GSD National Magazine SW News February 2010

Jaquenetta German Shepherd Dogs

February 2010

FROM THE SOUTH WEST. JEAN HISCOX.

It is with sadness that I report the passing away of Jill Green of the Monksley Kennel. Jill’s mother Barbara established the Kennels over eighty years ago. Jill’s daughter Ann has been running the Kennel with her and will continue, so the name will live on. Our sincere sympathies go to all Jill’s family.

We mated Pepsi to Panjo vom Kirschental in November; puppies were due the 9^th January from the first mating. Pepsi decided to whelp two days early, when we were snowed in and unable to get her to the vet if there was a problem. This was a little worrying as she went to the vet during her last whelping for shots of oxytocin. The first four births took about three hours, the next one had not arrived and it was nearly three hours since the last one. We gave her a warm milky drink with egg and glucose and got her jumping in and out of the whelping box. That seemed to get things moving, but the puppy was very weak when it appeared. The same thing happened with the next one. The seventh puppy was quicker and took less than an hour. Pepsi settled down, fed all the puppies and had a sleep. We thought we could feel something in her, but it could have been a retained placenta as only the first puppy came out with a placenta. She wanted to go out so I went out with her in the snow, it was a freezing cold night. She seemed to think she wanted to toilet but did not. Which made me think there could be another one in there. It was over four hours since the last puppy was born, she began straining and the eighth one appeared, but we lost him. If we could have got to the vet, or if he could have got to us the last one would most probably have survived. Under the circumstances we were lucky to have seven healthy puppies and a contented bitch. We can plan all we like but Mother Nature one way or another keeps reminding us who is in charge.

Congratulations to John and Pauline Cullen winning the DCC, BOB & PG2 at Manchester Champ. Show with Elmo vom Hühnegrab. Other results were 3^rd JD Allison’s Nizhoni Guido. 1^st LD Cullen’s Veneze Connor. 2^nd LB Sheffield’s Willowdale Kiefa.

In the KC letter to all GSD Clubs most of the conditions were about issues already referred to by the KC, but condition 7 beginning “The club will ensure that its judges and stewards are under contract in writing………..” I had not heard mentioned before. It makes sense for a judge to be under contract and the system has worked well for many years, but stewards under contract sounds a bit officious. That means if I sign a contract agreeing to steward for a show and, for some reason, I am unable to fulfil my duties, I would be held to that contract. It would make me think carefully about whether or not to offer my services in the first place. One show I stewarded for I was contacted at 8.30 p.m. the evening before the show for an 8 a.m. start the following morning. I cannot see many people willing to volunteer as stewards if they have to be bound by a contract. It is the rebel in us that does not want to have to be bound by anything, but do it of our own freewill.

I mentioned steward’s contracts in my Dog World breed notes and was pleased to see that Associate editor Simon Parsons commented on the same point in the same issue. People not in GSDs do not mind the KC having a go about issues appertaining only to the GSD breed, but when they begin to bring in issues that may affect them they begin to take an interest.

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