German Shepherd dog

Wanderer - how right you are about the tears.

For me my first GSD since leaving my childhood home meant so much to me, but she has a long and complicated story.  Another one who has really touched my soul is my old boy - he's currently 12.5 years old and is lying at my feet.

He helped our bitch through some very difficult times, he introduced us to the show scene, all be it only a bit.  He was the most fab Pets as Therapy dog and has been my rock.  9 years ago when I was pregnant he became in tune with me, I was really ill and he was my shadow, and when my blood pressure dropped he would lean on me or prevent me from getting up before I could pass out.  The second time I became pregnant, it was his behaviour that made me get checked!  When I was ill and had to have daily injections he would come and sit by me until I was done and lick away any tears that I had (they were very painful) and he never pulled on his lead all the time I was pregnant.  He knew that he had to be very careful with me after my c-section and he found a way of sitting with me to have a cuddle all the same.  He has been my best friend, my confidant and my foot rug.

Even now he is still totally in tune with me and during a recent bought of flu he returned to being my shadow, he wouldnt even go out to the toilet until I was back on my feet - words escape me to describe him.

My once in a lifetime dog was a white GSD male named Rolf. He was about 10months old and I was 11years old when I was given him as a present from an uncle. He had been rejected by a security company because he was gun shy. He was my constant companion and best friend through a very difficult childhood. I ran away from home on several occasions and I always felt safe with him by my side. My parents threatened to sell him as money was scarce and with 5 children to feed they could not afford to feed a large dog as well. I managed to find a job and was able to pay for his food myself there where times when we as a family here homeless but I refused to be parted from Rolf. He gave me so much love and was always there to lick away my tears and never once did he judge me. Rolf lived to be 15years old and he will always have a very special place in my heart. Its thanks to Rolf that I became so passionate and so involved with this breed and I still have a real soft spot for whites and currently have a white rescue GSD named Crystal as well as our other dogs.

Wanderer Your right I did shed a few tears.

Linda B (Korzwin GSDs)

Wanderer, I've had dogs all of my life, but the one that means the most to me is my most recent GSD, Chaos.  Chaos turned 2 years old today and how the time flies when you're having fun.  I never would have gotten a male GSD, or even thought about a 4th dog if it weren't for my sister, Debbie.  June 17th. of 2006, someone set her house on fire at midnight with her and her boy friend in the house upstairs!  Her boyfriend George died in the fire.  Debbie made it out by diving 2 stories head first to the ground.  She was in the hospital for 18 days in the trauma / burn unit.  Her last week in there, she said she wanted a big LC shepherd like she use to have, to protect her when she got out of the hospital.  I talked her into a puppy so that they could bond together and grow together.  I found a breeder close to home by an ad in the local paper.  I went to look at the pups and something stood out with him.  He was the only one that was demanding attention every time we walked up to the pups.  I kept Chaos at my house while my sister was recovering in the very small apartment that the insurance company put her up in until she could find a place of her own.  I would take him over to visit with her, leaving him there for a day or 2 at a time.  But, every time I went back to pick him up, he was no where to be found.  I would ask my sister where he was and she would tell me that he was in his crate!  He would be underfoot and not listening to her so that's where he would end up for God knows how long at a time.  I ended up taking him home with me and told her that when she found a house with a fenced in yard we would bring him back over to leave him with her, but until then he would be at my house where he wouldn't get stuck in a crate all the time.  She agreed that it would be best.  A couple of months went by and Chaos and I bonded like I have never bonded with one of my dogs.  My sister called me and let me know that she needed to have him over at her place because he had a vet appointment the next day.  I took him over there and left him.  The next afternoon, I went back over to get him after I got out of work.  She then told me that he was mine!  She said he cried all night and she thought that he wanted outside, so she would take him out every hour.  He didn't have to go to the bathroom at all.  He was crying for me and wanted me.  She said after that, she knew that he wanted to be with me and I was his true owner.  He was the best gift besides her living through what she went through that she could have given me my entire life.  They are both something special.  Chaos is a champion show dog, a therapy dog and a wonderful family pet.  I hope we have a very long happy life together.  Thanks for starting the thread.

