How did you get hooked on dogs, working, show, agility or whatever your addiction is........ - Page 1

For me, a bulldog mix wondered into my yard eat up with mange, lips and ears bloody and cracked, hair missing and skin sores. I loaded him up and took him to the vet. Picked up a copy of Dog World and was blown away by all the beautiful dogs, I'd never heard of AKC or a dog show. Found the "Upcoming Shows" section and attended one nearby. It was instant addiction and looks like it will be for a lifetime. No cure that I have found.

The bulldog recovered, this was when the cure was some pretty nasty chemical baths that he did not like getting and I did not like giving. In spite of the treatment, and I never restrained him in any way or tried to "own" him, he never left. There's just no accounting for a dogs taste in humans.

Oh I had been oggling dogs of all breeds years before I actually got my first, which was a gift for my 16th birthday. Dad finally caved and we all took a stroll down to the shelter. I had always wanted a GSD because my Grandma (who was from Germany) used to tell me all about the GSD police dogs. My Dad would never let me have one because they were "vicious" , but he has since fallen in love with mine, here 20 something years later (no one's REALLY counting though!). Anyways, Bonnie was about 4 months old, a true heinz 57, brown dog with purple splotches on her tongue. I did everything with her... agility in the back yard, tricks, endurance stuff on my bike.. we had to pts 2 years ago this coming Sept at the age of 16. He mind was sharp but DM finally took her zest for life, so we set her free.

She was riddled with allergies and health problems from the start, and I learned a lot about vaccinosis and problems brought on by long term prednisone use, but she was my best friend through tough teenage years. Brings a tear to my eye :)

Since Bonnie, I've done AKC obedience, Sch, and would LOVE to finally get a small her of sheep or goats for herding.

Melissa

I was just born that way.  My earliest memories in life are of an extreme fondness for cats and dogs.

Grew up with them... 




Some kids played sports, we trained dogs.. I was maybe 15-16 here? we were excused total of three times from the ZVV3 title.. we had too much fun over discipline to finish. He then served in the security agency with me, he was a nice dog.
The last picture is from last week... some things never change, dogs are m passion.

I grew up in a very isolated, rural upbringing and the farm animals were my friends. Many of my family members had working k9's as many of them were police handlers and I was able to experience them enough for it to take root in me. We had gsds growing up as well as some other breeds. I went on to help out at a boarding/ show kennel and learn when one of my school friends and I became close and her family owned the kennel. From there onward with our shared love of riding and dogs it was a natural progression to strive to do more. Later, I was on the rescue squad and combined my love of dogs and helping people by doing SAR. I have also helped many dogs through rescue and fostering. My sons came first before any of my dog activies in between the various things I did, so there are gaps and I have not gone as far as I had hoped with other dog activities as yet, but I have no regrets or disapointments. I have fantastic sons and the love of some wonderful gsds. 

My parents had a GSD when I was a tyke and my mom told me that boy kept me out of the street, she said every time I got near the street he would knock me down and sit on me, lol.

I was the kid who brought home every stray. My love of animals started way back in my horse breaking days, how I used to love riding, had a few very special horses and later in life some special dogs of all different breeds and mixes.

So many animals in my life I can't begin to remember them all or have the time to write about them all. I can't remember a time in my life that we didn't have animal/s.

Excellent thread Rik.

My dad's brothers and sisters were mostly farmers, and EVERY farm had a dog. Most of them were some sort of collie mix, some had good temperaments, others I was told I had to stay away from. I spent many happy hours playing with the ones that had nice temperaments, and liked to fetch.

My brother had allergies, so I was not able to have a dog of my own, and it damn near broke my heart when we had to give up our cat when he was diagnosed.

Anyway, fast forward a number of years... I was an adult, living in a highrise in Toronto. I went to visit my uncle's farm, and saw this pathetic bag of bones lying under his kitchen table. It was a purebred GSD that had belonged to his elderly neighbour who had to go into a nursing home.

I was never quite sure how she got into such a horrible state, but my aunt said she wouldn't eat the kibble her owner had left behind. I did remember seeing her when she was a pup, and wanting to call the Humane Society because she was so thin!

I  knew she would likely die if I left her there. My uncle didn't want her, and he didn't have a very good track record of looking after dogs. A previous dog, a beautiful husky, had been hit by a tractor, and he'd just let its broken leg form a false joint.

I talked to a friend of mine who had a GSD in an apartment, and he assured me they couldn't force you to get rid of a dog unless it was creating a nuisance.

