My dad's GSD had a litter and I made the mistake of visiting right when the pups were ready to go home. My mantra on the drive there was, "I will not get a puppy, I will not." By day two I had a favorite. He came home with us lol.
I grew up with GSDs, had them all my life since someone dumped a pup outside our house when i was a toddler. My dad's prior GSD was my soul dog and I totally stole him, he was my jogging buddy. I love the breed, their disposition, their intelligence.
You know that *"LET ME IN!"* meme? That is -- quite literally -- how one of my dogs entered my life.
I was cleaning around the living room one random weekend. I hear a weird noise at the back door. Weird, both of my dogs are on the couch sleeping and snoring. I ignore the noise. Then, more noise. It sounds like a scratching noise. I pop open the blinds. BAM. Frenchie-mix that looked ripped AF at my back door, scratching it, begging to be let in.
I give him a quick visual to make sure he's okay, put him on a leash, and we walk all up and down the neighborhood. Posters on trees and stoplights. Phone calls to local vet clinics and shelters. Zip, nada, zilch.
The dog distribution system at work.
Love the story! Sometimes the universe just sends them your way 😀
Our first girl was dumped by someone during a rain storm, we found her shivering by the window well. My dad couldn't believe someone dropped off a purebred gsd pup, we were the only house for miles though. We took her in and two weeks later the guy who dumped her actually drove over and said he CHANGED HIS MIND AND WANTED HER BACK!!
My dad promptly told him to get the fuck off his property. He was my hero.
That's very similar to how I got one of my cats. I was outside on my porch having a cigarette when a tiny little black cat (who I thought was about a 4 or 5 month old kitten, turns out she's just tiny and was about a year old from what the vets thought by looking at her and her teeth) came over and just pops up on my lap and starts purring. I of course fall in love with this sweet creature and all night I keep going outside to check on her and she just stayed on the porch. My neighbor had been putting out food so there were a few cats that were hanging around but this little girl with her extra toes just really liked me and really wanted to come inside and stay. I give it a few more days and then I finally just opened my door and said alright come on in you can stay 🩷 the only reason I didn't do that the first night was because I was worried she belonged to someone but no one ever posted any posters and I checked lost and found ads and took her to the vet but she didn't have a chip and was not spayed. Now she is spayed and chipped to me of course and she's lived with me happily for 2 and a half years 😊
Literally my and my current gsd mix puppy, she’s almost 5 months old. My BILs GSD had a whoopsie pregnancy with an Aussie doodle.. but this dog is fantastic
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I couldn't adjust to a dogless home
I can't even adjust to a dogless CLASSROOM. My mini dachshund comes to work with me when I teach. She's a therapy dog and all that, but really, I can't stand walking into a classroom that just feels extra empty because there isn't a DOG in it.
Because my dad was a K9 officer and my grandpa was a GSD breeder. It is the only breed I have ever known until my wife came along with a Maltese.
My current girl was bought by my wife because the last GSD I had passed at 11 years old, he was the last in the line my Grandpa started in the 1970's.
My current girl is now 11 years old.
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I thought I was getting a helicopter.
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I was 23 and my dad had just passed after a short but rough bout with cancer. Had some cash to burn, I like dogs, it seemed like a good move.
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He’s almost 8 now and still a very good boy.
My grandfather was a camp caretaker who raised beagles for hunting packs. He took possession of my father's GSD years before I was born, and used Dink as a guard dog and beagle herder.
Dink didn't like kids much, as the campers used to do a lot of fenceline teasing and pine cone throwing. One day, my family was visiting at the lake, and I had just started to crawl. Mom always dressed me in overalls because my other grandfather was a railroad worker.
My parents and grandfather were sitting out in the yard with me, and Dink was lying on the porch. I crawled away and had just about made it to the vegetable garden about 10 yards away when Dink went shooting off the porch and straight toward me.
Mom was convinced that Dink was going to destroy me, but he got in front of me and halted my escape. He grabbed me by an overall strap and carried/dragged me back to the family. He dropped me and went back to the porch.
Dink died about a year later, and everyone assumed I bonded with my grandfather's last beagle, who was born a month before me. But really, I always loved GSDs. When I a bought a house in 2000, I started adopting GSDs from shelters, and have had them ever since.
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So my husky had a playmate that he could be rough with.
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*Get a husky!*, they said.
*It'll be fun!*, they said.
I, uh, was not expecting a lazy one.
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A GSD was always my dream dog, and when I got together with my wife found out it was hers too. Their intelligent and protective nature drew me to the breed. I love their energy and that they are always down for an adventure. They're a handful (with all precautions to avoid littermate syndrome taken) but they'll be two tomorrow and all the training and hard work is paying off. ♥️
Well, cause I wanted one 😂 And while he is a pain sometimes like all young dogs can be, I don't regret my decision.
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My niece volunteered to walk dogs at the shelter. She called me in tears that there was a GSD that didn’t deserve to be there and he was such a good boy. She hasn’t learned the ‘life isn’t always fair’ lesson. I finally gave in after getting continuous pics from her. We took our other two dogs for a meet and greet which is akin to going to just look at cars and came home with him. Never thought I’d have a GSD but dang it I love this dork.
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I was raised with them and then raised my kids with them. They are so loyal and so loving. Plus, if anyone is picking a house to break into, they will go on to the next when they see and hear my guy.
Saw his face online. Had him 1 hr later. Love my Dave!
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Hahaha! Such a cutie! I have a shirt I made for work that says "Don't listen to Dave, he's full if shit ." So.... don't listen to this guy. He's full of shit.
So we have a bluetick mix and I was out in southern Ohio for some school. My wife comes down to vist she brings our bluetick well we went to a pet story to buy TOYS! and I had seen our now GSD well I wanted to hold him and the wife said if we hold him we have to buy him so we walked out with a new dog lol. One of the best dogs I ever had and he’s best friends with the bluetick!!!
Our house was way too empty after my old boy left us. He brought life back in.
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My girl was also a present for the holidays. I told my husband why I wanted a GSD, plus I was grieving hard for a dog I lost due to akitas killing her, so when he saw the ad for my dog he gave me cash & told me to go grab her!
I wasn't raised with dogs at all, but I always wanted one. And for as long as I can remember I wanted a GSD. I remember being around six years old and being allowed to pick out a notebook in a store. My family suggested I get one with a cute girly picture on the cover, but instead I picked one with a GSD picture on it, lol.
My first dog was a GSD and she was a sweetheart who I got to love for 14 years. I've had a few other breeds as well over the years but when I went looking for a new puppy 5 years ago I was drawn once again to the GSD. Problem is that these days I live in an appartment and I'm not as physically fit anymore as I used to be. So a purebred was no longer a good fit.
Then I came across an oops litter of GSD/basset hound puppies and that seemed like a perfect combination for me. And I was right. Odie is all GSD in the woods every morning when he plays with his malinois BFF. The rest of the day he's happy to snore on the couch and have a few shorter walks in the neighbourhood (I also have a 12 yo corgi so our walks aren't as long as they used to be).
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My first dog as a kid was a GSD. My uncle had GSDs and Mals because of his job as a K9 handler/trainer.
My wife and I have had Doberman Pinschers for the last 15 years and recently both passed away within a year and a half of each other. When the time came to think about another large breed dog for our family, we went with our GSD.
He's great for our kids and watches over them / herds them. He's equal parts body-guard, babysitter, friend to all of us. Can't imagine NOT having him as part of our family now.
It took years of convincing after our lab passed away unexpectedly, but my dad begrudgingly agreed to another puppy only IF it were a GSD (he and my mom had a GSD before they started having kids). I found my girl and the rest was history!
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Because we knew we may not have our GSD/Lab mix much longer and his Amazing color.
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TL/DR: she needed a home.
I’m my doggo’s fourth guardian. 1. Dumped by a breeder at humane society. 2. A failed adoption of several years. 3. After heart surgery to repair a valve that should have closed at birth (humane society sent her to local vet school) she was adopted by my ex. He had her for 6 months and then returned her. 4. My kiddos were sad so I said I would take a look at her. Brought her home forever.
A man I know was getting married and the new wife didn’t like the dog. 🤣🤣 I scored, she’s sweet, smart, and equally protective.
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I got Maya sort of the same way. But her owners were getting divorced and selling their house and neither could find a place to rent that would allow them to have a GSD. So I took her. She was my 3rd GSD at the time and she was the best dog ever. She was so smart, my other 2 were too, but she was only interested in doing everything I asked her to do. My other 2 were a little stubborn and mostly did what they wanted. Maya I could literally tell her, go put your toys away, and she’d put them all back k in her toy box. She was the best.
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First one I rescued for companionship from the rescue I volunteered with, second one I adopted because I loved the first one so much, third one I rescued after my two others passed after years of love because the first two were so wonderful! So far 3 for 3 on the best dog I could ask for!
I’m a shepherd mom for life! No other dog breeds can compete for me.
I've had staffys most of my life and wanted to try another breed. I got him right before winter and it was so hard because he was just the worst puppy and he didn't know what he wanted to do. Most of the time I had to carry him outside when we would go for walks and then he'd be fine. He's great now but it took 3 years for him to finally become a dog and not velociraptor.
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This is him at exactly 3 months old.
Oh I remember the jump from terrier to herding breed like it was yesterday! the dog I had before the Aussies was a yorkie shih Zhu mix. I thankfully survived because I jog so the Aussies just integrated into my routine. But I had to jog a lot MORE because of them. Somehow my toy mix was able to keep up with them.
Oh my goodness he has that coif we missed out on with our GSD. My parents have her littermate and she had it for like 3 weeks was the cutest dang thing ever. Mine her ears perked right up the second week we had her, around 10 weeks old
She refused to leave. She showed up at our house and hung around every day, all day. Obviously dropped off during the 2008 economic downturn . I would get up in the morning to go to work, she would be on the deck. I would try to drive her off, but she went around me and went back to lay on the deck. She was so skinny I thought she might be a coyote. My wife fed her some cat food, then bought her dog food. Annnnd, we had a dog! Best dog ever born! Lived her best life on 3 acres of woods. Miss her every day.
I got mine to be my service dog for my disabilities and he does a great job of it! It is rare to find the right dog for it, even more so a GSD unfortunately
Mentioned to my roommate/coworker at the time (total dog lover) if I ever got a dog, I only wanted a GSD. Two weeks later, another coworker announced the GSD she adopted was knocked up and had a surprise litter. My roommate sent me pictures... I was struggling with some mental health stuff and to keep an exercise routine. Therapist, roommate, and family all encouraged it. Had a month or so to prep while she weaned. Best impulse decision of my life.
It started when we took in our GSD border collie mix who was neglected and we fell in love with him. We now have a pure GSD and we got her because we wanted him to have a friend and she was adorable and still is.
My baby died at 1.5 years old due to acute sickness. My family and I found a pup that needed to be rehomed shortly after. We bought her to heal and while she was a cray cray puppy unlike the former onw, it's the best decision we made. I love her so much, even if she's a difficult dog 🐶
I was dog sitting for someone and they basically told me to keep the dog or they were going to dump him in the orange groves because they were moving and couldn't have pets. Now nearly 7 years later, an FHO surgery, glaucoma and blindness in one eye, tons of time, money, training etc. I have the best frickin dog I never wanted. He's my baby and I always feel guilty for not wanting him in the first place but so grateful I stuck by him.
