Canis Woofus Family

February 27, 2008

German Police Dogs to Wear Shoes

New York Times


German Police Dogs to Wear Shoes





Published: February 25, 2008







BERLIN
(AP) -- Police dogs in the western city of Duesseldorf will no longer
get their feet dirty when on patrol -- the entire dog unit will soon be
equipped with blue plastic fiber shoes, a police spokesman said Monday.

''All
20 of our police dogs -- German and Belgian shepherds -- are currently
being trained to walk in these shoes,'' Andre Hartwich said. ''I'm not
sure they like it, but they'll have to get used to it.''

The
unusual footwear is not a fashion statement, Hartwich said, but rather
a necessity due to the high rate of paw injuries on duty. Especially in
the city's historical old town -- famous for both its pubs and drunken
revelers -- the dogs often step into broken beer bottles.

''Even
the street-cleaning doesn't manage to remove all the glass pieces from
between the streets' cobble stones,'' Hartwich said, adding that the
dogs frequently get injured by little pieces sticking deep in their
paws.

The dogs will start wearing the shoes this spring but only
during operations that demand special foot protection. The shoes comes
in sizes small, medium and large and were ordered in blue to match the
officers uniforms, Hartwich said.

''Now we just have to teach the dogs how to tie their shoes,'' he joked.

February 22, 2008

Bear and Lee




Last night’s Puppy Kindergarten  class went very good as usual he is very
 friendly and outgoing I will try to get some photos if the weather will let
me.


Everyone that’s everyone loves Bear they are amazed!


The puppy instructor said "try this when he lays down....."  I said, "when is that.?" She said, " he sleeps doesn't he?" I said, " I do not know."   What energy he
has!


He will bark at the food bowl when done
sometimes.


I would like to take a video of Puppy Kindergarten class----  somehow
working on that, it's a two-places-at-once thing.




Until later ….. Lee & Bear




Here is an oldie but a good one:

February 21, 2008

GSD Awarded Purple Heart





When Dustin Lee died in an explosion in Fallujah, Iraq,
his military dog was at his side. Lex the German shepherd was wounded,
too, but refused to leave his 20-year-old Marine handler.
“There
are so many heroic war dog stories, I can’t tell them all,” retired
Army Master Sgt. John C. Burnam said Saturday during a ceremony to
honor handlers like Lee and dogs like Lex.
“Over time, I learned
to rely on my dog more than my rifle,” Burnam said. Lex was in the
crowd at the Air Force Air Armament Museum along with Lee’s family,
which adopted the dog in late 2007 after a campaign for Lex’s
retirement. It was the first time a military dog was allowed to be
adopted by its fallen handler’s family.
 
Rachel
Lee embraces Lex, a retired Marine working dog, after he received a
commemorative Purple Heart on Saturday at the Air Force Armament
Museum. Lee’s son, Marine Cpl. Dustin Lee, was killed and Lex was
wounded in Falujah, Iraq, last March. Lex is the first military dog
that was allowed to be adopted by a fallen handler’s family.


About
a dozen active-duty dogs sat watching as Lex, who still has shrapnel in
his back from the March 21, 2007, explosion, was awarded a
commemorative Purple Heart. Lee’s mother Rachel spoke, remembering her
son from Stonewall, Miss., who even at the age of 11 knew he was going
to serve in the military. Lee believed in himself and in his dog, she
said, and adopting Lex has eased some of the family’s pain.

“These
feelings have become less tense with Lex in our lives,” she said. “As I
touch him and look deep into his big brown eyes, I see and feel
Dustin’s smile.”

The ceremony was for all working dogs ­
German shepherds, Malinois, black Labrador retrievers and others ­ and
their handlers, many of whom have died in the line of duty. Marine Sgt.
Adam Cann, 23, of Davie, Fla., died when he threw himself at a suicide
bomber with a vest of explosives strapped to his chest. He saved his
fellow Marines and the surrounding crowd. His dog, Bruno, was wounded,
but recovered and returned to duty.

Bruno was the one who
alerted to the bomber’s presence. Members of Cann’s family were also at
the ceremony and accepted a memorial award to a standing ovation.
Burnam spoke of 100,000 military working dogs throughout history who
served as soldiers ­ sniffing out enemy caches, charging bunkers under
fire, pulling sleds, laying wires and dragging their wounded masters to
safety.
 
  Dog
handlers from law enforcement and the military line up Saturday to
honor fallen handlers and their working dogs during a tribute at the
Air Force Armament Museum.


He told the story of Stubby, a
bull terrier who became the military’s first dog hero in World War I
when he captured a German spy hiding in bushes and mapping out American
trenches. Stubby chased the spy, nipping at his ankles and knocking him
down before clamping his jaws on his rear end until American soldiers
arrived, Burnam said. Those stories brought laughs from the crowd of
more than 100, but the mood was somber and respectful as Rachel Lee
accepted her son’s award and Lex had his award draped over his collar.

“At 11 years old, my son Dustin knew he was being called to serve his country,” she said.

“As Dustin always said, ‘No regrets.’ ”

Daily News Staff Writer Andrew Gant can be reached at 863-1111, Ext. 1432.
Link to original article
 



February 20, 2008

GSD at Westminster and 1983 Dingo vom haus Gero

Watching the video's of the GSD at Westmisnter this year all I could think is this doesn't look right.  I agree with the Germans the GSD should only be shown outside.  This is where they are most beautiful.  inside they look like fish out of water. Time to repost this video to the blog of the 1983 German Sieger - VA1 Dingo vom Haus Gero SchH3 KKL1

Enjoy!