December 2011 - Hey Sandy, We have had Shasta for more than a year and she is the best dog we have had. She has been an excellent learner (we just finished her off the leash training) and she is a great watchdog! She has so much energy and is a great cuddler. We couldn't ask for a better companion! Thanks again and have a great holiday! Samantha (Shasta is a Hayze/Hutch daughter)

October 2011 - Hello, Wanted to send an update on the blue and tan girl from the February 2011 Lotus and Hutch Litter. Maddie Lou has been a wonderful addition to our family. She is getting along well with our 3 cats and is always by our side. She is very obedient, loyal and sweet. She loves to play ball and chase bugs in the yard just like Lotus and Hutch. She will put a ball in her mouth and follow us around the house trying to get us to play. Anytime the hose is on she is right in front of it waiting to get sprayed. We always get compliments on how beautiful she is wherever we take her. She is an amazing dog and we are so glad to have her. Thank you, Shannon (Maddie Lou is a Lotus/Hutch daughter)

July 2011 - Hello Sandy, I wanted to give you an update on Shayze, the grey collar girl from Hayze and Hutch's litter. We love her to death! She is the best dog I have ever had - she trains well, is an excellent watchdog, and is so sweet with the kids. Our four year old is always giving her big hugs, and our 6 year old calls her "our life guard dog" haha. :) Hope you are having a great summer! - Meagan Yates (Shayze is a Hayze/Hutch daughter)

July 2011 - Hi Sandy, Otis is doing great! He had no problem with the kennel when we first brought him home and now he is sleeping all over the house, spending time in the kids rooms and ours to make sure everything is ok! He is the best behaved dog we have ever had, he was even the star at his obedience class. Otis is great with our kids, I am starting to think he is more my son's dog then the family dog, they just chase each other all over the yard and when it is nap time Otis takes a nap right next to his room! Otis gets along great with other dogs, he has been around a lot and loves to play with them all. He is also great with people, I have taken him to work with me on many occasions and he listens great even with all the other people around and cars and trucks. He gets nothing but complements when ever we go somewhere and people are shocked at how well behaved he is at such a young age. He is a great dog and we could not be happier! Thanks again for having such a great program. Zac (Otis is a Hayze/Hutch son)

July 2011 - Hi Sandy, We've been meaning to forward you photos of Storm for a long time now so you can see how he has grown. We can't thank you enough for such a wonderful dog. He fit in immediately with our family and bonded with our 12 year old yellow lab Comet. Storm is so affectionate and so smart it's scary. We had him potty trained in two days. I can't tell you how many compliments we get about him when we walk him around the neighborhood or bring him to the dog park, especially from other German Shepherd owners. I think he looks a lot like Hutch which is exactly what we were looking for when we picked him. He loves his tennis ball which makes it easy for me to train him. Thank you so much for bringing this special soul into our lives. Just know he is truly loved. Kind Regards, Jennifer and Craig (Storm is a Hayze/Hutch son)

June 2011 - Hi there. It has been almost two years since I last emailed you. Charlie is now 3 years old and loving life. Most popular dog at the dog park (and best looking). Everyone is amazed at how kind he is toward other dogs. We have worked with a trainer and he is a great dog. He came from Lotus and Hutch and he weighs approx 95-100lbs. Thanks, Geoff (Charlie is a Lotus/Hutch son)

April 2011 - Hi Sandy, From your website I can see you have your hands full with some new pups, they look great! Buck has so far been an amazing dog. I can't go anywhere in public without multiple people telling me what a handsome, good looking, and beautiful (those are the main terms I get) dog he is. I'm beginning to think that he is like some kind of dog super model or something. lol. He is extremely smart and driven to please us. He is also doing well with his obedience training. I have never had a dog that just wants to keep by our side at all times so much. He is completely bonded to our family and sometimes I think he thinks he was born to us as well. At nearly 8 months he is already protecting the yard. He is a beautiful dog and I'm very happy that I decided to go with your breeding program, it is a quality one. I sent you some photos I hope you will enjoy in a separate letter from my phone. Thanks again! Thomas (Buck is a Hayze/Hutch son)

