Brandy (July 13,1999-October 10,2008)

I was shocked to come home tonight and find my dog Brandy dead on the floor. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, there was something wrong as Brand had been having diarrhea the past 2 weeks. At first I thought it was because I changed the dogs diet a couple weeks ago. But I changed her food back but she was still having problems. I had it in the back of my mind to take a stool sample to the vet next week. I certainly wasn't expecting this.


The sad thing about a dog dying is nobody except you knows what the dog meant. There won't be any funeral, no monuments or prizes to remember the life by. But Brandy was an angel in fur. Her life started out hard. In 1999 I wanted another German Shepherd and saw this ad in the paper. I went down and saw Brandy and her brothers and sisters by the river. They were in dirty surroundings so I had second thoughts.

I kept thinking about Brandy so after a week went by I called the guy and he said he still had her. So I picked her up and brought her home. She was covered in ticks and vomited roundworms, but after that recovered and was on her way.

Brandy was sweet as pie but always a little shy around strangers. I remember once I enrolled her in an obedience class and she was shaking like a leaf the first day. By the end of the class though, she was doing great. They had these contests and she won the "sit" contest. I feel silly but I was very proud of her.

When I got Brandy I had a male German Shepherd named Sam who was a couple of years older. Sam and Brandy were always the best of friends, throughout Sam's life until he died last year. They kind of reminded me of an old couple.

Brandy, like most dogs-had two favorite pasttimes-walking and chasing balls. Brandy loved chasing balls, and she loved hiking in the mountains. I have owned lots of dogs and I have to say without a doubt Brandy loved going out in the mountains more than any other dog.

The past few weeks I guess it was obvious something was wrong, but I never would have imagined it was life threatening. I will feel guilty the rest of my life for not having done something soon enough.

Pay attention to the health of your dog. Today might be their last day on earth.

Jake the German Shepherd Dog

Until recently, I hadn't been known to hoard animals. For most of my life I was a one-dog man, and then in 1996 I moved up to two with a Dalmatian named Tasha and a German Shepherd named Sam. Tasha had to be put down about a year and a half later because she was really old (nearly 16) and had a massive tumor on her leg. After that I got a second German Shepherd named Brandy, and had the two Shepherds from 1999-2007.


For reasons that I'll explain another time, by the spring of 2007 I had four dogs: Brandy, Lucy, a new German Shepherd named Tony and an Akita named Naomi. Well at this point I was like having four dogs in one house is completely insane, so there was NO WAY I was getting another dog. Well not until I met Jake that is.

My beloved German Shepherd of ten years Sam had died that April from stomach torsion, and things just didn't feel right. It was about then that a lady at a ranch where I board my horses began talking about getting rid of her German Shepherd. It was kind of strange because only a few weeks earlier she was ranting and raving about how wonderful it was for her to have come across this dog (whom she adopted from some doctor). He resembled a German Shepherd she had left behind in Jersey not just physically, but with his penchant for chasing and chewing on dogs.

The problem was the lady had just acquired some pygmy goats. One tragic Sunday morning the neighbors dog got in her yard and YIKES! killed the goats. This caused some soul searching-not only was the act of killing the neighbors dog considered, but she began to worry if her recently acquired German Shepherd might kill the goats too. Apparently he had made some displays of fondness for meat, and was eye-ing the goats a little too often.

There was also talk that he was too thin and had to stay outside all the time by some other people at the ranch. So a woman (who will remain nameless but plays a significant role in my life ;) convinced me to go over and take a look. First the idea was to just check on him and make sure he was OK, but one Sunday evening I dropped by to inquire about adopting him.

For an animal nut like me, this is of course a major mistake. Once the decision has been made to look in on a critter I may as well just say drop him off at my house. So I drove up there, knowing full well there was no way I would leave this dog behind.

The doctor had originally named this dog Kozmo, but the woman who now owned him sensibly changed his name to Jake. She had a whole army of animals, from a pair of gay (yes homosexual) canaries to four small dogs, two goats and two big dogs. The small dogs were allowed in the house but the big dogs had to stay outside with the goats. Since Jake had his eye on gourmet goat meat, he was kind of living as a loner.