My once in a lifetime dog is now 13 yrs old. She was purchased as a 10 weeks old puppy, that little Long Haired baby face. She has always done EVERYTHING I asked of her, she was always off lead (unless in a dangerous situation) and never left my side. She was considered the "Nanny" and raised many pups for me from 8 weeks to a year of age and made sure all of them knew to respect her.

She is: PAM- Montana's Mountain Majesty, CGC,PT,CD,AX,AXJ,NAP,NJP,JB,PD1,OAC,NJC,NGC,RS-O,JS-N,GS-N, Certified Therapy Dog, OFA Fair Elbows Normal       A Long Coat only 54 pounds and 21 3/4 inches at the shoulder, from back yard bred dogs and I strive SO hard to find the "perfect" lines. I don't believe there is such a thing unless those perfect lines are out of "Smokey Gator Demott" and "Sheena's First of the Line". :o)

Besides being my constant companion and all those titles she helped me earn, she is 13 years old (next week) and still going strong so we also have longevity in our "perfect" lines! It's just a shame she was never bred.

Tina

My once in a lifetime dog was and always will be ALERO VOM FEUR LOGIK.

I got Alero at 8 weeks old and from that point forward he was my constant companion.  I bought him as a competition dog but he became so much more. 

While teaching me all about schutzhund we did get our SchH 1. Off the field is where he really made his mark.

We would visit nursing homes and outside of trying to eat the tennis balls on the feet of walkers, he was a perfect gentleman. We would enter the room of a bed ridden patient and he would just calmly lay his head on the side of the bed with his head pressed against the person and just sit there. After a few minutes he would simply raise his head and calmly turn and walk away to visit the next room. I swear he knew exactly how to act with each person.

His favorite place to visit was always the mentally retarded ward. They were always glad to have him visit and watch him perform all his little tricks. They were always so excited to see him and I never once had to worry when one or more of them would come screeching down the hall with arms a flailing. While most dogs would run in fear, Alero knew this was just a child in a mans body, who was excited to see a dog and come give him a hug!

He truly was special and I guess god needed another angel because he crossed over to Rainbow Bridge at 3 years 5 months old. Here is my tribute video for him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J0xUkuGo1Q

JoAnn

His name was simply "SAM".

We was a sable GSD that belonged to the man who lived next door, who later became my step father.

While still the nextdoor dog, we was chained to a very heavy chain as "Bill", my soon to be stepfather lived (like us) next to the railroad tracks and boys thought is was exceedingly funny to tease Sam by throwing rocks at him. 

Fastfoward a few years and Bill and my mother marry.  We move to the country (thank GOD) and it is time to be introduced to Sam whom, up to this point, we were never allowed to approach because he hated kids (no wonder).

Well, my brother seemed to be Sam's arch enemy as young boys can be quite mean to dogs sometimes.  And, since Sam did not like my brother, it seemed as though none of us were allowed to befriend him.  He was chained (again) but this time to the corncrib next to the cornfield (away from the house and human companionship).  This saddened me and being the young animal lover I was, I would constantly approach at a distance, quietly and as friendly as possible trying to befriend this dog that nobody seemed to understand.  You could see he wanted the companionship, wanted to reach out to someone but, had been mistreated by the smaller humans and even the larger by not being allowed to part of the family.  I would sit a few feet away and read to him (dumb I know, but he seemed to enjoy my voice and just having someone else there).  However, under no circumstances did I ever cross that invisible line to get close enough to touch him...something held me back ... Sam was just very leary at this point.

Well, one day something happened to change the way our family looked at Sam and his situation of being chained for the rest of his doggie days.

