After I had my heart attack a few years back, our GSD stayed very close to me.

[Stinky The Clown]

Not unlike this bug guy. These dogs are *All About* their peeps.



That picture, with a caption, showed up on I Can Haz Cheezeburger

http://cheezburger.com/7736902656

[nadine_mn]

1. So sweet! My mom's GSD was like glue to her

She had brain aneurysms that ruptured which lead to bleeding and scarring on the brain. This has left her susceptible to seizures - while her GSD was alive he was so protective of her.

I am just now fully appreciating just how protective GSDs are with their family. Our GSD has had 3 homes before ours (including my mom's - she couldn't handle him and I think she expected him to live up to the legacy of her previous dog) and we adopted him when he was about 4 yrs old. The first few years, he didn't really bond with us - he did with our Lab/Chesapeake mix, Jazz. At the time we adopted him, we already had a cat and 3 dogs (a collie mix, a Lab, and the Lab/Chessie mix) and since he has been with us the older two have since passed away so he is even closer with Jazz now.

He is so protective of her and now we are noticing he has become fiercely protective of us. We are new to this behavior in him so we are doing so more training with him. It's like a switch went off - the first couple of years he kinda acted like how you would act at a family or friend's house - comfortable but not quite at home. Now he has decided this is HIS home - not just a place to visit - and we are HIS pack.

German Shepherds are amazing dogs - their loyalty and love just fricking blows me away.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I'm sure you're watchful of his socialization.

Ours barks far too much and scares people when she does so. She is absolutely the gate keeper around here and no one gets past her without scrutiny.

The story of ours is similar to the story of yours. She was gotten as a puppy by a couple who were friends of my son. Long story short, the young woman died of an awful cancer. As she was dieing the dog would just lay for hours with her on the sofa or the bed. The husband couldn't handle life after his wife died and the dog was essentially abandoned. Given how close she had been to his wife, he just couldn't bear to be in her company. My son took her in but his then-wife couldn't get on with the dog so we took her.

She came here and fit in almost instantly. My heart attack followed shortly after she got here and she did for me much as she did for the woman who died. Dogs seem to just know.

When my wife got pneumonia a few years ago, there was the dog, right at her side.

I take great comfort from just having her here. She lays nearby me when I am in my office working. She is at our feet when we sit down to eat. We're a long way off the road and she hears anyone who approaches and, remarkably to me, gets the "friend or foe" calculation right almost every time. (The "foes" of course are simply people she hasn't met yet.)

Yes, GSD are amazing.

[jtuck004]

2. Dogs are great, aren't they?

Wife came home today - she work in accounting at the local commuter university, and dogs often get walked around the campus, so she takes the opportunity to pet them when she can.

Guy was talking to someone today, had his dog on a lead. She started walking over to say hi (to the dog) but didn't want to interrupt. The dog didn't really care about their conversation when he saw her coming to pet him, started pulling at the lead, and when that didn't do it, laid down and started crawling toward her.

Little terrier mix, some people call them pits, perhaps.

Turns out they guy had been walking by some apartments and saw the dog in a small crate, in the hot sun, no water, sitting in lots of feces. Didn't hear the whole story, but told the owner either he was going to have animal control out and file charges for neglect, or the guy could sign the dog over to him.

He got the dog. Sweet as hell. Amazing how they respond to others, even after they have been treated badly. Now he has a new friend.