Hello List Members! I just joined the list and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Kathy Heckman and I live in Coastal North Carolina. I have owned German Shepherds for about 12 years. However, I do not currently have one at this time. I lost my most precious boy only 2 days ago. I won't dwell on that, I am here to re-join the world of German Shepherd Dogs. I haven't been in an obedience ring since my oldest child was about 2 yrs old, and he is 9yrs old now. I have never shown a dog in confirmation, but I had the distinct pleasure to own a champion. I'm sure most, if not all of you know Carole, she is on the list, and she graciously gave me the opportunity to own a wonderful dog, Ch. Carlo's Rolls Royce, aka: Bentley. I can't tell you how much a wonderful dog like that can bring so much to one's life, but I'm sure you all have an idea! I have read many post this evening from those talking about temperament, and gun fire...I don't have a great deal of knowledge about breeding and temperament tests, but drawing from my personal experience with the dogs I have owned, even if my dog shied away at the sound of gun fire or fire crackers, and he did, this can not be a true consideration of sound temperament. Now, maybe I have misunderstood the entire conversation, but to me, a sound temperament could be no more than what I asked for from my "Beanie", to be good with children, not just mine, to stand his ground, but not be aggressive, to know when to back down and to love me unconditionally. I'm sure everyone has their own opinion of temperament and then the standard. Should we continue to ask even more from our dogs when they give us the best they have? I look forward to reading posts and posting occasionally. I am here to learn, and will probably not post much. I'm sure I will have questions, and any and all opinions are appreciated. And yes, I do realize that everyone has their own opinion. Best Wishes to you all, Kathy Heckman The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated. ~ M. Gandhi ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2006. 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. 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@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues ============================================================================