Jake greeted me with a ball in his mouth. Living up to his description, Jake is a German Shepherd that is downright obsessed with rubber balls. In fact as I type this he is laying on the floor waiting for me to throw his ball to him now. Anyway, I looked the situation over for a few minutes pretending I would think about it and then told her I'd go ahead and take the dog. She was pretty happy I was taking this burden off her shoulders, she could stop worrying about the goats and her dog had a new home. So off I went with Jake, with the realization that I now owned five dogs slowly sinking in....

Honestly Jake was a mess. He was about 75 pounds looking very skinny, had pannus and an itchy skin condition due to allergies to some kind of mite that all dogs have. After putting him on my regular feeding schedule I use with the other dogs he's up to 95 pounds, and he's getting medication for his pannus and skin condition. I recently put him on Solid Gold Dog food in the hopes his skin my improve a bit and I could cut back on medication.

Well despite the fact I'm saddled with five dogs, Jake has turned out to be the perfect addition. He was eight when I got him (so kind of close to Sam's age) and he has many of Sam's best personality attirbutes. Jake is a fairly quiet dog that doesn't like getting into trouble, so he avoids bothering the other dogs. He likes chomping on his balls (the rubber ones, PLEASE...) and also has a fondness for tennis balls. An interesting quirk is that Jake can fit two or three balls in his mouth at the same time. Sam always tried, in fact Sam tried to fit two tennis balls in his mouth up to the day he died, but never succeeded. Jake also walks good and enjoys going for hikes in the mountains. I guess I would call it chemistry, but his chemistry is very much like Sam's. Having Jake there made me feel whole and secure again in a way I hadn't felt since Sam's death.

Jake has this funny quirk, sitting in the space on the floor between the front and back seats in the car. I don't remember if I've posted this pic before, but here it is, kind of grainy since I took it with the cell phone.

In any case, Jake is the best that a German Shepherd can be. Friendly, gentle, smart, loyal, and fun.

German Shepherd Dogs

People often say that the best dog is a mutt or mixed breed dog. That may be true, but I've always owned pure bred dogs and I've owned a fair number of them. In the next couple of days, I am going to take some time out and write about my experiences with different breeds, including the pros and cons, so that people thinking of getting a new dog can have some practical experience at their finger tips. Of the dogs I've owned, five of them have been German Shepherds. So I think I'll start there.

My first German Shepherd Dog was Sam. In some ways, Sam was difficult. He taught me a lot about the breed because some of the negative traits you find in German Shepherds were a bit exaggerated in Sam. And being a new Shepherd owner, I wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

Let me first say that individual dogs are just that-individuals-so I don't want to get too caught up in some kind of breed bias. Among any breed you're going to find a wide variety of personalities and problems, although there will be some tendencies. Golden Retrievers, say, are going to tend to be friendly. I haven't heard of a pack of Golden Retrievers attacking any old ladies lately, but you've probably heard of that happening with Pit Bulls. But that being said, I've met some Pit Bulls who are the gentlest, laziest dogs on the planet. That does to show this discussion can only be taken so far (never met an aggressive Golden Retriever though).

Alright so what qualities did Sam have, if I just had to write a bulleted list? On the positive side he was:

• Easy Going
• Very obedient and easy to train
• Not too high energy
• Not destructive
• Enjoyed the outdoors and vigorous physical activity despite not being high energy
• Loyal
• Strong
  
• Calm when comfortable-he was real easy to crate train
  
• Never begged, wouldn't do stuff like jump up on the counter trying to get food
• Got along great with new dogs. Never met a stranger...of the canine variety
  

I would say these characteristics describe most German Shepherds. Since Shepherds are big and intimidating, you can see why they are used as police and military dogs. Sam was so easy going whenever I brought a new dog in, or one to visit, or one I rescued off the street (this happened all too often) Sam would be really laid back about it. Hey, he knew he could beat up the other dog easily, but typically he would just kick back and let them take over as alpha.

