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Thank you Tushnurse, it's still sinking in...slowly. Still hard to believe he will arrive next Wednesday!

Yesterday, I scanned and emailed both the breeder and the shipper a photo of their wire transfer papers from the bank, just to assure them the funds are in the process of getting there. Neither has replied this morning, so I guess that means no news is good news. Fingers crossed. Time to put that puppy play yard fence up while we wait!

We also dropped our older girl off at the vets this morning for some 'cosmetic' surgery (cyst removal from eyelid, and 2 masses under her skin on her hindquarter, which I pray are benign.) The vet tech joked we were prettying her up for the new pup; I wanted to give her these overdue procedures before ALL our attention turns to her baby brother. She took a back seat to the old boy for a long time, as his advancing illnesses took priority. Also, we wanted her sutures to heal before Baby Bomber Boy slams into her!! (Ooops, his first Nickname?!)

BTW, our breeder also works and breeds Malinois! Did this coworker have a puppy shipped? I do still worry how that goes for the pups.

Glad you got things worked out!!!

Yes he has had 2 dogs shipped from Germany.
My new boy is growing like a weed, and the the 2 chocolates are known as Thunder and Lightening. They just spent the last hour chasing each other and wrestling. I cannot imagine how crazy it is going to be when they are both 85 lbs of chocolate thunder!!! I'm going to end up having most things in my home broken I fear. LOL

Now the little one is passed out w/ his legs up, and pink belly showing.

Oh, Super…this is GREAT news!!!

Tuesday is VERY soon. And, yes, we DO get the dogs we are supposed to get.

I’m just so thrilled for y’all and Mink!

I am most happy about the peace that will overcome you when at last Mink gets home. Hard to actually explain, but very real.

Little Bella continues to be a VERY playful, and VERY snuggly little girl…exactly as the seller described her.

Y’all have been so sweet to help me get through this process, and now we must keep doing the same for SuperMink!!!

🙏🏽 for no more hiccups along the way.

…and tush…I’m so glad to hear about your new addition(s)?

I’m not sure if you got two new puppies, or you’re just grouping them together after your new one arrived.

It’s not clear to me whether or not you all plan to breed your puppies. I absolutely do not, and have already inquired about the timing for my little Bella.

I have introduced Bella to the two younger of my dogs… Just not the old growly girl. She has this very low growl when she’s not happy with something. I say her name, she looks at me, and walks over to her bed and lays down. So I have kept them apart. But she has beat me to the puppy once or twice and took a very quick sniff from about a foot away and then walked away. So I’m hoping that maybe she will learn to tolerate her like she tolerates the others.

The two year old border collie/beagle is interested in Bella, but she will sniff and walk alongside her, and then lose interest. The one that is madly in love with her is the beagle/fox hound (we think) and she is just "eat up with her". (I’m gonna make a wild guess about that being a southern expression.❤️). She puts her nose up underneath her belly and lifts her up. Twice she has gently put her mouth on her shoulders, but her tail is wagging the whole time. I of course, watch them closely and as soon as I say her name, she tucks her tail and assumes the demeanor of being chastised. But the puppy is fearless, and has never exhibited being uncomfortable around them as I’m sure she would if the play got too rough.

Please keep the puppy tales coming!!!

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 10:57 PM, Thursday, May 18th]

Today was all about the older girl. We picked her at 3 pm from the surgery she had. I sat in the jump seat in the back of the truck cab with her and she kept touching me to "ground" herself but I noticed panting, and it isn't that hot. I told my H "I think she is about to get car sick" and we stopped at a wide place in the road and let her out just to get on solid ground.

On the way back to the farm, though, darned if H didn't want to divert to town another 6 miles out of our way - the dogs know the roads by the way they feel - to get his darned newspaper! But at least he thought twice: "Is she stable enough for me to do that?" Like Mama Bear, I blurted out "No! She is holding it together just to get home, I sense." (He still doesn't understand about these things...)

