Ooooh, I'm one of the five...and I've had my ( many ) moments of questioning throught the two years I've been on this list and even recently...Is it worth it? I'm still here! Grace Eaton Kmgraphic2@xxxxxxx wrote: on thursday, september 7, 2006, 10 hypothetical people make the decision to get into the "sport" of showing german shepherd dogs. they've asked their questions and done their looking and here they are, ready to start. just 10 average people. within one year: 1 will leave due to the natural attrition involved in all things. 2 will leave because the expense is higher then they thought it would be and they can't afford it. 2 will leave because their dogs haven't "won" anything and these people aren't patient or tenacious enough to stick it out long-term. 5 down, 5 to go. the 5 remaining all join the "list" because they believe it will be a means of making friends, learning about the gsd; generally, a venue in which they will become part of a group with a common interest: the breeding, showing, betterment of and love of the german shepherd dog. of those 5, do some of you really think that their expectations are even remotely being met when much of what they see is mean-spirited, rumor-filled, sometimes heartless infighting, verbal sniping and general disrespect? let's say 1 of the 5 is willing to look past it all and sticks it out. where is the future of the breed when 9 out of 10 newcomers might be inadvertantly turned away from what can be an absolutely incredible and lifelong experience... our dogs? we all have something to offer - let's stop diminishing everything. if you have the time, think about it. jmo diane Diane Strasser Silstra German Shepherds "In dog years I'm dead." - Author unknown ============================================================================ 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 ============================================================================ Grace Eaton Sirius German Shepherds zgrace_grace@xxxxxxxxx --------------------------------- All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. ============================================================================ 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 ============================================================================