November 2010 - Dear Sandy: I'm sending some pictures of our Annabelle, one of Lotus and Hutch's litter from Sept 09. She is the most wonderful dog: beautiful, smart, healthy, and fun, and we are enjoying her very much. She is the most loving and affectionate girl, wants to be right next to us. She gets along well with our male GS, and our golden retriever. Can't thank you enough for breeding these healthy, happy dogs! Dorothy & Joe Fowler (Annabelle is a Lotus/Hutch daughter)

October 2010 - Hi there Sandy. I hope you remember us. We got “Purple Girl” from Sailor & Glory’s litter. We named her Lexi and she is a great dog. She’s coming up on her 1 year Birthday and we thought we would share a few pictures of her. Her constant companion is Kayla (another GSD who is now almost 5 years old). They run, play and chase each other and all the things we throw that they fetch. They truly love each other very much. They have a lot of room to run around (almost 2+ acres fenced) and much more up here in Placerville when we go on local walks and hikes. Lexi is becoming a great watch dog and has a wonderful disposition and personality and she is VERY intelligent! Two days after we brought her home in early December, we got dumped on by 2-1/2 ft of snow and were out of power for a week. She was a great dog during the whole event and never flinched once when it came to going out in the snow. Even when it was almost over her head! We hope you enjoy seeing these pictures as much as we loved taking them (& sending them to you)! JoAnn & Chris (Lexi is a Glory/Sailor daughter)

August 2010 - Hi Sandy. We’ve been meaning to email to update you on Nala, our Mona and Hutch baby girl, for months but she’s kept us busy :) It always good to blame the children (human and canine) for procrastination :) Nala is just over 16 months now and doing amazing. She has been a welcome addition to our family. She is the most affectionate Shepherd we’ve ever had! She takes care of our children, is so gentle with them, and has the sweetest disposition. She is a great size Shepherd at 74 lbs already. We are so thankful to you for breeding such amazing creatures – we know we’ll be back in the future for more :) Here are some pics of her over the last 14 months. Jennifer Jenkins (Nala is a Mona/Hutch daughter)

June 2010 - Hey Sandy. I hope all is well with you and your family. Watts is almost 9 months now ( 80lbs.) and was the red collar male from the Lotus and Hutch litter of September 2009 and he has been a blast to have. He is such a fast learner and is now mastering everything with distraction. I take him to work (60,000 sq ft.) with me at least once a month and we focus on training with distractions such as a lot of people walking around, forklifts, motorized carts. He loves our daughter and has become very alert to what is normal and what is not around the house. His favorite thing is the ball and he constantly wants to play fetch with it and this drive has allowed me to train him with no treats at all. He is an indoor dog that loves the outdoors and our most recent camping trip was his first time out and he did a sit stay at a 1/4 mile for 10 minutes before I called him. He truly is a member of our family that strives to please us and is not afraid of anything. Enjoy the pics. Thanks, Art and Misty Nava (Watts is a Lotus/Hutch son)

January 2010 - Hi Sandy, Happy New Year! I just wanted to drop you a quick note letting you know how great Kida is doing. She is growing so fast as I'm sure you'd expect. We put her in a crate next to the bed and the first couple of nights, she barely cried at all. We couldn't believe it. Housebreaking has been much easier that expected. And when she does have an accident in the house, it's more our fault than hers. She's learned to LOVE the bully stick and that seems to satisfy the majority of her chewing needs. She's getting along better with our two older dogs than we expected as well. Our 12 year old boxer mix enjoys playing with her. Our 14 year old Lab mix has taken a motherly liking to her and has been very patient with all of her energy. She's been great for them. Kida really enjoys going to puppy class - she fell asleep the first class. In the 3rd class, a 4 to 5 month old German Shepherd joined the class and they bonded quickly. It also reminded us of quickly she's going to grow. She gets three meals a day plus all the training treats. We'll also hide pieces of dog food around and she loves to go "hunting" for them. She's been to the Vet twice to get her shots - they love her and her demeanor. So, thanks again for such a great pup! Fritz and Rosie (Kida is a Glory/Sailor daughter)

