Tramp is a beautifully marked male Anatolian Shepherd. He is estimated to be 18-24 months old (still a puppy both physically and mentally) and currently weighs 105 lbs. Pulled from the Dallas kill shelter in mid April, Tramp was hours from euthanasia. He was skinny @ 85 pounds, sad, scared, itchy and coughing. Tramp has been vetted, vaccinated, neutered, treated for fleas and mites, and dewormed. Tramp is undergoing heartworm treatment and should be ready for his forever home in late June. Tramp has a calm, affectionate personality and walks well on leash. All he wants is to lie at your feet or quietly stand by your side hoping for hugs and kisses. Yet the next moment he also can act goofy -- chasing his Kong, smiling, wagging his tail. Tramp loves every child that he's met. He's friendly, adores everyone, and has a very mellow Anatolian personality. Anatolians are very independent thinkers -- originally bred in Turkey as livestock guardians -- and Tramp is no exception. He will Sit, Down, and even Wait, but he has to think about it first. Tramp is being crate trained, although he has lovely house manners. Other than random rolls of toilet paper -- which NO dog can resist -- he only chews on his toys. Tramp is being fostered in the Dallas area. He is being tested with cats and has not shown any dog aggression. As Anatolians are usually somewhat bossy with other dogs, he would do best with a submissive, smaller dog. Tramp is posted with the National Anatolian Shepherd Rescue Network (www.nasrn.com) If interested in adopting this awesome dog, please contact Tammy at TrampNeedsaHome@gmail.com or 214/418-5943 <br>
Due to the size (120-150# for males, 30-32 inches at the shoulder) and special personalities of Anatolians, both an application and home visit is required prior to adopting Tramp. You must have a securely fenced (at least 6 foot) backyard to be considered. There will be a negotiable adoption fee to help defray vet bills.
Koda celebrated his third birthday. Buttercup was invited to the party. Fun was had by all.
Erste Rador von Langehennig
born June 24, 1995
died October 16, 2007
I was 21 years old and had just finished my first year in law school at Texas Tech. My friend Jona, a fantastic dog person, had received pick of a friend's German Shepherd litter in exchange for some field training that she had done. She called me, knowing how much I wanted a German Shepherd. Ten weeks later, my ex and I drove to New Orleans to pick up a wiggly, silly puppy. Thus, began a love affair.
Rador was all ears, tails, and legs. He slept all the way home, curled up on the truck bench seat between us. He settled into our home immediately. Smart as a whip, he became my shadow.
A week later, Rador became sick....really sick. Worried about him, I stayed home from going to the movies with friends. I remember sitting on my bedroom floor, reading a dog care book, and sobbing. Rador had all the symptoms of parvo. I visited Rador every day, first at the emergency clinic, then at my regular vet's office. They would carry him out to me, IV in his leg, tail wagging. I would pet him and tell him what a good dog he was. Then I would sit out in my car and cry, scared and worried. A week later, he came home, having lost a third of his body weight. His skin was so loose on his skinny frame, that I told him he had elephant butt. But he was alive and mine. And he was the most beautiful German Shepherd that I have ever seen.
Over the next ten years, Rador was always by my side. He went on road trips with me to visit my family in Minnesota. He sat perched in the passenger seat of the U-Haul rental truck when I graduated from law school and moved to Dallas. There are so many memories....softly throwing a frisbee at Rador's mouth until he finally (finally!) caught it. I told him he was a genius and he was hooked. Rador chasirng snowballs in Minnesota and climbing snow piles. My grandma and I watching, laughing and clapping our mittened hands. Rador waiting for me in my jeep while I ran errands. I always felt safe and I always, always felt loved.
And all the times I tested Rador and his love for me..... Playing with Koda while at a park, his frisbee went sailing into a drainage canal. I told Rador, "BRING." He cocked his head, looking at the 8 foot drop and at me. As I turned away to look for a branch, I heard a splash. Rador was treading water, frisbee in mouth. The fear as I ran down the bank trying to find a way to get him out of the still water. When I shimmied down onto the spillover, he came paddling over, trusting in my ability to haul him out. I was reckless and stupid, yet Rador loved me anyway. A couple of summers later, I thought it great fun to ride away on a four-wheeler while Rador chased me, never wanting to be left behind. I stopped laughing when he stumbled in mid-stride and continued to run in a hobbled, lopsided gait. The calichi road had ripped a foot pad. Back at the house, Rador winced as a I cleaned his foot. But never once did Rador ever lose his trust in me.
