I had planned to just add our dogs that have been involved in tracking, but Bear and Jewel were so special, I couldn't leave them out.....and there IS a tracking connection, of sorts! B and J came from a puppy mill closure in Sault Ste. Marie. This was one of the few where the owner was actually convicted and all dogs were removed. There were over seventy German Shepherds in depolorable conditions in the home. B and J were brother and sister, and almost five years old. What you see in this picture is after a long time with us and in good health. Yet, it is obvious how deformed their legs are, as they grew up from puppies in a cage. They limped continually for some time, and they came with serious ear problems that could never be completely resolved. THEY WERE THE MOST LOVING AND SWEET DOGS YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE. No idea why. They just sucked up every bit of love they could. We never expected them to even live to ten years of age.They actually left us within six months of each other, Jewel one month short of 12 and Bear 12 1/2. We were so lucky to have them for so long in our lives.
The tracking connection! I was able to find out a very little about them when we adopted them.
With the help of Donna Brinkworth (Spiritdance) who was in Thunder Bay at that time, she was able to TRACK down their roots and find the original breeder in the U.S. I was able to contact her, and found out a lot about B and J's background and breeding. This is how I "met" Donna, and although we've still never met in person, she will always be a good friend. The breeder, like most others, had no idea 'her' pups went to a puppy mill. Another amazing thing came from this...a well-known sire way back in their background was also in Spooks' background. Fate?