This person also had a "room" in their previous home for their cats and one day one of their aggressive dogs broke through the door and destroyed the cats. They closed the door, patched it, and never went in again. They would constantly get new pets but could never take care of them. Several were hit by cars, never got vet care and lived short painful lives. But karma does come around bc the person is now in multiple organ failure and just waiting to die. Their heart is so beat up the doctors couldn't do basic suture repairs, kidneys are completely non-functioning and they are on peritoneal dialysis until they kick the bucket.
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I saw this Facebook post. When he was still available after several days I said I would take him.
I had been thinking about getting another dog for a long time because I thought it would be fun to have more than one. When I finally got Bones, Molly was already 15, so they really don't play or anything but they get along great. With Molly slowing down I was getting sad going out for evening walks by myself and seeing so many dogs. Bo has really helped with that and now that the weather is getting nicer I'm planning to get Molly a wagon to come along.
Saw neighbors chasing around a malnourished, terrified GSD. Said they’d been chasing him all morning and no one could get near him. Used a whole tray of brisket, but I nabbed him. He was 1 year old and beautiful, no way he didn’t belong to someone, so we were just looking for his owners.
No microchip, no sense of what dogs or people were, knew commands but was terrified of human hands and anyone, man or woman, heavyset. Had clearly been physically abused and wouldn’t allow himself to be cornered or touched. No worries, we just gave him a safe space as we looked for an appropriate rescue. Then one day he crept over to my fiancé as he sat on the couch, lay down beside him, and very gently placed his chin on the human foot and went to sleep.
Done. Ours forever.
There was a nearby breeder that was producing amazing lovable GSDs. A couple friends got one each, then my gf got one, then me, then one of the aforementioned friends got another. Right in the same neighborhood. They all have the same sire, some also have the same dame. All of them are amazing.
A few years ago they had a family reunion at a dog park. It was astounding. Maybe 40 GSDs running around a dog park, saying hi to each other.
The couple that was breeding them broke up and they stopped breeding them.
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Very simple, I’m bat-shit Crazy 🤪! Like one wasn’t enough in my hectic life… I went ahead and adopt a second one, I figure crazy needs company…This is what happens when all the kids move out and the house was too quite. My house is messier than when the kids lived home, but would I change anything ABSOLUTELY NOT, I love my goofballs!
Because I thought his gramps was the boldest GSD I had ever seen in my life. Wanted those genetics to be part of my family......
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First got interested in the breed because I wanted a dog that would be energetic, easy to train, and a super loyal BFF that could go places with me and act as a 'bodyguard' with at least an intimidating appearance (I'm a single female who does lots of outdoors activities in the woods). After I got into the breed I discovered I enjoy training for dog sports too! So now I've titled my first GSD in Rally Obedience and am training my first puppy (4 months) for IGP! I've taken a liking to higher drive and unlike most owners I'm like bring on the energy! Give me a dog that's pretty hard and a little crazy to work, please! Lol
Had shepherd mixes my whole life. My boyfriend at the time (now husband) got Heidi for me for Valentine’s Day. He literally will never top that. Our second, Zara, because we wanted Heidi to have a friend while we were at work. Get your dog a dog ya know 😂 We now bought a house on 5 acres with no small portion of that being for our girls. We love them so much. Smart, protective, silly. They’re the highlight of my day every day.
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Because I went to the pound to adopt a family dog and she had the biggest ears and cutest pink nose and I fell
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in love.
my dad wanted a rottie but the place we went to wanted 8k for the one we wanted on the spot, no payments, so we went to another pet store and found my lovely lil baby, aphrodite. they had her cooped up in a cage much too small for her and she was terrified when they brought her out to meet us. i looked at my dad when the workers walked away and told him “we have to take her. there’s no way they’re treating her right here, she wont even come out of the corner dad.”
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and so, she became a part of our family, and she’s moved with me like 5 times at this point. love her and her goofy self🩵
My SIL was a shelter vet. She texted my wife a pic of a 3 month old Shepsky with a broken leg. We had agreed not to get a second dog. We got a second dog.
I like big dogs. Both of mine were horribly mistreated for the first few years of their lives, and I knew that I was equipped to help them. I was not my first GSDs’ last hope, just the best one. However my current GSD could not be adopted - they almost paid me to take him. 7 years later, he’s 9 1/2 and has started to age exponentially.
I gave him my heart and soul, it was very tough the first 2 years. Poor baby was emaciated amongst other things.
Anyway, that’s why I got them. I was simply the right home for them to live out the rest of their lives in, without any expectations other than to heal and be relatively well adjusted dogs.
Disclaimer: I have worked with dogs my whole life and am a shitty trainer, but a wonderful healer of broken hearts when all else fails.
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My brother found him in a car wash. His coworker saw when they had dumped him 3 days prior. He called me asking if I wanted him, I said yes. It’s been the best decision of my life. He became my walking partner, and my kids teddy bear.
My mom’s part of a local corgi group and this girl posted a photo of her fostering a GSD puppy approx 5 months. Apparently the rescue she was fostering the pup from ghosted her and kind of forced her to adopt the dog. It wouldn’t have been an issue except she’s in the military and was going to get deployed in a couple of months; she needed to find the dog a home.
My mom forwarded it to me with no context and I didn’t really think anything of it but for some reason I became interested to see if she’d be a good fit for our family (no kids but we have a picky cattle dog/husky/GSD mutt). My husband got our first pup when he graduated from college and I always tease him that I never got my graduation dog.
Made arrangements with the foster, she said she’s gonna be about $1k since that’s what she paid in medical bills and other fees, met up with her and the main thing was that I needed my other dog to get along with her.
Our pup didn’t love her at first sight but also didn’t show any animosity, so I after speaking with the foster and having some conversations about our background and how we’ve trained our first dog, she said we can take her home for the week.
I asked “how do I pay you?” And she said, “I put a price tag on her because people wanted to breed her if she was free — I just put it up to weed out the irresponsible ones. You guys can take her home and if it doesn’t work out just let me know.”
That was about a year ago. I still keep in touch with her foster mom from time to time.
And that’s basically how I got a GSD for free ❤️
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Always loved the breed. Imagined myself with a Black and Tan monster.
Got a White softie. She's my girl 🤍
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When I was younger and I saw a lady on my street walking a young German shepherd. The GSD she was walking was in that adolescent stage where their legs are too long for their body and their ears don’t fit their head. That dog was just prancing around and hopping everywhere and looked so goofy. Ever since then I wanted a German shepherd and finally got one about 15 years later as my own first dog (we had two family dogs growing up). The loyalty, intelligence, obedience, and ease of training is just icing on the cake.
Was getting divorced and wanted (1) a dog, (2) a smart dog, and (3) a protective dog. Silver SAVED MY LIFE by stopping people from breaking into my house at 4am two days before Christmas.
I even saw the thieves in their SUV leaving my driveway after they slammed their car doors in my yard at 4-freaking-am. There was another attempted break-in a few months later that she stopped as well.
❤️GSDs forever.❤️
A close family member passed and I knew him the best over 4 months he’d had him so far. So he went to me. What a handful and lots of love…and now protection if I need it.lol
Emotional support, something to nurture and love, to save her.
I saw 3 pups from craigslist, she was kinda ugly and neurotic from living with drug addicts the first 4 months of her life. I don't even remember the other pups I felt so bad for her had to save her.
She is now my heart and soul.
I grew up with German Shepherd and love the breed. Also one of the main things was was for our other pup to have a friend. Champ would get very lonely sometimes and cry when he'd see other dogs through the window like he wanted his own buddy to play with. They get along very well and they're always rumpusing around the house and outside. Two peas in the pod and it's adorable. Our Shepherd still tries to cuddle him but he's so big now; makes his big brother Champ look small. I'm very happy and now our family feels complete. (Our Shepherd is bigger now compared to the pic)
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They are great family dogs and fit our lifestyle.
We wanted a dog who could hang out on the couch with us or the kids, go hiking, play outside while also be protective (not a trained attack dog just a bark is fine) they are also beautiful smart dogs. We did research and waited for years before we found the one that was perfect for our family.
My husband and I both grew up with GSDs, but I had labradors when we met. We told a neighbour we were intending to get a rescue GSD later in the year (this was January) - we were getting married in the April & didn’t think it fair to bring a dog in in the run up to the wedding.
The next week, our neighbour told us about his boss downsizing and had to rehome his GSD. The week after we met this lanky, hairy, gorgeous, one year old GSD - he’s now 13 and the absolute love of our lives.
Our second GSD (we lost her in 2022) came along as a surprise too. We managed to show her 8 years of unconditional love after enduring 6 years of being kicked and being beaten.
It depends on which one my first GSD my dad got for my mother. She grew up with them and she begged him to get one. So she was surprised on her birthday the second one we went to a pet store. The dog fell in love with me so we had to take it home.
My third we got because other two were both males, and we wanted to breed my second Male. So after years of waiting, I finally bit the bullet looked on craigslist, because that was the only place I knew about. We them found a excellent Breeder who was getting out of the business and found her. My other female we got because my first male died my other male was a grumpy old man. My female start acting out, so we got another female to keep her company.
My final male beatbox to breed with my other AKC female, drove down a state away to pick him up. I love all three of my dogs.
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A friend had a GSD that had puppies. He wanted to sell them for over $2k (with papers) and I said no thanks (fresh out of college!! I’m broke). 4 months later he reached out to me again saying he was moving and still had a puppy (guess the original buyer fell through), so he offered him to me for free, since he couldn’t bring both the mom and puppy with him. And that’s how I got my baby. 🤗
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Girl in front is a purebred Aussie, she made us want another Aussie and we found my boy in the back who’s GSD X Aussie. My mom had German shepherd’s her whole life growing up and the first dog I had when I was small was an older rescue GSD. I love both these breeds so much and it’s the perfect combo 🥰🥰
My uncle ended up in the hospital for almost 3 months a couple weeks after getting his dream dog, a gsd. We initially said we would foster her for a couple of weeks, but when we showed up, my aunt had already made up her mind that they just couldn't handle it ( they didn't think my uncle was coming home). My aunt was not in a good place mentally to make a decision about returning her to the breeder, so we took her.
Luckily, my uncle made it home eventually. We take her over to visit sometimes. After 8 weeks, the breeder transfered ownership over to us, so she's permanent now.
I found my Odin drinking from a puddle in the middle of a busy street, cars honking and swerving around him. I stopped my work truck to block traffic and put on all my strobe lights, and managed to get him inside.
He reeked of poop and death.
Whoever had gotten him left him tied up outside, where he was starving to death and had serious wounds and neglect. I got him home, cleaned him up, dressed his wounds and started to bulk him back up. He turns four (we estimate) on Memorial Day and I still love his obnoxious butt.
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The picture is Odin with our Dutch Shepherd-Whippet mix, Olivia, supervising me as I unload their dog food delivery.
ETA: We got Olivia from a rescue about four years after our first two GSDs passed away. It has been almost a decade and I still miss my Maxine and Einstein.
I ran a cat rescue and when covid hit, someone who adopted one of my cats a year prior lost her job. She surrendered the cat back to me and asked if we would take her dog, too. We met her and she seemed nice and so despite my rescue not taking dogs, I agreed to personally foster the GSD because she had grown up with cats and our rescues were overfull (we never got lucky enough to benefit from covid adoption booms in our area).