Dear Sandy, We have the yellow ribbon female. Her name is Athena. She has fit in so well with our family (children 13, 8, 3 and 1).  It is so amazing how gentle she is with my one year old.  She just seems to know we have to take care of him and be patient. She will be 15 weeks tomorrow and heels well on leash.  She does sit, down, come, crate, bed, wait.  She is learning stay.  We are so happy with her.  People comment all the time on how beautiful and smart she is. I will send more photos as I can. Thanks again for a great dog. The Schaff Family
Update: February 2008 - Hi Sandy, We are so enjoying Athena in our family.  I think that our 16 month old believes that he is a dog also. When Athena hears someone come up to the door, both she and the baby run to the window and bark.  She is so gentle with the children.  She knows which toys are hers to chew on and which ones aren't.  Even when they are all mixed around on the floor, she will gingerly step through to grab hers. She starts a group obedience class in April. We'll send you more updates later. The Schaff Family (Athena is a Glory/Ben daughter) 

Hello Sandy, Leonidas, ‘Leo’, is doing fabulous. He is beautiful, athletic and obedient. Now that he has reached his one year mark, we are seeing more from him everyday. His personality is quirky and funny, he loves to try and out smart us. Leo understands and responds to over 20 words, these including toys, food and of course commands. Leo, if you remember, was a very vocal pup and this trait is still with him, yes, he talks to us, we have nicknamed him Chewbacca...LOL! We have him enrolled him in a wonderful doggie daycare and training program, run by a very talented handler that owns and loves the German Shepherd Breed. Leo is very popular with the daycare handlers, as well as, the other dogs.  Funny, he does favor the other GSD’s attending, particularly a brother and sister team. Leo has great instincts that we have come to trust. He is great around people. Typical to his breed, he is rather aloof to strangers, but warms quickly. Leo does great off-leash when we go hiking. His habit is to get ahead of us and be able to look back to check on us...he never lets us out of his sights. We have taught Leo how to swim and respect the pool. Our pool doesn’t have steps, so we have introduced him slowly...Leo will now jump in on his own if someone is in the pool. He loves the water!!! Mark and I have enjoyed everyday with Leo and feel very blessed to have him as a part of our family. Thank you so much! Enjoy the attached pics. Best, Lisa (Leo is a Glory/Ben son)

Sandy, We can't thank-you enough for Mocha. She has been an incredible companion, friend, and entertainer for us. She comes to work with me everyday. I work in a high school so she is surrounded by kids all day. They love playing with her and she loves the attention. She is easily one of the smartest dogs I have ever owned! Jon and Lisa (Mocha is a Lexi/Ben daughter)

Update: March 2006 - Hello again, Well I thought I would take a few minutes and send you a few more pictures of Roxy. She has grown so much over the last year and a half. She is still very much praise driven. Doing all she can to make her people happy and to have us pet and scratch her. First picture, Roxy and her favorite past time playing in the water, taken June 05. Second picture, Roxy's first sleep over party, taken July 05. Third picture, Roxy playing with part of a tree branch from a tree in the back yard that she help keep trimmed down, taken Feb 06. Forth picture, Roxy watching over our new nephew. She is never out of the room when he is over to visit us, taken Feb 06. Thanks again for letting Roxy come home with us. Ralph & Family
Hello, Just a little note to say hello and send a few pictures of Roxy. She is doing great and is such a wonderful dog to have. she loves to be around her people. she is very much like her mom because she to is a shadow dog. she is very alert and protective of her home. she is also very praise driven. she never gets tired of the attention that the kids show her. she is very good with my daughter and all of the neighborhood kids. we have also taken Roxy on her first camping trip and she loved it. she had so much fun in the lake. I would like to thank you for letting Roxy come home with us. She is so much apart of our family now. THANK YOU! Ralph & Family (Roxy is a Glory/Ben daughter)

