references

Ussi-Mambo daughter:

6-20-05

We made I home about an hour or so ago. Everything went really good at the airport – she was fine. She is beautiful. The kids really love her and were surprised.

Bristol our other dog so far is being far more tolerable than I thought she would be. We have named her Phoenix – I thing you said you needed that for the paper? I wasn’t sure.

Rena

Ussi-Mambo daughter:

4-18-05

Dear Dyan,

Cessi is a welcome addition to the family! I forgot to ask is she on heartworm med - and if so which one? I will send more pics as she grows! Liz

From :	MCLEAN JULIE <JULIE.MCLEAN@MCLANE.com>
Sent :	Monday, March 7, 2005 10:38 AM
To :	<dyanmerkel@hotmail.com>
Subject :	Mambo & Ussi's baby boy

Dyan -

I first want to apologize for being so stressed out during the buying transaction last week. As a Texan co-worker explained to me, life is very different down South. It is nothing like living in New England.

I want to thank you so much for sending us Kane. He is everything we were looking for and more. My husband, Mikey - our 3-yr. old son, and I all went to the airport together to meet him. We watched his plane land and were right there to take him from the cargo area. He was very calm and content when he arrived. He was happy and his carrier was spotless! Amazing. He had no problem meeting us and riding for about an hour in the car both on my lap and in the back of the SUV, on the way home. And, I wish you could have seen him when he got out of the car and ran into about 3 feet of snow! He was hilarious. Clearly, a dog that wasn't familiar with so much fluffy white stuff. He licked the snow banks along the front walk all the way to the front stairs. Then, he jumped on top of the snow banks and ran around the front yard, sinking into the snow with every step he took. After a few minutes of sniffing for grass - he gave up and learned to use a section of snow in the front yard.

He is a very good natured puppy and very easy going. His size, color and markings are very impressive. He is exactly what we were looking for, and he is already turning heads wherever he goes. After one week with us, he is house broken and he does not use his crate. We used the crate for his first two nights until he got used to the house and our routines and then we were very comfortable letting him spend the night in his own bed. (He has a full size mattress w/sheets, a new comforter and lots of pillows right at the foot of my bed.) He loves it and knows that it is his bed! When he takes his toys or steals our socks and other laundry - he runs right to his bed with them! Too funny.

This Saturday we visited with a dog trainer, who works with Mike Pinkston (who you may know or have heard of). Mike is a very well known german shepherd trainer and lives in NH. Friends of our family work with Mike on a regular basis. These people were unbelievably impressed with Kane. Kane is very intelligent and catches on very quickly. As of now, he knows his name, and the following commands, "No, Here, Seetz and Aus." Although we hadn't planned to, we decided to go with German commands. They are easier and faster for him to learn. He listens to us and obeys each of us very well. He and Mikey get along great!

Kane fits in perfectly with our family and our way of life. I can't tell you enough about how great he is. We are so proud to have him with us. He was worth every cent! His first doctor's appt. is this Saturday. I hope he remains happy and healthy and lives a very, very long life! We will send pictures soon.

Thanks again! -- Julie McLean

P.S. Do you have registration papers for him? Could you send them to us when you get them? Also, our last name is McLean. I noticed you spelled it McGan on the shipping papers - which was why we had trouble finding him on the flight at the airport - but I'm sure it was a result of my husband's sloppy writing!

From :	Laura Morgan <miningengine@hotmail.com>
Sent :	Friday, November 19, 2004 10:20 AM
To :	dyanmerkel@hotmail.com
Subject :	kids and dogs

Hi Dyan, I have attached a couple of pictures I took of Alicia and Zoran with my boys. The dogs are just wonderful with children and my boys really love them. Lucas lights up when they walk past him and Aiden does his best to wrestle and play with them. The dogs are patient and loving. Zoran is very protective of Lucas and lays next to him while he plays on the floor. Alicia is Aiden's favorite and as such is smothered with hugs and kisses (poor pooch). Hope all is well with you! Laura

February 3, 2004
Hello Dyan,
    You probably don't remember us but we bought "Uno" from you in December of 1996 and still have her with us. She is our pride and joy, being both a wonderful companion and gentle friend to us and our two small grandsons, and also a remarkable watch dog. She is in good health and is now a muscular 85 pounds!
    The reason I am writing is that our daughter Shannon is looking for a German Shepherd for her own home as a family pet and watchdog. I noticed your website and thought I might ask you about getting another puppy.   My daughter lives in Florida so I would probably be the one selecting the puppy for her. I am so happy with our decision to buy "Uno" (whom we call Bryn) that I am confident in your kennel.
    When do you expect another litter, or are there any puppies available now?
    Thank you so much and I hope to hear from you soon.
Cecilia Bralick
Irving
972-252-4515

