One of the heartaches of breeding dogs is that there will always be losses.  In keeping with my intent of being an open and honest breeder, I will be posting the passings in my kennel here.  These pups and dogs will remain in my heart always.  

My Spanish Mastiff puppy Jefe has been replaced by the breeder with a new male pup (Furiano).  I am eternally grateful to Jurgen Klaus for his care and integrity and compassion.

I wish I could say the same for my experiences with the Boz breed.  

With all the breeds I have owned by far, the most disappointing has been the Boz Shepherd.  After investing thousands of dollars in bringing over two dogs, one died shortly after coming over from distemper - something that the breeder in Turkey could have prevented by vaccination.  The second had to be put down due to a genetic and hereditary disease of extreme elbow displaysia.  The third Boz is a grown female named Gumus who has now 'vanished' in Turkey; the financial backer of the breeder in Istambul is now apparently going as far as to claim that she does not exist.  Well I have the photos and E-mails that show otherwise.  This is Gumus, who technically/legally is still my Boz, and the breeder who I sent $1200 US funds to, in order to acquire her:

I’m having difficulties getting my investment back from the breeder.  Everyone knows who it is that I am dealing with in Istambul, Turkey.  This person and his associates here, are now threatening to bash me on the Internet because I’m asking for my investments back that they owe me and because I’ve told the truth as I see it about my experiences with the Boz Shepherd breed.  (I not only paid in full for Gumus and paid for the expensive import shipping from Germany for another breeder here, for a female Boz pup),  Apparently they’d like much of this to remain unknown or kept secret.  

I loved my Boz.  I still think the Boz has great potential.  Like any giant breed, it has health issues.  I am worried that not enough attention is being paid to health issues in the Boz in the rush to bring the breed over and get it established in the US as an LGD.  Until the breeder in Istambul is forced to be more honest in his dealings with people, these problems will not go away.  Being taken advantage of is not fair or right.  

As with any breed of dog, regardless of size and type, the more honest breeders are about health issues and dealing with them in the open, the better the chances are of curtailing them and bettering the breed.  Whether it is screening for HD in Spanish Mastiffs or ED in Boz, these things need to be done.  Period.  Any breed's welfare rests on this.  

So if you read something negative about me concerning my dogs and my breeding program here, if you have any questions or doubts please don’t hesitate to contact me directly and as always I will be more than forthcoming about what my dogs are and aren’t.  Whether it is Spanish Mastiffs, Boz or any other breed, I have been more than open and forthcoming about health matters than most breeders have been.  I welcome your queries.  There is a lot of crap about me on the Internet that can easily be refuted and any one with half a brain, when considering the sources, will see immediately the baseless accusations are mostly fabricated lies and - excuse my French - bullshit.  Its been up for years.  I know all about it.  Its old news.  It obviously has not stopped me from living or breeding good dogs.