About Nature's Way Carolina Dogs

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Seymour, Tennessee, United States
Welcome to my site about my Naturally Reared Carolina Dogs! Carolina Dogs are a relatively new, rare breed recognized by the UKC, AKC-FSS & ARBA, and are quite possibly America's own indigenous wild dog. CDs make wonderful companions, athletes, hunters, and bedwarmers! Natural Rearing is the philosophy wherein we raise our dogs and puppies by following the 8 Laws of Health, employing Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and no toxic chemicals on, in or around our dogs. We have found this way of life fosters balance, health and longevity in our beloved companions. For our puppies, we welcome homes that have a very similar philosophy about dog rearing, or wish to learn. Check us out, follow us and share us in other places!!! YouTube@ Susan NaturesWayCarolina Dogs NaturesWayPets and FaceBook @ https://www.facebook.com/mycarolinadog on Twitter @https://twitter.com/NaturesWayCDs Thank you so much for visiting our site, feel free to leave us a comment or send us an email! susanlewelling@yahoo.com

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Affiliations

East Tennessee Dingos and "mycarolinadog" and Nature's Way Carnivore Pets are entirely the creation of Susan Moore Lewelling and all pictures, original articles, essays,  graphics, etc  posted, belong to Susan Moore Lewelling and can not be reposted or shared without express permission.
http://www.mycarolinadog.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mycarolinadog
https://www.facebook.com/EastTennesseeRawFeeders
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NaturesWayCarnivorePets/

**The above entities are not affiliated with and do not expressly support the missions of http://carolinadogbreed.com/ or any other websites or social media groups, even if we are linked or listed elsewhere unless listed here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/183684005020509/
http://www.savingcarolinadogs.com/CD/Welcome_Carolina_Dogs_American_Dingo_Dixie_Dingo.html
http://nrbreedersassociation.wordpress.com/
http://naturalrearing.com/coda/index.html#landing
http://www.animalnaturopathy.org/
http://www.youngliving.com/en_US/

Friday, June 7, 2013

Just how did I get here from there? A bit about me...

I have received quite a few questions about how I got involved with Carolina Dogs and with Natural Rearing. I am going to attempt to explain without writing a complete book, which some people say that I should... maybe someday!
Growing up, we had pets my whole life, mixed breed dogs & cats we got from friends, or from the animal shelter.  When I was 18,  my parents bought me an AKC Rottweiler for Christmas.

Baby Bear Moore
Baby was a wonderful dog & my constant companion. She was my rock through lots of really hard times, she helped me raise both my kids & kept them safe through their young childhood years. She was from excellent show bloodlines, but she was always problematic health-wise. She had chronic yeasty ears & feet, bad smell, she shed awfully, had numerous skin problems, and in later years she had digestive issues & eventually seizures. She died of a seizure or a stroke at age 13.5 . Nothing the vet ever did or suggested helped her. I was heartbroken when she died, my whole family was. It was several years before I even thought of getting another dog. She was so in tune with me & I felt that no dog could ever compare to the bond I had with Baby. ( I realize now of course that all her problems went back to diet, chemicals & vaccines.)
Asheley, my 1st CD

Then, 3 years later  I watched a TV show one day, called "In Search of the First Dog". Danny, my husband (not a big dog person), said of the CDs that they sounded like great dogs and he might could handle having a dog like that... well it was on...lol I started searching. I was not on FaceBook back then, but I did have the internet!  CDs are not a common type around here in East Tennessee, we have mostly hounds & fiests. So I emailed every breeder & CD contact I could find(not many). I struck up a good conversation with Jane Gunnell and learned more about Carolina Dogs.



Cooter on the way home from Aiken, SC
Daisy & Cooter in Aiken SC
Finally, after much discussion, begging and even crying, I got a trip to Aiken, SC & my first CD Asheley (male) for my 10th wedding Anniversary. I was in love!!!! But, at about 4-5 months of age, Asheley was accidentally killed in our yard by my dad's truck. We were all devastated. I called to tell Jane and she was crying with me. I told her my Dad was going to buy me another CD puppy when she had another one available. 
She had a puppy she was holding from her other litter but she let me get him, so my dad drove me back to SC & we got Cooter, whom she encouraged me to show in the ARBA show in Atlanta that fall. My daughter was having major surgeries and medical problems at the time, so I wasn't able to commit to showing him. We discussed breeding him at a later date if everyrthing worked out.   
I was going to be the best dog owner ever and I did everything the vet said to do. But then he had a vaccine reaction, which the vet treated as a bee-sting & then as Demodex Mange for several months. When those treatments did not heal him,  the vet then said (same as he had with my Rottie) that he had "allergies" and would need to be on lifelong steroid treatments & allergy meds... I asked him about diet changes & vaccine reactions, and he treated me like an ignorant child.

my current pack, Cooter, Daisy & Bit
So I began researching, which led me to raw feeding, which led me to not using chemicals & learning about vaccinosis. I found an awesome Holistic vet who assisted me in detoxing Cooter & with proper appropriate diet he is fine now and has been for 5 years. We were very lucky that his reaction was not as bad as some I have since heard about!  
When Cooter was 2 we got Daisy, as a gift from Jane, as a mate for Cooter. Daisy was immediately switched to a raw diet, no more vaccines (except rabies) and no chemicals ever on her. 
'PR' Banbury's Tennessee Daisy Jane

Over the years I have fallen more and more in love with and in awe of these wonderful beings of nature's creation . They are so basic and primal in their actions and reactions yet so in tune with their human companions that it is uncanny. I could (and frequently do, to the frustration of my husband) spend hours just openly or covertly watching them interact, hunt, and do all the fascinating things that they do, even lounging on the couch! I can not imagine not having a Carolina Dog in my life now. 
BC Tennessee Whiskey CooterBug

Cooter is now retired from his career as a pet-assisted therapy dog and Daisy didn't get to participate in the program because of their ignorant ban on raw fed pets. But that is another story  These are the most loving, sensitive and healing dogs that I have ever had the blessing to live with.
 My carolina Dogs have totally won over my Husband, the non-dog-person, so that now he even lets them sleep in the bed with us. Cooter has laid by my side all day when I had a stroke, he has brought happiness and comfort to many Alzheimer's sufferers, and laid patiently beside a child as they struggled to learn to read to him. They have comforted a family member as she was battling and dying of cancer, tended a newborn baby, been a playmate for a toddler and a teenager, a hiking, farming and gardening companion and provided me a place to sob during the worst time of my life(when my baby grandson died) and dried my tears with their fur & kisses. Carolina Dogs are so much more than I can say, more intuitive, more fascinating, more fun, more versatile and more challenging than I ever imagined or can describe. I truly believe they are DOG, what God created when he made the first dog to be a companion for humans, before we humans started tinkering with them for our own purposes. Carolina Dogs are what a dog is supposed to be. 
'PR' Tennessee's Swamp Molly LilBit
I have been researching raw feeding, and Natural rearing for 5 years now and last year I began studying Small Animal Naturopathy with American Council of Animal Naturopathy (http://www.animalnaturopathy.org/)  and I hope to complete my course of study and begin consulting as a Animal Health Coach &/or a Carnivore/Pet Nutrition Consultant. 
I am a Responsible Natural Rearing Breeder of Carolina Dogs. Cooter and Daisy have had 2 litters,  one Fall 2011, one Spring 2013. All 12 puppies are in wonderful homes, that are continuing the Natural Rearing.  I mentor all of them as needed & stay in regular contact with them all on a regular basis.  Bit is from the 2013 litter, she was a runt & we spent so much time & love on her that we fell in love & so we decided to keep her.