Pat Smith

Thanks Erny and by the way, I'm very much pre computer too! lol

Brainless me, :>( thanks for drawing it to my attention! :>)

I can't imagine how Peta survived, she had little or no sleep over the past 3 days and has been worrying herself sick! I know I'm so relieved it seems as though a tremendous weight has been lifted from my heart and I'll sleep well tonight.

Probably the dog park at Weston Park in Yarralumla. So glad she is safe and well. I'll update my Facebook status - so good to have a happy ending. :) Yes, that's the one, thank you! :>)

Yes she has thank God and thank you to all the people who gave assistance, those who gave their prayers and those of you who cared! She was found in West Dog Park (I have no idea where that is; Bree, Peta's daughter in Law followed a hunch and went down there calling and asking around, no one had seen her! Eventually Bree drove off and hadn't gone very far before she received a phone call saying that Hera had come out of hiding, Bree turned her vehicle around, went back and Hera went running up to her. Hera was thin, very hungry and footsore as you can well imagine but is now at home with her family and that is where she will stay. To those of you who knocked and complained regarding what I wrote as to certain people should not own dogs, you know nothing regarding the circumstances surrounding what happened. When responsible breeders place older dogs or puppies, they interview the people intensively, unfortunately we can only go by what they tell us and what we see, we are not mind readers, we can only believe what we are told! This little girl went on 2 weeks probation but now she will be staying with her breeder Peta and going nowhere. Edited to say, I couldn't get on here earlier as we had massive thunderstorms, I apologise for the delay in letting you all know and once again I thank you for your concern.

Dog Geek, if you have an hour or so to spare, is there any chance of you going back to the nearest park, in the direction she was heading when you last saw her and play with your dog/s for a while? Just thinking she may have gone to ground there, hiding in the bushes and maybe, just maybe if she is, she will be ready to venture out at something normal to her. Incidentally, the dog which was seen along Lady Denman drive could have been a male Shepherd which turned up in Kambah Village and has been claimed by his owners, (lucky dog, lucky owners).

It's fantastic the way DOLs rally around! I think she's trying to find her way back to Queanbeyan but is finding a lot of obstacles in her way and is going out further to avoid people and houses. If she's heading North, just guessing, she will run alongside Tuggeranong Parkway, then if there's a walking / bike track alongside Lake Burley Griffen, down that then down Palligo Ave; "possibly that way". She was seen near The Lodge this morning too (she must have hid overnight) and then turned back, maybe someone tried to catch her, if she could have kept going that way, according to her instinct, it was almost a straight run back to Queanbeyan. Then again, I'm not a very frightened young 13 month old puppy! So don't take my word for it, please, just keep looking everywhere! She will be getting pretty hungry, tired and footsore by now, as well as being extremely frightened.

Thank you Maxiewolf, would be great if others could cut and paste on to Facebook, it would then reach hundreds of people around the Canberra area.

This bitch is NOT afraid of storms, she actually revels in them, the woman left her on her own in the front yard, went inside and left her to her own devices. If that's not a silly thing to do when you have just taken home a teenage puppy and only have low front fencing, I don't know what is. As I said, some people don't deserve to own dogs!

Hi Pockets, I wish it were so that things were looking positive but unfortunately, Scrivener Dam came to a screaming halt, no Hera. Peta and her family were there for over 4 hours searching and calling for her, they arrived within 30 minutes of the call and a friend was there before them but nothing. When you consider, it may even have been another "Shepherd", who knows, not everyone knows what a German Shepherd looks like. Thanks for the advice Diva, re the heading, I've taken it on board as you can see. Edited to say, Hera was wearing a soft purple collar!

Hera has been spotted near Scrivener Dam at 11 am this morning on Lady Denman Drive, heading towards the zoo. Peta and her whole family are now in that area. If anyone is around there please, please help, phone Peta on her mobile 0418 404 214. Or if anyone is prepared and has the time to help search, that would be absolutely fantastic, I could if I would but I'm nearly 3 hours away and because I'm on my own, to many of my own dogs to look after.

Hi Dog Geek, Peta has had 2 calls so far as being seen, one apparently last night and one this morning (one I think was yours). Peta doesn't drive herself but her daughter in law was going over to look around Wells Garden area this morning and she has a friend who lives just 5 minutes away who has made up posters etc. Please everyone, talk to the Man upstairs for her safe return!