Hi again,
    Sorry I am so long getting back to you with this picture of Bryn (it is attached_. She just got a clean bill of health from the vet..no signs of dysplasia or anything like that.
    Yes, if we get another puppy we would probably want another female. Do you think it would be difficult to bring a puppy into Bryn's domain after she has been the only dog for nearly four years?
    Let me know when you discover for sure whether you will have puppies via Irene. She is a beautiful dog! Do you still have Bryn's sire?
    Take care,
Cecilia

Bryn

Wed, 19 Nov 2003 20:40:48 -0600

Dear Ms. Merkel:

I like to introduce myself to you. Also we met in 1988. My name is Karola LeMieux, my husband is Martin. On July 9, 1988 we came to you for a Puppy. We were lucky enough to receive a girl puppy from you. We named her Gretchen. She came from a litter of Dam: Rivadon's Vanna, and Sire: Abraxa's Quentin. The litter was born on 5-5-88.

Our girl Gretchen gave us pleasure for 13 !/2 years. We still miss her. And after careful consideration we would like to know if you will soon have puppies available. Since you are first and best choice as a reputable breeder, to which our Gretchen was a great testament. Is it possible to let us know at this e-mail address: Karola3010@msn.com

Sincerely,

Karola LeMieux

August 17, 2003
Hi Dyan.... I hope all is well with you. We had a major crashing of our computer, so I lost all of my information with you and I was finally able to track it down again. I wanted to let you know how Tessa was doing. She is a wonderful dog and such a great family member! We all love her- she has truly grabbed our hearts. She completed her puppy training and also her beginner training class. In late September, we are beginning our intermediate training session. She's a quick study. She can sit, down, down/stay, sit/stay, rollover, speak and wait ALL with hand signals. She is learning heeling on leash and some recall commands. Everyone that meets her is so impressed by her beauty as well as her intelligence. Of course, we have our "puppy moments" =) , but she's very well behaved for the most part. She's already six months old.... time flies. She is doing beautifully with our kitten, Cricket. They are the absolute best friends... they hang out together all the time. It's so funny to watch the wrestling matches. We have a 31/2 foot pool with a deck and she jumps in all the time and we taught her to use the ladder so she retrieves stuff and sometimes tries to "save" the kids and drags them to the pool ladder before she climbs out. She's a character. I would really love it if you could get us her paperwork. I have absolutely no paperwork on her and would really like to get it for her. Can you please let me know what I need to do to get her stuff together? Thanks.

As soon as I transfer the photos over to this computer, I'll send you a bunch of them. You'll love it... she's such a great mix of Ussi and Untox. Talk to you soon.... Enjoy the rest of your summer. Sincerely, Elizabeth

Hi Dyan.... I haven't heard from you and I wanted to let you know that Tessa is doing great. She is so smart and sweet. Ussi did a wonderful job with her. You have amazing dogs, and she's a real joy. I wanted to send you a few pictures of her in the snow today. She loves it, but isn't quite sure what to do with it. We have about three inches now, and it better stop snowing soon or we'll lose her in a drift. =) Thank you again for your patience with us. She was worth all of it. I'll e-mail you some better pictures when I get them. Take care... I hope you get to see your Dad and I hope he's well. All the best.

Elizabeth 4-6-03

Hi Dyan... Just a few more shots... these are from the first night at the airport. You can see Tessa with me, my son Joey and my daughter Emily (in the glasses). She looks so unaffected!

Elizabeth Click on Photos to enlarge

TESSA

Hi Dyan.... I hope this note finds you well. It's been a year since Tessa came into our lives and once again I need to thank you. She is so smart it's scary. She understands everything we say and brings her leash to us when she wants to go out. What a wonderful addition! I wanted to send some pictures of her to you so that you can see how she's grown. She is such a beauty! I know at the last e-mail you said that the papers were on their way... have you received anything yet? Please let me know. I'll send more as I get them. Take care.... Elizabeth

4-4-04

From :

Christy Rost <crost@swbell.net>

To :

dyanmerkel@hotmail.com

Subject :

Passing of a much-loved Dog

Date :

Tue, 18 Mar 2003 12:28:19 -0600

Dear Dyan,

I want to let you know that our beloved Remington Merkel Rost died peacefully February 7, 2003 at the age of 13 1/2, surrounded by those who loved him dearly.

