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Newsletter of the Doggy scene in Zimbabwe, with some articles and Show news as well.. |
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Articles published in this Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor. Nothing may be copied unless the Editor grants permission.
Dates & News:
ZimDog News, can be accessed from: www.vanerp.net.
Zimbabwe Kennel Club:
The Zimbabwe Kennel Club office will now only be open on a Tuesday and Friday each week, 14.00-16.00 CAT.
Also they will come to Kennel Club every LAST SUNDAY of each month
Local Shows and Fairs
Working Breeds show will be held on 16 May. MLKA & HKC are being held on 27 June
Farewell to Helen, Doug & Dougal Brown.
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Today, we welcome you all to a farewell for Helen and Doug. Both of them have been a part of so many of our lives and we would like to pay a small tribute to them. Dick Cory, out KCH Chairman, sends his apologies for today’s function – regrettably he is unable to attend due to ill health. Doug and Helen arrived in Rhodesia [as it was then] from Scotland in 1953. Doug joined the Railways and worked there until 1969. There after, he worked for Jameson Diesel and then became a partner in Associated Diesel. |
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Helen worked for Holland’s Africa Construction and then as an Accountant at Kingfisher Fish & Chips. Her boss subsequently bought the Gremlin Drive-inn and Helen went to work as manageress there. Later she left to join Ursula and Gladys at Agricultural Buying Services. Doug & Helen had 3 German Shepherds and in 1962 joined the GSD Club with Duke, Bridget and a Border collie called Nellie. |
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Helen left the GSD Club and decided to join the Kennel club of Harare where she trained Tam and more recently, Ginty. Both Ginty and Helen & Doug’s other dog, Sophie, have found lovely homes. Helen & Doug will be moving to Aberdeen shire on 5 May. We bid them farewell and they will be sorely missed by all of us. The will be in our thoughts and we thank them for their contribution to so many of our lives. |
Whites: The White German Shepherd is, contrary to some people’s beliefs, a purebred German Shepherd Dog, and they are not a rare specimen, nor are they albinos. White Shepherds have not been proven to be either more or less healthy than their coloured counterparts. The White gene is a recessive gene, and it can be carried by coloured dogs - i.e. if two black and tan dogs, which both carry the gene, are bred, there can be some white puppies in the litter. Also, because of its recessive nature, 2 white dogs bred together can produce nothing but white dogs, and a white dog bred to a coloured dog who does not carry the white gene can not produce any white dogs. There is a long history behind the White German Shepherd which can be better learned at the following links: The American White Shepherd Association, The White German Shepherd Club of Canada.
More on Coat Patterns and Markings:
The Ever Varying Sable: Anyone who owns a Sable dog can probably tell you that it went through an amazing number of shades and patterns and colours before settling on it's semi-permanent adult 'look' :) Sable puppies change immensely as they grow, and often end up either darker or lighter than they were as a pup. There is also quite the array of Sable colours, ranging from the lightest Tan to the darkest Black.
Markings: Often times, especially when referring to sables, you may hear terms such as pencilling, tar heels, striping, etc. These all refer to the markings found on the dog. We will try to illustrate some of these terms below.
The term "Sable" (or Agouti) itself refers to the banding of colour on the dogs individual hairs. The hairs on a sable dog are 'tipped' with varying amounts of black on the ends, with the rest of the hair being any shade of tan, red, gray, etc - which accounts for the large array of shades of sable.|
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Above is a picture of another dog: an example of ‘pencil markings’ on the toes, also a black sable. Some believe this is an indication that the dog carries the ‘black recessive gene. |
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Coat Lengths: There are technically 3 coat lengths in the German Shepherd - short, long, and long stock coats. We've included in this list the 'Plush' coat, simply FYI, as it is a term used for this fuller coat often times in the show ring, etc, and is worth noting.
The short coat is an allowed coat length, and it's just what it sounds like...short. The hair length is short and the coat lays flat against the body.
The Plush Coat is 'plushier' than the short coat, and is preferred more in the show ring. It's basically a longer, fuller coat, yet still an allowed length. Both the short and plush coats are 'stock' coats, meaning they have an undercoat.
The Long Stock Coat is a long coat that has an undercoat. This is not a desired coat length despite the dog still having an undercoat. Stock Coats shed just as much as their short or plush coated counterparts ;) The Long Stock Coat, like the normal Long Coat, can be distinguished by long tufts, or 'feathering', of hair on the ears and the backs of the legs and tail.
The Standard Long Coat is a long soft outer coat with no undercoat, and is a fault as far as the standard is concerned. It has long hair or feathering on the ears, legs, and tail.
Thanks to everyone who sent in photos!
More Patterns...
The Solid Pattern:
The solid pattern is a recessive gene, meaning it is only expressed when
the dog has 2 copies of the gene. Dogs that are sable, black and tan,
etc, can carry this gene. Two solid patterned dogs bred together can
only produce solid patterned pups. There can be solid blacks, blues, or
livers.
The Bi-Colour and Blanket-Back Patterns:
Bi-colours are often defined as being predominantly black (or
blue/liver) with markings on the bottoms of their legs, and sometimes
above their eyes and around their muzzles.
Blanket-Backs have extended saddle markings that go roughly to the area of their elbows, and give the appearance of a "blanket" rather than a "saddle" on their backs.