We both basically rescheduled any other planned work for the remainder of the afternoon to hang out with her in the room where her crate is, to help get her feeling like she was "back home." It took almost 2 hours before she snoozed off, wearing her really cool Navy blue stretch medical shirt embroidered with the vet's hospital name, blazoned on the side in fluorescent yellow. She looks like an athlete! (I'm glad we said "yes" when they asked if we wanted a "shirt" rather than the cumbersome E collar. Shirt wasn't pricey, either.) But the instructions warn "restrict activity for the next 10-14 days!" I hope it is just a standard spay surgery form, but her big incisions turned out to be for subcutaneous cysts, not for abdominal surgery. So sorry for her, that Mink will see her for the first time in a freaking swim suit!! 😮

Turned out her eyelid cyst was really deep and needed to be removed, so I am glad we booked this day now, anyway. Also, I didn't want to miss a hemangiosarcoma tumor - like what killed our other dog. (There are superficial types and deep organ types of it.) She gets her stitches out in 3 weeks. We will likely have the vet examine our new boy at that time, since he said to give him 2 weeks to recover from the stress of the flights before we bring him in.

Still no acknowledgement from overseas. But I have to trust....

Tushnurse, our shipper told us it's easier on a dog at 10 weeks of age like ours is, than when it is older and has entered one of the GSD "fear stages," but I understand Germany doesn't allow a pup younger than 4 months to be shipped. So, how did that work out for your coworker? I'm very interested in what others have experienced doing this with a puppy, versus a young or older dog.

WhatsRight!! Sweet update! And Tush's pink tummy puppy!! And our girl Missy with her sleek jumpsuit.... ✔️

Tush, congratulations on your new puppy! Superesse, looking forward to hearing about your new guy. WhatsRight, I am so tempted to get a little dog. Our mini doesn’t cuddle like my toy poodles and Yorkie did. If my daughter moved, it’s possible she might take the mini schnauzer.
She is taking her golden.

That would leave me with my 2 standard poodles. Both will be 7 this year. My male won’t keep weight on my vet finds nothing wrong with him.

In all practical reasons, we won’t get another dog till we are down to 1.

I totally get practicality when it comes to dogs.

The other day it was time for me to take ALL of my - now 5 - dogs to the vet. It was a bit comical with all of the leashes getting tangled up, etc. They actually put all of us (my sister went to help) in a room while they "assembly lined" my babies through the process. They all did fine. The pup has gained a whopping 3 oz - tipping the scales at a whopping 4 lbs 1 oz! 😊

And when it was time to check out, I nearly passed out…just over $2000 !!!

Of course, that was for a full year of care, but still…

My husband continues to be really cute about this puppy. Last night I went to get her more food and some groceries. When I got home, I proudly showed him and the puppy what I had bought her… A little doggie bed. And my husband says, "What is that for?" "Why does she need that?"

It’s true. Our dogs rarely lie down in doggie beds. They either sleep with me or in one of the recliners. And now, Bella with my H.

Regarding the potty bells, I placed an order on Amazon at a pet store I was supposed to pick up later that evening. Well, they don’t have it. And I can’t find it anywhere on my phone where I kept the purchase process/proof of purchase. Lucky it wasn’t much money. So I have decided to just macramé a long cord and attach the bells myself. If I can get that done this morning, we will start the bell training this afternoon. I’m really excited about it. And yes, I think I will also put one on my husband‘s bed, because it looks like she will be sleeping with him even when she is up and around in the house more during the day.

WR, I saw a woman with 2 boxers yesterday at the vet with their leashes getting tangled like you said...I cannot imagine 5! And my first thought reading this was the sticker shock you were in for....yep. Our vet isn't cheap. He is very good and we chose him over the old practice; they were really pricey, too. The other day we asked for a pre-op estimate and were told between $1,000 and $1,300. Checked out yesterday and the bill was over $1,400. Because I added a nail trim and that cool shirt the vet tech recommended. The "Senior blood work" is $145! They ran a T4 on her because of her age, we didn't ask for that...another $50.

I had already looked into pet insurance, as we spent sooo much on the old boy. Found that at $145 a month for one dog, we wouldn't be getting ahead. So we have to SUCK IT UP!!! 😀

I had to laugh at your H's question, sounds just like what mine would pose....he is BONDED to that Bella! You may have to start the search process all over again, for your very OWN snuggle bug! 😀 Just kidding....

Still quiet this morning on the email. I guess they will get my money today. Would be nice to know....

