Hug Your Pet a Little Tighter
Jan/100
Tara, December 2009
This week, I have been consumed with a support group on Facebook. This group came together to demand justice for a dog that was dragged to death in Colorado on December 30th. Buddy was stolen from his owners, for no apparent reason, and then killed in the most heinous and undeserving way – dragged behind a truck. Here are the details:
“On December 30, 2009, between 2 and 2:30 a.m., a German Shepherd named Buddy was dragged to death at the Colorado National Monument. Steven Clay Romero, 37, of Grand Junction. was arrested for the death of this dog. He is charged with a felony count of intentional animal cruelty. Romero and his sister are alleged to have stolen the dog — Buddy, a German shepherd-Blue Heeler mix — from Joe and Sacha Leber in Delta. He allegedly took the dog to the Colorado National Monument early Wednesday, tied the dog to his truck and dragged the dog. Paw prints in the snow were found to show Buddy at first walking, then running, then dragging, for 3 miles.”
News of this event went right to my heart, as Buddy was a German Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix. I have hugged our beloved Tara more times than I can count this week. The thought of someone stealing her and doing this to her drives me out of my mind. Tears roll down my face as I write this post….the thought of Buddy running for his life. It’s unfair and inhumane and I am seriously pissed off about him being treated this way. And there are many, many others that feel the same way.
The "Demand Justice For Buddy" Facebook Page
The Facebook site I joined begged people to sign a petition to help punish Romero to the fullest extent of the law. When I joined the site it had 20,000 members. As I write this, there are 116,240 members world wide. There are people from all over the world joining and sharing stories, photos, and condolences to Buddy’s family. Visit and join the group here.
Romero is due back in court on January 27th, 2010. The goal is to have 100,000+ signatures by this time. As I write this, there are 55,000 signatures. You can make a difference for Buddy. Simply sign the petition online (takes less than one minute, and you may opt out of future contact) and join the fight. You may also visit the “Tell ‘Em Buddy Sent You” page. The program was designed to honor Buddy, and is what you can tell your local shelter when you go in to volunteer, donate and/or adopt a pet in need.
Family Plaque is donating a pet marker to the Leber family for Buddy’s grave site. I could wax poetic about how his death may change animal cruelty laws, his life was for a greater purpose, and so on. But I don’t want to. I just want to express that my heart is broken for this poor family and that I wish Buddy was still alive, warm in his bed at the Leber house. He deserves to be remembered with respect, and providing a beautiful marker for his grave is something I can do for him and his grieving family. You can do something, too. Sign the petition, please.
Hug your pets a little tighter…and say a prayer for Buddy and the Leber family.
Red Sable German Shepherds
Sep/090
I am amazed at how many visits I’ve had to this blog by people searching for Red Sable German Shepherds! And, for those of you looking to purchase an awesome GSD, this post is for you!
As I’ve mentioned before, we got Tara, our 12-week old Red Sable GSD, from Von Gluckhaus Kennels in Paonia, Colorado. Last weekend, we took a trip back to Marble, Colorado to camp in the same campgrounds we stayed at on our way to get Tara (read about that trip here). Diane Cornish, the owner of Von Gluckhaus Kennels, came to meet us for dinner Friday night and she brought along Boi, Tara’s sire. Boi is the epitome of a great GSD: calm, dignified, imposing, and very disciplined. He is the pride and joy of Von Gluckhaus Kennels and after taking a look at the pictures below, you can see why. It’s a comfort to know our puppy comes from his bloodlines. This massive dog was incredibly gentle with our son and was unfazed by every bit of poking and prodding The Boss threw his way. That’s an amazing dog in my book.
Gorgeous red sable German Shepherds! Boi Von Himmel Kamm with his daughter, Tara
If you’re interested in purchasing a quality German Shepherd, I can’t recommend Von Gluckhaus Kennels enough. Diane has darling puppies available for sale now, so touch base with her if you’re interested and tell her Roxanne sent you! (No, I don’t get a commission, I just think she and her dogs are awesome!)
(970) 527.3312
sierradi@hughes.net
Tara at 12 weeks old, and her dad, Boi Von Himmel Kamm. Both are pure bred, red sable German Shepherds.
Tara & Boi at the Bogan Flats Campgrounds, on the Crystal River, in Marble, Colorado.