About 18 months ago, Rador began having accidents in the house. He never peed in the house, but had problems holding bowel movements. He also began to become weaker in his back legs, easy to knock over, slow to get up. I took him to the vet for a checkup, hoping for arthritis medication and confirmation that his bowel incontinence was due to old age. The vet did a couple of reflex tests. The tentative diagnosis was degenerative myleopathy, a chronic degenerative disease that often strirkes German Shepherds. Again, I was in my car outside the vet's office, crying.
Rador's condition worsened, but he was always able to walk, and did not lose urinary continence. I told myself, "it's not time for Rador to pass." I wasn't ready for Rador to leave me. His presence by my side, in the same room, watching me, was as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth in the morning.
One Tuesday, I worked through lunch and came home early. As I walked in the door, Rador, who was lying in the corner of the living room, slowly rose to greet me. His bed was soaked in urine. "Poor Rador." I walked into the kitchen to gather up cleaning supplies. When I turned around, Rador was standing in the hallway, ears pricked toward me, but head turned to the left, looking behind him. I called Rador's name but his posture did not change. I felt a wall of dread rise, walked over to him and then realized that things would never be the same. Rador had a stroke, was partially paralyzed, and was now blind. I began to sob, made a vet appointment, and called my boyfriend. When Deryl walked into the house, I was sitting on the floor, brushing Rador's coat one more time, trying not to cry, speaking in a happy voice. Rador couldn't see me, but he could hear me.
Rador could not walk and had to be carried into the vet on a stretcher. I held him as the vet gave him the shots. He looked so peaceful and asleep. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to keep stroking his fur, comforting him. When I lifted his head from my lap, I finally believed that his spirit was gone. I felt broken. I dropped his frisbee into the trash and walked out of the room with one last look at my dear friend.
Rador, you will be missed.
NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS HOLIDAY CARD.........
I volunteer with the NASRN, a lovely rescue group for Anatolians and Anatolian mixes. Texas has lots of Anatolian rescues that end up in shelters and on the street. Some are livestock guardians that wander away from the job. Others are unwanted pets, who grow too big, are too stubborn, and can bark too much for most average pet owners.
I'm a member of the rescue railroad, just one chain in a daisy chain of dog lovers who spend their own time and gas money to drive dogs from Point A to Point B and to Point C. I've had the good fortune of transporting several ASDs already. A few weeks ago, I drove Sadie from Dallas to Sulphur Springs. She was very sweet. A small ASD cross, probably weighing 70 pounds and only 24-26 inches tall. She's ready for adoption. Just ask me how!!
Koda was fascinated by 7-month-old Malcolm.
For most of the visit, Koda laid down with his head on the blanket, snoozing or quietly watching Malcolm play. Watching Koda walk around Malcolm was hysterical. He gingerly tip-toed around the baby, in a very submissive posture.
Malcolm is a cutie!! You can see more pics at his blog.
Was messing around on Janice's blog., specifically the post about Turkish collars. Thought I'd post a pic of Koda.
A co-worker vacationed in Turkey about a year ago. I asked him to pick up a "kangal collar" if he happened across one. I showed him a couple of pics. This is what he brought back to us.
Not as impressive as the all metal turkish collars and still about 2 inches too big. The spikes, which are very sharp, screw off of the collar. My co-worker actually carried the spikes in a ziplock bag through customs. There is an impressive welded d-ring on the collar as well.
This is Butter's favorite lookout spot. And, yes, Deryl has spoiled his little girl BEYOND belief.
It all started with a hole in the ground and a week of rain.
We had a couple of stumps removed from the backyard. The resulting sawdust and mud sinkhole proved irresistable to the Dynamic Duo. All hell broke loose when I let Buttercup and Koda out into the backyard unsupervised. I swear I went inside for just a minute...well, really more like 5 or 10.
This is what I came outside to find.
They had so much fun!
We threw an impromptu birthday party for Koda's second birthday. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any hats!
And, yes, for all of you who don't have the pleasure of owning an Anatolian Shepherd....that is a 36" kitchen counter that Koda is standing next to.
Click here for more pics.
It has begun. My sweet little puppy has become a teenager.