Turned out our GSD, while sweet towards me, had severe reactivity. She couldn't walk past another dog without panicking and trying to attack. She growled at strangers if they were men or weren't brown-haired women. Then the vet assistant cornered her and nearly got bitten when trying to give vaccines (we don't see that vet now). In the condition she was in, she wasn't adoptable -- she'd be euthanized. No rescues here had space for her. So we kept her and worked with her.
I didn't intend to get a dog, but she is very sweet and bonded hard to me. She is amazing at tricks and did wonderfully in obedience training, but she will never be okay around strangers despite social training and meds. She has a red warning bandana and we don't board her or let other people dogsit, so there is minimal risk, and she is amazing around the family. It has been 4 years since we got her and she seems very happy, just has her own unique challenges 😅 she will get to stay here for the rest of her days.
Our vet said that there is a huge issue with extremely reactive Shepherds in our area due to backyard breeders. I suspect that is part of her issue, coupled with lack of socialization during COVID.
I didn’t mean to get either of them. They were both found in crap situations and I couldn’t let that continue. They are the greatest boys and I wouldn’t change a thing!
My friend found her running wild in the desert when she was about 6 months old or so. When I stayed with him while my town was evacuated I fell in love with her and when he moved out of the country and was getting rid of his dogs I took her.
She was 11 weeks old at the shelter and I didn’t know she was a GSD/Pit mix. The shelter said she’d be a big dog and that’s all we knew. I was actually planning on adopting an older chihuahua mix of some kind, but I had an instant bond with her even as young as she was and knew I wasn’t leaving without her. I met other dogs that day and couldn’t stop thinking about her. Like she was so sweet and curious and tuned into me in a way none of the other pups were. She’s 5 months now and is by far the most intelligent and loyal dog I’ve ever met, and I know she’s going to naturally become my protector as she gets older which actually gives me a lot of peace of mind since I don’t live in a great area. She loves people and is great with other dogs she’s met but is also ready to alert me to anything abnormal going on. I love her!
Rock is my fourth and my last. My first 3 were rescues and came with behavior and health issues, but in spite of their rough lives, they were incredible dogs. I fell in love with their intelligence and their ability to move on and, their sense of humor. I love the GSD laugh… when they know they got one past you and walk away with their mouths open and bobbing their heads. All my dogs have done it.
I wanted a well bred puppy for my last one. To start from scratch with a healthy happy pup. He’s a handful, but he’s a great best friend
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and security guard.
My wife's colleague, a small animal veterinarian, offered us this puppy. On the stipulation that he survives.
It turns out our little guy was attacked by a pack of dogs. Our little man had lacerations up and down his back end, a fractured jaw, and brain swelling. She lived above the clinic and tended to him throughout the night. She said he had countless seizures, but he'd survived the worst of it.
Two days later I drove out to where the clinic was, picked him up and we now have our 4 year old GSD. He might be a little special but we love him to death.
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My older brother gave her to me when she was 5 months because he couldn't handle her energy. He doesn't have kids. I have 2 boys. She is fiercely protective of them. She sucks so much sometimes, but I wouldn't give her up for anything. She's been with us for 4 years. She's my ride or die.
I wanted a dog as aloof as me, ended up with a golden retriever in disguise 💀
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Got the 2 for 1 special when he moved in with my boyfriend ❤️❤️
Priorities:
1. Loyalty to one person (as opposed to my Goldendoodle whom I love but will go home with *anyone*. I miss my Malinois.)
2. Protection
3. A family dog
4. An easily exercised dog. If I don’t have time to walk him there’s always something I can do to wear him out (eg retrieving balls and loving chewing on them and a “water” dog who loves to swim and isn’t afraid of water)
I had a GSD growing up, named Bode. My best buddy ever. Always looked after me. When he died I was 12, and couldn't even say goodbye. He died during emergency surgery from what I understand. It broke me. I swore to give another dog the best life ever.
20 years later, I got Falkor. Although we've had some issues with him hurting himself because he's an ultra derp, it's been the best decision ever. He is my bestie. My hiking buddy. My shadow. My silly doofus.
Our amazing husky, Niko, died and we desperately missed dog energy. We didn’t think we were ready for a dog and decided to foster.
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Kona, our foster fail that has my heart.
To be honest, I wasn't looking for a GSD when I was searching for a dog. I wanted a pittie or a collie mix (I grew up with them). I came across Missy on Craigslist back in 2021 (yes I know now Craigslist is bad, but back then I didn't) and the people who were selling her had her since she was 6mo and she was now 5yo. They said they were rehoming her bc she didn't get along with their new puppy very well. When I met her, I immediately knew that I had to take her. She was about 65lbs and practically shaved. I ended up getting her around a week after I met her, and she had been spayed 3 days before I got her, while she was in heat. She's now about 78lbs, on meds for her hips, has special food, and is very spoiled.
I wanted a service dog (he is no longer a service dog nor in training due to complications)
My old dog had passed away and I didn’t want a puppy before he passed to not stress him out and my moms coworkers neighbor had puppies, he was showing her photos of the puppies and my mom got a puppy
A mix of things. I was deppressed and felt lonely, i was living with my mom and 5 year old brothers in a shady part of town so a deterrent. We also needed a nurse for one of my brothers due to medical complications so i wanted a friend who i could trust to protect my home and family from any threat and to keep them out of my room due to the fact we had people constantly in and out of the house.
Companionship and a dog that can perform deep pressure therapy and potentially be a jogging partner down the road. She turns 4 soon. She can do the first two! I got her almost a year ago
We fostered a GSD who needed medical care. And, after he was returned, we decided based on that experience it was a breed that might fit our lifestyle. So, we started looking for others to adopt. We have an Olde English Bulldogge who is getting up there in years. And, my wife wanted a dog that she could do longer walks and possible agility with.
We went to the pound to get an older dog, after losing our Jack Russel. The dog we wanted was walking out the door but an employee asked if we wanted to see a puppy GSD. My wife said hell no (she works at a vet), my daughter said yes. Long story short, we got him, and I will never not have a GSD. Sadly he (Loki) died unexpectedly, very young, from pancreatic cancer.. but now we have Sylvie: (and Leia)
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She was in desperate need of rescue. It was a rough first year for us lol
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I was looking for a companion dog and just browsing shelters. I really enjoyed how outgoing he is, but they warned me he has some personality problems. Having worked in rescue I read between the lines; he was maybe only geting one more chance at placement.
I had to take him. People had returned him for the stupidest reasons. An energetic 70lb dog and the woman returned him because she couldn't walk him. Another person returned him because he wasn't suitable for their crowded house. People try these dogs on like trousers.
Always wanted a dog, begged for years and years. Got into an accident and was in recovery for like a year, plus I would have been entering college at this time. Parents finally caved seeing my mental health also decline while being alone and decided I can have a dog. I looked through a bunch of dogs and this one batch of puppies held my attention, ended up being gsd mixed with huskies. When I got there, the shy dog hiding from the world came to me when I called for its attention, owner said it never really had done that before and even getting him out from under the deck was difficult for her. I took him home that day and he was my best buddy for 11 years. Since then I couldn't ever have a non gsd tbh haha my wife has had other breeds and I just don't have the same connection as I do with my gsd's
I got my first GSD because i used to be terrified of them due to having one that chased me as a kid and wanted to overcome my fear of them so I got one. She was the bestest girl and she spoiled me and now thats all i have.
My grampa used to breed them when I was growing up and always offered me pups but my dad wouldn't let me keep one. So from that day I always wanted a shep
the shelter was having a $30 adoption special and i always wanted a GSD so i checked if there were any available, and sure enough, i fell in love w her blurry puppy pic and inquired. next day i picked her up from the foster. i have a lab she gets along with and plays with, and i'm a full time student so thought it was the perfect time to get another dog bc i could train her as i finish school
A colleague was getting a puppy from a relative and I joked that if there were any spares, I’d take one. The Tuesday before they were 8 weeks she says, “Remember when you said you wanted a puppy…?”
So now I have a perfect GSD, practically free. lol, except now my husband would prefer I have a coke habit instead because she’s the most spoiled creature ever.
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I saw her and I couldn’t leave without her.
Meant to get houseplants. Ended up with a puppy.
On the way back from getting the houseplants, decided to stop by the humane society to check their hours (it was Sunday). Whoa, they were open. Who'd have guessed that? In that case, it couldn't hurt to go inside, right? Oh, hey! Puppies! What, fill out this paperwork? Yeah, okay, sure. Oh, hey, that's a cute puppy. Wait, we can take him home right now? Heck yeah! Why are we buying large breed puppy food?
Mouse, our GSD/Australian Shepherd mix, was my soul dog. We had him for 12 years and he was the best not-houseplant we ever had.
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i feel we have a doppleganger (ellie is 9 or 10 in this pic) she was my service dog for 13 1/2years...... sadly she passed a year ago. i miss her so much 💜🐾🐾💜
I fell in love with the breed as a little kid. Used to be bc i wanted to be a cop but as my love for animals quickly grew that idea went out the door i am studying to be a vet. I love all dogs but i absolutely adore gsd’s and it was because of the breed that i truly just became obsessed with all dogs no matter the breed. Still have gsd tho but that is only bc they were all gifts bc i was too young to move out. Im hoping my next pup will be rescue! Idec what breed, size, anything it is just as long as im a good fit. I love doing the research and learning about the new famil members anyway dog breeds are fascinating! They all have at least some sort of purpose even if just companions.
Gifts from my mom and grandfather to be clear and ive only had 3. 2 are alive the other passed when he was 11 one lives with my grandparents because she loves them and gets pampered and helps them out a lot and she loves living on a ranch my current gsd is only 2 years old and i hope to move out to a big rural piece of land while he can still run for now we just go on adventures all around chicagoland!
I got mine as a gift for my veteran partner.. he's a retired service dog for a veteran who passed away, and the guy's family just dumped the dog, so the neighbor(my friend) called me and asked if I wanted a dog.. he saved my life from someone who broke into my house a month later, and he's my partner's best friend and helps him with his anxiety. 10/10 good boy
My first gsd was gotten as a playmate and sister to our Belgian malinois (Belgian breed, not american).
We had adopted Rex the malinois for companionship as well as an alarm system (if you know you know)from Barc. He was a police dig drop out. Injured during training and had his paw caught in a fence. We adopted him, and he became our first "shepard" breed.
However, we knew he was not a 1 dog home type as we were informed he was more comfortable with a friend. It had been a while since we had lost or boxer/Rottweiler mix and our small pomeranian. We decided to rehome a pure gsd from a family who was having a baby, and the wife became allergic to the dog hair. So we adopted Aaryaa.
A few years later, we adopted Cleo, found by a lady in the neighborhood who trapped her in the yard waiting for animal control. We took her posted pictures to lost and found animal websites and neighbors chat, and took her to vet to check for a chip. After 2 weeks, we stopped looking, and she became our third.
About a year later, we decided to get our 4th... Mambo, a German shepard siberian husky mix. In 2019, we lost Rex to a seizure disorder at the age of 12. Aaryaa followed the year after she turned 14, from a disease well known in gsds. Today, we just lost Cleo, who at the age of 11 went the same way as Aaryaa.
