Wild coincidence! My GSDs have a Greek cousin!

[gritsar]

I have two german shepherds that many of the old-time BYCers know well - Ajax "Jax" and Kane. One of my favorite online activities is to play a multi-player game where individuals join teams called clans to play and I happen to be in a international clan with players from all around the world. One of my clan mates is from Greece and she also owns a german shepherd. Yesterday my Greek clan mate and I were talking about our dogs and she remarked on how very different my two GSDs look, even though they are brothers (same sire, dams are full sisters). I gave her the link to our older GSD's pedigree and she went to take a look. Five minutes later she returned with some pretty amazing news...my dogs are third cousins to her dog.

I am amazed that of all the people on the internet I would become good friends with someone from Greece that has the cousin to my boys.

Just wanted to share.

 

[sourland]

The world is a small place, and that is why we must behave. Harder for some than others to do this.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
True that, Sour

 

[Bunnylady]

I've probably mentioned this somewhere before; if so, here I go again.

Several years ago, I knew someone on another forum that had a GSD from German lines. She was totally nuts about the dog, took him everywhere, competed with him in things like obedience and agility. She had him neutered when he was a few years old, but had a few straws of his sperm saved first, "just in case." The dog's life ended unexpectedly early, and the owner decided she wanted a puppy of his to replace him. I don't remember just what the criteria of her search were, but she eventually found a female that met them that a breeder had imported from Germany. She leased the female, and eventually bought her. In spite of the fact that the sperm samples were several years old by then, she got a nice litter of 5 or 6, one of which was a long hair like your boy. When the puppies were old enough to re-home, she advertised them on her website, but she was determined that her puppies were going to be family members and not just animals living in breeders' kennels. That's when things got crazy. It seems that there had been a GSD that had been enormously popular in show circles; he and his progeny had been bred extensively all over the world. Some issue had come up, and now everyone was scrambling to breed away from him. By coincidence, this litter was completely free of the "taint' of this dog's influence, something that was apparently hard to find. These puppies were pure gold to a breeder, which was the very thing this person was trying to avoid. From her experience, I get the impression that among the "good" dogs, there are really only a few bloodlines.

Good to see you and your gorgeous boys!

 

[gritsar]

I've probably mentioned this somewhere before; if so, here I go again.

Several years ago, I knew someone on another forum that had a GSD from German lines. She was totally nuts about the dog, took him everywhere, competed with him in things like obedience and agility. She had him neutered when he was a few years old, but had a few straws of his sperm saved first, "just in case." The dog's life ended unexpectedly early, and the owner decided she wanted a puppy of his to replace him. I don't remember just what the criteria of her search were, but she eventually found a female that met them that a breeder had imported from Germany. She leased the female, and eventually bought her. In spite of the fact that the sperm samples were several years old by then, she got a nice litter of 5 or 6, one of which was a long hair like your boy. When the puppies were old enough to re-home, she advertised them on her website, but she was determined that her puppies were going to be family members and not just animals living in breeders' kennels. That's when things got crazy. It seems that there had been a GSD that had been enormously popular in show circles; he and his progeny had been bred extensively all over the world. Some issue had come up, and now everyone was scrambling to breed away from him. By coincidence, this litter was completely free of the "taint' of this dog's influence, something that was apparently hard to find. These puppies were pure gold to a breeder, which was the very thing this person was trying to avoid. From her experience, I get the impression that among the "good" dogs, there are really only a few bloodlines.

Good to see you and your gorgeous boys!

My Greek friend competes with her dog, we do not. She intends to breed him, we do not. We're just happy to have two excellent dogs that are our companions and they are our "kids". Jax taught himself to be my assistance dog, no training on our part at all.

These boys will be our last dogs.