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Shiloh
Shepherd Times, MARCH 2006 |
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sire: GV abCh Bionic Black-Smoke of Zion ROM |
Orso is one of the sweetest dogs you would ever want to meet and was loved by all who met him. He was known for his big kisses, I used to call them air kisses because as soon as you talked to him he would say hello by looking you right in the eyes and “lap” the air, if your face was close enough, he would lap you face.
Orso was born in Syracuse, New York on what was noted to be “one of the coldest days of the decade.” He was from the first litter out of Windsong Kennels, and indeed, along with his littermates Lobo, Nika, Keena, and Custer, put this kennel's name on the proverbial map. Orso was owned by Wayne and Kim Guthrie of Freestate Kennels in Marshall Virginia. Wayne spent many years traveling around to the shows to promote his dog and his kennel. There was hardly a ring that Orso walked into that he didn’t take Best of Breed. Freestates went on to produce two litters, both with Orso and a beautiful smooth bitch named Storm. Audrey Harrison’s male named Shilo, and Adrienne’s Argus, along with many other beautiful Shiloh’s, are from this breeding. Freestates chose to bow out of the breeding-showing world in 1999 Orso sired four litters out of his home kennel. He was bred to Mason-Dixon’s Dixie, Shenandoah’s Spirit and Sierra, and Catoctin’s Skye. There are many beautiful Shiloh’s here today who have Orso in their pedigree. Wendy Fullerton |
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sire: Full Quiver’s Anthony Rex |
Gypsy came to me with quite a story, as with all of my foundation girls. She was from a “very important litter” bred by Full Quiver Kennels. Her dam, Shiloh’s Our Tribute to Ursa (which at the time, was the 3rd or 4th bitch in our history named Ursa, we now have one more) was promoted to be very important to our gene pool. I was fairly new to the breed when Gypsy came into my life. I already had Trinka as a yearling, and Sharona was still a pup. I was told if I wanted to start a “line” I would need at least three bitches. So one day, I got a call from my breeder, who was also the co-owner of this litter. The story I got was, there was a litter of 8 week old pups in Maryland, none of the pups had been spoken for, the breeder was at their wits end, in two days the whole litter would be given away, and if someone didn’t come down now and pick up the pup owed to my breeder the “line” would be lost forever. I was quickly convinced that a bitch from this litter would be a perfect compliment to my existing foundation blood. So I jumped in my ’82 Chevette, and off I went to pick up one puppy from this litter. I was told to pick any pup I wanted, as long as it was a plush. When I arrived, I met Tony, Gypsy’s sire, Ursa her dam, and Deb and Dennis Cook, the breeders, and of course a whole gaggle of adorable pups. Gypsy and I headed home. And indeed, the remainder of the litter was given to some GSD breeder up the road to be sold by her. We know nothing about Gypsy’s littermates.
Gypsy got her name from four different places. First, is my dear Nana used to call me Gypsy, two is the Stevie Nicks song Gypsy, three is a beautiful GSD I knew named Gypsy that had recently departed, and the fourth is a really cool antique picture I had found years back titled Gypsy Dance. That’s where the dancer came from. At the time, my husband was an over the road truck driver and with no time to spare, I had not asked his permission to get another dog (no cell phones then). So when he got home Gypsy was banished from our home. It was arranged for her co-breeder to pick her up during Homecoming, which was being held at our farm in PA that year. Gypsy was with us for three months, taken to NY in August; I left my husband in September and moved to NY. In her early years Gypsy spent a lot of time in the kennel. The agreement was I would have a “double co-ownership” which meant, I would split two litters with my breeder. Gypsy has been bred four times. First litter to a stud named Shaq and that whole litter was sold by my breeder as she was the primary keeper of Gypsy at that time and I felt that was only right. Liberty Acres Icis is out of this litter. The second time she was bred to GV Ch Desert Windsong’s Ebony Angel. Gypsy actually flew out to Las Vegas for this breeding all by herself and spent a week with Michelle Allison. That litter was whelped by me. Shiloh’s that went forward from that litter are Windsong’s Miss Courageous, and Desert Raging Sea of Windsong. Gypsy’s third breeding was an accidental while she was back at the kennel, to a male named Roaring Rocks Jacob. I think the only one who went forward from that litter is Rippin’ Rhinna from Zion. That was Gypsy’s last time at the kennel. She came to live