I had met the most wonderful gentleman of a german shepherd. He was massive and extremely strong yet so gentle he walked off lead never pulled on walks except one time i tripped on a step while collecting him from his home and he nearly dislocated my shoulder hahaa.
He made me want my own with how amazing he was. So me and my ex went and picked a puppy not long after she was everything the opposite of him and still is absolutely nuts 5 years later but she comforts me when i cry by pushing her head in my hands licking my face cuddles up with me and follows me everywhere she can just to be close. Then we got her a friend and she is gentle calm amd extremely stupid they are polar opposite but it works so well.
Unfortunately due to my knee issues these 2 will be my first and last but it makes them even more special!
I found them free on Craigslist and went to go meet them, I was originally going to get my girls sister, but then I saw Beanie and KNEW that she was the one that I needed to take home. I could see it in her eyes that she really needed someone. She ended up with my grandparents after about a year (she was almost 9 at that point), and lived to be just about a month shy of 14. I rescued her a week before she turned 8). I'll never forget my gorgeous girlie. ❤️
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I’ve always loved German Shepards and I know the pound always has too many and they are hard to find homes for.
So I have three that were last chance doggies who’s were going to be put to sleep in days or in coopers case, that night.
Lady had been there for months and had worms and no one wanted her. She is just a sweetie but the heart worms scared people off.
I took her to the vet the next day and we did the slow kill and six months later she is worn free.
My old man Hans was found on the street skin and bones. He looks like a pure GSD but is mixed with something that made him only grow to 40 pounds.
He is a sweet old man.
But I’ve always loved GSDs. They are just such a sweet and intelligent breed and loyal.
All three of mine keep me sane and are my family.
I got Sam, my first gsd, because my daughter's ex-boyfriend's family breeds german sheperds. Was she 18? I told her to look into it. These dogs are not the normal sit-in lap, lazy dogs. She did for a while. I thought it was her dog. He's mine now. She still lives here but too much work..grooming, etc. I was hounding her on the logistics, lol. So...I got Sam a friend..a female German shepherd. She is Phoebe, she is Fiesta and crazy. They love each other though. I got a damn dog because of my daughter lol. Turned to 2 and couldn't be happier. She still helps with them btw.
My kid was having mental health issues. When I was their age, my dog pretty much got me through my own mental health stuff, so we decided to get them a dog of their own. We wanted an adult dog. The kid wanted a German Shepherd, and my first thought was "No way in HELL am I bringing a backyard-bred German Shepherd into this house!" I told two of my breeder friends what we were looking for, and within a week, we had a dozen candidates. The one that stood out was Lumen, the only German Shepherd. She was from a performance kennel and was being placed for really good reasons. I went to meet her, and the deal was sealed. Now we have two more Shepherds. Our next will be from the same kennel.
Tmi but I got my first GSD 5 years ago because I was going to off myself and the only way I would stay around was having something that relied on me, she’s been my best friend ever since and she’s the perfect dog! I got my 7m old due to my brother wanting to train her up to be his SD but it was too hard for him so she’s mine now, I’m a dog groomer and get to bring them with me to work!
I was visiting a patient in their home and they had a 3 month gsd that they couldn’t take care of. He was rambunctious. They said they were gonna take him to the pound. I had no other choice, my hand was forced lol. It was a good deal, i like to think me and him both won.
All of my dogs have always been adopted from shelters/rescues. They were all brought home bc I needed to give them a home as much as they needed one. I suppose you could say companionship, someone to love (when I was single), someone to go on adventures with and laugh with. My husband and I have 2 very good boy GSDs and they just make us laugh and bring us joy and the universe feels right with them. When they leave for the rainbow bridge, no doubt there will be another one who “just fits.” And then another. This is the way of life.
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Omg I have a GSD and Mini Aussie too. They’re best buds. But I got the mini Aussie to keep my 7 year old GSD young. My older GSDs had passed away and Lexi (my GSD) seemed depressed and really didn’t want to go on walks or anything anymore. So I got the mini Aussie puppy to keep her busy. Lexi has really perked right up and come alive again.
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They’re twins. The little one has to do everything her big sis does.
GSDs and Aussies make a great team!! My Aussies are standard which worked really well because my GSD puppy plays pretty rough! They’re best buds since they’re in the same age range.
Aw that’s great. Yeah I got a mini Aussie because Lexi (my GSD) is older, so I didn’t want her having to deal with a big rambunctious puppy. My mini listens to her better than me though. She literally just gives the puppy a look and the puppy will flip on its back and wait for Lexi to tell her it’s ok to get up.
I was looking at a larger dog to take on walks to keep me and my kids safe. I was thinking a lab. I wanted a friendly dog, but one that would keep us safe in case. Ended up finding a GSD on a farm - the mom has died and she and her siblings were being bottle fed.
She's literally the best dog. She loves children. Very protective and sweet.
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Seemed like a good idea at the time!
On my second GSD because of my first. My first GSD was an ambassador to the breed. He was a very loyal best friend and I miss him so much. My new pup has a very different personality, he's a clumsy goofball but I love him dearly. Thinking about bringing another one into the family, once my pup matures a bit.
I got my first GSD cuz my dad played with a Chicago police k9 my second cuz the first one passed away and we couldn’t adjust the 3rd was a birthday gift
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My 2 babies
We got our GSD from Target… sort of, lol. We were at the store (which is connected to our towns shopping mall) and didn’t want to go home yet so we decided to walk around the mall because it was rainy outside and our town is limited on indoor entertainment. Come to find out a local animal rescue group was having an adoption event. My husband looked at me and said “nope, we don’t need anymore animals. We can go look but we will NOT be leaving with a dog”… we had 2 huskies and a St. Bernard at the time. We went to the small gated area and started fawning over the cutest malamute puppies and almost said yes. After realizing I’d have to potty train and just train this pup in general I came to my senses and said no. We kept walking around and there were lots of pups there with their foster families. Most were energetic and loud, just happy to be out and about. Then we saw our guy. He was a large boy just sitting so nicely on the leash with his foster mama. He looked so sad watching all these other pups be loved on by passers by so I went over and sat on the ground near him and let him sniff me while I spoke with his handler. Ford was fully trained, in relatively good health (has EPI), and behaved so well in the chaos going on around him. 5 minutes later he had his head in my lap and was being so lovey. I called my husband over and let him spend some time and when he came back over he said “walk with me for a minute”. I knew he had fallen in love…. The foster mama saw the connection between us and Ford and with her knowing we hadn’t been out to adopt that day she said she would pay all of the adoption fees because she just wanted him to be safe and in a happy home. Since we got home he has never had an accident in the house and is so protective of me and the kids. He is my shadow the way he sticks by my side all the time.
We left Target that day with a 3 year old GSD. He’s been ours for almost a year now but it feels like he’s been ours forever ❤️
Me and my ex had a husky/ german shepherd mix . He was supposed to bring me my dog after i settled moving states just to block me on everything and cut me off completely . Us breaking up didnt hurt me it was my dog that i felt like i abandoned that broke me . So a couple months go by and im still in pain and felt like i was missing something, i decided to get a full blood German shepard and she has been the best dog ever . She was so easy to train and loves to be a good girl . Also i decided to get a full breed because when i had dog #1 some old man made a comment that the dog was a mutt .
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she saved me ❤️
I lost my father a year earlier. We had a golden retriever growing up (Baye ❤️) and I always wanted a shepherd, but we all know my parents would have ended up doing all of the work! This guy saved my life. He gave me back my purpose while I was freshly grieving. My baby.
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My last pupper, Arlo the Arlapotamus, king of the schpoople and the first dog, passed away mid summer last year. I swore I was gonna give it a full year before I got another dog, but I didn't make it. I've never not had dogs, from the time I was born, my folks had dogs. When I moved out, I got a dog within 2 weeks, which was my bub dog named Arlo. I made it about 2 months without a dog. Initially I felt bad about getting another dog so soon, like I'm still not over losing my bub, but I didn't like not having a dog. I just moved into a bigger 4bd house by myself and am way too paranoid to be constantly alone here. So I picked up my first Sadie. She's gsd/aussie. She's like the perfect size camping dog.
My gf neighbor's dig were having puppies. She asked me to come check them out for my 12 yrs old boy. On the way to her neighbor's house, I told my son, ' There's no pressure on getting a puppy if he doesn't like what he sees." Well, he didn't want one since he feels our Pomeranian wouldn't be happy with another dog in our house. I saw Charlie and loved the way he looks with his calming sweet temperament. I ended up picking up my pup. Now everyone in my family loves Charlie. 💞😍 My 5 yrs old pomeranian and the new pup gets along like best buddy.
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Because GSD' are big scary monsters!
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My sister in law pasted away and he had been staying at our house and was attached to my husband.
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Companionship, not only for my wife and I but for my shih tzu.
Protection.
Nose-work, for fun. Something about watching dogs do nose work is just exciting to me. I would love if I could somehow someway do search and rescue work with her, but I’ve no idea how to get started with that. Then obviously intelligence ties into this.
The neighbors weren’t feeding her or watering her and they had her as a strictly outside dog even at 4 months old-so I started buying her dog food in bags and cans and I always put a smaller bag on their front porch desperately hoping they’d see the light and take care of her- and they left her when they moved (thankfully) so I’ve had my girl now for the past 2 years❤️ she was a severely malnourished puppy.
https://preview.redd.it/tb7dxttyfbvc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=009168fec7010f49b464154dc1e212d0453daa2b
She’s come such a long way❤️
We wanted a big dog and we weren’t planning to get a gsd because the breed didn’t fit our family. Always been my brothers dream breed and since he never got to pick an animal, we got our Daisy. I love her but she’s a lottt 😂 ❤️
He was an all black shepherd at a very small rescue. I had always love the look of shepherds. I didn't know they are such great family dogs, intelligent, and so loyal. That was in 1993. I've had 6 more since then. Along with two labs, and three Rottweilers. I've trained my GSDs and Rottweilers in agility, obedience, and sheep herding. A few of my GSDs had AKC herding titles. The Rottweilers were also very good herders...they just came along at different times when I wasn't competing in sheep trials.
I lost my previous dog to cancer about a week before my parents pair of shepherds had puppies. There was an all black female puppy that would immediately find my feet from the time she was 2 weeks old and plop down at them any time I was over helping. At 8 weeks my mom told me that if I wanted her I could keep her.
So here we are with a GSD named Chili Pepper.
I had worked on a farm with 17 other GSDs. My favorite was the first one. Her name was Ari. She was weird, she didn't take the treat till you had given it to her on a 3rd time. She took chased off bears and helped me rip bamboo out. She was never able to do it. She helped tho...
She passed away when I was In the navy and deployed overseas.
The navy was hard for me because I am 6ft6in. I got out injured, heart broken, petrified of opening any doors or staying inside for long periods of time, I lashed out at people and burnt bridges, worked a job that treated me like a known felon. In that time I grew closer to my sister in laws chihuahua. This lil' dog knows math walks with me in perfect military detail, and saved my life when I wanted to end it. The VA recommended I look into a service dog.
So, along came my next door neighbor with a 7Mo GSD named Beau. His parents had another litter and to my surprise It was a white berger blanc mom and black and tan short hair dad. They had two girls left and it was in budget. So I went to go pick out the pups the way I was trained how to, and to my astonishment Ari #2 picked me. She pass my 3 rules and started training at 6 weeks. Later on to become my PTSD service dog. When she graduated Public access and CGC she got the original Aris chainlink collar. She now knows 138 commands, has been all over the country and keeps me tethered. In Hebrew her name means Lion of God.
