Lots of news!!! :)

It's been a while since I last posted, been very busy here!
Since my last post, we've had a few ups and downs, but such is life...right? Anyway, lets get the bad news over with! Sometime, in the middle of June, Major injured his right knee. At first we thought that his entire cruciate ligament was torn, he wouldn't bare any weigh on his leg at all, and he was in obvious discomfort. So sadly, we had to pull him from all conformation and rally shows so that he could have time to heal. In the meantime, I brought Desi and Judge to UKC shows in Lake Elmo, MN, in July, where Desi finished her UKC Championship, and received her URO1 title in 3 straight rally Q's, and also received 2 Total Dog Awards. Judge also did great, earning 2 Best of Breed puppy wins, along with 2 Best Novice Puppy in Mulit-Breed Show wins! Then Judge went on to take his CGC(Canine Good Citizen) test, and he PASSED, at only 4 months old!!! It was a very fun, but extremely humid weekend!

Following that show, I brought Major and Desi to the vet clinic to get their blood drawn to test for EPI, a nasty condition common to the German Shepherd breed. Their levels were NORMAL! YAY! :)

In August, I brought Major to Wisconsin to take his TC(Temperament Certification) test, offered by the GSDCA. He passed with flying colors!!! SO proud! He's been kennel rested for about 2.5 months now, and his knee seems completely healed! No limping and back to running and jumping like usual.

In September, we took Major and Judge to UKC conformation shows in Bemidji, MN!!! Major did well, winning a Grand class in his first weekend out after his knee injury! :) Judge also did well, winning a RBNPIMBS and a BNPIMBS!!!!

Then in October, we went to UKC shows close to home, in GIlbert, MN! Judge did very well and earned his first few points towards his UKC Championship by winning his class all four shows and also winning Reserve Best Male all four shows! I entered Major in 3 out of the four shows, he won the Grand Champion class all 3 shows, and also earned 2 Best of Breeds. Then he went on to get a group 2, a group 1, and a BEST IN MULTI-BREED SHOW!!! These wins gave Major tons of top-ten points, making him the #2 German Shepherd in UKC!!!( as of 11/14/2011) Not bad for being out for an injury for nearly 3 months! This is his 3rd consecutive year in the TOP TEN!!!! :)

And last, but not least...in November we welcomed a new addition to the family! Introducing...Kerstone's Semper Fidelis!!! She is a beautiful 5 month old sable female from Kerstone German Shepherds in Kansas! She has beautiful movement, and an awesome pedigree! But best of all, her temperament is outstanding!!!!! :) We can't wait to see what she does!

Well, that's it for 2011! We've had a very eventful year, full of blessings and new learning experiences! :)

Judge @ 15 weeks old!

We are so happy with how Judge is maturing, and can't wait to see what he will look like at 3 years old! He is already showing nice movement and is a very muscular pup and looks very strong/masculine. We are so proud of our boy and we are excited for his future! :)

Major on the move...

Summer fun!

We had a very busy, but relaxing weekend. We took the dogs to the lake and hug out with lots of friends and family while enjoying the warm sun. Ahhh, bliss. Turns out Judge is a natural at swimming! Jumped right in after the other dogs and wasn't phased by it at all. Judge also got to go with us to "Timber Days" festival in Cook, MN. There he got to experience crowds of people, dogs, horses, crazy clowns, and the randomness of kids coming up to pet him. There were tons of sights, loud noises(sirens, bands, fireworks,etc) and TONS of smells. It was also pretty warm so lots of stressors for a little puppy, but he managed everything just fine, handled it like a pro. He is really developing his own personality too! He's pretty sure he's the best thing on four legs and prances around  like he owns his surroundings. He's not a people pleaser though, doesn't bother with making friends to strangers. Would rather sit and observe(or JUDGE) you first, which is fine. He loves training though, sits on a dime and a very fast learner, so I guess you could say he LOVES to please his owners.  He does everything we ask him too, with no complaints :) Such a great boy to have, we're so proud of him.

handsome Major!

The whole family!

Left to Right: Beamer, Marvin, Desi, Emmy, Major, and Judge!!!

All puppies are in their new homes!

It was an emotional day for us, as we said good bye to the remaining puppies from our Major x Desi litter. Ms Red has gone to a local home so we hope to see her every once in a while. Ms Blue(moms favorite) has gone to a family in Iowa. All of our puppy buyers are so kind and responsible owners, we are so blessed to be able to experience the breeding world like this...having complete trust and confidence in the families that we have meet and knowing that we are giving them the opportunity of owning a loyal, healthy, beautiful new GSD puppy. We are thrilled for our puppies and excited for their futures, and we hope to continue our lines in the future...not breeding to breed, breeding for betterment of the breed and to share our ever growing knowledge with those that share our love and passion for the German Shepherd Dog! :)

9 puppies is a lot of work!!!

Here is a photo taken yesterday of Desi, she's just slightly under her pre-pregnancy weight. Her puppies are now 12 weeks old and she still lets them nurse off and on, such a good momma.

Judge @ 11.5 weeks old!!!

Puppy class!

Judge did great at puppy class tonight! He is only 11 weeks old and understands sit, down, and shake a paw :) He's a fast learner! He is also walking pretty nicely on the leash, yay!

Our website!

Visit our website to view more information on us and our dogs. www.faitfhfulsheherds.webs.com

Welcome To Our Blog!

Welcome to Faithful Shepherds Blog! We are a mom and daughter team, Debbie and Sammy. We love dogs, and German Shepherds have become a big part of our lives. We currently have one breeding pair, Major and Desi, who became the proud parents of our first litter in March, 2011. We have kept one male from the litter, Judge. We also share our home with 3 rescue mixed breeds, as we have a soft spot for animals in need. We are not a kennel, and share our home with our furry friends. We are trying our hardest to be the best breeders we can be. Our goal is to share our love and passion for the breed while keeping working ability, health, temperament, and conformation in mind! Visit our website for more information! :)