with me permanently in March ’97 after the kennel help at Zion threatened to shoot her for always breaking out of the kennels. Gypsy’s last litter was bred and whelped by me back in PA, and that was to the famous London owned by Frank and Judy Scrip. That was in 1997 and there are two that went forward from that breeding, Windsong Dance of the Bitasweet and Country’s Heidi of Windsong. We still have “Bita” and our “Chili,” “Chopper” and “Gala” are from that line. Gypsy is a real trip of a dog. She is highly intelligent, willful, and a very sly dog. She is a true escape artist. She knows how to open any door and uses her teeth to manipulate everything. When she was bred to London, she was visiting the Scrips and was housed in a 10x10 kennel on their porch while they were at work. Frank had been warned about Gypsy and had secured her with a snap on the gate, two pieces of ¾ inch plywood on top, with cinder blocks and a couple of picnic benches holding it down. HA, they came home from work and Gyp had pulled the chain link all apart, pulled a chaise cushion through one little section of the chain link, moved the plywood et al, opened the gate to their big yard and promptly disappeared. Needless to say Judy Scrip had three heart attacks that day, we made wanted posters, call the authorities in two counties, and a giant hunt ensued. Jippy Jip was found sitting on the porch with an elderly woman about a dozen houses down the road three hours later. She can get out of a Vari-Kennel in five minutes flat. I used to put a handle on the bottom of my screen door, and Gypsy taught all my dogs how to open the door to get in using their paw or their teeth. I always said, it’s a good thing she wants to be here, cause she’d be gone otherwise. Showing was not really in Gypsy’s past. She had been picked on terribly by the other dogs while at Zion and her one ear had a little chunk out of it and it didn’t stand. Amazingly, once she was out of the kennel for about 6 months, the ear went up!... at 4+ years old!! She did enter one show and walked away with a major, hence her Ch Ptd. status. She has awesome movement, incredible forequarter structure, tons of drive (ask the skunk and the cats), and stamina like I have never witnessed in any of my other lines, she was an energizer bunny in her day. Up until the last two years she could out run and jump higher than any of our dogs. She still enjoys romps in the woods and although she’s a little stiffer now, she moves around with no problem. She has been an extremely healthy dog her whole life. I can’t think of one ailment, besides a hot spot or three, and one sebaceous bump we had removed from her back two years ago. She is noted to have excellent hips, and to this day holds the lowest PennHIP number in our breed at .11 .19. She spends her days on the mountain now, loving to lie on the couch and watch out the windows. She loves to play with latex and will pick up a toy or a stick and run around with it, throwing it up in the air and then pouncing on it. She gives these funny kisses by “snapping” at you. She never makes contact, and to some it may appear aggressive, but it’s her way of showing affection. She purrs when you pet her. She still loves to swim at the river and go for car rides. We had her out to the Pawsibilities Event last March, she was the eldest Shiloh in attendance, she never really cared to be social though… she’s a homebody. Gosh, there are so many stories I could tell about her and the people who have been her friends over the years. She has so many funny little quirks and everyone who meets her falls in love with her. Someday I will add to her story, but I’ve probably already written more than is wanted. What an honor for Gypsy to be the Golden Oldie for March. She will be 13 years old in two weeks. I hope I can write about her in two more years. She has been a wonderful dog and I love her very much. I hope you get to meet her someday. She is the last one alive from Windsong’s Terrific Trio. Thank you for reading her story. |
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After our last GSD female passed on, we looked around for her replacement and were disappointed in the direction the breed had taken. Paging through an issue of Dog World featuring Rare Breeds, we stumbled across the section on Shilohs and called the breeder nearest us, Christi Yonavick. Christi graciously invited us to her home, and literally spent hours with us introducing us to her pack, answering questions and discussing the breed. Before we left, she had our deposit on her next litter. Our initial preference was for a female that we could work in obedience in the paw prints of the GSD we lost. The breeding we hoped for didn’t take, but Christi passed us on to Lisa Leilich who had just bred Tuesday (CJ’s Mason-Dixon’s Tuesday’s Gone) to Artie (Mason-Dixon’s Simple Man).