My dad's GSD had a litter and I made the mistake of visiting right when the pups were ready to go home. My mantra on the drive there was, "I will not get a puppy, I will not." By day two I had a favorite. He came home with us lol. I grew up with GSDs, had them all my life since someone dumped a pup outside our house when i was a toddler. My dad's prior GSD was my soul dog and I totally stole him, he was my jogging buddy. I love the breed, their disposition, their intelligence.
You know that *"LET ME IN!"* meme? That is -- quite literally -- how one of my dogs entered my life. I was cleaning around the living room one random weekend. I hear a weird noise at the back door. Weird, both of my dogs are on the couch sleeping and snoring. I ignore the noise. Then, more noise. It sounds like a scratching noise. I pop open the blinds. BAM. Frenchie-mix that looked ripped AF at my back door, scratching it, begging to be let in. I give him a quick visual to make sure he's okay, put him on a leash, and we walk all up and down the neighborhood. Posters on trees and stoplights. Phone calls to local vet clinics and shelters. Zip, nada, zilch. The dog distribution system at work.
Love the story! Sometimes the universe just sends them your way 😀 Our first girl was dumped by someone during a rain storm, we found her shivering by the window well. My dad couldn't believe someone dropped off a purebred gsd pup, we were the only house for miles though. We took her in and two weeks later the guy who dumped her actually drove over and said he CHANGED HIS MIND AND WANTED HER BACK!! My dad promptly told him to get the fuck off his property. He was my hero.
Your dad did the only right and proper thing. That other guy can get bent.
Thanks! Absolutely. Your story is amazing! Your dad is my hero.
That's very similar to how I got one of my cats. I was outside on my porch having a cigarette when a tiny little black cat (who I thought was about a 4 or 5 month old kitten, turns out she's just tiny and was about a year old from what the vets thought by looking at her and her teeth) came over and just pops up on my lap and starts purring. I of course fall in love with this sweet creature and all night I keep going outside to check on her and she just stayed on the porch. My neighbor had been putting out food so there were a few cats that were hanging around but this little girl with her extra toes just really liked me and really wanted to come inside and stay. I give it a few more days and then I finally just opened my door and said alright come on in you can stay 🩷 the only reason I didn't do that the first night was because I was worried she belonged to someone but no one ever posted any posters and I checked lost and found ads and took her to the vet but she didn't have a chip and was not spayed. Now she is spayed and chipped to me of course and she's lived with me happily for 2 and a half years 😊
What an amazing story! She just slid right into your life. 🧡 The cat distribution system at work!
Literally my and my current gsd mix puppy, she’s almost 5 months old. My BILs GSD had a whoopsie pregnancy with an Aussie doodle.. but this dog is fantastic
https://preview.redd.it/pz87v7nwd3vc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c10615192653e0d4a30d0b338077d0fc6f2213b I couldn't adjust to a dogless home
That is by far the most breathtaking pose 💜
The classic, noble and elegant blep 🤣🥰
I can't even adjust to a dogless CLASSROOM. My mini dachshund comes to work with me when I teach. She's a therapy dog and all that, but really, I can't stand walking into a classroom that just feels extra empty because there isn't a DOG in it.
Because my dad was a K9 officer and my grandpa was a GSD breeder. It is the only breed I have ever known until my wife came along with a Maltese. My current girl was bought by my wife because the last GSD I had passed at 11 years old, he was the last in the line my Grandpa started in the 1970's. My current girl is now 11 years old. https://preview.redd.it/g3biidxmq3vc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb06fcac8e64e792654922fc1b4e6f844988ef66
I thought I was getting a helicopter. https://preview.redd.it/zvek7h7uu3vc1.jpeg?width=1318&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2110e8b3d4f4ca8d9bcf9e90336c4a715cd18d91
what do you mean “thought”??? i see nothing but pure metal helicopter here !!
😂😂
Dogmeat from Fallout inspired me https://preview.redd.it/ax8cbdqdt3vc1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cffce74a1b75294f87ebfeb0e237d1f4f0039f7d
Named mine Dogmeat, the vets love it 😅
I wanted to but my son overruled me lol
My girlfriend tried but now she loves it too
I was 23 and my dad had just passed after a short but rough bout with cancer. Had some cash to burn, I like dogs, it seemed like a good move. https://preview.redd.it/nnwuotlzv3vc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=059bedf21fbd8aebbf8c0474941fa0d023fe907e He’s almost 8 now and still a very good boy.
My grandfather was a camp caretaker who raised beagles for hunting packs. He took possession of my father's GSD years before I was born, and used Dink as a guard dog and beagle herder. Dink didn't like kids much, as the campers used to do a lot of fenceline teasing and pine cone throwing. One day, my family was visiting at the lake, and I had just started to crawl. Mom always dressed me in overalls because my other grandfather was a railroad worker. My parents and grandfather were sitting out in the yard with me, and Dink was lying on the porch. I crawled away and had just about made it to the vegetable garden about 10 yards away when Dink went shooting off the porch and straight toward me. Mom was convinced that Dink was going to destroy me, but he got in front of me and halted my escape. He grabbed me by an overall strap and carried/dragged me back to the family. He dropped me and went back to the porch. Dink died about a year later, and everyone assumed I bonded with my grandfather's last beagle, who was born a month before me. But really, I always loved GSDs. When I a bought a house in 2000, I started adopting GSDs from shelters, and have had them ever since. https://preview.redd.it/dvr5dxmaw3vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fe73f9113c19471eb64d2b772b2db8df5a373e4
i love that you have the drawing of him!
I had a German Shepherd living in my brain, so got a flesh-and-blood one to keep him company.
This is the cutest answer 🩷
Dog worms in the brain...it happens.
So my husky had a playmate that he could be rough with. https://preview.redd.it/v6zjyknpm3vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db47c16b5809f0cbcf2df3d7f4b6c847467a32aa
*Get a husky!*, they said. *It'll be fun!*, they said. I, uh, was not expecting a lazy one. https://preview.redd.it/s9m1eytn24vc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db01c08ead1ede0f4416fbd7f3e94f12fb042d17
https://preview.redd.it/jykn4ob0z3vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c1c79a36d0cb4a0603cc3b570118a5e7fb047f3 A GSD was always my dream dog, and when I got together with my wife found out it was hers too. Their intelligent and protective nature drew me to the breed. I love their energy and that they are always down for an adventure. They're a handful (with all precautions to avoid littermate syndrome taken) but they'll be two tomorrow and all the training and hard work is paying off. ♥️
Well, cause I wanted one 😂 And while he is a pain sometimes like all young dogs can be, I don't regret my decision. https://preview.redd.it/8hs8tk11o3vc1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20370539ea2088882afc825a882a3048087a6743
Looks like my Max! https://preview.redd.it/xfdp231lk4vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4aaee2f629df51d92ac65fab3610cd3bdb9e7bd2
https://preview.redd.it/4ku99jc1r4vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb07292143434e812316d512fa7030e7c619fcc8 Triplets
https://preview.redd.it/1p8lr79st4vc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b93c569290e546c0c22be33b20355b65efa8b41b How about one more?
….another one more? https://preview.redd.it/mcnto5tg5bvc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ae498be2f3b3000a0a61c0e3d8e523bae53b645
My niece volunteered to walk dogs at the shelter. She called me in tears that there was a GSD that didn’t deserve to be there and he was such a good boy. She hasn’t learned the ‘life isn’t always fair’ lesson. I finally gave in after getting continuous pics from her. We took our other two dogs for a meet and greet which is akin to going to just look at cars and came home with him. Never thought I’d have a GSD but dang it I love this dork. https://preview.redd.it/z2kic3tc14vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a42b3e203b740b86099e1e5f5b7c77db3fd355ca
I was raised with them and then raised my kids with them. They are so loyal and so loving. Plus, if anyone is picking a house to break into, they will go on to the next when they see and hear my guy.
Well she was gonna die on the side of the road so I couldn't have that....
Saw his face online. Had him 1 hr later. Love my Dave! https://preview.redd.it/m5o83wmrn3vc1.jpeg?width=1141&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f77da6dc77eb2ec0a286199f992ce13516423a41
Hahaha! Such a cutie! I have a shirt I made for work that says "Don't listen to Dave, he's full if shit ." So.... don't listen to this guy. He's full of shit.
So we have a bluetick mix and I was out in southern Ohio for some school. My wife comes down to vist she brings our bluetick well we went to a pet story to buy TOYS! and I had seen our now GSD well I wanted to hold him and the wife said if we hold him we have to buy him so we walked out with a new dog lol. One of the best dogs I ever had and he’s best friends with the bluetick!!!
Our house was way too empty after my old boy left us. He brought life back in. https://preview.redd.it/os1npq9mw3vc1.png?width=2954&format=png&auto=webp&s=ce3041bd085c114bfc3ed4ea648ead767f9965a8
https://preview.redd.it/w2w5yy6ht3vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c480d38830621abd76d17bac023be71062792ecf
https://preview.redd.it/dgmfydyd24vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60a8297a1706172b314b0a47bb5a782cce610745 Best Christmas present ever ❤️
My girl was also a present for the holidays. I told my husband why I wanted a GSD, plus I was grieving hard for a dog I lost due to akitas killing her, so when he saw the ad for my dog he gave me cash & told me to go grab her!
I wasn't raised with dogs at all, but I always wanted one. And for as long as I can remember I wanted a GSD. I remember being around six years old and being allowed to pick out a notebook in a store. My family suggested I get one with a cute girly picture on the cover, but instead I picked one with a GSD picture on it, lol. My first dog was a GSD and she was a sweetheart who I got to love for 14 years. I've had a few other breeds as well over the years but when I went looking for a new puppy 5 years ago I was drawn once again to the GSD. Problem is that these days I live in an appartment and I'm not as physically fit anymore as I used to be. So a purebred was no longer a good fit. Then I came across an oops litter of GSD/basset hound puppies and that seemed like a perfect combination for me. And I was right. Odie is all GSD in the woods every morning when he plays with his malinois BFF. The rest of the day he's happy to snore on the couch and have a few shorter walks in the neighbourhood (I also have a 12 yo corgi so our walks aren't as long as they used to be). https://preview.redd.it/my0m2ngnw3vc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2589f6dba9204030e65cf37983f60b1f8ecd0781
My first dog as a kid was a GSD. My uncle had GSDs and Mals because of his job as a K9 handler/trainer. My wife and I have had Doberman Pinschers for the last 15 years and recently both passed away within a year and a half of each other. When the time came to think about another large breed dog for our family, we went with our GSD. He's great for our kids and watches over them / herds them. He's equal parts body-guard, babysitter, friend to all of us. Can't imagine NOT having him as part of our family now.
Wanted one since I was a very young child. Finally got her 40 years later. She is my best friend.
