Flo, Nana and Uyanga  Sendai
a native French living in Japan with her Corgis
 

2004 North American Sieger Show  
GSDCA-WDA
German Shepherd Dog Club of America  -  Working Dog Association

Thank you to
  the kind gentleman who posed his
 beautiful German Shepherd for this photo.

September 24, 2004
 

What is a Swagman?

The story is of a Man who travels through the bush,
sleeping in his "Swag" (the brown blanket He wears on his back).
 On the front He carries his "Billie Can"
(a tin in which He boils his Tea over a log fire he builds in the open). 
On his head He had a Hat made out of Kangaroo skin,
his jacket is also made from that skin. 
From his hat dangles a cork.
 The cork is to keep Flies away from his face!!
 

 The song "Waltzing Matilda" is based on this character,
 a typical Aussie, who as history goes, travels through the "Bush".

Waltzing Matilda from  Australian Bush Poetry, Verse & Music
Favorite Australian Bush Poems
 

And below is the adorable Koala Swagman sent from Bill, my friend in Perth
This Swagman's traveling days are over after a trip half way around the world.
Thank you Bill & Glenys!!!

This is a story by Roben Luc from Luxemburg.
 
Photos worth seeing of Fritzi's life
 are among the German text
on Fritzi's site  

Fritzi Photo Site  a 2nd site

Roben's 3rd site mit Spike & Zeus

To the left is Fritzi the Red Fox
 with companions Laika the German Shepherd
and Zeus the Sheltie. 

Fritzi's Story

Since my childhood the red fox had been my favourite animal.  If I found a fox's puppy in the street edge I would take him home to become healthy and release back into nature. The beginning of April, 1996, someone brought me immediately four fox's puppies as their mother was killed tragically.

With a lot of love and patience I fed the about ten day-old pups. They looked like small moles and had opened just for the first time her small eyes. At first it looked as if they would die - they wanted to know nothing about the dog puppy milk I warmed up every 3 hours and filled in a special bottle. Only during the 3rd day when I was almost in desperation, I finally caught the 4 baby foxes to drink, and from now on they developed splendidly. Fritzi, she was smallest and weakest of the fox's puppies and would not probably have survived in the wilderness, and thus this unique bond of trust developed under my care between the red fox Fritzi and to me. Vigorously I was supported by the dog Senta too, a Golden Retriever hybrid and by Pitty to an Appenzeller hybrid. Senta took over the role of the mother and Pitty the role of the play companion, then he was precisely as old as Fritzi.  

Then in autumn the moment had come to say goodbye, the time they would  go back to forest. With Fritzi's  brothers and sisters everything went off smoothly. At the beginning they still sometimes came to take food, however, the visits became less and finally completely stopped. Quite differently with Fritzi, she did not want to remain at all alone and hopped over and over again in the back of the car, until I gave it up. From this moment the fox Fritzi had her steady place in my life. Soon I knew, Fritzi is the most clever fox, because instead of having a hard time outdoor with freezing, starving, illnesses, cars and hunters, she can be carried  on my shoulders and spoiled with the best morsels, like boiled chicken and beef, to whole eggs and as a dessert sometimes a little cream. Everything Fritzi needs, in addition, like mice, beetle and earthworms she catches itself etc. with the everyday walks each morning regardless of the weather. Dearest Fritzi likes frost and snow, which we have rather rarely.

Because the private ownership of wild animals is forbidden in Luxembourg I had to apply for a ministerielle approval which was also entitled to me then. Because Fritzi developed to an exceedingly fond of children and was a hand-tamed fox, I also had no doubts when I  was asked to visit a school class. My only fear, it could be too stressful for Fritzi was completely groundless, because she knows she is the center of attention and enjoys it fully.

On one of our many walks Fritzi's adopted mother Senta suffered a heart attack.  Fritzi attempted to help  in minutes with both front paws against Sentas chest jumped around her as if to give of heart massage. I got in the meantime the car around, to bring Senta to the veterinarian , unfortunately, in vain, she passed away as  Fritzi and I came there.

Because Fritzi longed after a playfellow , I accepted a 6 week-old puppy from the animal home which Fritzi might become a companion with.  It better developed better than one could expect, Fritzi the tame vixen and the shepherd dog Laika grew together to a unity and are inseparable.

Meanwhile Fritzi has visited so many school classes, has had several television appearances and reports in a lot of newspapers and magazines so that she has substantial name recognition . This also explains the hundreds from birthday cards which she receive  annually the 1st of April .

On the 1st April, 2002 Fritzi has celebrated  her 6th birthday and to this day she has felt no pressure to exchange her life with me for a life as a fox in the wild.

Anyway Fritzi's behaviors is a big exception for a fox and, hence, I can only advise against an imitation, because also I will not try it once more, because Fritzi is unique.