Welcome everyone, to the #AtoZChallenge Blogging Extravaganza, where hundreds of bloggers publish 26 posts in 30 days, one for each letter of the alphabet, covering a myriad of topics!
“Dog Breeds & Anecdotes” is my theme. Click HERE to see all posts and HERE to view the participants.
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#AtoZChallenge2016 | Day 23: W is for WHITE SHEPHERD #dogladysden Share on X
WHITE SHEPHERD
In German Shepherd Dogs, the recessive gene for white coat hair was cast in the gene pool by the late 19th and early 20th-century program that developed and expanded the breed in Germany.
A white herding dog named Greif was the grandfather of Horand von Grafrath, the dog acknowledged as the foundation of all contemporary German Shepherd Dog bloodlines.
White coats were made a disqualification after the German Shepherd Club of Germany came under the control of the Nazi party that took over all aspects of German society in February 1933.
The German standard remained unchanged in the years after WWII and was later adopted by North American clubs as well.
In 1969, white dog fanciers in the United States and Canada formed their own “White German Shepherd” breed clubs.- WIKIPEDIA [photo credit]
![[photo credit]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schweizer_Sch%C3%A4ferhund,_9_Monate.JPG){kind=link}
There was only one White Shepherd in my life and he was an unforgettable character!
Excerpt from Chapter One of “Adventures in Dog Sitting”:
LUKE
I met Luke when he was only 9 months old. What a magnificent dog; a beautiful White Shepherd, the likes of which I had never seen before!
It was my weekly assignment to take him out for some exercise while his owners were at work. The first day, he was barking furiously and ready to attack before I got through the door!
This was a little nerve-wracking, but I was hoping he would calm down, once he picked up my scent. Our initial meeting had been a few days prior and he had given me a thorough “once over”.
With outstretched hand, palm up, I tiptoed in. Luke bounded at me, then stopped to sniff. He looked up as if to say “oh yes, I remember you” and started to wag his tail. Big sigh of relief escaped my lips! READ MORE ►
(click images to enlarge)
Two questions people kept asking me about Luke:
Is that an albino?
Is he part wolf?
Do you know the answers?
Looking forward to your comments!
(Even though my responses are late, I do read them all and appreciate them so much!)
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
28 thoughts on “W is for WHITE SHEPHERD | #AtoZChallenge”
I cringed at your early reception to your guy Luke. Not sure I would have go back without reinforcements. 😉
Luke was just doing his job, protecting his home. I’ll admit to being a little nervous, but it’s important not to show it. Dogs pick up on that and get suspicious.
I don’t think I have ever seen a white Shepherd – what a beauty. I loved/hated your story. It hurts so much to say goodbye even when you only know them from a distance – like my daughter’s herd.
What a sad story but glad you shared it. You have to go through losing more than just your own pets.
I’ve seen two or three more white shepherds around, but they’re not that popular. It’s too bad – they are gorgeous but shed prolifically. More people are into non-shedding dogs these days. Losing a client’s dog is almost as heartbreaking as my own, but I try to keep the happy memories at the forefront.
He’s so beautiful. I’ve always loved the German Shepherd, such powerful dogs and yet with that sweet innocent face. I’m glad you and Luke bonded, he was a sweetheart the entire time, just good at masking it on that first visit. 🙂
Luke took his responsibilities as protector of the home very seriously! 🙂 He was just doing his job. Good thing he recognized I was one of the good guys.
A very pretty dog!
Luke was a striking dog with a big personality to match. 🙂
These are beautiful dogs – especially Luke;-) Of course he remembered you, I can honestly say I would (will) too! Fascinating story about the origins.
He sounded so ferocious, I was wondering if he would take to me. Thankfully, we bonded and had many good years together. Nice to be memorable. Thanks! 🙂
This is a lovely story, Debbie. What a handsome chap, Luke—and I loved his impatient “chatter”… Though, in a sense (though not in volume, I’m guessing), it must’ve been more like muttering 😀 Dogs are wonderful creatures, and those of us who get to spend so much time with them are the luckiest of all.
