ISSDC Newsletter - October 2005

Shiloh Shepherd Times, OCTOBER 2005

Happy Anniversary ISSDC!
by Heather O'Connor

Fall is officially here--a time to celebrate! But guess what else? We are celebrating the ISSDC's First Anniversary!

This is really something to be proud about. It has been a BIG year of Firsts:

Uniting of many groups of Shiloh lovers into one Dog Club.
Starting an ever-growing and sophisticated website.
Starting a hugely successful Shiloh Webring.
Starting a professional monthly eNewsletter.
Sponsored our 1st ISSDC Shiloh Shepherd Dog Show.
Gaining acceptance in new Dog/Kennel Associations.
Over 140 registered members.
Starting an open-to-the-public eGroup.
Starting Stud and Breeding Pages.
Starting Show Information Pages.
Starting Litter & Puppy Announcements
and the list goes on…

And best of all – tons of new friendships!

I would like to thank our Board of Directors for all of their vision, support, tenacity and love! I believe I speak for all of us when I say thank you to all the members (too many to mention) that have contributed in their special way to the ISSDC. To all of my new friends, may we keep our vision clear and focus on our future success!

Ideas for future newsletter articles are greatly appreciated. Contact our newsletter staff today.

It is official, the ISSDC has celebrated its first year of service. So much has happened in this first year and everyone should be very proud. Our membership continues to grow, the online "Times" gets better each issue, the web site is looking awesome, a Canadian Chapter has been born, awesome dogs have been showcased and many great litters have been produced, what a year!

In a couple of months membership fees will be due. One may ask what will this Club mean to me, and how will it benefit me? The purpose of any dog club is for fanciers to have a common place to unite. Through its newsletters and web site, information can be shared on all aspects of our Breed. Shows and other events are sponsored to encourage owners/breeders to engage in conformation, working venues, or just plain fun get togethers.
Advertising can be done as a dedicated group as witnesses by the ads so far this year.

After the 1st of the year, the Times will only be sent to ISSDC members. As the club grows and funds increase, we plan on a printed newsletter mailed to ISSDC members. This is not going to happen overnight, but it is in the works.

Looking back over the year at all the great things accomplished there are also some sad thoughts too. Our original Treasurer Colleen left to pursue other interests. Just last month Judy resigned her position as Club President due to health concerns. We all look forward to continuing to work with Judy and can understand her need to lessen her work load and hope she gets well soon.

Thanks again to all the people that have worked so hard and contributed so much of their time. What a great year!!

Patti Schaefer

To begin our Canadian article may we all sincerely send thoughts, prayers, condolences and support to our southern friends along the Gulf Coast? We also offer a prayer that the many dogs and pets who up until now knew loving homes and security who are now on their own fending the best way they know how, may they find human help and a way to reconnect with their grieving families.

The Canadian weather has been kind to our shows this year and the turnouts have been wonderful. The Shiloh as a breed is growing in popularity up here by leaps and bounds. We have been blessed with several beautiful litters and have added a number of new puppy owners to our Canadian Shiloh group. A big welcome to all of you!

And now for the exciting news! The ISSDC-Canada chapter is holding a Shiloh Shepherd Specialty Show at the Brampton RBCSWO event on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October, The RBCSWO will be doing up some "special" ribbons for our "Parade of Champions" for our specialty, so pre-registration is required. There will be 2 regular shows per day (standard classes) on Saturday and Sunday, with an added Specialty being held on Sunday morning! We all hope many of our Shiloh friends south of the border will come over with their dogs and take advantage of some great Canadian hospitality and the chance to get a leg or two on a Canadian Championship. It promises to be a weekend of fun and friendship for all. For maps, show schedules, entry forms and recommended hotel accommodations, please contact Dave at info@boldcanine.com .

The September RBCSWO Petrolia show was held in conjunction with the Petrolia Fall Fair this year. It was a fun weekend for dogs and humans alike, with a good Shiloh turnout! A country fair is just one of the best ways to spend a fall weekend, and showing the dogs is a real added bonus as well as a great social experience for the dogs.

In Canada, the month of October holds Canadian Thanksgiving (Monday the 10th) as well as Halloween at the end of the month. My guys would much prefer to pose in front of a turkey dinner rather than getting dressed up for Halloween. Although, I know Kye-Ann would love the chance to go door to door for treats! (Good Lord! I'd never get her home again!) With the Specialty this month also, the month promises to be full and rewarding. For all those with children, please remind them how very dangerous those Halloween treats can be for dogs, and how most dogs can find a way to steal them anyway.

It was a cool autumn evening and they could hear the hounds about two miles away. Josh who was nine years old and his mother and father were sitting on the front porch of their cabin in the Ozark Mountains. They would sit out on the porch after supper and listen to the hounds trail and tree the raccoons. Josh knew all the voices of the different hounds in the area. When a hound would howl, Josh would tell his mother that was Rocket a Redbone or would say that’s Striker a Bluetick. Josh knew them all. Each hound had a sound of their own. Tonight, there were four hounds and they were trailing a coon. You could tell by the tone and intensity of the yapping dogs when the coon was treed. Josh and his parents didn’t like it when the hounds treed a coon fast. They liked to listen to the dogs’ music for as long as possible.

Coon hunting was a favorite pastime in the Ozarks and Josh’s father’s farm was right in the middle of some of the best raccoon country in the state. Josh’s father didn’t hunt anymore because of an injury suffered in the war. Once in a while, some of the men would invite Josh when they were hunting near the farm. Josh liked to hunt and to be around the hounds. He knew everything about coonhounds, all the different breeds: Walkers, Black & Tans, Redbones and his favorite the Blueticks. Josh didn’t have a coonhound of his own; they didn’t even have a dog on the farm. Coonhounds were prized possessions in these parts, and cost way to much money. His mother and father struggled just to keep the farm afloat. Along with helping work the farm, his mother sold eggs from their chickens in town. She was known as the “kind egg lady”.
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