WR to answer your question, we have one new puppy that is a full blood brother to our 4.5yo chocolate lab. Who is a HRC Champion. We did not breed him, but considered it. The puppy will most likely be bred, as this was the last litter of a super pairing. They had in total 4 litters, but momma is done.
He goes to sleep away camp (training on basics early duck hunting stuff) and first HRC tests should be passed in Sept.

So the insanity yesterday was a 85 lb dog, and a 30lb puppy. The big dog is really good w/ playin w/ him and not being to crazy to hurt him accidentally.

Those surgical one-sies are a Godsend. Just sayin'. Where have they been all my life?

I had to laugh at your H's question, sounds just like what mine would pose....he is BONDED to that Bella! You may have to start the search process all over again, for your very OWN snuggle bug! 😀 Just kidding....

Hmmm…🤔

No, not really. I’m pretty sure y’all couldn’t take another saga re my searching for a puppy. Anyway, our household is full up!

It is been about seven years since my last mini Doxie passed away. And I have been so enamored and possessed about getting a new one, as you all well know! I can’t imagine how I have managed to forget how freaking STUBBORN they are! But, I must admit, that it is one of the things I love most about them.

I have been looking at pictures online of black German shepherds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before. They are truly beautiful!

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 2:05 AM, Saturday, May 20th]

WR, not sure if you meant "not really" I don't need another Snuggle Bug of my own, or "not really" I don't want to go hunting again...? :)

I would understand!! And you're already up to 5 doggos, so bulk kibble buyer, right? I'm trying to sooth your soul here...

Update on the process I'm in: the freight shipper guy in Europe emailed me this morning (6 hours ahead there) to say he got his payment and thanked me!. I have not gotten a similar acknowledgement from the breeder. I think her English is sketchy. The other day, after the Moneygram transfer attempt didn't work, I called the breeder in the USA who had referred me to this one over there, and asked why this has become so difficult. I found out that this woman (the USA breeder) only ever communicated with that breeder through a WhatsApp messaging app! So no wonder, there seems to be a significant language barrier....

But thankfully, this shipping agent guy we spoke with a few weeks ago on the phone is on the ball, so I wrote him back that the breeder must have also received her payment even though I hadn't heard back, and she needs to send paperwork to clear the puppy through customs. This afternoon, I got another email reply from him saying "I may do this part, so send me the information on the value of the puppy and if you have a broker, give me that contact information." Either she hands all the exporting off to this shipper, or she is tired of doing emails with me, I don't know how to interpret that, but it's confusing. Per the Customs officer I spoke with at our airport, an individual importing a pet does not need a broker. Hope that's a fact.

Against all this uncertainty, I just hang on to the USA breeder, my reference, who told us "I can assure you she isn't going to take your money and not send you a puppy."

SackofSorry, the vet didn't tell us how often to wash this Spandex shirt, but I could see from the fabric over the incision area it was time to do that, so I hand washed and dried it on Low. It wasn't 100% dry when we put it back on her, because she was waiting for her DINNER! Being a girly girl, she loves being "dressed" and enjoys me struggling with all the snaps on the bottom! Reminds me of doing up a baby! As she's turning around supervising... :)

Going to be a LONG 2 weeks....

So, as I have looked online about black German Shepherd’s, vs Czech German Shepherds, there doesn’t seem to be much difference to the novice - except maybe the size.

Is this right?

How weird is that, that those two breeds are "rare" and yet we have two owners on this very thread!

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if y’all lived close to each other and could have a play date!

Pardon me if I choose not to participate, considering the fact that Bella wouldn’t even be a good snack for any of y’all’s dogs !!!

Not sure who else is blessed to be owned by one of these Czech GSDs here, so I'll try to pinch hit and answer your general question and explain how we came to get into this little niche.

Black is a standard color in GSD, so it is not really that rare, but you don't see it that often because it comes from a "double recessive" gene pairing. The usual sable shepherds will tend not to produce any 100% black puppies, although it isn't unheard of.