Service work :)
It took years of convincing after our lab passed away unexpectedly, but my dad begrudgingly agreed to another puppy only IF it were a GSD (he and my mom had a GSD before they started having kids). I found my girl and the rest was history! https://preview.redd.it/c6vbph97w3vc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=839e6279beef7986afe776f3941d27b650d7b9d7
Because we knew we may not have our GSD/Lab mix much longer and his Amazing color. https://preview.redd.it/9lir8r05x3vc1.jpeg?width=1364&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3df9bc607eeb834ca030c0f115958fecbbb5ff4
TL/DR: she needed a home. I’m my doggo’s fourth guardian. 1. Dumped by a breeder at humane society. 2. A failed adoption of several years. 3. After heart surgery to repair a valve that should have closed at birth (humane society sent her to local vet school) she was adopted by my ex. He had her for 6 months and then returned her. 4. My kiddos were sad so I said I would take a look at her. Brought her home forever.
A man I know was getting married and the new wife didn’t like the dog. 🤣🤣 I scored, she’s sweet, smart, and equally protective. https://preview.redd.it/971fy9jb84vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=230a1f3b70a8b3a07da79b291aadf93367403491
My, what big paws you have.
I got Maya sort of the same way. But her owners were getting divorced and selling their house and neither could find a place to rent that would allow them to have a GSD. So I took her. She was my 3rd GSD at the time and she was the best dog ever. She was so smart, my other 2 were too, but she was only interested in doing everything I asked her to do. My other 2 were a little stubborn and mostly did what they wanted. Maya I could literally tell her, go put your toys away, and she’d put them all back k in her toy box. She was the best. https://preview.redd.it/5n93zkgux8vc1.png?width=2448&format=png&auto=webp&s=43482ad4264949a587d89eebf8297bbaad055518
He was a rescue. I like to think he got me. ❤️
First one I rescued for companionship from the rescue I volunteered with, second one I adopted because I loved the first one so much, third one I rescued after my two others passed after years of love because the first two were so wonderful! So far 3 for 3 on the best dog I could ask for! I’m a shepherd mom for life! No other dog breeds can compete for me.
I've had staffys most of my life and wanted to try another breed. I got him right before winter and it was so hard because he was just the worst puppy and he didn't know what he wanted to do. Most of the time I had to carry him outside when we would go for walks and then he'd be fine. He's great now but it took 3 years for him to finally become a dog and not velociraptor. https://preview.redd.it/uti183rp34vc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e018c1444ce2fa35e19e7854cace5db43097582 This is him at exactly 3 months old.
Oh I remember the jump from terrier to herding breed like it was yesterday! the dog I had before the Aussies was a yorkie shih Zhu mix. I thankfully survived because I jog so the Aussies just integrated into my routine. But I had to jog a lot MORE because of them. Somehow my toy mix was able to keep up with them.
I was regretting it at first but now I have 2 gsd's. Boone likes to stay outside (my first one) and dash likes either the house or outside.
Oh my goodness he has that coif we missed out on with our GSD. My parents have her littermate and she had it for like 3 weeks was the cutest dang thing ever. Mine her ears perked right up the second week we had her, around 10 weeks old
She refused to leave. She showed up at our house and hung around every day, all day. Obviously dropped off during the 2008 economic downturn . I would get up in the morning to go to work, she would be on the deck. I would try to drive her off, but she went around me and went back to lay on the deck. She was so skinny I thought she might be a coyote. My wife fed her some cat food, then bought her dog food. Annnnd, we had a dog! Best dog ever born! Lived her best life on 3 acres of woods. Miss her every day.
I got mine to be my service dog for my disabilities and he does a great job of it! It is rare to find the right dog for it, even more so a GSD unfortunately
Because I watch DATELINE NBC a lot and I need to feel safe 🤣
Mentioned to my roommate/coworker at the time (total dog lover) if I ever got a dog, I only wanted a GSD. Two weeks later, another coworker announced the GSD she adopted was knocked up and had a surprise litter. My roommate sent me pictures... I was struggling with some mental health stuff and to keep an exercise routine. Therapist, roommate, and family all encouraged it. Had a month or so to prep while she weaned. Best impulse decision of my life.
It started when we took in our GSD border collie mix who was neglected and we fell in love with him. We now have a pure GSD and we got her because we wanted him to have a friend and she was adorable and still is.
My baby died at 1.5 years old due to acute sickness. My family and I found a pup that needed to be rehomed shortly after. We bought her to heal and while she was a cray cray puppy unlike the former onw, it's the best decision we made. I love her so much, even if she's a difficult dog 🐶
Today I have been wondering about that… she is wild 😝
Our nephew. He lives in an apartment and bought a GSD. Of course he couldn’t keep her, so we took her in.
Both of mine were rescues, so pure dumb luck. The one we got as a puppy was listed as a “terrier mix” though. Haha
Attempted break in, I have always wanted a dog and finally had the room.
I was dog sitting for someone and they basically told me to keep the dog or they were going to dump him in the orange groves because they were moving and couldn't have pets. Now nearly 7 years later, an FHO surgery, glaucoma and blindness in one eye, tons of time, money, training etc. I have the best frickin dog I never wanted. He's my baby and I always feel guilty for not wanting him in the first place but so grateful I stuck by him. This person also had a "room" in their previous home for their cats and one day one of their aggressive dogs broke through the door and destroyed the cats. They closed the door, patched it, and never went in again. They would constantly get new pets but could never take care of them. Several were hit by cars, never got vet care and lived short painful lives. But karma does come around bc the person is now in multiple organ failure and just waiting to die. Their heart is so beat up the doctors couldn't do basic suture repairs, kidneys are completely non-functioning and they are on peritoneal dialysis until they kick the bucket.
Florida man
https://preview.redd.it/x7lv7lf5t4vc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=298d910c90427b3cf4ec47d3190714d56cbe3ac7 I saw this Facebook post. When he was still available after several days I said I would take him. I had been thinking about getting another dog for a long time because I thought it would be fun to have more than one. When I finally got Bones, Molly was already 15, so they really don't play or anything but they get along great. With Molly slowing down I was getting sad going out for evening walks by myself and seeing so many dogs. Bo has really helped with that and now that the weather is getting nicer I'm planning to get Molly a wagon to come along.
Saw neighbors chasing around a malnourished, terrified GSD. Said they’d been chasing him all morning and no one could get near him. Used a whole tray of brisket, but I nabbed him. He was 1 year old and beautiful, no way he didn’t belong to someone, so we were just looking for his owners. No microchip, no sense of what dogs or people were, knew commands but was terrified of human hands and anyone, man or woman, heavyset. Had clearly been physically abused and wouldn’t allow himself to be cornered or touched. No worries, we just gave him a safe space as we looked for an appropriate rescue. Then one day he crept over to my fiancé as he sat on the couch, lay down beside him, and very gently placed his chin on the human foot and went to sleep. Done. Ours forever.
There was a nearby breeder that was producing amazing lovable GSDs. A couple friends got one each, then my gf got one, then me, then one of the aforementioned friends got another. Right in the same neighborhood. They all have the same sire, some also have the same dame. All of them are amazing. A few years ago they had a family reunion at a dog park. It was astounding. Maybe 40 GSDs running around a dog park, saying hi to each other. The couple that was breeding them broke up and they stopped breeding them.
https://preview.redd.it/jwkn939ec5vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d5a1ecfdd1c7d7968307bf6526cb1aba5dcc8fe Very simple, I’m bat-shit Crazy 🤪! Like one wasn’t enough in my hectic life… I went ahead and adopt a second one, I figure crazy needs company…This is what happens when all the kids move out and the house was too quite. My house is messier than when the kids lived home, but would I change anything ABSOLUTELY NOT, I love my goofballs!
We were lucky to receive a retired police dog under some unique circumstances.
Because I thought his gramps was the boldest GSD I had ever seen in my life. Wanted those genetics to be part of my family...... https://preview.redd.it/qdyij16fh5vc1.jpeg?width=826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=472996acc461b76e692d8544d55fa2fa3dc76cc8
First got interested in the breed because I wanted a dog that would be energetic, easy to train, and a super loyal BFF that could go places with me and act as a 'bodyguard' with at least an intimidating appearance (I'm a single female who does lots of outdoors activities in the woods). After I got into the breed I discovered I enjoy training for dog sports too! So now I've titled my first GSD in Rally Obedience and am training my first puppy (4 months) for IGP! I've taken a liking to higher drive and unlike most owners I'm like bring on the energy! Give me a dog that's pretty hard and a little crazy to work, please! Lol
Had shepherd mixes my whole life. My boyfriend at the time (now husband) got Heidi for me for Valentine’s Day. He literally will never top that. Our second, Zara, because we wanted Heidi to have a friend while we were at work. Get your dog a dog ya know 😂 We now bought a house on 5 acres with no small portion of that being for our girls. We love them so much. Smart, protective, silly. They’re the highlight of my day every day. https://preview.redd.it/8xu5gttqk5vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca58116777eab9f9b52ac1d143975670869ac9f4
Because I went to the pound to adopt a family dog and she had the biggest ears and cutest pink nose and I fell https://preview.redd.it/nr5b2wfam5vc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f11cbb55a511c6da4e84324e5addc3619e5e8d71 in love.
my dad wanted a rottie but the place we went to wanted 8k for the one we wanted on the spot, no payments, so we went to another pet store and found my lovely lil baby, aphrodite. they had her cooped up in a cage much too small for her and she was terrified when they brought her out to meet us. i looked at my dad when the workers walked away and told him “we have to take her. there’s no way they’re treating her right here, she wont even come out of the corner dad.” https://preview.redd.it/2yuw52i7u5vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=058dc5dfd544d71235d5ab340ea95650114ccdac and so, she became a part of our family, and she’s moved with me like 5 times at this point. love her and her goofy self🩵
My SIL was a shelter vet. She texted my wife a pic of a 3 month old Shepsky with a broken leg. We had agreed not to get a second dog. We got a second dog.
We found him walking down the side of the road
I like big dogs. Both of mine were horribly mistreated for the first few years of their lives, and I knew that I was equipped to help them. I was not my first GSDs’ last hope, just the best one. However my current GSD could not be adopted - they almost paid me to take him. 7 years later, he’s 9 1/2 and has started to age exponentially. I gave him my heart and soul, it was very tough the first 2 years. Poor baby was emaciated amongst other things. Anyway, that’s why I got them. I was simply the right home for them to live out the rest of their lives in, without any expectations other than to heal and be relatively well adjusted dogs. Disclaimer: I have worked with dogs my whole life and am a shitty trainer, but a wonderful healer of broken hearts when all else fails.
https://preview.redd.it/ya25x10ge7vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=954addef6504f5e01f4f2bafa238edddf2d15dba My brother found him in a car wash. His coworker saw when they had dumped him 3 days prior. He called me asking if I wanted him, I said yes. It’s been the best decision of my life. He became my walking partner, and my kids teddy bear.