A week later, she made the trip home with me. One of the first things I did was take her to the vet. When the vet weighed her, she was 35 lbs., and he told me he wasn't sure she was going to live!.  Once she knew she was loved and cared for, she began to eat and put on weight. She had a long way to go to recovery.she was 5 years old, and 26" tall

A few weeks later, once it was obvious the vet's predictions about her being on her last legs were wrong, I took her to an eye specialist to get her degenerative pannus treated. He gave he a steroid injection, directly into the eye. It worked like magic. Within 48 hours that dirty brown film that had been creeping up over the pupil of her eye had receded, and she could see normally again!

When I took her back for the recheck ,she walked right into the exam room without a second's hesitation. The vet knelt down and made a fuss over her, and she licked his face. He looked at me and said, 'You know, this is probably the only breed of dog that's smart enough to know we're trying to help them when we do nasty things like sticking needles into their eyes!

As I'd never had a dog before, I signed her up for obedience classes with Sondra Holgate at Scarborough Dog Training Associates. After we'd been in the class only 5 weeks, the club sponsored a fun match. I took her in novice obedience, which was a few steps above the level we'd been working at. The class was packed: during the 3 minute down/stay, I there was barely room for my feet between her and the dog beside her. I put her into the down, and walked across the ring to stand with the other handlers. She put her head down on her paws, and never moved a muscle for the whole 3 minutes!

We scored 175 out of 200 points. I was SO proud of her! She'd never even been walked on a leash before I brought her home!

She was a pretty decent looking dog for a rescue. I've often wondered if she came from Leo Bellini's kennel, which was very close to her former home.

When she was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in her spine. Though she HAD to be in pain from it, she never showed it. Gradually, over the next year, she lost the use of her hind legs. She was euthanized in June of 1992.

Her courage, brains and gentleness hooked me on the breed.  Rest in peace, my dear Lili Marlene!

When I was 4, I fell in love with a neighbour's border collie called Tony, he used to spend hours pulling a push along lawnmower around by the roller and did little tricks like sitting up.  He was accused of biting someone and "went to live on a farm" and I mourned him so much my parents bought me a crossbreed puppy who we called Patch.  Patch was a nightmare dog, persistent roamer, disobedient and finally had to be confined on a chain outside because he chased sheep.  We loved him dearly, though on reflection he was probably the least loveable dog you can imagine so taught me a valuable lesson in loyalty to my friends, failings and all.  When I got my next dog, when I was about 10, I was determined she would not be like him and muddled along with my own juvenile ideas about training which make my hair curl to remember, but she learned everything I could think of to teach her, she was a diamond.   When she was about 2 or so, I entered her for a children's Obedience class at a little show, the first time I ever saw Competition Obedience, I still remember it well as these dogs were doing this smart little trick where they went round behind their handlers and sat at their side so while I waited for my turn, I taught her to do it and won the class.  The judge was a well respected man of the times called Len Pearce and as he gave me my prize, he asked what club I trained at.  There were actually clubs for dog training?  There really was Heaven on Earth!  I found a club I could get to by train and within a couple of weeks, passed the tests and graduated to the Competition class and by the next summer I was competing at Obedience shows.  In the early 1960's, the Obedience scene had not been totally taken over by collies and the breed of choice was the German Shepherd, though it was not until the early 1970's that I achieved my dream of owning one.  The rest is history.

Margaret N-J

A single 8 week old puppy that I purchased after finding an ad in the paper.  All the learning I have done started with this dog.  Agility, conformation, schutzhund, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, service dog work.

All from this one dog.

i always loved dogs but was unable to have one due to growing up in a big city, living on the 9th floor in a sky scraper had its limits....
So, my first dog came to us when i was 16 (we moved to CA to a house with yard) Jerry Lee (photo below) my father and I responded to a paper add about a 7 year old Dobby who was house trained, couch potato, etc...my parents thought it would be a good dog to have....he was ideal dog...never had another dog like him, he solidified my obsession with large dogs...he was HUGE and probably was a mix but i had no idea at that time, unfortunately 2 years later he had a sore on a leg that would never heal and infection on a bottom jaw that never went away...after that came Golden/Lab mix Max (adopted from shelter), than Rotty (shelter also) whom i had to leave at my parents house when i got married and moved to apartment....and than my current 4 GSD's (first 2 from shelter) ..to get a GSD was my husbands idea...and a good one, although his idea was 1 dog...not 4..LOL..

Jerry Lee