Buddy Boy Mertens for President for Year 2012

Vote for Buddy Boy Mertens, the first Canine Presidential Nominee. Read more about how this at German Shepherd Would Make a Great President

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History of the German Shepherd

Caesar is a handsome German Shepherd owned by Karen de la Carriere. She is a fan of mine on my Squidoo lens History of the German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is considered to be one of the newer breeds of dogs. 1891 became the start of the breed that we know today. A group of shepherding dog enthusiasts in Germany formed the Phylax Society with the intention of creating standardized dog breeds in Germany. The society disbanded after only three years in 1894, due to internal conflicts regarding the traits that the society should promote; some members believed dogs should be bred solely for working purposes, while others believed dogs also should be bred for appearance. Though unsuccessful in their goal, the Phylax Society had inspired the vision of how the German Shepherd was to emerge.

At this time, Capt. Max von Stephanitz, an ex-cavalry captain and former student of the Berlin Veterinary College was one such ex-member. He believed strongly that dogs should be bred for working. He became the acclaimed father of the breed. He had long admired the qualities of intelligence, strength, and ability found in many native sheepdog breeds but had yet to see one which embodied all of his ideals. Recognizing the shift away from herding, Max Von Stephanitz ultimate plan was to breed an all purpose working dog. While visiting a show with a friend in 1899, he saw a dog that impressed him greatly to all accounts that he purchased the dog and promptly formed a society, the Verein Deutsche Sch'ferhunde, which, in turn, created the Schutzhund Trials. The trials were a breed test for the German Shepherd; any dog which did not pass the test was prohibited to breed. These trials are responsible for how quickly the German Shepherd's working abilities were advanced. This was a milestone in the breed's history and marked the beginning of a new era for it. From this date the German Shepherd as a specific breed had arrived.

The dog that von Stephanitz purchased was called Hektor Linksrhein but was later named Horand v Grafeth by Max von Stephanitz. Horand was quickly used in many breeding programs. He became the dog that best exemplified the goals of early breeders. Horand was declared to be the first German Shepherd Dog and was the first dog added to the society's breed register.

Horand's most celebrated son was Hektor v Shwaben. Hektor was inbred with another of Horand's offspring and produced Beowulf, who later fathered a total of eighty-four pups, mostly through being inbred with Hektor's other offspring. Beowulf's progeny also were inbred and it is from these pups that all German Shepherds draw a genetic link. It is believed the society accomplished its goal mostly due to Von Stephanitz's strong, uncompromising leadership and he is therefore, credited with being the creator of the German Shepherd Dog.

Later, as a result of von Stephanitz's energetic campaigns on behalf of these dogs, German Shepherds were used extensively during World War I as messenger dogs, rescue dogs and guard dogs. In little time British, French and American soldiers discovered the German Shepherd's remarkable qualities. As a result, some servicemen took the dogs home. From that moment, the breed's popularity grew by leaps and bounds outside Germany.

A Dog's Dictionary & Guide - Only a Dog Could Understand

Leash: A strap that attaches to your collar, enabling you to lead your owner where you want him or her to go. Make sure that you are waiting patiently with leash in mouth when your owner comes home from work. This immediately makes your owner feel guilty and the walk is lengthened by a good 10 minutes.

Dog Bed: Any soft, clean surface, such as a white bedspread, newly upholstered couch or the dry cleaning that was just picked up.

Drool: What you do when your owners have food and you don't. To do this properly, sit as close as you can, look sad and let the drool fall to the floor or better yet on their laps.

Sniff: A social custom to use when you greet other dogs or those people that sometimes smell like dogs.

Garbage Can: A container your neighbors put out weekly to test your ingenuity. Stand on your hind legs and push the lid off with your nose. If you do it right, you are rewarded with food wrappers to shred, beef bones to consume, moldy crusts of bread and sometimes even an old Nike.

Bicycles: Two-wheeled exercise machines, invented for dogs to control body fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit, you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a few yards. The rider swerves and falls into the bushes, and you prance away.

Thunder: A signal the world is coming to an end. Humans remain amazingly calm during thunderstorms, so it is necessary to warn them of the danger by trembling, panting, rolling your eyes wildly and following at their heels.

Wastebasket: A dog toy filled with paper, envelopes and old candy wrappers. When you get bored, turn over the basket and strew the papers all over the house. This is particularly fun to do when there are guests for dinner and you prance around with the contents of that very special bathroom wastepaper basket!

Sofas: Are to dogs like napkins are to people. After eating it is polite to run up and down the front of the sofa and wipe your whiskers clean. If there are people sitting on the couch just include them as a handy wipe.

Bath: A process owners use to clean you, drench the floor, walls and themselves. You can help by shaking vigorously and frequently.

Lean: Every good dog's response to the command "sit," especially if your owner is dressed for an evening out. This is incredibly effective before black-tie events.
Love: A feeling of intense affection, given freely and without restriction, shared by you and your owner. Show it by wagging your tail.

Concession Speech - 2012 - The Year of the Dog

Thank you for supporting us at the Canine National Party http://embracethehill.com
It was a fun ride. I was able to stick my head out the window and campaign for the Canine Party. As running for Vice President elect for 2008, I will not go into a big concession speech. I will leave that to Buddy http://www.squidoo.com/election_dog

We will continue to run our campaign and in 2012 we will herd the people.

Election Canine Merchandise

View all gifts from Election Canine Merchandise. Support Your Canine Presidential nominee by purchasing these products. Only you can make a Dog Gone difference. We offer t-shirts for men, women, children and dogs, jerseys, pillows, teddy bears, mugs, clocks, buttons, banner, paper products and more. Want to view the Canine National Party website, and see more Cafepress shops, then go to http://www.embracethehill.com and contribute if you would like. Questions, suggestions or would like one of the products but a little different or looking for a product that isn't there, contact admin@embracethehill.com View our other shops at http://www.cafepress.com/dumcollege_p1 & pg2, etc. and http://www.cafepress.com/havedumb_pg1 & pg2 etc. Collies Vote Smart Shop