But these general traits don't apply to all German Shepherds. Take my dog Tony who has heartworm, for example. Tony can't stand being in a crate. He is very high energy, and is completely destructive. Tony actually looks quite similar to Sam. He isn't as built but their coats have similar markings. But the similarities end there! Tony is a complete high energy nutcase. I would say his energy level resembles more a Dalmatian than a typical Shepherd.

Now like people, most dogs are not perfect. And Sam had a few issues. These were:

• Not trusting new people
• Lack of confidence

These traits probably came from years of "overbreeding" of shepherds. You start selecting dogs that don't quite trust new people-these are good guard dogs for example-and in a few generations you've got dogs that are downright skittish about it. This was a problem that plagued Sam, I was reluctant to introduce him to new people because he would bark at the top of his lungs and act all scary. He never did bite anybody, and through the years with the help of attending several dog obedience classes, his behavior improved quite a bit. But he was never the 100% comfortable dog in new social situations like a Golden Retriever would be expected to behave.

Recently I acquired a German Shepherd named Jake, who is pictured in this article. Jake is a really nice, gentle dog, a real people friendly and dog friendly guy. He resembles Sam in a lot of ways, being totally laid back, obedient, and not too high energy but playful. Jake does lack confidence a little but isn't as neurotic about it as Sam was. But Jake totally lacks the guard dog aspect of the German Shepherd personality. I think if someone broke in my house Jake would just sit there on the couch, maybe hoping to play ball with the criminal. Luckily I have other dogs to protect Jake...

So what kind of person should get a German Shepherd? If you are looking for a guard dog you really can't go wrong, even if you get one like Jake. Just the appearance of a German Shepherd is enough to intimidate most people.

Being large dogs, German Shepherds do require a lot of exercise. But I would rank them as medium energy level dogs. They can do lots of exercise if you give them the opportunity, but I would say they only need regular walks 4-5 days per week. I live by the mountains so mine are kind of spoiled and get a lot more vigorous walking than average dogs. But in my years of owning them, I've never had one that became a problem when exercise was not immediately available for one reason or another. That hasn't been my experience with other breeds (more on that later).

I think there are two major concerns with German Shepherds. The first is avoiding fear issues. Do your best to acquire a calm, socially friendly dog. Otherwise you might have a real problem on your hands. That being said, if you get a fear aggressive shepherd, you might be able to save the situation based on their tendency for obedient loyalty. If you get in that situation start socializing the dog in controlled situations, the best thing is to start with enrolling the dog in lots of obedience classes. Also hire a personal trainer and get your dog around your friends and other dogs as often as possible. Use a muzzle at first if he is showing signs of aggression.

The second major concern is hip dysplasia. I am not entirely sure about this, but I think its more common in American lines than in German lines. You can recognize American lines by a back that slopes downward from the shoulder to the butt. Jake is from an East German line and has a completely straight back. Sam was the same way. But I have a German Shepherd female named Brandy that has the sloped back. She is 9 however, and still hasn't shown any signs of hip problems.

Finally, German Shepherds are prone to an eye condition called pannus. In lay terms, a dark film grows over the eye, and its triggered by sun exposure. If you leave it alone I am sure the dog can go blind, but its easy to manage. I've had two shepherds with it, and what you do is give them eye drops that control it. Jake happens to have pannus and his is under pretty good control with daily drops.

In conclusion, I have to say that a German Shepherd Dog is one of the very best dogs you can get despite any drawbacks they may have. If you get one you're in for a long period with a good loyal friend.

Sam the German Shepherd: July 24, 1996-April 13, 2007

Sam was a black and tan German Shepherd I bought from a preacher. After a summer of looking unsuccessfully at puppies and never quite finding what I wanted, Sam came into my life. Sam won my heart over because, like I am, he was a little bit shy. I found him hiding under a lawn chair in the preachers yard and decided to take him home.

