Hi All, As some of you know, the GSD are my first love and I have owned at least one since age 14. Upon meeting my husband, I was introduced to the Sporting breeds, Irish and Labs and the first Akita was his that I finished and fell in love. He just got a Cardigan who I am in love with and I am showing. He is like the GSD in a lot of ways, but a bit of a charactor and is well over 20 pounds at 13 months. He and my young Akita girl are inseparable and keep us laughing, they lay on the floor and groom each other all the time. But I also have a Shih Tzu who is my lap dog and I have recommend this breed to those who want a little dog that is not yappy. Andy runs with the GSD's, Lab and Akita's and is not prissy at all, he is tough when he needs to be and a great watch dog. I always wanted a small dog, but I hate barker's and Andy is not that, nor is he demanding, would have another in a minute. We keep him a a short clip, husband just to groom part time, and he is no trouble to care for. A great house pet and was an excellent puppy to train. Cathy Kelstar fmurch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx EarthLink Revolves Around You. ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2012. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================