Retired

Helena currently has a litter on the ground, she is retired and all puppies are fully weaned. She was spayed and gastropexied during her emergency C-section. Her full story is below, along with her completed health testing, titles, pedigree, & much more. 

Pedigree

OFA Link 

Helena's Titles

Embark Results 

Photo Album

Helena is now retired following a tragic whelping.

Helena is our stunning Black & Red Long-Coat female, imported from Serbia on 08/01/2025 to strengthen the foundation of our program. She brings with her an outstanding combination of structure, temperament, and proven ability, holding prestigious titles including V1 and SG1 show ratings, the working title of IGP-1, the temperament test BH-VT, and her breed survey (KKL). She has also earned her CGC, CGCA, CGCU, TKN, and VHMA titles, further demonstrating her soundness, stability, trainability, and versatility.

Helena commands attention with her elegant yet powerful presence. She possesses fluid, effortless movement, a strong, level topline, and rich pigmentation that reflects the beauty of the West German Show Line. Her confident, stable temperament and correct structure made her not only a standout in the ring and on the field, but also a valuable contributor to our vision for the breed.

We are honored to have Helena in our program, and we are deeply grateful for the quality, type, and drive she has passed on to her puppies.

Registered Name: Hela Von Angsthof 

Registration#DN76745902 Microchip# 688038000244662

Call Name: Helena DOB: 03/10/2021 Color: Black & Red

Coat type: Long-Coat Weight:80lbs Height:23in

Tittles: 

V1, SG1, IGP-1, BH-VT, KKL, CGC, CGCA, CGCU, TKN, VHMA

Health tests: 

Hips SV - A1 (A-Normal),

Elbows SV - Normal, 

Cardiac Normal,

Eyes Normal, 

Dentition Full,

DM Clear, vWD1 Clear, MDR1 Clear,

Clear for 270+ genetic diseases 

Owned by: Kayla Fisher

Von WestLynn German Shepherds

Helena is now okay, and her puppies are stable, however, this was not the update we hoped to share.

Warning: This update contains medical and reproductive loss details that may be graphic and upsetting for some to read.

This is not talked about enough, especially for those new to breeding who often see only cute puppies and happy announcements. Behind every litter are real risks, real emergencies, and sometimes devastating loss. If you know me, you know I refuse to stay quiet about the hard or uncomfortable parts of this responsibility. I believe deeply in transparency, even when the truth is painful, because sugarcoating these experiences does a disservice to the dogs, to the people who love and advocate for them, and to those just beginning to step into the ethical world of dog breeding. If we want to protect our dogs and do better by them, we have to be willing to talk honestly about both the joy and the heartbreak that can come with breeding.

Helena went into labor on Thursday afternoon and delivered six puppies by 9:45 PM. At that point, we believed she had finished whelping. Unfortunately, approximately seven hours later, she delivered another male puppy. Despite our best efforts, support from other breeders and from our vet, he experienced multiple complications and sadly passed away peacefully 3 hours later beside his mom. 

Early Friday morning at 6:30 AM, Helena delivered another puppy. Tragically, this female puppy was born stillborn. Due to the prolonged labor and losses I quickly called my vet and told them we were on our way with Helena and needed an X-ray done to determine whether she still had any puppies retained    X-rays revealed that she still had another puppy retained. The puppy was very large, and it was determined that Helena was unable to safely deliver him naturally. Our veterinarian was not set up to perform a C-section that day, so Helena was immediately transferred to an emergency veterinary hospital where an emergency C-section was performed.

What started out as hope and excitement quickly turned into an absolute nightmare. We rushed to the emergency vet, already exhausted and terrified for her.

Unfortunately, the vet tech on call that night treated us like we were an inconvenience rather than a person with a dog in the middle of a medical crisis. Instead of urgency or compassion, the interaction felt dismissive and cold. At a time when Helena was clearly struggling and we were desperate for help, the lack of empathy and seriousness was upsetting. In the middle of an already overwhelming and emotional situation, being treated that way made a terrible moment feel ten times worse. When you walk into an emergency vet office with a dog in active that is having serious whelping complications, terrified and exhausted, you hope to be met with urgency, understanding, & compassion. Instead, the interaction made it feel as though we were bothering them rather than seeking help for a life-threatening situation.

Thankfully, the veterinarian on call — who happened to be a reproduction specialist — was the complete opposite. He stepped in, took the time to carefully evaluate Helena, and walked me through everything that was happening. He explained the situation in detail, answered my questions, and made sure I understood what we were facing and the next steps that needed to be taken.

Due to the prolonged labor and the losses that had already occurred, Helena was taken to our primary veterinarian for further evaluation. X-rays revealed that she still had another puppy retained. The puppy was very large, and it was determined that Helena was unable to safely deliver him naturally. She was immediately transferred to an emergency veterinary hospital, where an emergency C-section was performed.

During surgery, the attending veterinarian determined that Helena’s uterus was extremely thin and severely compromised, making it unsafe for her to ever carry another litter. For Helena’s safety and long-term well-being, she was spayed and gastropexied during the procedure.

During the C-section, the veterinarian called me back to the operating room to personally show me Helena’s uterus and explain that it was paper-thin and that she should never be bred again. Following surgery, the veterinarian advised that, based on the condition of her uterus, Helena had likely carried significantly more litters than the two I was told about prior to her joining my program, estimating six to seven litters total.

This information was not known to me at the time of breeding. Had I been aware of the full extent of Helena’s prior breeding history, she would not have been bred again under any circumstances. Learning this after the fact has been devastating.

I have taken this extremely hard. I have cried for the last 72 hours, questioned every decision I made, and carried a tremendous amount of guilt — even knowing that my choices were made based on the information available to me at the time. I hold myself to very high ethical standards, and I would never knowingly allow a female in my program to have more than four litters, even if she were otherwise in excellent health.

When Helena came to me, she was severely underweight at 52 pounds. With proper nutrition, veterinary care, and conditioning, she improved significantly and weighed 78 pounds at the time of breeding. Based on the information available to me at the time, both my primary reproduction veterinarian and I agreed that it was safe for her to have another litter. Helena was in excellent condition at the time the breeding took place and remained healthy throughout her pregnancy.

In total, our beautiful girl had nine puppies — six boys and three girls. Sadly, three of her puppies were lost during the difficult whelping process, but the remaining six are healthy, including four boys and two girls.

This experience has been heartbreaking. While everyone at Von WestLynn mourns the puppies we lost, we are incredibly grateful that Helena survived and is now recovering. She is officially retired from my breeding program and will spend the rest of her life as a cherished companion, never again being put at risk.

My commitment has always been — and will continue to be — the health, safety, and welfare of our dogs above all else.

Helena's

Sire & Dam