Update: May 2007 - Hi there, Just a quick update on Rikka—she is the pink collared solid black female from the Mona/Spike Litter. She’s 20 months now and doing great. She’s finished obedience class and is the household clown. She is an amazing companion and we are so happy to have her. Thank you! 
Rikka is doing great. She’s almost done with obedience class and has learned all the basic commands (easily) sit, stay, down, wait, heel, drop it, bed, etc. She is my little shadow—she always wants to know what I’m doing and follows me everywhere. I love it! She also takes great interest in our two cats and tends to sit near them or lay down with them. The other day Bailey our big cream colored cat was grooming her. We take Rikka hiking frequently and she loves nothing more than to clear the trail of all rabbits and squirrels.  She comes back prancing and proud—it’s adorable. Her best friend is Buster, a year old lab chow mix.  They go to the dog park together weekly and see each other for play dates several times a week. Buster chases the ball or whatever toy we are throwing around and Rikka chases Buster :) Rikka is spirited, smart, loyal and we are so happy to have her. Thank you again and I’ll be sending you some more pictures in a few months.Good luck with your upcoming litters. Lindsey Merkel (Rikka is a Mona/Spike daughter)

Update: June 2006 - Hello. Just a quick update on Cali. She is approaching her 9 month birthday and is doing great. She is a fabulous companion who goes everywhere with us. Although she loves to bark, she is very friendly. She loves going to day camp to play inside and meet new friends on rainy days. Cali also LOVES the water. We take her to the dog beach downtown Chicago and she swims after her toys and plays with the other dogs. Thanks again! Karin & John McMahon
Hi there, We picked up Cali from the O'Hare airport in Chicago in the beginning of December. She had a rough flight from California but was very happy to finally get home. She is doing great! And she loves the snow as you can see in the pictures! She has 1 sister and 3 brothers (all cats) that keep her on her toes. Cali also has a boyfriend named Austin (9 month old shepherd/lab mix) that she has play dates with on a regular basis. We love her very, very much. Cali is a wonderful addition to the family! Karin & John McMahon (Cali is a Mona/Spike daughter)

Update: March 2009 - Here are two pictures of Marley. She is from Lexi and Ben's first litter, born October 5, 2005. She is a wonderful and happy dog. She loves going on hikes and going on rides in cars. She is wonderful around people and animals. We are so happy with her. She was the sweetest puppy, and she has developed into an amazing pet and family member. Thanks for being such great breeders. I love going on line and looking at all the new litters, if we are ever wanting a puppy we will call you. Thanks, Elizabeth
March 2006 - Hi Sandy, Marley is doing wonderfully! She is truly the sweetest and calmest dog we have ever seen. I will send you some recent pictures of her. She is just beautiful. She and our other GSD are best friends and play all day long. She was the smartest dog in puppy class, even though she was the youngest. I take her out to our local high school for socializing and the kids love her. She barks at strangers, but calms down when we tell her it's OK. She has an appointment to be spayed soon, because even though she is amazing, I am too lazy to deal with how much work breeding her and caring for a litter is. I admire how well you handle raising pups. I have given your name to some people who noticed how special Marley is and were looking for a puppy. I look forward to seeing the puppy pictures on your web site from the two recent breedings. She really is the best dog. We have loved raising her from puppy hood and would not have skipped this time for all the world. Elizabeth (Marley is a Lexi/Ben daughter)

Burke lived in Alameda California until he was 1 year old. He spent a year in Michigan after that. In Michigan he had a huge yard full of "little critters" that he ran after all day. He absolutely loves the snow. He chased lightening and lightening bugs. He lives with another shepherd that I adopted in Michigan who is his best friend. We are back in California, now. Burke is hugely loving and tender and he is more playful than any dog I have ever encountered. Sharifah (Burke is a Rose/Ben son)

Hi Sandy, Here are some pictures of Yoda. He was the blue boy from Ben and Mona’s second litter. We adore him and get compliments literally every time we walk him on how big and beautiful he is. He waits for us in front of the gym most mornings and we always hear what a great temperament he has. We were nervous about his hips as GSDs have a history of problems, but he is wonderfully active and has a clean bill of health. He’s smart, incredibly loyal, protective, and just like a lot of his cousins loves to snuggle! As you can see in the pictures he loves the water, mostly to wade in, but he’ll swim if there’s a toy in it for him. He’s awesome, a really special dog. We couldn’t imagine not having him. Thank you so much! Sincerely, Lauren and Jeff (Yoda is Mona/Ben son)