I'm glad I saw this thread.
I saw a guy at my last show who was selling a supposed SD retic. When a guy asked how big it, they stay smaller then dwarves, right? The seller said no, that SD's were never much smaller than just a dwarf and that the one he had would hit 10'
I asked him about that, since I have personally seen an SD that was 5' or so and 8 years old, and he told me that was impossible, that no retic of any kind stayed that small.
I'd love to get a true SD, I love the look of a retic, but there is no way I could handle a 10'+ animal. I was very upset to think the one I had seen was a fluke.
I think it's a pity people will always demand flashy over purity. Look at all the ridiculous "designer dogs" for example.
You have given me the hope however, that I might just find my true SD one day if I look hard enough.
Gale