Image taken from Caveat Actor GSMD

I have been reading up on the history of the GSMD, to understand more of what breeders are attempting to go for. I found this lovely little history lesson at Cathy Cooper’s site at ShadeTree Kennels. Not only is Cathy Cooper the president of the GSMDCA club and an AKC judge, but she’s been running a reputable breeding facility since 1981.

There’s a quote in the article that really struck me:

“But the GSSH is a dog for the weekdays, not for Sunday. And for the time being, we have six weekdays and but one Sunday.” by M. Magron

This speaks to much of the personality of the Swissy. These dogs are velcro dogs. From everything I’ve read, and through the antedocal experience of owners, these dogs are the kind you can’t leave at home in the back yard or in the house. I keep hearing this over and over from people, and it got me thinking: “what dog can you just leave in your backyard? ?” I don’t think it’s good for any breed.

There are a lot of people who invite a dog into their life and then really are only dog owners on the weekends. I know people like this. They stick their dogs in doggie day care or they leave them at home during the day when they go to work and the animal spends most of their time alone. And then they wonder why their dogs have behavior issues?

People have their reasons. I get that. But more than ever it solidifies the idea that I really don’t want a weekend dog. I love the idea that Swissies want to be with their people 24/7. I’m sure it will be a drag once in awhile and I know it will make going out more difficult. But as long as the family is willing, I think it will add a lot to our Life.

Every breeder worth their salt, recommends that you meet swissies before deciding on this breed. Not just one or two, but a few of different genders and ages. Easier said than done when you live in California! You just don’t see these dogs very often. I was really confused how I was going to accomplish this until I found Golden Gate GSMD Club . I wrote the president Troy Riewe and he was incredibly informative and even asked me to come meet his girls Morgan and Blumen.

This little video was that first meeting. What you don’t see is me bombarding poor Troy and Irene with a million questions, all the while watching nervously my kids and how they are interacting with the dogs. I think in the end, that was the most important thing for me to see. How big ARE these dogs really.. and how are my kids going to react to their size. And I think this video is brilliant because watching Troy and Irene’s girls, I was instantly put at ease. Brian’s big take away from the day was noticing how easy going they were compare to all the other dogs in the park. There was absolutely NOTHING threatening about them, and I never once worried about them with my kids. Of course, these girls are fully socialized grown dogs and when we bring home a puppy, it’s going to be up to us to bring him or her up to that level. But we got to see the potential. And I love how they are just tailing Kai, their son as he runs around; just keeping an eye on him.

Since this meeting, Troy and Irene have been incredibly patient with me and I continuously joke about being a swissy groupie. I have met up with them at two shows, and they’ve introduced me to other swissy owners and their dogs. The boys just put me in awe.

Can i just say.. dog shows? That’s a whole deck full of crazy. Have you seen Best In Show? Just like that. No joke. The first show I went to I got chastised by two people. The first, for sitting too close to the ring because I would distract the dogs. The second, by a handler for blocking the aisle where people were trying to walk with their dogs. (The aisle was already lined with fold up chairs and crates so how I was blocking the aisle by just standing there is beyond me.)

This said? It’s one of the best places to meet people who love these dogs. And for a breed like the Greater Swiss Mountain dog, it’s the only place to meet them as they are pretty rare. Its pretty important if you are going to go the full bred route that you do it through the AKC and a reputable breeder and not through a backyard breeder. I’ll save that topic for a later post, but for now.. its enough to say that if you want to talk to people who know reputable breeders.. the dog show is where you’ll find the advocates.

Maiwenn and Gavin making candy apples.

So why did I choose a Swiss Mountain Dog? Especially since I always thought I’d end up with a shepherd mix or an Australian shepherd?  Brian and I like medium to large dogs generally, and now that we have two small children, we knew we needed a dog with an even temperament. After reading Cesar Milan’s latest book,  “How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond” he drilled homed the idea that a medium energy dog would be the best choice for us. Not to mention, to pay special attention to what the dog’s heritage is, and what it was bred to do.  What was our lifestyle, and what kind of personality would fit in with us?  I knew a lot about dog breeds from my childhood but  trying to assess what breed fit with the character of our family was a little like trying to solve one of those 500 piece jig saw puzzles not knowing if all the pieces are in the box.  Brian and I are outdoorsy, like to hike and camp but we’re not exactly athletic types. We needed a dog that could be good with small animals and didn’t have too much prey instinct. We knew we wanted a short-medium haired dog. Most importantly, we need a dog that with the proper socialization.. can be great with kids. Initially, this seemed like a lot of requirements and have you ever actually seen how many dog breeds there are?  Its enough to make your head spin. I love Petfinder because not only do they list dogs from shelters all across the state (and even the country) they also list local adoption agencies .. but day after day,  I started to notice that unless I wanted to adopt an older dog, it was going to be really difficult finding the right combination of dog and an agency that will also adopt to families with small children. I know plenty of people who’ve made it work.. but it became very frustrating to me very quickly.

