Congratulations Are in Order!!

Congratulations to Judy & Guardian Angel's Dugan on passing their final test. They are a Certified Canadian Search & Rescue Team! What a fantastic accomplishment!

I'm so proud of you both!!

Mary Ann

My Guardian Angel Extended Family is the Best!

There is nobody better in this world than my extended Guardian Angel family. The number of condolences on the loss of puppies this fall has been overwhelming. Everybody's first concern was the health and well-being of Cruz. I have been able to reassure everyone that she is doing just fine and has more energy than ever. She is healthy and happy and full of life!

The overwhelming concern for myself has touched my heart. I've always known my extended dog family was a good one but it has exceeded all my expectations and then some. Some people have gone as far as to volunteer their time to help was mundane chores so I can spend more time with Cruz and the other dogs. I am overwhelmed with people's generosity.

The biggest surprise for me was that every single person who had a deposit on a puppy has decided to continue to wait for the next litter. I am so humbled. Your faith in me and my dogs is incrediblle. Thank you just doesn't seem enough.

I know that I fall behind on paperwork and can be very slow to return emails and phone calls. I appreciate your patience & understanding. For those that have met me, you know I put my dogs far above business. They truly are my family. Each & everyone of them mean more to me than profits or the state of my business. I can guarantee you that I have lost potential puppy owners because I didn't respond to their emails or phone calls fast enough. But you know what? That's okay. If they can't understand my reasoning they shouldn't be part of the family. I may be slow but I answer everybody eventually.

So thank you everyone for all the phone calls, emails & visits. There's just no other way to say it. You Guys are the best!



Mary Ann

It is with very heavy heart...

that I have to tell you that I don't believe we will be having puppies.  I am heart broken and devastated.  And I am sorry.  So sorry.  All you wonderful people who have been waiting so long to receive a Guardian Angel puppy.  I know you are heartbroken as well.  I am so sorry.  A huge part of my disappointment is feeling like I've let you all down.  I have done absolutely everything in my power to ensure the health and well-being of my dogs.  And in doing so, there should have been a bunch of little, squeaking puppies born.  I have no reason why this happened.  Cruz is healthy, happy, the correct weight, eating the required calories to maintain a litter of puppies, being exercised but not overly exercised etc. etc. 


For the first time in my breeding career, I decided to have Cruz ultrasounded to give everyone some peace of mind as we waited for puppies.  I always worry that the girls didn't catch and fret up until the week before they are born.  There were so many people waiting for puppies I wanted to relieve everyone's curiosity/worry.  So what happens?!  I do the ultrasound.  For the first time I have medical verification and what happens!  I'm so sorry.


You may be wondering why I didn't say anything up until now.  It was because I was hoping that the fact that she was not gaining weight was because she only had 1 or 2 puppies.  A female can hide 1-2 puppies quite well.  I wanted to wait until today to be sure of what I was telling you.  I believe we have no puppies coming because she has no milk.  Milk generally comes in only a few days before the puppies are born.  There is no milk.  There are no puppies.  I'm so sorry.


All I can do is dry my eyes and continue to do the best I know how.  To all of you;  I'm incredibly sorry.


The "non-refundable" deposit will be refunded for those who ask.  For those of you I have already spoken to privately and would like to continue with me, I am incredibly honoured to have your trust and confidence. 

The Excitement is Official! We're having puppies!!!

Cruz & Merlin are having puppies!!  It's official!  The vet said so!! 

For the first time in my life, I decided to get an ultrasound done to see if my Girl is pregnant.  There are so many people who have waited so long, that I really wanted to get them the news as soon as possible.  And the news is GOOD!  Cruz will be having puppies around October 31st!  Everybody here is excited because it has been over a year since our last litter.  It's a very long time to wait but the ethical breeder in me will not do anything that may jeopardize the well-being of my dogs.  If Mother Nature says 1 year, then 1 year it is!

Here's looking forward to a bunch of squirming little furballs!!

Dr. Ian Dunbar & Me!

This is world renowned Dr Ian Dunbar and I after a 4 day conference on dog behaviour & psychology. What a wonderful time we had!

Computer Problems. BIG computer problems!

My computer has been giving me problems for 2 to 3 months now. Along with disappearing and reappearing files it has hidden important email messages throughout that time. The more people I talk to, the more I find out that I have not been getting all my emails.