What an absolute fantastic lot you people are! I thank you from the bottom of my heart! Knowing there are so many people looking out for her and giving so much good advice, really helps, believe me.

Thankyou Saxonpup, that would be great, is it possible for you to let any other dog wash people know too?

Erny, I'll be honest with you, I have not the slightest idea how to do that, though I am a member of FB, could you tell me how please. I believe Peta's husband John was going to put up a Lost and Found on some Facebook related site.

Thanks, I'm hoping for a bit of help from the man upstairs. There are all those main arterial Canberra roads between Narrabundah and Queanbeyan, a big ask to come out unscathed. It's pretty rough for me and I only know her a little bit, so imagine what Peta is going through. Hera was on probation for 2 weeks to these people to see if she would settle in and they lost her for heaven's sake after only one day. Some people shouldn't own dogs! She's a Turbo baby and looks like him in colour, head and expression; Peta bred her and she was 9th at the last National, a very pretty little bitch about 58 - 59 cms in height.

Thankyou, all help, will be most appreciated!

Thanks, I was stressing so much I forgot to look for the Lost and Found but I've now put an ad there too. At any rate, more people may see it here and the more, the better.

Thank you All, Hera has now been found and is home with Peta and her family, a bit less hungry than this morning and I would say a very thankful little girl. Don't know whether this is the right place to put this but I don't particularly care, so long as it gets seen. A young, 13 months old black and red gold German Shepherd bitch has gone missing from Narrabundah / Griffith area in the ACT, today, the 15th of February. This little girl has no idea where she is, as she was placed in a new home from Queanbeyan only yesterday. For obvious reasons she will be terrified, she will be thinking her mum and dad have deserted her but being a devoted canine, she will attempt (I assume) to find her way back home. If you see this little girl called "Hera" please do not try to catch her but phone Peta, of Hill Magic German Shepherds, on 0418 404 214. A reward has been offered for her. All help would be greatly appreciated! Photos taken 3 months ago, so a little more mature now but out of coat.

We have had a change, the Beardie Club can no longer take the Shepherds but Hawkesbury Herding Club will take as many as we can throw at them, so I've been told. Venue, the Showground opposite the airforce base at Richmond, off Racecourse Rd. Time, Saturday mornings, from 9 am. Because the Club is not run under the CC's umbrella, membership of the club is required for insurance purposes. For further information, please email me.

Hi Hesapandabear, Queenslanders' are into herding bigtime. Email me privately and I will give you an email address. Pat

You'd be surprised Kavik, why don't you come along on Saturday afternoon to Erskine Park and give it a go? Sometimes, it can take a few goes before it clicks.

SHEEP HERDING The GSDL of NSW is calling for members and non members who would like to participate in the fast growing activity of sheep herding with their German Shepherd Dogs. To register interest call the League Secretary Andrew Thor 02 9970 8727 Or Pat Smith Ph 02 468 09289 We are for the time being going to piggy back on the Bearded Collie Club of NSW, commencing this Saturday afternoon, could all interested parties please contact me ASAP, ph. 46 809 289 or by email.

Scats, many years ago a friend had her German Shepherd x-rayed for HD as part of the German Shepherd National scheme. The vet said her hips were hopeless and to put her down then and there but seeing as her husband wasn't with her, she was unprepared to do that and brought the bitch and the x-rays home. I took the x-rays to a radiographer to read, a man known in the Shepherd world for his expertise in reading, he said there was nothining wrong with the hips but the x-rays weren't really the best. When they were sent off to be officially read, they came back with the grand total of 9, a near normal. How they score German Shepherds and also other breeds of dogs is on, the lower the score the better, now the maximum score in a dog is 106, 53 either side, so you see, this girl's hips were fine. What I'm saying is, "don't trust your vet, he's not qualified to read the x-rays". I am in full agreement with Miranda I also stress, that he isn't a radiographer. Incidentally, just looking at the x-rays on this topic, they are not very symmetrical and could never give a good reading, if we sent those in, our readers would send them back advising the vet to re-do them properly, as Miranda writes, "if he isn't an experienced HD vet ie. does a lot of xrays for scoring purposes", then I highly recommend that you take the dog to a vet who is a specialist in this field"