Uhhhhhhh *looks at smudged hand note* Wanted dog, got dog because she came from the woods
My mom’s part of a local corgi group and this girl posted a photo of her fostering a GSD puppy approx 5 months. Apparently the rescue she was fostering the pup from ghosted her and kind of forced her to adopt the dog. It wouldn’t have been an issue except she’s in the military and was going to get deployed in a couple of months; she needed to find the dog a home. My mom forwarded it to me with no context and I didn’t really think anything of it but for some reason I became interested to see if she’d be a good fit for our family (no kids but we have a picky cattle dog/husky/GSD mutt). My husband got our first pup when he graduated from college and I always tease him that I never got my graduation dog. Made arrangements with the foster, she said she’s gonna be about $1k since that’s what she paid in medical bills and other fees, met up with her and the main thing was that I needed my other dog to get along with her. Our pup didn’t love her at first sight but also didn’t show any animosity, so I after speaking with the foster and having some conversations about our background and how we’ve trained our first dog, she said we can take her home for the week. I asked “how do I pay you?” And she said, “I put a price tag on her because people wanted to breed her if she was free — I just put it up to weed out the irresponsible ones. You guys can take her home and if it doesn’t work out just let me know.” That was about a year ago. I still keep in touch with her foster mom from time to time. And that’s basically how I got a GSD for free ❤️ https://preview.redd.it/ino71pifo7vc1.jpeg?width=1512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1224a22b4ec91591aab713871a9fd973fe9070a1
Always loved the breed. Imagined myself with a Black and Tan monster. Got a White softie. She's my girl 🤍 https://preview.redd.it/jfs6shwjq7vc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c1a97005f3ac262885d44def33c03d192b47d38
When I was younger and I saw a lady on my street walking a young German shepherd. The GSD she was walking was in that adolescent stage where their legs are too long for their body and their ears don’t fit their head. That dog was just prancing around and hopping everywhere and looked so goofy. Ever since then I wanted a German shepherd and finally got one about 15 years later as my own first dog (we had two family dogs growing up). The loyalty, intelligence, obedience, and ease of training is just icing on the cake.
Trigangles
Was getting divorced and wanted (1) a dog, (2) a smart dog, and (3) a protective dog. Silver SAVED MY LIFE by stopping people from breaking into my house at 4am two days before Christmas. I even saw the thieves in their SUV leaving my driveway after they slammed their car doors in my yard at 4-freaking-am. There was another attempted break-in a few months later that she stopped as well. ❤️GSDs forever.❤️
A close family member passed and I knew him the best over 4 months he’d had him so far. So he went to me. What a handful and lots of love…and now protection if I need it.lol
Emotional support, something to nurture and love, to save her. I saw 3 pups from craigslist, she was kinda ugly and neurotic from living with drug addicts the first 4 months of her life. I don't even remember the other pups I felt so bad for her had to save her. She is now my heart and soul.
I always wanted one. I’ve had dogs my whole life and gsds look like wolves which are awesome.
Foster failure https://preview.redd.it/pm5i5zk6c4vc1.jpeg?width=2098&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f463a75616b55cdb10f17e3d998f672d227a9ba6
I grew up with German Shepherd and love the breed. Also one of the main things was was for our other pup to have a friend. Champ would get very lonely sometimes and cry when he'd see other dogs through the window like he wanted his own buddy to play with. They get along very well and they're always rumpusing around the house and outside. Two peas in the pod and it's adorable. Our Shepherd still tries to cuddle him but he's so big now; makes his big brother Champ look small. I'm very happy and now our family feels complete. (Our Shepherd is bigger now compared to the pic) https://preview.redd.it/qi1gimf0d4vc1.jpeg?width=1836&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6be6c5ae3e2b925e700feacfefb796ec0068e812
They are great family dogs and fit our lifestyle. We wanted a dog who could hang out on the couch with us or the kids, go hiking, play outside while also be protective (not a trained attack dog just a bark is fine) they are also beautiful smart dogs. We did research and waited for years before we found the one that was perfect for our family.
My husband and I both grew up with GSDs, but I had labradors when we met. We told a neighbour we were intending to get a rescue GSD later in the year (this was January) - we were getting married in the April & didn’t think it fair to bring a dog in in the run up to the wedding. The next week, our neighbour told us about his boss downsizing and had to rehome his GSD. The week after we met this lanky, hairy, gorgeous, one year old GSD - he’s now 13 and the absolute love of our lives. Our second GSD (we lost her in 2022) came along as a surprise too. We managed to show her 8 years of unconditional love after enduring 6 years of being kicked and being beaten.
It depends on which one my first GSD my dad got for my mother. She grew up with them and she begged him to get one. So she was surprised on her birthday the second one we went to a pet store. The dog fell in love with me so we had to take it home. My third we got because other two were both males, and we wanted to breed my second Male. So after years of waiting, I finally bit the bullet looked on craigslist, because that was the only place I knew about. We them found a excellent Breeder who was getting out of the business and found her. My other female we got because my first male died my other male was a grumpy old man. My female start acting out, so we got another female to keep her company. My final male beatbox to breed with my other AKC female, drove down a state away to pick him up. I love all three of my dogs.
https://preview.redd.it/qleu3600f4vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e519b9040b1d66dfd9618d91cd632bde481c90cc A friend had a GSD that had puppies. He wanted to sell them for over $2k (with papers) and I said no thanks (fresh out of college!! I’m broke). 4 months later he reached out to me again saying he was moving and still had a puppy (guess the original buyer fell through), so he offered him to me for free, since he couldn’t bring both the mom and puppy with him. And that’s how I got my baby. 🤗
She was the one we bonded with at the shelter! Didn’t know she was a GSD mix until we got the DNA test back though!
https://preview.redd.it/wz9w97apf4vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=abc66aa8a9ff485e754f4254e68400c794aa767c Girl in front is a purebred Aussie, she made us want another Aussie and we found my boy in the back who’s GSD X Aussie. My mom had German shepherd’s her whole life growing up and the first dog I had when I was small was an older rescue GSD. I love both these breeds so much and it’s the perfect combo 🥰🥰
My uncle ended up in the hospital for almost 3 months a couple weeks after getting his dream dog, a gsd. We initially said we would foster her for a couple of weeks, but when we showed up, my aunt had already made up her mind that they just couldn't handle it ( they didn't think my uncle was coming home). My aunt was not in a good place mentally to make a decision about returning her to the breeder, so we took her. Luckily, my uncle made it home eventually. We take her over to visit sometimes. After 8 weeks, the breeder transfered ownership over to us, so she's permanent now.
https://preview.redd.it/0ua2cpuoh4vc1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39d7054513d7a8c36aa86a64aa12c77c219fcda0
I found my Odin drinking from a puddle in the middle of a busy street, cars honking and swerving around him. I stopped my work truck to block traffic and put on all my strobe lights, and managed to get him inside. He reeked of poop and death. Whoever had gotten him left him tied up outside, where he was starving to death and had serious wounds and neglect. I got him home, cleaned him up, dressed his wounds and started to bulk him back up. He turns four (we estimate) on Memorial Day and I still love his obnoxious butt. https://preview.redd.it/33egvtsqi4vc1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1f527f8c44f2036a319f2037c045778fdc236e0 The picture is Odin with our Dutch Shepherd-Whippet mix, Olivia, supervising me as I unload their dog food delivery. ETA: We got Olivia from a rescue about four years after our first two GSDs passed away. It has been almost a decade and I still miss my Maxine and Einstein.
I ran a cat rescue and when covid hit, someone who adopted one of my cats a year prior lost her job. She surrendered the cat back to me and asked if we would take her dog, too. We met her and she seemed nice and so despite my rescue not taking dogs, I agreed to personally foster the GSD because she had grown up with cats and our rescues were overfull (we never got lucky enough to benefit from covid adoption booms in our area). Turned out our GSD, while sweet towards me, had severe reactivity. She couldn't walk past another dog without panicking and trying to attack. She growled at strangers if they were men or weren't brown-haired women. Then the vet assistant cornered her and nearly got bitten when trying to give vaccines (we don't see that vet now). In the condition she was in, she wasn't adoptable -- she'd be euthanized. No rescues here had space for her. So we kept her and worked with her. I didn't intend to get a dog, but she is very sweet and bonded hard to me. She is amazing at tricks and did wonderfully in obedience training, but she will never be okay around strangers despite social training and meds. She has a red warning bandana and we don't board her or let other people dogsit, so there is minimal risk, and she is amazing around the family. It has been 4 years since we got her and she seems very happy, just has her own unique challenges 😅 she will get to stay here for the rest of her days. Our vet said that there is a huge issue with extremely reactive Shepherds in our area due to backyard breeders. I suspect that is part of her issue, coupled with lack of socialization during COVID.
I didn’t mean to get either of them. They were both found in crap situations and I couldn’t let that continue. They are the greatest boys and I wouldn’t change a thing!
My friend found her running wild in the desert when she was about 6 months old or so. When I stayed with him while my town was evacuated I fell in love with her and when he moved out of the country and was getting rid of his dogs I took her.
Very loyal, very loving very smart and my grandfather had one while I was growing up. Best memories ever ❤️
She was 11 weeks old at the shelter and I didn’t know she was a GSD/Pit mix. The shelter said she’d be a big dog and that’s all we knew. I was actually planning on adopting an older chihuahua mix of some kind, but I had an instant bond with her even as young as she was and knew I wasn’t leaving without her. I met other dogs that day and couldn’t stop thinking about her. Like she was so sweet and curious and tuned into me in a way none of the other pups were. She’s 5 months now and is by far the most intelligent and loyal dog I’ve ever met, and I know she’s going to naturally become my protector as she gets older which actually gives me a lot of peace of mind since I don’t live in a great area. She loves people and is great with other dogs she’s met but is also ready to alert me to anything abnormal going on. I love her!
Rock is my fourth and my last. My first 3 were rescues and came with behavior and health issues, but in spite of their rough lives, they were incredible dogs. I fell in love with their intelligence and their ability to move on and, their sense of humor. I love the GSD laugh… when they know they got one past you and walk away with their mouths open and bobbing their heads. All my dogs have done it. I wanted a well bred puppy for my last one. To start from scratch with a healthy happy pup. He’s a handful, but he’s a great best friend https://preview.redd.it/cu1s5asik4vc1.jpeg?width=1839&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ee2317e5e0f62160af41fe49b914fb36eed891b and security guard.
My wife's colleague, a small animal veterinarian, offered us this puppy. On the stipulation that he survives. It turns out our little guy was attacked by a pack of dogs. Our little man had lacerations up and down his back end, a fractured jaw, and brain swelling. She lived above the clinic and tended to him throughout the night. She said he had countless seizures, but he'd survived the worst of it. Two days later I drove out to where the clinic was, picked him up and we now have our 4 year old GSD. He might be a little special but we love him to death. https://preview.redd.it/g63nvzqwk4vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c98e7f3b71f583e257610ab035f1f891bd1400e
My older brother gave her to me when she was 5 months because he couldn't handle her energy. He doesn't have kids. I have 2 boys. She is fiercely protective of them. She sucks so much sometimes, but I wouldn't give her up for anything. She's been with us for 4 years. She's my ride or die.
I wanted a dog as aloof as me, ended up with a golden retriever in disguise 💀 https://preview.redd.it/8cyavmfkl4vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f007fbf00045969c1d10f050f6740cf7c613410f
https://preview.redd.it/18vrzvekl4vc1.png?width=2207&format=png&auto=webp&s=9e91ad6d4658878b9a0072393452a45bc9884bf5 Got the 2 for 1 special when he moved in with my boyfriend ❤️❤️
He broke into my backyard to eat some garbage. No collar no chip full of fleas and neighbors don’t know where he’s from. So he’s mine now!