Two days ago it finally crashed. I could no longer access my files or access the Internet. They only thing I can do is wipe my computer completely clean as if it had come straight out of the box. Of course this scares me half to death! I have backed up everything but is everything everything? It may take me a few days to get it back up and running again. It is very important that anybody who has a deposit and is waiting for one of my puppies make sure you email me for verification. I will have to double check every file to make sure there is nothing missing. Please give me a few days and then email me at k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca

If I have not responded to an email that you sent in the last two months, please resend that email. Please give me at least several days to get things back up & running.

I apologize for all the confusion.

Mary Ann

This msg was sent from my phone so please excuse the brevity & if there are any errors. Thank you.

Before You Get Your Puppy

This eBook was written by Dr. Ian Dunbar.  One of the world's renowned canine behaviourists.  If you are considering getting an "Angel" or if you've already decided on that cute little ball of fur, please look through Ian's book.  It is a wealth of information!

 

When I recommend individual books and videos, please be aware that I may not agree with everything in the content.  I suggest you always take the information that rings true with you and discard the rest.

 

Mary Ann
Proud to Provide K9 Partners for Life
k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca
www.myguardianangelshepherds.com

Walking At Night

Can't be comfortable !

This is Cruz. I can't imagine that she could be comfortable. Her hind legs and hips are on the left side of her spine and her head is going towards the right.

Good Signs?

Are these signs telling me that Cruz might be pregnant?

She is insanely hungry! She now begs at the dinner table. None of my dogs have ever done that before. Is it a sign?

Mark got home from work yesterday and placed his hand on the mattress as he was going around the corner. And what did he find? Cruz puke! I know it was Cruz because she was the only one in the house who was agile enough to jump up onto the bed. It's a tall bed! So is that morning sickness?

Let's hope so!

Mary Ann

This msg was sent from my phone so please excuse the brevity & if there are any errors. Thank you.

Yay!

Cruz & Merlin have been bred!! If all goes according to plan puppies will be due around Halloween!! Finally!! Let's here from all of you who have been waiting so long!!!

Mary Ann

This msg was sent from my phone so please excuse the brevity & if there are any errors. Thank you.

Finally! Finally! Finally!

Cruz is finally in heat. We have been waiting (im)patiently since June for her. Her last heat was in January so normally June would have been the month. However, in March, she had a false heat lasting 3 days. A regular heat lasts 21!  Usually a false heat will not put them off their schedule. Unfortunately this one did.  The good news is it's finally here!  That means she will be bred in a couple of weeks. I am debating on breeding her to Merlin instead of Vedor. Only because they have proven to be a good breeding pair. Vedor has never been a sire. I'm not sure I want to take the chance on an untried sire.   I'm still debating. I have a few weeks to decide.

Yay!  She's finally in heat!

Fwd: Special Day!

It's so nice to be appreciated!

Begin forwarded message:

From: Debra Lamb <debra.lamb@shaw.ca>
Date: August 10, 2014 at 10:38:46 AM MDT
To: Mary Ann Marcellus <k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca>
Subject: Special Day!

Today marks a very special occasion - today is my fur baby's 9th birthday!!  Hard to believe that it has been nine years that I have the gift of Shiloh and I just wanted you to know that there is not a day that goes by where I am not thankful that I found my way to you.  It may be her birthday but she is my most wonderful gift!

THANK YOU!

P.S.  Here are a a then/now pics for you.

Debra R. Lamb

Lamb MediaWorks Inc.

17 Royal Birch Grove NW

Calgary, Alberta  T3G 5K4

Phone: 403-264-4626

Fax: 403-454-6970

My Heart Breaks

 

 

 

This is Danny.  This is the K9 Partner of David Ross who was killed in Moncton a few days ago.  Here, Danny is smelling the hat of his lost partner. Incredibly sad.

Cheetah has a New Home

Cheetah has found the perfect partner! She will be acting as a service dog for someone in need. I can't give details so as to respect this persons privacy. Just know she is going to be the perfect partner. She is here for a few weeks of training then off to what she was born & bred to do.

Guardian Angels Helping Our Veterans

This is Alenka and her war Veteran.  Alenka has almost completed her service dog training and will become  official in the near future.  One of her jobs is to wake him if he has nightmares.  She looks quite comfortable with her job, doesn't she!  I'm very proud of Alenka for being a true K9 Partner for this Veteran.  Wounded Warriors has been a great help to this pair and I would like to thank them for making this possible.  I'll keep you updated on her progress.