Koda started "guarding his food" from the other household dogs about 3 month ago. Then, he decided that a rawhide that he idly abandoned was His. Then, he began guarding his open, EMPTY crate. Lunging, carrying on, acting the fool, startling the hell out of me with his raging bark and growls. He'll let me take whatever I want, but he's decided he's the king of the dog-pile.
Luckily, the Anatolian Shepherd community is tight and helpful. Janice Frasche gave me wonderful advice on teaching Koda the joys of sharing. If Koda gives another dog a hard stare, he goes into Time-Out. If he growls or acts territorial about his crate or any abandoned toys, he goes into Time-Out.
Time Out is a 2-5 minute isolation in our smallest bathroom with the lights out. This probably wouldn't bother Koda normally, but we then throw a huge dog party. We laugh, we play with the other dogs, we even give cookies and treats to everyone....even the cats. And Koda isn't invited.
When Koda rejoins us, all dogs sit is a half-circle around me and each gets petted and treated in turn. As Janice says, this teaches Koda that sharing is FUN and that resource guarding is lonely.
Koda has went to Time Out three times to date. Once for growling and lunging, second and third times for staring and thinking about staring. I still watch him so he doesn't relapse without correction, but he's improved dramatically.
I LOVE my dog. As I type this, Koda is outside playing in the dig pit with Buttercup.
Thanks, everyone. THANKS JANICE!!!!
And he is really really happy about it!!!
We adopted a 7-week-old American Bulldog named Buttercup. She is scrappy, fearless, and very entertaining. Koda is content to lay on the floor or bed and let her climb all over him. He looks vicious in the pictures but is so gentle with her. Other than stepping on her, he hasn't made her cry once. He generally just slobbers all over her while she clicks her jaws shut, barks at him, and attempts to chew on his tail or ears.
We had so much fun today with Koda, a bunch of his friends, and Deryl's new digital camera.
This morning, the Dallas SPCA hosted their annual Strutt Your Mutt. We took Koda last year when he was 9 months or so. This year, he had so much more fun. Our friends were there with their dogs Cooper, Mack, and Allie. And there were dogs EVERYWHERE!!! Koda was very well behaved, other than some tugging. He met a Brussells Griffin named Furval, who liked to have his butt scratched, a black pug named Meatwad, who could not sit still, and lots of other lovely, lovely dogs.
We got doggles in our gift bag, so had to put them on Koda. He wasn't laughing.
I currently drive a Jeep Wrangler, soft-top. It's a bit of a hassle to unzip the back window so my Anatolian (130 pounds, 30 inches at the shoulder) can jump in and out. I need the perfect big dog vehicle. It must have:
-large, smooth cargo area
-back seats that either can be pulled out or fold flat
-average or better gas mileage
-a low deck
-a nice driver/passenger area that does NOT resemble a minivan
-and not be an overpriced, domestic vehicle that falls apart quickly.
As you can tell from the last two requirements, I've got biases that impact my selection. I will not, cannot drive a minivan, a station wagon, any vehicle that resembles a minivan or station wagon, a Ford, CHevy, or GMC.
I went to the fair this past week, spent an hour climbing in, around, and on various SUVs. I quickly ran through every model that I looked at, other than the Saab SUV (40K loaded, nice, but horrible gas mileage) and the Mercury hybrid Mountaineer (which was overpriced at 33K). The entire line of Jeeps had too high decks, and the 4-door Jeep Unlimited's back seats folded forward flat but had exposed, sharp metal tracks. I was disappointed by the Lexus SUVs. They utilize a system that folds the back seats up and flat to the sides of the car, taking up valuable cargo area. The Toyota Rav 4 looked promising....very roomy cargo space, seats folded flat, deck was low, but......the driver/passenger area resembled that of a mini van.
I have not gotten the opportunity to inspect the interior of the Volkswagen Tourag (although I personally refuse to spend 50K on a Volkswagen!!) or the BMW X5 or X3.
Anyone have any suggestions that I'm overlooking? Anyone?
We've upgraded to the newest Community Server, it just took a while.
Koda is now eighteen months old. Since I last blogged, he has achieved his Canine Good Citizen certificate. We are also in training with Therapy Dog Incorporated. He has passed his temperment test, although I think the observers were a bit taken aback by his size. Saturday is our first observed visit at a nearby elderly care facility. There are a lot of teacup poodles, doodles, yorkies, yoodles, dachsunrds, poms in the group. They dress up in various outfits when they go visiting. Koda sticks out like a sasquatch.
Koda weighed 130 at his last weigh-in.
