Knight's Story Knight is a Groenendael Belgian Shepherd born on the 28/04/2003, as Ebontide Nash at Moonflower. We had decided to get another dog when our current dog a GSD X Labrador showed the 1st signs of a degenerative nervous disorder. We knew the GSD would probably only go on for another 12 months so we decided to get a puppy while she could still cope & take the position of top dog before the new puppy became too boisterous. The approach worked and they soon became best friends. When Knight was born the breeders very quickly noticed his front legs were not developing correctly, so held him back from going to a new home until they knew what his future was. He was diagnosed with a condition called Carpol Valgus Syndrome at about 6 weeks old. Carpol Valgus Syndrome (also known as Radius Curvus syndrome) is a condition where the bones grow at different rates and means that the dog can end up with bowed legs, which is why it is often referred to as Queen Ann legs. The solution is to pin one bone to stop it growing while the other catches up. Several Vets have been consulted on Knight's condition & none believe his condition was inherited. I believe he was the runt and his nourishment was affected in some way before he was born, or just after he was born. Perhaps he absorbed an extra amount of calcium at the wrong stage of development. We first met him when he was 5 weeks old, after contacting the breeders in search of a Belgian Shepherd. They had explained about the unreserved puppy they had, and about his legs. As we were looking for a Pet rather than a show/working dog, we decided to meet him and find out about the condition before taking him on. After meeting him and falling in love with him, it was decided that the breeders would take him back to their vets & we would decide whether we still wanted him once we knew what the condition was. After speaking to our Vet & the breeder's vet, we decided to give him a home, & make arrangements for his legs to be pinned at the appropriate time. Knight visited the vets, very regularly until he was 1 year old, you know when you visit the vets too often when you are on 1st name terms with all practitioners at the vets. Knight became a firm favorite down there, and still is. He still loves to visit them all, and complains if we walk past without going in, which is wonderful considering he had 4 ops in his 1st 9 months of life. I would go down to pick him up to hear stories that the Vet had carried him around and taken him to choose the colour of his bandages, or the receptionist had got in the cage with him to help him settle. The operations have been partially successful, in that is legs are straighter than they were, but he has been left with reduced flexibility in both front limbs. He doesn't seem bothered by his legs and he runs & leaps about as much as most other young dogs. He is known locally as the dancing dog, as he prances in a slightly odd way when he walks on hard surfaces. We are not sure about his long-term future as we know he will probably end up crippled with arthritis, but by exercising him well and swimming him regularly we hope put off the onset of arthritis for as long as we can. We have even started agility with him to exercise him, the jumps are kept to a minimum and the lowest settings to reduce the stress on his legs, but he now loves the weaves, 'A' frame. Walk & tunnels. When our GSD X was no longer able to get up unaided we knew it was time to put her to sleep, Knight was very depressed so we knew we had to get another dog. We contacted his breeders & asked to be put on the list for their next planned litter, but fate struck, the following day they had a cancellation for a puppy out of their current litter. We decided we had to have him, Prince is Knight's half brother as they have the same father & grandparents, but their mothers are sisters. Knight and Prince are 9 months apart in age and are best friends and play continuously with each other. Both Knight & Prince have got such wonderful characters & temperaments that everyone they meet loves them. When Knight was 16 months old we realized that one claw on both front paws was growing sideways, and one was getting uncomfortable for Knight, so after speaking with our vet it was decided to remove one claw straight away. We decided to leave the other until the winter when we could hopefully keep his exercise and play down easier. Anyone who owns BSD's will understand the problem of stopping them running & chasing around indoors & in the garden regardless of whether their legs are bandaged. So after having the other claw removed he had 6 Ops in his 1st two years of life.