As pet lovers, we've almost all dealt with it - that heartbreaking moment when you realize your best pal is not getting old, he is old. I've had that sneak up on me recently with my dog Riggs. We've had him for 11 years and he's starting to show his age. For some background, he's the first "normal" dog we've ever had. I've always been a German Shepherd guy ever since we started thinking about getting a dog 25 years ago.
Since so many dogs need adoption, we’ve always adopted from local shelters. Our first German Shepherd was Sam. When we got him he was 3 years old, had been chained to a fence his whole life. He weighed 45 pounds and was very under nourished. He had to be kept alone because he was alpha. Most of the staff was afraid of him but whenever I would come to the shelter he was always really sweet to me and they said you have to take him.Within the first year of having him he jumped up to 75 pounds and was a mass of muscle. He was very smart and very protective, We we’re probably the only people in Chicago that left their door unlocked. I knew if someone broke in, we would find their body the next morning while he sat their with a cocky look on his face. “Look what I did pop! He thought he could get past me. Yeah, He couldn’t!” Unfortunately after about five years he developed a fear of thunderstorms. We did what we could control it with medication I need my ignorance I didn’t think that crating was good for him and he started jumping out of the windows of the house. He never got a scratch on him and sometimes he was jumping out 2 1/2 floors. Until one day he got hurt jumping out of the basement and we ended up having to put him down.
Our next dog was Bear and he was a white German shepherd who had no idea he was a German Shepherd! He was the sweetest soul ever. He had been pretty abused and he would sit with his face hidden under or behind the couch for the first few years of his life with us. He’d eventually warmed up to us and would sleep under my desk until the kids got home from school. I was pretty sure if anybody ever broke in the he would negotiate his life for mine with the criminal if they let him go free! That was until we discovered that he would actually do anything for my daughter and my wife and when threatened his instincts will kick in and he became a German Shepherd! Then after, he’d act like he scared himself with his own ferociousness. He passed away from cancer and I didn’t want to get another dog because he was so sweet.
I didn’t want another dog but my family did so I started looking again and found Riggs, a 9 month old. When we got him we didn’t we didn’t know that there was anything special about him. I just asked the adoption lady to make sure he was smart and house broken. And the adoption lady brought him and said “I have a surprise! This isn’t your average adoption dog. I have his papers and hes not just pure breed, he’s the son of a double grand champion and a grand champion. The breeder wants him back but I agreed to give him to you so it’s up to you.” Papers don’t really matter to me but how often does your adopt a mutt turn out to have them. Turns out he’s more than smart, he’s brilliant. I could teach him anything. We had to change the handles on the doors when we redid our kitchen and family room because he figured out how to open them and let himself out.
But I didn’t like him. He wasn’t Bear. Then one day after a couple of months my daughter found her iPod which she had lost a few months before. Riggs was outside and my daughter screamed and he broke through the screened in window to make sure she was OK and I was like “all right this dog will do!” Since then he and I have been best pals and he's part of our family. FYI, if you ever want your daughter to feel safe and secure, get her a GSD. Some how they know your daughter is the one to protect at all cost. Even when people have been goofing around with her and she's squealed, Riggs is like lightening, growling at them letting them know whatever they are doing is not ok. All her guy friends in jr high and high school were scared of him!
Just recently I noticed he’s having trouble getting up on the bed and sometimes doesn’t hear it when people come up on the porch. And I know he’s getting older. So I hope I get a few more years with him. People my age grew up with Lassie and you always wanted your own Lassie. I finally got my Lassie. This turned out to be a lot more long winded than I though so thanks for your patience.
Since so many dogs need adoption, we’ve always adopted from local shelters. Our first German Shepherd was Sam. When we got him he was 3 years old, had been chained to a fence his whole life. He weighed 45 pounds and was very under nourished. He had to be kept alone because he was alpha. Most of the staff was afraid of him but whenever I would come to the shelter he was always really sweet to me and they said you have to take him.Within the first year of having him he jumped up to 75 pounds and was a mass of muscle. He was very smart and very protective, We we’re probably the only people in Chicago that left their door unlocked. I knew if someone broke in, we would find their body the next morning while he sat their with a cocky look on his face. “Look what I did pop! He thought he could get past me. Yeah, He couldn’t!” Unfortunately after about five years he developed a fear of thunderstorms. We did what we could control it with medication I need my ignorance I didn’t think that crating was good for him and he started jumping out of the windows of the house. He never got a scratch on him and sometimes he was jumping out 2 1/2 floors. Until one day he got hurt jumping out of the basement and we ended up having to put him down.
Our next dog was Bear and he was a white German shepherd who had no idea he was a German Shepherd! He was the sweetest soul ever. He had been pretty abused and he would sit with his face hidden under or behind the couch for the first few years of his life with us. He’d eventually warmed up to us and would sleep under my desk until the kids got home from school. I was pretty sure if anybody ever broke in the he would negotiate his life for mine with the criminal if they let him go free! That was until we discovered that he would actually do anything for my daughter and my wife and when threatened his instincts will kick in and he became a German Shepherd! Then after, he’d act like he scared himself with his own ferociousness. He passed away from cancer and I didn’t want to get another dog because he was so sweet.
I didn’t want another dog but my family did so I started looking again and found Riggs, a 9 month old. When we got him we didn’t we didn’t know that there was anything special about him. I just asked the adoption lady to make sure he was smart and house broken. And the adoption lady brought him and said “I have a surprise! This isn’t your average adoption dog. I have his papers and hes not just pure breed, he’s the son of a double grand champion and a grand champion. The breeder wants him back but I agreed to give him to you so it’s up to you.” Papers don’t really matter to me but how often does your adopt a mutt turn out to have them. Turns out he’s more than smart, he’s brilliant. I could teach him anything. We had to change the handles on the doors when we redid our kitchen and family room because he figured out how to open them and let himself out.
But I didn’t like him. He wasn’t Bear. Then one day after a couple of months my daughter found her iPod which she had lost a few months before. Riggs was outside and my daughter screamed and he broke through the screened in window to make sure she was OK and I was like “all right this dog will do!” Since then he and I have been best pals and he's part of our family. FYI, if you ever want your daughter to feel safe and secure, get her a GSD. Some how they know your daughter is the one to protect at all cost. Even when people have been goofing around with her and she's squealed, Riggs is like lightening, growling at them letting them know whatever they are doing is not ok. All her guy friends in jr high and high school were scared of him!
Just recently I noticed he’s having trouble getting up on the bed and sometimes doesn’t hear it when people come up on the porch. And I know he’s getting older. So I hope I get a few more years with him. People my age grew up with Lassie and you always wanted your own Lassie. I finally got my Lassie. This turned out to be a lot more long winded than I though so thanks for your patience.