Not to mention, I really didn’t want a lab, retriever or a shepherd. And i definitely didn’t want a bully breed, even if they have gotten a bad rap. So what breed was a good fit? Luckily, Dr. Google had just the right medicine.  Lots of dog websites have match selectors that allow you to narrow down the choices. I took a bunch of these at different sites and the extra large dogs kept coming up, including the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.  I am not intimated by extra large dogs; it’s probably something having to do with growing up and training horses so this intrigued me. I started researching. I found document after document that convinced me that this dog might be the right fit. One of the best beginner guides I found was at www.gsmdca.org called The Beginner’s Guide to The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.

I will talk about specific personality traits, physical traits what I’ve learned about Swissies in a later post, but after a long deliberation I decided I really needed to meet these dogs and just see them up close.

I live in the Santa Cruz mountains and work over the hill in Redwood City which is only a stone’s throw from San Francisco. And unless you’ve been living in a remote wilderness without any Internet and only penguins for company, you will probably be aware that on a political graph i live  within an ocean of blue.  Because I live smack dab in the middle of granola, I can honestly say left-leaning urbanites have a self-righteous opinion about EVERYTHING. I can freely say this because I happen to BE one of those eco-friendly, composting yippies. I compost, grow veggies, raise chickens, recycle, rage against Fox news and drive a Prius. I feel very at home swimming in my blue state and if you had asked me in 2004 that John Kerry was going to lose in the presidential election, I would have laughed at you and said “Hell no, man. EVERYBODY I KNOW is voting for him.”

So what does this have to do with dogs, you ask? Well the community I live in, most people are very hard core that if you want an animal, you should adopt from your local shelter. To be honest, how can you argue with that?  When the “estimated number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year ranges from 6-8 million? (HSUS estimate) And the estimated number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year is 3-4 million? (HSUS estimate)” It does seem kind of silly for people to spend oodles of money on a purebred dog when there are so many needy animals looking for a new home.

And more to the point of this post, I BELIEVE that people should adopt from local shelters. I am a full supporter of my local SPCA. I have even a adopted my cat who recently passed from there. So what crack am I smoking? And the community I belong to? You can bet your sweet bippy they think I’ve lost my marbles. Over cocktails I’ve had well-meaning friends say to me. “ I always pegged you and Brian as adoption people..” Or “my dog is a mixed. What’s wrong with HIM?!!”

Can you not feel the judgment? I can. A part of me is completely guilt-ridden. Like I’ve given up on my principles or something. But the other part of me doesn’t care, and I’m completely satisfied to go against the mainstream in this matter. I’m willing to spend oodles of money, time and energy to invest in a purebred dog that I believe could be my next family member. So yeah. I’m crazy. Crazy in love.

Once upon a time there was an feature film animator and a mother of two who really wanted a dog. At first, I didn’t know what kind of dog. Growing up, we had a Rough Collie who was appropriately named Lassie after the T.V. show. She was a lovely family dog but unlike the T.V. hero of all children of the 60’s, (and thru reruns the children of the 70’s) our collie far from epitomized the traits that the general public associated with collies. She was hyper, an escape artist and loved to chase cars… not bad guys.  Instead of rescuing people, she loved digging into trash cans.

Lassie died at the ripe old age of 14. She was one year older than I was, so I was 13 at the time and that was the last time I actually owned my own dog. Since then, I have had many animals including horses, cats, birds, chickens, and the occasional rodent. But the only dogs that have been in my life are ones that I was taking care of for other people.

The exception to this was one summer during my college years when I was living in a trailer behind a friend’s house in Acton California. My friend owned a farm and it was my job to take care of the barn and all the animals in return for free rent and utilities. One morning i woke up, and a black lab was sitting on my door step. His collar said his name was Cody and there was an address. I pushed him into my car and drove him home. Later that day, he was on my door step again. I was later to find out that Cody’s owner had recently gone off to college and he was staying with her parents. Apparently he missed his person and somehow had found me as a suitable replacement. The parents were so moved by his desire to be with me, they let me care for him for the summer. He was an amazing dog and went everywhere with me. I remember long walks in the desert on hot, sunset filled evenings and one time when we got lost.. i asked Cody to find the way home and he seemed to understand. He ran ahead and led me all the way back.

Cody made a huge impression on me. And ever since I’ve been dreaming of the day when I would be in the position to have a dog.  The time is Now. The dog I want is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. I’ll save the details for why I want a Swissy for a later post, but suffice to say this blog is a documentation of the journey to acquire one.