My first dog was a white Shepherd (though I always knew them as Albino… is that the same?). Her name was Wendy—after the Peter Pan Wendy. I was three, and I was terrified of her. She was so big, and so… wild. (Of course she was… No one played with her. We had a huge yard, and my parents assumed she’d just get enough exercise on her own. Poor thing.) She only lived with us for about six months, though. She dug up the entire garden (we’re talking a 3,000 square meter property here), but the clincher came the day she jumped up on my dad with her fresh-from-digging-in-wet-soil paws—and ruined the white linen suit he was wearing (we were on our way out to… something, a wedding maybe). Irreparably. The stains never came out. And so Wendy was given away to a friend of my mom’s who owned a huge ranch a couple of hours away. She had the run of the place, was adored by her new humans (who had kids older than 3 years old), and lived a long, happy life. That was my first lesson in adoption theory: choose wisely 😉
Lovely post, Debbie. Yes, every dog we love—and we love so many!—takes a piece of us when they go… Funnily enough, however, each new dog that comes into our heart seems to bring a piece of us back, too 🙂
Luke’s voice was pretty loud – definitely a decibel above chatter. 🙂 White shepherds generally have dark eyes and black noses, which means they’re not albinos, although many people think that. They might be if the eyes are pale and the nose pink. Sounds like Wendy was not the ideal dog for your family and I’m glad she was placed in a more suitable environment, I laughed at the muddy paws on white suit incident, obviously not funny at the time. That was a good lesson! I love what you said about new dogs bringing pieces back of the dogs we lost. ♥ Thanks, Guilie!
We had a dog like this white shepherd once, although he wasn’t a full bred, but he had the looks and was all white. His name was Ceasar and was a great dog, although he liked to steal food off the table. LOL
Poor Luke! It is really sad to lose someone you care for, more so a pet. A new breed that I wasn’t aware of Debbie.
@KalaRavi16 from
Relax-N-Rave
I have never seen a white Sheppard. In fact, I didn’t even know they existed. I am learning a lot about the different kinds of dog breeds. Thank you.
Visiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.
Shalom,
Patricia @ EverythingMustChange
My pleasure, Pat. Thanks so much for reading these posts. Glad you’re enjoying them and learning about different breeds. 🙂
So ridiculous someone would accept or reject a dog based on the colour of his coat.
People find the most annoying things to be disagreeable over.
What a beautiful dog.
I couldn’t agree more, but that’s the world of breeders and dog shows! Not nice, is it? 😛 Luke was gorgeous, but a prolific shedder. My car was covered in Luke hair. 🙂
Aww, beautiful baby. He looks like my parents’ old dog Nemo, except Nemo was apricot. Makes me want to hug him.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
An apricot shepherd? That would be interesting to see. Thanks for following my posts all month. Apologies for always being so late with the responses. It’s been a rough one, this year!
What a beautiful dog! And a lovely tribute story to him. Sadly, I know all too well, the crying together on the phone with
the news of yet another precious life gone. It’s so hard to lose these dogs we’ve come to love over the years. They are truly like our own and the pain is just as deep as it is with the owners, I think. I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve shed throughout the years. I know you know.
I had a white shepherd who used to stay with me. Lobo was his name and he was awesome. He used to curl up on the couch with me, while he could still jump up there. When he could no longer jump up, I’d either lift him up or he’d be content to be lying at my feet. What a gorgeous dog he was!
Luke sounds like a real character! Thanks for sharing his story with us.
Michele at Angels Bark
Yes, the pain of loss is all too frequent in this business. Your Lobo sounds lovely, too. It’s those beautiful memories that help us through. Thanks, Michele. 🙂
I think he is part wolf! Luke’s pic with Tasha is so adorable!
Luke was pure Shepherd and had no wolf in him, but many people thought so! 🙂 He and Tasha were great friends.
Magnificent indeed..
Luke remembered you .. it must be a delight… 🙂
http://serendipityofdreams.blogspot.in/2016/04/withering-summer.html
It’s good that he did, otherwise I might have been in big trouble. Luke was an excellent watch dog. 🙂
Stunning! Good thing he remembered you 🙂
Yes, that was a big relief! 🙂 I’ll never forget Luke.