Remington was an exceptional member of our family, and we included him in everything. We adopted Remington from you when he was 3 months old and our sons were 8 and 10. His even-temper but playful attitude was just what I was looking for in a puppy, but he proved to be of exceptional character and won the hearts of most who met him. Remington was a good watchdog, was protective of me without carrying it too far, and obviously thought I had given birth to him. He was a house-dog, preferring to be close to me most of the day so I could talk to him, and enjoying the outdoors only for limited periods of time, unless I was working in the garden, where he could wander over for hugs & kisses whenever I was deep
into my flowers.

In the end, when Remington was failing badly, I kept him by my side most of the time, where I could talk to him, pet him, and let him know he was loved. In the final seconds before he died, Remington lifted his head out of my hand, turned to look at my husband Randy, then at me with those beautiful brown eyes; then returned his head to my hand, closed his eyes, and passed away. He had said goodbye.

Best regards,

Christy Rost

From :

"Valerie D Mee" <mee2@mindspring.com>

To :

"Merkel Diane" <dyanmerkel@hotmail.com>

Subject :

been looking for you

Date :

Mon, 21 Oct 2002 18:01:22 -0400

Dear Dyan.
Had lost your address - tried to get in touch with you during the summer. Now we are back down in Florida - just returned from the GSDCA national. Thought you'd like to know that Tori was presented in the Parade of Greats on Friday - honored for her many accomplishments.
Her title officially is:
Am/Can Ch Merkel's Cut Up of Timmee, UD., NA, NAJ, HIC, TT, Can CD --
I probably forgot a few. It has always been MY dream to have a dog in the parade since seeing it in Buffalo a hundred years ago -- finally did it! I did buy the tape, to be delivered sometime in December, and husband Tim was busy taking photos like crazy. She gaited out so beautifully, in full coat - she's 9 now -- and held her ground when we circled the ring with the mucky mucky ROMs, GVs and Selects, most of whom looked rather crippled (unkind statement Val). She was also awarded her 5th dual award at the meeting. The funny part of this is exactly 2 weeks ago as I was grooming her I discovered a broken premolar - nerve and pulp hanging. Not wanting a problem on the trip (we were on the road 8 days) I had the vet extract it PROVIDING there was no shaving of forelegs. The only thing wrong was she looked like a chipmonk for a week! The lump is just about gone now (wasn't on the left side anyway)

She is playfull, a lovely 68lbs with a trim figure, has the biggest ears you ever saw, loves her walks and sleeping at our feet while we watch tv. She hates swimming. She has had health issues but we have overcome each but now I think her vision is not as keen as it once was. But, then again, neither is mine!

Please send me your address -- I will try to make copies of her national critique and send a photo. It was nice hearing from you. I am sorry to hear about Nicky -- may I inquire what he died of?

You would have been proud of her -- your breeding. I was    Val

Your message just came in - thought I would give up an update on Tori -- Am/Can Ch Merkel's Cut Up of Timmee UD, NA NAJ. At 10+ she is still alive and well. She has had very little in the way of health issues - a good thing, but I believe her sight is starting to fail and she is prone to spiking major temperatures at the drop of a hat. So, I just travel with meds. She is a svelte 69pounds and fast as can be chasing birds or bunnies. Loves swimming in the gulf to the NH lakes. Must have a long line on her or she will be in Cuba one of these days

After getting her UD last year I retired her from all competition -- figured she had worked very hard all her life and deserved to just hang around us, whether it was down here in Florida or up in New Hampshire where we summer in the mountains. She's bored to tears!!!!!!!!!!! So, now she is doing tracking. She is really awful! Hasn't gotten the hint just what her nose is for! : ) BUT, we are going to a seminar in Dec and he may unravel her. She really prefers the tracking in NH where it is cooler which  probably is the problem. Her daughter Murphy just received her first leg in utility -- the only dog the whole weekend to qualify in UT A (18 per class/per day). She will be retired after completion of her title. SHe LOVES tracking -- her father had a ton of FHs behind him.

And that's what's happening here. Hope you are well. Happy Thanksgiving     Val

Valerie Mee

mee2@mindspring.com

Laura adopted Cessi from us for Cessi's retirement home! Thank you Laura for loving her so much.

"V Cessi v.d.AulisbergSchH1,Kkl 1a
produced wonderfully for Merkel's German Shepherds and continues to bring joy to everyone who has ever had the pleasure to meet her!"
We mourn the loss of our dear Cessi this November at the ripe old age of 13.

Laura Anderson and her dogs
Sara, Maris, and Cessi