I first heard about the English Shepherd in a DOG FANCY article in the late 1980's. I remembered the description of the breed and when I lost my beloved Aussie mix in 1991 I joined the English Shepherd Club to try to learn as much as possible about the breed and started searching for a puppy. D'Amico's Kate joined our family in early 1992 and my life hasn't been the same since.

The well-bred English Shepherd is a dog of physical and mental prowess bred to learn quickly and think independently. While not exhibiting the excess physical activity level found in some of the other herding breeds, the English Shepherd needs meaningful social, mental and physical stimulation on a daily basis. Without human companionship and physical and mental challenges, the English Shepherd is subject to problems that can occur with any dog in this situation, such as barking, digging, chewing, etc. If you do not have several hours per day to devote to a dog, then an English Shepherd is not the dog for you.

If however, you've decided that only an English Shepherd will do, the first step is to find a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder is someone whose goal is to improve the breed by producing sound, healthy dogs with excellent temperament, that adhere to their published breed standard and are enthusiatic and able to do the work for which they were bred. In my opinion a reputable breeder is one who:

• Chooses breeding stock carefully to ensure that both parents are examples of the breed exhibiting physical soundness, good temperament, calmness, and working ability.
• Breeds only dogs over two years of age, both parents of which have been x-rayed by a qualified radiologist for dysplasia and rated Good or Excellent by the Institute for Genetic Disease Control (GDC) or the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA). Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) is a deformity of the hip joint that can cripple a dog. The tendency to develop CHD appears to be inherited and may be aggravated by overweight, excessive exercise and other factors. CHD can occur in varying degrees of severity and it is not easy to predict if it will occur. Using parents who are both cleared by the OFA shows that the breeder has done everything possible to minimize the incidence of CHD in their offspring.
• Breeds only dogs whose eyes have been examined by a qualified eye specialist and certified clear of hereditary eye conditions by the Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) in the past two years.
• Provides high standards for the care of the dogs (includes regular inoculations, heart worm medicine, proper nuitrition, proper shelter, a clean kennel).
• Guarantees the health of the puppies for a reasonable time, stated at the time of sale and allows for the return and resettlement of a puppy to prevent abandonment.
• Properly socializes all puppies.
• Maintains accurate records of all breeding activity (predigree, records of litters produced, records of sale of puppies and/or adult dogs) for at least 5 years and is able to provide references from previous buyers.
• Belongs to the national breed club.