Meet Cathy Jordan who lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, USA. Her story is interesting beginning from the fact that until 1997 she was not just allergic to dogs – she was fatally allergic. In fact, touching any animal could send her to the emergency room. Epinephrine shots were kept in the refrigerator and she was put on a series of allergy shots but nothing worked.
In 1996, Cathy and her husband Rocky moved from Arizona to Idaho. They built their home on mountain acreage and for companionship as well as safety (alerting to cougar, bear in the area) they purchased 2 purebred German Shepherd puppies. The pups were raised inside as the couple wanted them to bond together into their pack. The days turned into weeks and then months as Cathy waited for the first telltale signs of welts, rashes and worse of all – asthma attacks. As the pups grew, they didn’t even cause itchy watery eyes. After a while, Cathy checked out other people’s dogs and then pets in general and it turned out her allergies to animals were gone.
Athena and Sheba were spayed and became wonderful, intelligent and spoiled. Though Sheba was Rocky’s dog, it didn’t take long for the Jordans to realize she alerted when Cathy was going to have an asthma attack. The litter sisters were purchased when they were 49 days old and were loved and loved back for 11 months. Then there was an unspeakable tragedy; one that must be mentioned in order to understand the how and why behind Cathy going from finally being able to have a dog to love all the way to building and running a kennel in which she bred and trained dogs.
In March of 1998, a dog hater called to the Jordan’s dogs, tempting them with food. As they got closer, he shot them; Athena and Sheba along with their litter brother Cowboy tried to flee and were shot in the back. There’s much more to the story but the ensuing heartbreak and sudden silence and lack of dog hair puff balls in the house made Cathy begin a search for new pups. Finding good lines of German Shepherd pups proved to be difficult and it was during this period the Jordans decided they would get two females and then a male and they would adopt, incorporate and enhance all the physical, emotional and mental traits for which the German Shepherd dog is known.
A good breeder was found; one who had imported a pregnant female from excellent Schutzhund and Seiger lines. Megan and Venus came to live with the Jordans in Idaho in 1998. Cathy had learned so much from Athena and Sheba. Athena caught Frisbees with her paws; Sheba opened pop and beer cans and drank (they had to be careful and keep the carbonated drinks put up). Everything about those two little girls made Cathy want to learn more about the breed and about the wolf.
Thus began a long and costly journey which took her to several states for training. She began reading and collecting everything about dogs and wolves she could find. The Jordans built a kennel and began training German Shepherds to work in the fields of police work, protection, search and rescue, cadaver, drug, therapy and companion dogs.
Cathy will tell you that she has learned far more from each individual dog than she has taught them. She created her own line of dogs which were West German, East German and Czech. She used and studies the works of the Monks of New Skete in their two books “The Art of Raising a Puppy,” and “How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend.” As she learned to take care of the pregnant female, from breeding through whelping, she learned more and more. She continued to seek knowledge.
By that time, Cathy had her own pack in the house, a pack at the kennel and her partner, Bryan Kriger also had his pack. In effect she was living inside two packs and had close access to a third.
Cathy’s dogs have saved many lives and enriched others. She is now in the process of continuing to learn and writing a series of dog books which she will sell in hard copy and in eBooks. Working Titles of her books are “Creating Life Responsibly,” “Dead End” (Cadaver), “Hide and Seek” (Search and Rescue), “The Language of the Dog,” “Alpha Myths and Truths,” “Puppy Kindergarten,” “The All Around Training Manual,” “Throw Away Dogs,” “Do You Want a Dog or a Fish,” “Fraidy Cat Dogs,” “Dognostics,” “Dog Whys,” “Give Blood, Take a Bite (police and protection dogs), “All Dogs Have a Purpose,” “Bonding With Your Dog,” and “Kennel Management.”
Please join me in welcoming her as our newest contributor to onlinepups4sale.com.au
