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Location: Birmingham UK
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,414
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My best Chrismas gift ever
Have just found this thread & spent a couple of hours enjoying the wonderful stories so thought I'd share mine.
As a family we have had GSDs for nearly 60 of my 63 years, usually 2 at a time & have bred shown & worked them. Up until 2002 there were 5 in my family Mum Dad 2 GSDs & me. Then in 2002 both Mum & Dad died within a five week period & ny dogs were my great comfort. We had known for 6 months before their deaths that my male shepherd had cancer but he battled on for another 14 months before telling me he'd had enough. Then there was just my bitch Anni & I. Suddenly on 31st November 2006 she collapsed with what turned out to be multi organ collapse from growths & within a day she was dead. I was devastated. Here I was all alone & because I was disabled knew I couldn't take on a new puppy. I was sat here a few nights later at 4am trying to take my mind off things when I found the GSD rescue website & there was this 11 year old dog in need of an urgent home. He had been rescued at 15 months by a lady & lived all his life with her in an old peoples bumgalow. Two years previously she had had a stroke but managed to keep him going with the help of neighbours, then she had had another stroke & been hospitalised. He hadl ived alone 24/7 for 12 weeks with the neighbours going in to feed him & let him out. It had been decided she would never come home & her relatives felt that no one would take on an 11 year old so were going to have him put to sleep immediately. The neighbours got in touch with rescue & he was put in a foster home. He was ideal for me, I had a home check & collected him a couple of weeks before Christmas. He is a wonderful companion, has lost 17 kilos & is now down to his target weight, walks alongside my frame & last week we passed our bronze good sitizens test He's learnt lots of new commands, who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Now if I can just teach him not to bark at the cooker timer, as if it were the door bell he'll be just perfect.
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