 

 

Bullet proof vest for a Guardian Angel

Cruz & Cheetah Racing!

I'm so grateful for my dogs. The endless pleasure they give me is irreplaceable. Here's a favourite moment from today!

Nice letter from a puppy owner

Hi Mary Ann,

 

Just wanted to send you an updated pic of Diesel.  He is turning into such a handsome boy.  He has lost all his fuzz except for the ears but I doubt they will be long.  Seems to be smoothing out from the back end up and his ears are the last to go.  We call him ALF in the meantime as he resembles the TV character.  He is doing great, well behaved and extremely smart.  Cuddly and a great companion with me, inquisitive and curious alongside our 15 month old daughter – they like to play toys together, and a regular rough and tumble wrestler with Craig (much to both their delight)  He weighed 73 pounds on Friday at 7 months old and has huge feet he is still growing into.  He is also turning into a great protector – he has a deep loud bark and uses it for all coming up our driveway and to the door.  He is perfect and exactly what we wanted and needed.  Thank you for your excellent choice. J

 

Diane

No Puppies This Spring 8-(

I have already let the waiting list of people know that there will not be puppies at Guardian Angel Shepherds this Spring.  Indy has decided that this was not the time for her to have puppies.  She is healthy and happy and that's all that matters. 

It makes me sad to have to tell excited future owners that it will be many more months before there is another litter.  In particular an eight year old girl with cancer.  Oh how I wish I had a puppy for her now.  And for all the others too.  I know how exciting it is to get a new member of the family. 

I want to thank all of you who have decided to wait until my next litter is available.  It means a lot to me that you believe in us and are willing to wait for something so exciting.  All I can say is that it is worth the wait.  I know it is. 

Mary Ann

Must Be Good!

Just got these pictures from my son! It must be good to have a GSD on it!

Dog Food

I was just preparing some of my dogs' dinner and thought you might like to see what goes into it. On the left is a bag of ground up elk & deer. These are trimmings that would normally just be thrown out. I've spent many days collecting it off of the bones to feed later in the winter. There's organic apples organic spinach, free run eggs, and carrots. I add to that wild salmon fish oil, kelp, and a vitamin supplement. Depending on if the meat content has any crushed bone within it I may have to add calcium via bonemeal to the dish. The recipe may change season to season but that's what they're getting right now.

Cheetah needs a home!

This is Cheetah. Cheetah was kept hoping there was possibility of her being added to my breeding program. As you can see from her left ear, she unfortunately did not make the cut. Unfortunately I have to try and use my business brain and not my dog loving heart and find a new home for Cheetah.

She is two years old. Has lots of energy but will also lie by the fire if you so require. Her cost is $2500 untrained or $3500 with a month of training on her.

Great Grandma

This is Kahlua. She came from a bitch bred in Germany but the litter was born here. She will be 13 years old in March. She is still healthy and has no hip problems. She still runs up stairs & she still leaps onto the couch! Pretty good for a great Grandma!

Fia

This is Fia. She was kept so I could start scent detection with her. She could go on to search for drugs, large amounts of cash, stowaways, or numerous other things.

Gettin' Some Vet Lovin'

Anya is on her way to Victoria! This is Dr Curt giving her a hug goodbye.

Web Site Hacked!

I'm sorry to say my website has been hacked.  I thought it very strange that I didn't get any emails for the past week.  I was hoping that people were all on holidays!!  So my apologies to anyone who has emailed me in the past week.  I don't know how long it takes to get things up and running again properly but hopefully soon!

My apologies.

Mary Ann

Space saving idea

I have more than 1 dog in the house. At least 2 & sometimes 4 or 5. I've come to the realization that four or five dog beds in my living room is crazy. Not to mention four or five DOGS but that's a whole other blog episode!

Now I realize that not everyone has 4-5 dogs in their house at one time, however there may be areas in your house where you would love to have a dog bed for your pooch but there just really isn't the room. What I've done is gone to Costco and purchased memory foam bath mats for $12 each. The advantages are numerous. They cost a third of the price of a regular dog bed. They take up a third of the space of a regular dog bed. And not to mention the fact that you can toss these in the washing machine where you cannot do that with a regular dog bed!