My love of the German Shepherd Dog goes back to the third grade. Upon a recent trip to my childhood home in Pennsylvania, my mother bestowed upon me a mosaic of a German Shepherd Dog head/profile I had constructed while in the third grade. I am convinced the popular television series Rin Tin Tin had played a major part in my love and respect for this noble and intelligent breed of dog.
I acquired my first German Shepherd, Athena, in my late teens. She was pregnant to a police dog when I got her. I kept Alicia from the litter.
Alicia
was the best of friends. She traveled with me everywhere. During my
wayward teenage years, I choose to hitchhike all over the east coast of the
United States of America to experience life. Alicia was right at my side
the entire time. We were inseparable. She was a perfect lady at all times.
I am, to this day, thoroughly convinced that she is the reason why I never
had any negative experiences. People would offer us shelter and food and
deliver us to our destinies. Alicia and I had such a close relationship,
that I could think commands to her and she would respond. That is the type
of human/animal bond that the German Shepherd Dog is capable of.
Alicia was an integral part in what I have done over the years and am doing
today.
Alicia
Alicia and her two daughters, Hazel [left] and Tina, below ] 1977.
After high school, I left home to be employed on a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm in Ocala, Florida. I took Alicia with me. There I saddle broke 2 year old Thoroughbreds for their upcoming careers in addition to other ranch chores that go along with living on the breeding/training farm.
Sue and Thoroughbred Colt Readying Thoroughbred 2 year olds for the race track.
Sue on her Thoroughbred "Fiesta"
One of my favourite geldings.
On to another venture with the horses: I found myself on Willowdale Farms in Barrington, Illinois. Willowdale Farms was a training, conditioning, and rehabilitation center for all types of competition horses. We predominately swam the animals for post-operative care, therapy and rehabilitation. While living in the Chicago area, I had also groomed, galloped, and ponyed races on the Thoroughbred racetracks such as Sportsman's and Arlington Park. All with Alicia in tow...
I have schooled in psychology and dietary sciences while in college in the Chicago area. From Chicago, Illinois, we moved to Sonora, California. From Sonora, we moved to Calaveras County, Angels Camp, California.
Alicia and Sue Camping. 1985... still camping... but on our own property...
Sue robbing the stage line. Sue robbing a passer-by.
Jack of all, master of none has purported me to other facets of the working world. Dabbling in a variety of talents with the purpose of gaining finances to support my many interests had brought me to gain employment in everything from ranch meat cutting and butchering to commercial meat processing, to veterinary medicine and human radiology. I jokingly state I have gone from dead animals, to live animals to people... hhhmmm...
In the above photographs, I had resorted to robbing the stage coach and passer-bys in the historic '49er gold rush town of Columbia State Park, California. I had also managed a hard rock gold mine touring facility and store in this same park.
Baby Maxine with 14 year old
Alicia
in Fred Scrapper's dog house. [below] Scrapper was a rescue dog, and as
you can see, VERY destructive.
Maxine was the foundation bitch at Hinterland German Shepherds. She was purchased as an eight week old puppy as a present from my husband, Steve, in 1986. We had purchased 20 plus acres of property in rural Calaveras County, California in 1985 and decided we needed another German Shepherd for both companionship and protection for me, as my husband was frequently away on business.
Maxine at the Solari Ranch gate 1986.
Alicia was in her 14th year of
life when Maxine arrived on the scene. Both Alicia and I had the
opportunity to school Maxine in the social graces of a dog's value, purpose,
and interaction of life. With the combination of Maxine's
intelligence and natural abilities and Alicia and my relationship, we did an
amazing job of rearing Maxine through her adolescence. Alicia then passed
on to lung metastasis.
Maxine's first two litters were by Valley Oak's Kondor of Arelee, one born in May 1989 and the other born in May 1990. From the first litter we kept two females - Roxie and Katrina. From the second litter we kept one female - Schelle.
Hinterland's Fab Four
[left to right - Katrina, Roxie,
Maxine, and Schelle]
We bred Maxine to Champion Dreamweaver's Heineken in 1991. In August, Maxine whelped her third litter. We kept one male - Boz - and one female - Hilda. We re-acquired another female - Nixie.
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This page last updated on February 23, 2003.