Germand Shepherds: Man's best friend

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[shaggy eel]

,,, take care of yourself and your dog Joe. Take a few minutes out to thank God that you don't have to go thru the Family Court for battles over access to kids etc. In time things will be better for you.

[sawsalimb]

One of the best dogs I ever knew was Rex,who showed up one day,fully grown,at the filling station on the interstate where my younger brother worked. He just sort of appeared one day,and moved in,and he never seemed to really want to be anywhere else. Great dog,and we weren't nearly as concerned as we had been about my brother working the late shift after Rex showed up. There were several instances where I'm pretty sure that he averted a robbery,just by being there-his appearance alone was impressive,and his intelligence was very high also. I miss him still,and he wasn't even mine. I hope his bloodline is still around-there aren't ever enough dogs like that.

[Fraulein]

What an adorable picture and cute dog! :)

[Fraulein]

There are some sweet animal stories on this thread!

[Sungirl]

Yeah there are.....I have a story too.

When my brother and I walked to our Catholic school in the 1st and 2nd grades (it was very close even though in the suburbs) one of our German Shepards(half wolf and have shepard who my father bought in the hills of Pennsylvania) used to walk to the school and visit all the kids during 'recreation'. He was the sweetest dog ..... Sometimes the nuns would make us walk him home...but not too often.

[catonsville]

I had two German Shepherds and am glad to see that they are becoming popular again. Rolf was a longhaired shepherd, bigboned and beautiful, just awesome.

I would put him in the front seat of my 65 Buick, he would sit up very tall as I drove around town. I loved to watch people sneaking looks at him as we waited for lights or did the beltway. That "wow" expression made my day.

He helped me raise my daughter, letting her play all over him as small children do, with never a bad reaction.

He is buried in the local Humane Society cemetery and I visit him a few times each year.

[barker]

I was just getting up to go outside and play frisbee with my German Shepherd ...

Did Max give up bowling for frisbee?

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

The Newfoundland.

And good luck on your custody battle.

[WIladyconservative]

I HAVE to ask this - and it's truly out of curiosity, not bad manners. When did the breeding of *slope backed* German Shepherd Dogs begin (that's not a tech term, just an observation)? I recall Shepherds from 25-30 years ago with very level top lines. Now I'm seeing much more slope - looks like potential hip problems in the offing. Truly just curious; don't know that much about the breed other than they are smart & loyal.

[geege]

Well good luck to you.....my boyfriend's shepherd "Sam" almost died years ago from getting his head stuck in a garage door and was found half dead......"Sam" was at the Vet for 2 weeks dying of kidney failure and wouldn't eat....they weren't doing anything for the dog so Bob paid the $1400.00 bill, took him home and nursed him back to health while he prayed and cried for weeks....and now 3 years later he's one happy and "greatful" dog:^) P.S. His house and Sam were his winnings from his divorce:^)

[GussiedUp]

Ditto on the "Max" name - that's my sweet Rottweiler's name. Woke up this morning w/my 3 year old between me and Max. My husband gave up and slept on the couch....again LMAO

[Chemnitz]

Make mine a Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog).

Smart? Our Sheltie knows 20 commands and ignores them all.

Affectionate? She loves to lick us awake when she wants her morning walk. That can be at 5:30 AM.

Loyal? She jumped into our friend's van to be with the children. I called her out. She laid her ears down (meaning "I won't listen") and went to the back of the van. I had to carry her back to the yard, while everyone laughed at us.

We love our Sheltie. I know that many German Shepherd owners love their dogs. Sheltie owners seem to go ga-ga over other Shelties. I usually find one new admirer for our dog every day when we go for walks together.

[SCalGal]

Good luck with your custody case. I'd be lost without my Akitas.

[TroutStalker]

Did Max give up bowling for frisbee?

No, Max continues to bowl, but that is a solitary activity. He likes to engage me in play such as frisbee, stick, ball, etc. When he thinks we are going out to play, he stands on his back legs in front of the door.

BTW, we gave our daughter's Great Dane a sixteen pound bowling ball that had two sets of holes drilled in it, and he picks it up in his mouth and carries it around. You have to watch your feet when he is playing with it. And he is not allowed to carry it up on the deck.

[TroutStalker]

Shelties are lovable dogs; I have had three of them. One of them, Chewy, was very smart and loved to travel. His best trick was singing on command. When I would pick up our daughter at nursery school, the kids would all run over to the fence shouting "sing Chewy", and he would reward them with a wide range of long, soulful howls. Now I get similar attention when Max has his head out the vehicle window and a firetruck or ambulance goes by: people point and laugh.

[krunkygirl]

I have a beautiful, old greyhound (she's in her 15th year.) So gentle, sweet and thoroughly bonded to _her_ folks--don't know how she would respond if I were threatened but she gets real ugly with black poodles! There is a story behind that but I'll save it for another day...

[WHATNEXT?]

We noticed the same thing years ago when we started looking for a German Shepherd. We were very disappointed at what had happened to sheperds. The slope look is very desirable for the American show ring.

We found the straight backed, sturdy German Shepherd in the German stock. We got our Shay (can't help but cry when I think of him) with papers showing his bloodlines not to distantly all from Germany. The Germans reward more for intelligence, working ability and attitude than the American show ring seems too.

Most police departments go to Canada or eastern Europe for their police dogs. You can find some breeders in US that they use but the domestic breeders also use the German/E. European bloodlines.

Must say to our beloved Shay - we love and miss you - You were the guardian of our heart and hearth.

[ModernDayCato]

Meet Emma (4 yr old black GSD) and Teddy (15 year old mixed Shepherd Akita)

Good luck with your custody battle

Cato

[SCalGal]

You CAN get shepards here with German bloodlines; I have one. His name is Worf and he's absolutely incredible. Tried to steal the Thanksgiving turkey one year.