The lineage of her dogs reads like a history

The lineage of her dogs reads like a history of famous shepherds from who’s who is dogdom. Her breeding bitches are the daughters, granddaughters and greatgranddaughters of some of tl

e leading studs in America fibm the past decade. What

e doesn’t have, she gets

rough introducing new

s to the gene pool by

sing females for a year, breeding them to the sire of 1 er choice and keeping tiny pups with show potential.

At dog shows up and down the East Coast, Carol's animals are exhibited by the top German Shepherd handler in the country, Jimmie Moses of New York. "It's taken me a long time to breed dogs good enough to have him handle,” Carol acknowledged with pride. She travels with her dogs to all shows and accompanies them to breeding kennels whenever possible. Sometimes the females fail to cooperate, coming into season at Christmas, Thanksgiving and other inopportune times. Then they travel first class but solo.

Carol is very defensive about her favorite breed. She’s aware of the reputation shepherds have developed over the years as a dog spoiled by success. Their popularity has spurred irresponsible breeders to produce litter after litter with no concern for temperament or physical shortcomings.

Like all large dogs who experience rapid growth, shepherds are susceptible to hip dysplasia. German shepherd breeders, however, started attacking the disorder 15 years ago, according to Carol. Reputable breeders, she said, have their females x-rayed to ensure that their dogs are unmarked by the condition and then breed the bitches only to males certified by the Orthopedic Association of America as being free from hip dysplasia. “Shepherd breeders are doing more or as much to eliminate dysplasia as any other dog breeders,” Carol maintained.

As shepherds are judged first on movement and then on confirmation, it’s critical that all show dogs and breeding stock be free from physical defects that affect their “flowing, flying trot," Carol said.