Keelypso Keeshonden

Shadow is an Australian Shepherd we bought for our son from a breeder
that bred for herding stock, in February of 1999, just after the death of our
last Keeshond. Shadow was a loving and faithful companion to our family for
11 years, but he fell ill rather suddenly in the last few days of 2009 and was
diagnosed with inoperable cancer in his lungs. His disease progressed very
rapidly and we made the difficult decision to have him put to sleep on New
Years day. His was a very difficult loss to our whole family and to our son,
Soren, in particular. I was very proud that he chose to be there with Shadow
during his last moments to caress his head and reassure him as much as
possible and to tell him, one last time, how much he loved him. Rest in peace
our beloved Shadow!

Annabelle was a rescue Keeshond that was about to be euthanized for
aggressive behavior in Ohio. A call went out over the internet for someone
to foster her and try to rehabilitate her and we answered. When Cindy
picked her up at the airport, Annabelle's name was Lulu and she did not
even look like a Keeshond. Her mane was worn away by the improper collar
she wore and her coat was very thin and yellow, with very few guard hairs.
She was very overweight and we were told she had been raised on table
scraps alone. She would try to bite anyone that attempted to move her or
take away her food. We were also told she had been diagnosed as
hypothyroid. After some persistent training, she eventually stopped the
aggressive behavior and a few months on quality dog food produced a coat
that was thick and healthy, with nice color. She was never treated for
hypothyroidism, because her problems stemmed from very poor nutrition.
After having her for about six months, our vet x-rayed her knees and found
her patellas were permanently luxated and she was in fairly constant pain,
when walking. We feel this was the cause of her snapping at people who tried
to make her move. She went through a series of four operations to correct
the problem, which included the removal of her kneecaps. The operations
were not totally successful, but she was able to walk with a minimum amount of
discomfort and could even dance when she spied a meal on its way.
Annabelle was a very sweet girl who had the misfortune of being poorly bred
by someone who probably didn't have her parents knees checked for
luxation and probably didn't care about the result of their neglect, only
whether or not they would get paid for the offspring. Annabelle developed
liver disease and crossed the Rainbow Bridge on May 9th, 2008, just one
month short of her fourteenth birthday. We love her and will miss her always!

All of the health problems that have plagued Nikki, Tasha, Bianchi and
Annabelle are problems that can be avoided, to a large degree, when
breeding is done in a responsible manner with proper health testing. Even
though we have loved them all with all our hearts, it is sad to know their lives
probably could have been much more comfortable had they come from dogs
that had been cleared of the health problems that afflicted them.