We found iur all black girl GSD quite by accident (my internet searching for a Black Labrador-Shepherd like the vets always thought our old boy appeared to be, though we never did a DNA test - and I kick myself weekly for not having done one!) Seemed like no dog on planet Earth looked anything like our special dog. We even were told by farm neighbors he showed a lot of Coyote traits! I windered if he was half Lab and half Belgian Shepherd (tall black dogs with soft and full coats, as he had.) Not too many running about out here in the mountains, though. We had rescued him from the shelter; he was peppered with buckshot all through his bones from his feral lifestyle!

One day I came across a breeder in my state who had a black male who resembled our boy, except with the upright ears of the GSD. That breeder specialized in the East German-Czech lines of German Shepherds used in military or law enforcement; not a pet type of dog.

So we chose a girl pup from that breeder to get a dog as similar looking to our boy as we could find; we were hoping for a matched set. Except Mr. Mellow, always so laid back, got himself a wild and crazy girlfriend. Nothing at all like what I had imagined we could train, based on my childhood memories of our family's GSD! She is part Czech, most old East GermanShepherd, with the personality of a Belgian Malinois. For a long time, it drove me a crazy that she rarely stops being "on duty" - but the breeder had warned us. They call it having no Off Switch, and is a fault in some lines. Also, obedience isn't their strong suit; some of the older war dog lines were hard to train, being very driven and independent.

One of her nicknames is Busy, as in Busy Bee; Miss Bizz. Always ripping up something, daily gallops through the house stealing my slippers, rummaging through the recycle bin to destroy plastic bottles, and generally howling and yiping commentary on anything we might talk about, which she listens to intently. Not to mention her ferocious barking at every vehicle that enters the farm! Good grief. But she soon had H wrapped around her baby toenails as it were, so gradually I must have adapted to the intensity. But I always say if we had lived in an apartment complex, we would have been evicted!

The other day, when we told some neighbors who remembered her crazed puppy days that we were getting this new puppy from over there, the man asked "What kind of dog is it?" I pointed to the back seat of the truck, where Missy was waiting to bark Hello at them, and said "One just like her!" His wife remarked "If you're getting another dog 'just like her,' you're in trouble!" I replied "I know!!" Right on cue, Missy stood up and let fly with the ferocious barks....but in almost 10 years, she has been "all bark and no bite." She thinks it's her job. But the tail is wagging most of the time.

I understand the breeder I'm buying this baby from earns obedience titles with every dog she keeps, so I'm hoping this pup will be much more trainable and maybe we can show him. We just have to keep him from picking up her behaviors!

Y’all, I have just reread this entire thread, just to relive the whole experience. I so love how we all cherish our fur babies! And I appreciate SO MUCH all the support!

I’m sorry about my weird question about there being 2 people on this topic with black GSD. When Superesse and Tush were chatting back and forth about their dogs, I guess I didn’t notice the names of the posters, and thot you both had black GSD. When I reread the thread, I remembered that Tush has chocolate labs.

Tush, I’m curious about your dogs being working dogs. I assume you mean that literally, not just describing the breed. What will they be doing exactly?

I have to admit that I have not been diving headlong into potty training as I would have wished. I have been so thankful to get Bella home, that I haven’t mentioned that the 7 hour trip to get her has really messed up my knees. All I can figure is it was the long period of time without moving my legs. But by the time I got home with her, I could hardly walk, my knees hurt so badly. 🤨

So, I have had to be using my cane on and off to get around. It is getting better, although my H has been on me to call the orthopedist. Anyway, this has kept me from seriously attacking the potty training. I keep remembering what Tush said that is so true…for every mistake, you need lots of successful experiences to override the accidents.

So today I plan to get SERIOUSLY started with it.

Supersesse, so we are at 4 more days with your countdown??? Will you need to travel to an airport to get your baby, or will she be brought to your home?

This is all so exciting!!! I so love hearing about everyone’s pet experiences. I was thinking we should have a big GTG with the babies, but I am certain Bella would be eaten by some of these big dogs!

ETA: I also feel I need to add that Bella has had an unexpected effect on my H and I. It has given us something positive to focus on together - shared happiness. This hasn’t happened in a long time, since…

So I want to be sure to be thankful for that, amidst all my other happiness with her.

