{"id":5794,"date":"2010-09-10T12:37:32","date_gmt":"2010-09-10T17:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dobermandan.com\/?p=5794"},"modified":"2010-09-10T14:32:23","modified_gmt":"2010-09-10T19:32:23","slug":"contrarian-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dobermandan.com\/blog\/contrarian-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Contrarian Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday, 10:19 AM<\/p>\n

Dear Friend,<\/p>\n

Donner, the doberman you see in the various rotating photos on the immediate right, celebrated his 12th birthday on August 18th.<\/p>\n

He sleeps a little more than he used to… but he’ll still “snap to” like a little Marine at my beck and call.<\/p>\n

He’s as healthy and active as ever, too. Runs and plays outside four to five times a day.<\/p>\n

In fact, right this very second he’s chasing and wrestling with his little brother, Chiqui Rikki, the shih tzu… (the Colombiana’s dog).<\/p>\n

Oops, hold on a sec.\u00a0 Now they’re fighting. Gotta go referee this.<\/p>\n

OK, my parenting for the day is done. Back to blogging.<\/p>\n

Anyhoo… I’m not sure you know how rare it is to have a 12 year old doberman in such good health.<\/p>\n

Every single one of his 7 other litter mates died at 10 years old. The breeder told me her dogs NEVER live past 10.<\/p>\n

Donner’s breeder has been breeding these dogs from strict German bloodlines for decades.<\/p>\n

The Germans have kept the breed pure with VERY strict breeding regulations.<\/p>\n

The Americans screwed up the breed decades ago. They started breeding them for size and appearance only. And in the process, bred all the original drives out of them.<\/p>\n

Not so in Germany. It’s simply not permitted.<\/p>\n

Donner’s entire lineage has numerous Schutzhund titles in their background. His father had a Schutzhund 3 title, the very highest you can achieve.<\/p>\n

To give you an example of how tough that is… it’s the human equivalent of winning a triathalon, completing your phD and winning a MMA match… all in one day!<\/p>\n

When Donner was born his father was only one of ten dobermans in the entire North American continent to have a Schutzhund 3 title.<\/p>\n

It’s THAT rare.<\/p>\n

Depending on which veterinarian you ask, a 12 year old doberman is equivalent to a human aged 100 to 120.<\/p>\n

Imagine a 100 year old man running laps in the back yard and chasing squirrels four to five times a day!<\/p>\n

Here’s why I think Donner has been so healthy and has enjoyed so much longevity…<\/p>\n

I have done the exact OPPOSITE
of what “they” told me to do!<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was told to get him neutered… I didn’t.<\/p>\n

…When I was told to have him vaccinated with a slew of injections… I didn’t.<\/p>\n

…When I was told to feed him the commercial dog food you find in pet stores and WalMart… I didn’t.<\/p>\n

I stopped blindly “following orders” and took personal responsibility for the health and well-being of my dog.<\/p>\n

In fact, I discovered that most of the advice I was getting from friends, family, the media, the government and various “ex-spurts” would actually make my dog sick and kill him early.<\/p>\n

And THAT is why I believe Donner will live to the ripe old age of 15… healthy as a horse.<\/p>\n

Now initially, I DID do all these things… because I didn’t know any better. But when I started to wake up and realize I’d been lied to about most of the stuff pertaining to MY life, I saw through the fog and discovered it applied to my dog, too.<\/p>\n

In fact, I discovered when I followed all the rules “they” told me to do, I was broke and miserable… and sick a lot of the time, too.<\/p>\n

You know the drill…<\/p>\n