There were 6 of us kids.  The youngest, my baby sister had just begun to toddle along.  Mom had been cleaning a camper we had in the back yard about 40 feet from the corncrib where Sam was chained.  My babysister was in the camper with her.  Well, at some point, my sister had gotten out of mom's view and within minutes, my mother was crazy screaming for her.  She could find her nowhere.  Everyone one of us was put to looking for her.  Well, when Mom found her, she could not believe her eyes.  My mother has never been as scared since.  My baby sister was found to be sitting right next to Sam, in her diapar, in the dirt with Sam's water dish turned upside down, hitting the water dish and him (on the head) with the stick!!!  Of course my mother (who wasn't too crazy about dogs anyway) didn't know what to do and did not want to make the move to pull my sister away which might have enraged Sam (in her view) and cause him to bite my sister.  As I watched, I realized, he was not the crazy dog my stepdad had thought him to be with kids, just unsure.  He seemed to realize my sister would do him no harm (albeit the stick to his head!) and accepted her.  I looked at him and started talking to him in the soft voice I would read to him in...I approached and he wagged his tail, lowered his head as if to say, sorry, but she came over here.  He  allowed me to walk over and pick up my sister and hand her off to mom.  After that day, we were somehow accepted by him (all of us, including my crazy brother!). 

This dog turned out to be the best friend I've ever known, 4 legged or otherwise.  He protected us kids from my stepfather's abusive beatings, loose dogs coming into the yard, snakes, and lightening.  And, he would comfort me while going thru the normal growing pains of a child and teenager. 

I left for the army in 1983 saying a very said goodbye to Sam.  When returning on leave a year later, it was the saddest thing I've ever done, as the 15 year old Sam had to be euthanized.  I've never lived thru anything harder t

PS - oh, forgot to add....Sam was allowed off leash (we were way back in the country far from any other houses).  He stayed on the porch or under the porch most of the time (my mother did not allow dogs inside).  Was only tied up when visitors came as Sam still remained extremely protective of "his" people.  When we rode bicycles, he stayed right with us. 

He was just such an awesome dog and even better friend.

my once in a lifetime dog was not a purebred gsd, in fact she was a $25 humane society puppy i got at a petco adoption day. she was a lab/gsd/husky mix and i named her bandit, after my penpal's gsd who had just died. she had the big lab head and floppy ears with shepherd markings and a curly husky tail that curled over her back when she was happy. she was really cute and everybody loved her. she came into my life at a time when i was very depressed and feeling hopeless and lost. she gave my life focus and meaning. i always told myself i had to keep going no matter what because of her. for 8 years she was my best friend. those 8 years saw several human partners come and go. when my daughter was born, bandit took it all in stride. she always liked kids, and doggy kisses landed on my baby girl's face quite often. i had trained bandit to pull a bike and then a wagon when she was about a year old and i was homeless as a result of leaving a bad relationship. i put her wagon-pulling abilities to use with my daughter and we were a local hit. tourists loved snapping pix of my dog pulling with my daughter in the wagon. she had a few good tricks i used to have her do down by the lighthouse and we impressed alot of tourists. she was my show-off dog. the smartest dog ever. i love the dogs i have now, but honestly, they don't have half the brains she did. the lab gave her love of water and retrieving-i could play ball with her anytime, anywhere until my arm felt like falling off. the gsd gave her some watchdog ability, not nearly as good as spunky, but good enough for then. the husky i felt was good cause to train her for pulling.spunky as a purebred gsd is a better watchdog but won't play ball much, just inside the house. outside, she would rather run around smelling everything and quickly loses interest in the ball. she won't jump in the lake to retrieve, either. she does pull good though.i lost bandit to cancer at 8 years old, far too soon for me. maybe someday i can bond better to my dogs, lately they don't seem to last long enough. i only had nenz for a year and a half, and it devestated me to lose him to bloat on valentine's day, so i don't want to really love my dogs too much anymore because it hurts so much to say goodbye.sorry my once in a lifetime dog wasn't a pure gsd, i had her for 8 years thru thick and thin, she was always there. i did want a purebred but could not afford one at that time in my life.