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 3:37 PM, Saturday, May 20th]

WhatsRight, I sensed that about your new puppy, because dogs have that effect on us! I always will believe our old boy was fundamental to our remaining together back in 2014. Neither of us could have stood not having that dog in our life, even when we could easily see a different path than staying together. We just couldn't tear him away from his farm. He is buried now up on the hill watching over my garden and my barn where H does his mechanical work. So even now, we "share" him and all the beautiful memories he gave us.. The bond is that strong, I am not ashamed to admit I am getting tears just writing this.

On the new puppy, still have no email from the breeder, so now I have a theory: that her bank didn't get the funds available to her so quickly as the businessman's bank, the largest and oldest in their country. So maybe she is taking his word for it along with that scan of the transfer I sent her as good faith, but she had told me she wanted paid by Friday. (Oh well, maybe she should have answered my emails a week earlier, so I would have released her the money!)

The shipper told me he gets the puppy from her on Monday. He keeps it overnight in his home, and the pup leaves his city at 2 pm Tuesday, overnights again on Tuesday at a cargo live animal facility in Istanbul, and arrives at our airport 100 miles from us on Wednesday mid-day. Poor baby.

We plan to haul our camper down to the cargo terminal so I can do a "meet and greet" with our possessive girl on neutral territory....although she "owns" the camper, too. I will have an X-pen set up on the tarmac, and open his crate first on the ground within the pen, so I can clean him up while she watches on her leash with her Daddy. Then if all goes well, we will have a pack meeting in the camper, with goodies, water, and something to eat before we make the last leg of his journey. Does this sound like a good strategy?

She is still super quiet today, so we think the Rimadyl pain med is making her drowsy. Tomorrow is her last day on that. Wonder if we need a refill, hahaha!

WR I hope you don't have circulation issues with your legs?

Cleaning the medical one-sie ... you might be able to get away with some extra time between cleanings if you use a maxi pad or a panty liner stuck to the inside of the one-sie where it is near any discharge.

SackofSorry, What a great suggestion, thanks!! I stuck a paper towel under her shirt this afternoon, as the one incision with 3 stitches is a little bit weepy, but I know not to get it wet. A few hours later there was a dime-size damp spot on the paper, clear. But I can see down into the incision at one spot, although her stitches are holding ok. Sad to say, the vet ain't a plastic surgeon, as he left her skin puckered at each end, the poor fancy girl! I was trying to make her look "better" but I think this scar might never lay 100% flat ('course, she is a Shepherd, with a thick coat so I guess nobody will see it but I will be able to feel it.) :(

Just got the email from the breeder!!! She thanked me for the money "finally arriving." (I think her bank held it up longer than the shipper's.) I did the translate thing again below what I wrote back, so she can easily read what I wrote. She says he is all alone now, all his siblings have already gone to their new homes. (Guilt trip maybe?) I asked her to give him some extra love. I don't know if she bonds with all her puppies, she's got 3 more litters already in the works!

She did confirm that she's sending him to the shipper on Monday. We are cleaning up the RV camper and putting fresh water in the tank, so we can wash his dirty bum!!!

SackofSorry, do you think my Welcome Committee plan is going to be OK? I've never DONE this before!!

Superesse - I think your plan sounds AWESOME, but I’ve never done it either.

(That WAS a great suggestion re the mini pad under the weepy incision!)

Ok, I just need to tell y’all that:

A. Google is right. Dachshunds ARE the most stubborn breed…and,

2. Bella is totally potty trained……….to the bed! 😖

I started taking her outside repeatedly today. Standing / walking around for 30 minutes at a time. NOTHING. Then, when I return her to H…she poops within 30 seconds! Again and again. And when my H would yell that she is fixing’ to poop, it would take me longer than normal to try to hurry (limp) back there to get her outside before she would poop. Unsuccessfully I might add. (With my hurt knees, we are a pathetic, but probably humorous pair!)

I can’t be upset about it. That lady…the seller potty trained her well to the puppy pad. And there is the stubborn thing.

But I did make a macrame strip about 3 1/2 feet long and attach some jingle bells on it. I hung it on the door handle. My 1 and 2 year olds look at me like I’m an idiot…and Bella jumps when she hears it. A comedy of errors.

But…"Tomorrow is another day."

🙂

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 3:04 AM, Sunday, May 21st]