First Memory of Encounter with the GSD? - Page 1

Do any of you have a particular memory of the awareness or being introduced to GSD's?
Anything special that attracted your future with the breed?


Vixen

My first real introduction to shepherds was my Girl Scout leader's dog , Eric. He was always around and she took him camping with us (insteadof taking one of the moms :-)  ). I was the other one that he bonded to and was allowed to take him out in the morning into the camp and down to the beach alone. He was a very cool dog... We got our first GSD shortly afterwards and I've never looked back. In fact, I named my first boy dog after him - my mom pointed out, when I was searching for a name, that Eric was the first GSD love of my life-so the pup became Erich. He too was a very very special dog.

my first encounter with a GSD was a airforce k9 unit my family lived on base and i got to meet one of them such a amazing dog i fell in love from them there on out.

also when im walking my light colored shepherd around i had a guy walk up to me petting her and talking to me. he asked what breed she was and i told him he about fell on his butt trying to run away because he was terrified of shepherds. apparently when he was a child his neighbors dog attacked him. soo many irrisponcable owners ruin the shepherds name.

My first encounter was in the summer of 1979. I was a little girl and I spent my summers at an Aunts house in Malibu. I was on the beach collecting shells when my Aunt approached me with an envelope. This was no ordinary envelope. It was white and had writing on it. I was too young to read, so my Aunt read it aloud. When she was done reading my mother's letter, I threw it out and kept the Envelope with the German Shepherd stamp. From that moment on, I knew I had to have one. Frrrrrrt!

My grandparents had always had a German Shepherd. Rusty is the first I remember, and he was such a good dog. After he died, they got me a puppy who looked pure GSD but apparently was mixed with Husky & wolf. I named her Tornado (good name for her too) and she was my buddy up until my grandparents died. There was a big arguement in the family after that, and we wound up having to get rid of Tornado because we couldn't keep her in our apartment - she had always been an outside dog, and was very high energy. Broke my heart, and I still hate my uncle because of it. Roughly a year later we wound up moving in to that house. Then after my parents split, it was just me and dad and with him working all the time I was alone... thats when he got me my black beauty, Dallas. :) That dog was my best friend, a true GSD. She would've made an excellent sport dog - such awesome drives, and yet when she was inside she was perfectly behaved. And God I miss her...

This is a great idea for a thread :)

My love for GSDs was passed down from my mother. So I guess her stories of her GSDs from when she was little were my first encounters. We got our first GSD as a family when I was 8 and we had one ever since!

What interesting, beautiful and poignant stories.  Thank you for sharing them .....

Vixen

My first encounter with a german shepherd was up on a tree.  I was about 12 and saw a large dog approaching so I got scared and climbed up a tree.  The german shepherd guarded the tree a good few minutes before the owners came for him.  I must admit....I did taunt him a little whilst I was up on the branch.

Years later in my late teens, I was introduced to Sheba, a well trained GSD my cousins had.

My first encounters with GSD's were the New York City police dogs in the 1950's.

They were like fantasy creatures to me.

Michele