We took first pick, and so Bismarck came to own us in December 2002. Within a few weeks, as we were completing his temporary registration, our oldest son, a Marine, received orders to Kuwait in advance of the Iraq invasion, and the Corp motto “Semper Fi” seemed an appropriate choice for a name in more ways than one. We had never shown dogs in conformation, being primarily interested in obedience work. However, Traci took a few show classes and Bizzy decided he actually liked the show ring. In less than two seasons of showing he won his ARBA, Breed, and Rarities Grand Championships. In 2005, his third show season, with Suzy Graham handling, he achieved his Rarities Supreme Grand Championship, and was ranked the #1 Shiloh and #7 Rare Breed overall. Bismarck has matured into a beautiful, large, well-tempered male, who is equally at ease in the show ring and with the general public. Of course, one can never own just one of these wonderful companions, so we’ve added the rest of “The Arties”: Bismarck’s half brother “Rommel” (brCH G&T’s Desert Fox of Ridgewood, CGC), and his sister “Caly” (abrCH Calypso Sumr Brz Msn-Dxn). While they all show, they are first and foremost our soul mate companions, and stunning ambassadors of the breed. Now, of course, there is the matter of when #4 will join the pack. |
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sire: Tantara’s CJ Hammer MSN-DXN |
I had been wanting to start therapy work with Takoda for while, and we had the opportunity this summer when my Mom was admitted into a rehab/nursing home for her back pain and they allowed pets to visit. Thankfully, Mom is doing well now. Takoda had never been in a nursing home before. He had seen walkers and canes before, but never wheelchairs and all the equipment in a nursing home.. This is when I realized Takoda was a natural for therapy work. He handled everything in stride and never flinched or wasn’t scared by anything. With his loving and sweet temperament, he just seemed to know how to act with all the residents and staff. When I saw the joy and smiles from all the people he visited, I knew that I had to get him therapy certified. Takoda was certified in November 05 through The Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc. and we started our visits to many nursing homes, senior living centers, and rehab centers. Takoda loves his therapy visits, as do I. When he walks through the doors of any facility, he is so “on” and happy. I can really see a “smile” on his face. He seems to know the next hour he will be having fun, getting petted, giving kisses and spreading tons of smiles. It is such a rewarding experience and I’m so proud I can share my dog with others to brighten their day. We try to make at least 2 visits a week to different facilities, sometimes more. Our Therapy Group Director has been calling me at least once a week with other nursing homes to visit because they are all requesting the “big black dog” !!! Everyone remembers his name and he’s a Gentle Giant that is the perfect size for people in wheelchairs and bed bound. On all of our visits I have Takoda do a few tricks to entertain and when there is room we do a few of our freestyle dog dance moves. Everyone gets a kick out of him going in between my legs and doing spins. The dancing adds a little goofiness to our visits and the residents just love it. All of our visits are very special, but two memorable ones really touched my heart. The first was when a resident gentleman at a nursing home was sobbing uncontrollably until Takoda went up to him and placed his head in his lap. The man started petting him and a big smile came to his face. The second was our first visit to a rehab center for the developmentally challenged. The people light up when they see him, but having them pet him and touch him is actually helping with their movement/therapy. By outstretching their arm or opening their hand is a great accomplishment for them. All these visit just tug at my heartstrings. Our therapy work has not only brought us joy and many rewarding experiences, Takoda and I have made many special friends at all the places we visit. We learn so much from them and are so happy to spend time with them. Takoda and I will continue our therapy visits and spread tons of love. Kenny and I are thankful everyday for Takoda. He is our special boy and he amazes us at every turn. We love him very much and are so proud of him. He means the world to us and all the people that we visit. Thank you for letting share our story. Kenny, Cindy and Takoda |
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sire: Oso Bello de Oasis Kennels
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I had my first Shiloh Shepherd, Dutchess, 25 years ago in Frankfurt, Germany. My husband (Army back then) brought home this 6 month old, huge, sweet puppy to live with us. We loved that girl so very much; I never thought I could find another like her. I’ve had German Shepherds since then, and loved them dearly, but they just didn’t have that sweet, laid back personality as the Shiloh. I soon found Gloria from Nobles Acres online about 3 l/2 years ago. The more we conversed the more I realized this was the same type Shepherd I had so many years ago. I continued to be amazed as to the love and concern for their puppies that Gloria and breeders like her have. I was fortunate enough to be accepted to receive one of these babies from Noble Acres. We brought our little fur ball home at 8 weeks; and named her Shawnee. She has brought us nothing but love and laugher since coming to our home. We also had a German Shepherd, Cheyenne, when we bought her home. It took about 3 or 4 weeks for them to bond, but now they are inseparable sisters. So different, Cheyenne is so serious, a bit hyper, very protective, almost to the point of being mean if she doesn’t know you. Shawnee is a clown, friendly, I swear she runs through the house laughing as she teases her sister or steals something including big sloppy kisses when your not looking, you can’t help but laugh. She could care less about catching a Frisbee, but steal it from her sister tease her and run with it, now that’s fun or fill her swimming pool when its hot and let her dive in. That big old bushy tail of hers is always waging, and she’s always smiling. I find it hard to believe she will be 3 years old on March 17th. It’s been a wonderful three years. I can’t imagine my life without this 118 pound, fur ball of love. |
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| Five shilohs will share the spotlight each month and tell their stories. Do you know of a Shiloh you wish to see spotlighted in future newsletters? Please send your nomination along with a brief descripton for consideration to the newsletter design team. | ||
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