery show It Takes A Thief is a really big eye opener about just how vulnerable people are. One of my friends has an extremely good alarm system and strong security door, but leaves his back door and garage unlocked and sometimes doesn't even set the alarm. Completely useless.

I've also heard mixed reviews about the ability of many SchH dogs to actually defend their homes. But, still a deterrent to many would-be smash and grabbers and enough of an alarm to hopefully thwart the plans of would-be home invaders.

Yeah, spending all those hard-earned $$$'s on an alarm system & not turning it on is really a great way to keep the bad guys out of your home.
I have a 6 foot stoockade fence around the sides & back of my house that also has posted signs on it, in case someone comes thru the woods behind my house. Although, I have lived here over 5 years & have never seen anyone come down the hill (very steep) thru the woods. But you never know what some crazy people would do. It would not make for a great get away to try to get up the hill in the woods to escape after a break-in carrying stolen things....hopefully :-)

Just in case someone else comes along and reads this, I am not breeding at this time and have no plans to in the near future. I referred Margaret on to another breeder in New England.

Deanna,

I'm so sorry if my posting caused you any extra stress or work! Thank you so much for your referral.

I hope it's alright for me to say that the biography/purpose statement on your website is one of the most clear and authentic expressions of commitment to working dogs that I have ever read. Thank you for everything!

Margaret

Let me ditto a Rottie. My girl is almost 2 years old, but despite her youth she's doesn't require a lot of work to learn and when she's learned it's there with minimal reinforcement and she LOVES to work. I've never had a puppy before, it was over 20 years since I had any dog at all. The Rotties gentle loving, and relatively laid back, nature made it easy for me. I've socialized her to death and even though she's extremely friendly she picks up on my moods before I know how I feel myself.

We've had a couple of times when she's been very uncomfortable with specific people. Normally she barks and growls when someone comes into the property but when I tell her to leave it she stops and just sits down. She doesn't even say anything about the garbage truck or mail lady any more, just watch so they don't break their pattern. LOL
We've had a couple of times when she clearly announced that I better hold on to her if I open the door ...or that whoever shouldn't come out of the car before I get there if we're outside. Funny thing is that every time she hasn't stopped right away I completely understand what made her so defensive. It's been something really "odd" with the person each time.