Sam turned out to be the best and the worst that a German Shepherd has to offer. I don't regret having gotten Sam at all, I love all of my dogs but Sam was the dog for me, the dog I was always meant to own and there won't be another quite like him. I think when Sam was a puppy, bounding around the yard playing with daisies with his paws, it was really the first time I fell in love with a dog. Sam was intensely loyal, very intelligent, strong, obedient, and hard working. He was also gentle despite appearances, but was plagued by being fearful and an ever present lack of self-confidence.

I remember one time I had enrolled Sam in an obedience class. He must have been about six months old. One task we had to perform was have our dogs walk up and down a set of stairs. Most of the dogs did it without any problem, but some were afraid too. Sam turned out to be the worst, he barely put his paw up on the first step. Over the next week, I went on a mission to get him to overcome this fear. I took him up and down every set of stairs I could find. By the end of the week, he was going up and down stairs without any problem. In the next class, we had to repeat the exercise. When Sam went up and down the stairs with confidence everyone in the class applauded. I was so proud of my new puppy.

Sam grew to be a dog over 100 pounds but was in many ways an easy-going gentle giant. He always acted aggressive in new situations, displaying his loud bark accompanied with vicious growls, but I have to say in reality he was a big softie. Over the years he met and lived with many dogs and puppies and he always let the puppies play with and basically abuse him.

Sam's best friend throughout his life was a female German Shepherd dog named Brandy (pictured here at 10 weeks). I got Brandy back in 1999 (at the time of writing in August 2008 she is still going strong). I was actually afraid Sam would attack her when I brought her home on a hot August afternoon, but they ended up becoming the best of friends. They remained friends for the rest of Sam's days, life long partners like an old couple. Brandy took Sam's death pretty hard and was depressed for weeks, refusing to eat her morning milk bone, a treat they had shared together for 8 years.

Sam had many strange quirks. One day, I was getting ready for work and I heard this loud wail. I had no idea what it was. Was a woman being stabbed to death? No, it was Sam howling for the first time (at age 2), but he was howling out of tune so it didn't sound like a dog at all! I wish I had a tape of it, it was so unique. He howled like that the rest of his life, not quite sure how to do it right. After Brandy grew up she howled along with him. Since Sam died, Brandy doesn't howl anymore even though at present she lives with 4 other dogs.

Another funny quirk Sam had was his goal of getting two balls in his mouth at the same time. He never accomplished this task. He would put one ball in his mouth, and then position the second ball with his paw. Then he would try to pick up the second ball, only to drop the first one on the ground. He did this over and over and over again-for ten years. He always made the same mistake and never got both balls in his mouth. Funny thing is a few months after he died I adopted a German Shepherd named Jake who routinely puts two or three balls in his mouth!

In his later years, Sam became quite the athlete. I moved near a mountain range and began taking Sam and Brandy (and later Lucy) on long hikes in the mountains. Sam absolutely loved the mountains. He bounded with enthusiasm every time we went out. Being the good dog that he was, I could take him off leash and he would stay right by my side.



With a kind of poetic justice, I took Sam, Brandy, and Lucy on a long hike in the forest the day before Sam died. Most dogs don't even get to leave their yards or city blocks, so I guess in many ways Sam was a very lucky dog. He got lots of walks in the mountains and wilderness. That day was a special walk, and the next morning I found him dead. Sam died suddenly of stomach torsion; he was about ten and a half.


Having a 110 pound male German Shepherd in your life is like having a pillar of strength by your side. I miss the sense of security Sam used to give me. I can never measure up to be the person Sam thought I was. Sam was always easy going and patient. When I got my dog Lucy, she used to sit there and taunt Sam every morning, barking at him non-stop. He weighed a good 90 pounds more than she did but he would just sit there calmly and take it. I want to be as patient and easy going as Sam was. I was privileged to have Sam in my life and I hope I can learn what he taught me as the years go by and the memories fade. Dogs can help you become a better person. Learn what they have to teach you.

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