What is the difference between a German Shepherd and an Alsatian?

by Mark Glenning on August 8, 2010

To the person with only a passing interest in dogs, the German Shepherd and the Alsatian are completely different breeds, despite looking very similar. They’re characterised by a domed forehead, a long square-ish muzzle and large, erect ears. They can come in lots of different colours, but the most familiar is black and tan, with a black ‘saddle’ across the back. There are other variations in colour, including all black, all white, blue, sable and liver.

According to The Kennel Club, sable and all black coats are perfectly acceptable; blue and liver are considered serious faults and all white is considered grounds for instant disqualification. This is because the white coat is much more visible if it is a guard dog, and it makes the animal harder to see if it is herding sheep or if it is snowing.

So what is the difference between the two? In fact, there’s none at all; the divergence in name came about as a result of the nationwide anti-German sentiment after World War I.

The breed is a relatively recent one, and its origins can be traced back to (more…)

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Dog survives after being shot 6 times by owner

by Darren Jamieson on July 16, 2010

Some people should never be allowed to own dogs again, for as long as they live, and Ohio man Lawrence Mick is one such man. This convicted criminal in the USA took it upon himself to quieten his caged dog, a German shepherd named Sarge, by shooting him with his gun. Lawrence Mick shot the caged, defenceless dog SIX times, while his friend Adam Collins also joined in the sick games.

Incredibly, the brave dog survived the vicious attack from the two assailants and is now being cared for at an animal shelter. The police were alerted by a neighbour of Lawrence Mick, Melissa Compau. She stated that the dog wasn’t being aggressive, or making a noise, and was merely sleeping in his cage before the two men began shooting at him with a .22 calibre pistol.

Lawrence Mick is in jail awaiting trial, and as an already convicted (more…)

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Guard dog sleeps through burglary

by Lianne Wilkinson on April 18, 2010

One of the best things about being a dog owner is the security they offer you. While most dogs won’t necessarily defend your property when you’re away, they all have the pack instinct and will defend you – or alert you to danger – should you be faced with a fire or burglary attempt while you are in the house.

Guard dogs however are different. They are, or should be, specially trained to fend off intruders and to defend your property. Dogs have great hearing, and should be alerted to any potential dangers that threaten either you or your property.

Of course, the keyword there is ‘should’ as not all dogs, even guard dogs, are the highly trained machines they’re sometimes mistaken for. One guard dog in particular, from Devon, recently slept through a burglary where (more…)

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Police officer found guilty of allowing dogs to die in car

by Darren Jamieson on February 23, 2010

Pc-Mark-Johnson

PC Mark Johnson, a police dog handler from Nottinghamshire police, was yesterday found guilty of leaving two police dogs in his car on one of the hottest days of last year, causing both dogs to die of heatstroke.

PC Johnson was found guilty on charges of animal cruelty and was ordered to pay court costs of £2,500. He was also given just a six month conditional discharge. PC Johnson claimed he was suffering with mental health problems at the time, which accounted for his actions in allowing the dogs to die in the car.

PC Johnson claimed that he was suffering from an ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ which was caused by the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigating him on a number of matters.

The two Alsatians, named Jay-Jay and Jet, were left in the officer’s car on June 30th last year, when temperatures that day peaked at 29.3C. Temperatures inside the car, where the two dogs were trapped, would have been much higher. It is believed that the two dogs would have died in under (more…)

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Man and his dogs survive 40ft fall in car

by Lianne Wilkinson on January 19, 2009

A lucky driver survived when he crashed his car on the M1, in Yorkshire, and ploughed down a 40ft embankment. The driver, who was driving his Ford Focus with his two pet dogs, was cut free from the crashed car by firefighters, who branded the man and his dogs very lucky to be alive.

It has been revealed what exactly happened with the forty-year-old motorist who crashed his car near Blackburn, on the M1. The man is currently in hospital in Sheffield, recovering with spinal injuries.

Bob Haddrell from Elm Lane station stated:

This car was heading north on the M1 when it somehow came off the (more…)

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Dog Defends Owner Against Attacker

by Lianne Wilkinson on November 12, 2008

A man described in The Independent as a pervert made an obscene suggestion to a lady walking her dog in the park and was attacked by the lady’s Alsation.

The dog reportedly sunk his teeth into the man’s forearm after he lunged at the dog’s owner, a lady in her forties. The alsation let go of the man once the alsation’s owner, who had run away at this point, called the dog off.

The attack took place on Sunday evening in a local park in the Harrowgate Hill area in Darlington, in County Durham.

A spokesperson for the police, PC Astrid Chapman said:

“The lady let the dog off its lead and (more…)

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