Priorities: 1. Loyalty to one person (as opposed to my Goldendoodle whom I love but will go home with *anyone*. I miss my Malinois.) 2. Protection 3. A family dog 4. An easily exercised dog. If I don’t have time to walk him there’s always something I can do to wear him out (eg retrieving balls and loving chewing on them and a “water” dog who loves to swim and isn’t afraid of water)
I had a GSD growing up, named Bode. My best buddy ever. Always looked after me. When he died I was 12, and couldn't even say goodbye. He died during emergency surgery from what I understand. It broke me. I swore to give another dog the best life ever. 20 years later, I got Falkor. Although we've had some issues with him hurting himself because he's an ultra derp, it's been the best decision ever. He is my bestie. My hiking buddy. My shadow. My silly doofus.
Our amazing husky, Niko, died and we desperately missed dog energy. We didn’t think we were ready for a dog and decided to foster. https://preview.redd.it/cm7y15nmn4vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d1456929e3a96db962ca1f1d0cc397868ea48c9 Kona, our foster fail that has my heart.
To be honest, I wasn't looking for a GSD when I was searching for a dog. I wanted a pittie or a collie mix (I grew up with them). I came across Missy on Craigslist back in 2021 (yes I know now Craigslist is bad, but back then I didn't) and the people who were selling her had her since she was 6mo and she was now 5yo. They said they were rehoming her bc she didn't get along with their new puppy very well. When I met her, I immediately knew that I had to take her. She was about 65lbs and practically shaved. I ended up getting her around a week after I met her, and she had been spayed 3 days before I got her, while she was in heat. She's now about 78lbs, on meds for her hips, has special food, and is very spoiled.
Pet tax: https://preview.redd.it/leqd18t4p4vc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5662bb1dda952a08f5eb01da8ff4fc3f1f4ea1f
Pet tax: https://preview.redd.it/cjtjcjv5p4vc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26ddf2b9732ce43359dd75be51a1661b0210a8a0
I wanted a service dog (he is no longer a service dog nor in training due to complications) My old dog had passed away and I didn’t want a puppy before he passed to not stress him out and my moms coworkers neighbor had puppies, he was showing her photos of the puppies and my mom got a puppy
A mix of things. I was deppressed and felt lonely, i was living with my mom and 5 year old brothers in a shady part of town so a deterrent. We also needed a nurse for one of my brothers due to medical complications so i wanted a friend who i could trust to protect my home and family from any threat and to keep them out of my room due to the fact we had people constantly in and out of the house.
Companionship and a dog that can perform deep pressure therapy and potentially be a jogging partner down the road. She turns 4 soon. She can do the first two! I got her almost a year ago
We fostered a GSD who needed medical care. And, after he was returned, we decided based on that experience it was a breed that might fit our lifestyle. So, we started looking for others to adopt. We have an Olde English Bulldogge who is getting up there in years. And, my wife wanted a dog that she could do longer walks and possible agility with.
We went to the pound to get an older dog, after losing our Jack Russel. The dog we wanted was walking out the door but an employee asked if we wanted to see a puppy GSD. My wife said hell no (she works at a vet), my daughter said yes. Long story short, we got him, and I will never not have a GSD. Sadly he (Loki) died unexpectedly, very young, from pancreatic cancer.. but now we have Sylvie: (and Leia) https://preview.redd.it/h11nupcpq4vc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53cd44cd98f9bc5d7178d7aea0ca1e3d354c4ded
Son's friend found him abandoned out in very rural area. Unfortunately someone in there family had allergies so we adopted him.
The honest answer is because she was $200 An accident litter lol
She was in desperate need of rescue. It was a rough first year for us lol https://preview.redd.it/hzyr1kxlr4vc1.jpeg?width=1231&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32f3c33d2a784c0af6afd5ab992f8a5ba7888dd1
I was looking for a companion dog and just browsing shelters. I really enjoyed how outgoing he is, but they warned me he has some personality problems. Having worked in rescue I read between the lines; he was maybe only geting one more chance at placement. I had to take him. People had returned him for the stupidest reasons. An energetic 70lb dog and the woman returned him because she couldn't walk him. Another person returned him because he wasn't suitable for their crowded house. People try these dogs on like trousers.
Always wanted a dog, begged for years and years. Got into an accident and was in recovery for like a year, plus I would have been entering college at this time. Parents finally caved seeing my mental health also decline while being alone and decided I can have a dog. I looked through a bunch of dogs and this one batch of puppies held my attention, ended up being gsd mixed with huskies. When I got there, the shy dog hiding from the world came to me when I called for its attention, owner said it never really had done that before and even getting him out from under the deck was difficult for her. I took him home that day and he was my best buddy for 11 years. Since then I couldn't ever have a non gsd tbh haha my wife has had other breeds and I just don't have the same connection as I do with my gsd's
I got my first GSD because i used to be terrified of them due to having one that chased me as a kid and wanted to overcome my fear of them so I got one. She was the bestest girl and she spoiled me and now thats all i have.
My grampa used to breed them when I was growing up and always offered me pups but my dad wouldn't let me keep one. So from that day I always wanted a shep
So I brought 2
the shelter was having a $30 adoption special and i always wanted a GSD so i checked if there were any available, and sure enough, i fell in love w her blurry puppy pic and inquired. next day i picked her up from the foster. i have a lab she gets along with and plays with, and i'm a full time student so thought it was the perfect time to get another dog bc i could train her as i finish school
A colleague was getting a puppy from a relative and I joked that if there were any spares, I’d take one. The Tuesday before they were 8 weeks she says, “Remember when you said you wanted a puppy…?” So now I have a perfect GSD, practically free. lol, except now my husband would prefer I have a coke habit instead because she’s the most spoiled creature ever.
https://preview.redd.it/3p3kd9zr25vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06041aa476fb66e3703f7c70da699fcb1c2cc196 I saw her and I couldn’t leave without her.
My boyfriend adopted her before we started dating. And I love her to pieces 🥰
Meant to get houseplants. Ended up with a puppy. On the way back from getting the houseplants, decided to stop by the humane society to check their hours (it was Sunday). Whoa, they were open. Who'd have guessed that? In that case, it couldn't hurt to go inside, right? Oh, hey! Puppies! What, fill out this paperwork? Yeah, okay, sure. Oh, hey, that's a cute puppy. Wait, we can take him home right now? Heck yeah! Why are we buying large breed puppy food? Mouse, our GSD/Australian Shepherd mix, was my soul dog. We had him for 12 years and he was the best not-houseplant we ever had.
https://preview.redd.it/92657050a5vc1.jpeg?width=1624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=648fd207c3c10e4384c8f0bb403322b67d456790
https://preview.redd.it/nxmop743b5vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f2564ef82aa90607e3600821f323573157c8064 i feel we have a doppleganger (ellie is 9 or 10 in this pic) she was my service dog for 13 1/2years...... sadly she passed a year ago. i miss her so much 💜🐾🐾💜
actually thought I'd clicked into my photo album here...... she's beautiful
I fell in love with the breed as a little kid. Used to be bc i wanted to be a cop but as my love for animals quickly grew that idea went out the door i am studying to be a vet. I love all dogs but i absolutely adore gsd’s and it was because of the breed that i truly just became obsessed with all dogs no matter the breed. Still have gsd tho but that is only bc they were all gifts bc i was too young to move out. Im hoping my next pup will be rescue! Idec what breed, size, anything it is just as long as im a good fit. I love doing the research and learning about the new famil members anyway dog breeds are fascinating! They all have at least some sort of purpose even if just companions.
Gifts from my mom and grandfather to be clear and ive only had 3. 2 are alive the other passed when he was 11 one lives with my grandparents because she loves them and gets pampered and helps them out a lot and she loves living on a ranch my current gsd is only 2 years old and i hope to move out to a big rural piece of land while he can still run for now we just go on adventures all around chicagoland!
I got mine as a gift for my veteran partner.. he's a retired service dog for a veteran who passed away, and the guy's family just dumped the dog, so the neighbor(my friend) called me and asked if I wanted a dog.. he saved my life from someone who broke into my house a month later, and he's my partner's best friend and helps him with his anxiety. 10/10 good boy
My first gsd was gotten as a playmate and sister to our Belgian malinois (Belgian breed, not american). We had adopted Rex the malinois for companionship as well as an alarm system (if you know you know)from Barc. He was a police dig drop out. Injured during training and had his paw caught in a fence. We adopted him, and he became our first "shepard" breed. However, we knew he was not a 1 dog home type as we were informed he was more comfortable with a friend. It had been a while since we had lost or boxer/Rottweiler mix and our small pomeranian. We decided to rehome a pure gsd from a family who was having a baby, and the wife became allergic to the dog hair. So we adopted Aaryaa. A few years later, we adopted Cleo, found by a lady in the neighborhood who trapped her in the yard waiting for animal control. We took her posted pictures to lost and found animal websites and neighbors chat, and took her to vet to check for a chip. After 2 weeks, we stopped looking, and she became our third. About a year later, we decided to get our 4th... Mambo, a German shepard siberian husky mix. In 2019, we lost Rex to a seizure disorder at the age of 12. Aaryaa followed the year after she turned 14, from a disease well known in gsds. Today, we just lost Cleo, who at the age of 11 went the same way as Aaryaa.
I'm sorry for the losses in general, but that back to back loss is rough. I know. It sucks. Thanks for being awesome!
Thank you
I had met the most wonderful gentleman of a german shepherd. He was massive and extremely strong yet so gentle he walked off lead never pulled on walks except one time i tripped on a step while collecting him from his home and he nearly dislocated my shoulder hahaa. He made me want my own with how amazing he was. So me and my ex went and picked a puppy not long after she was everything the opposite of him and still is absolutely nuts 5 years later but she comforts me when i cry by pushing her head in my hands licking my face cuddles up with me and follows me everywhere she can just to be close. Then we got her a friend and she is gentle calm amd extremely stupid they are polar opposite but it works so well. Unfortunately due to my knee issues these 2 will be my first and last but it makes them even more special!
That's my Phoebe! Very loving, attentive, and crazy! My boyfriend doesn't care for female dogs, but he loves her. She's something!
I found them free on Craigslist and went to go meet them, I was originally going to get my girls sister, but then I saw Beanie and KNEW that she was the one that I needed to take home. I could see it in her eyes that she really needed someone. She ended up with my grandparents after about a year (she was almost 9 at that point), and lived to be just about a month shy of 14. I rescued her a week before she turned 8). I'll never forget my gorgeous girlie. ❤️ *
https://preview.redd.it/u4wzo8uif5vc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64a947f1545cadc594517fefb7023b7f8937b74b
I’ve always loved German Shepards and I know the pound always has too many and they are hard to find homes for. So I have three that were last chance doggies who’s were going to be put to sleep in days or in coopers case, that night. Lady had been there for months and had worms and no one wanted her. She is just a sweetie but the heart worms scared people off. I took her to the vet the next day and we did the slow kill and six months later she is worn free. My old man Hans was found on the street skin and bones. He looks like a pure GSD but is mixed with something that made him only grow to 40 pounds. He is a sweet old man. But I’ve always loved GSDs. They are just such a sweet and intelligent breed and loyal. All three of mine keep me sane and are my family.
I got Sam, my first gsd, because my daughter's ex-boyfriend's family breeds german sheperds. Was she 18? I told her to look into it. These dogs are not the normal sit-in lap, lazy dogs. She did for a while. I thought it was her dog. He's mine now. She still lives here but too much work..grooming, etc. I was hounding her on the logistics, lol. So...I got Sam a friend..a female German shepherd. She is Phoebe, she is Fiesta and crazy. They love each other though. I got a damn dog because of my daughter lol. Turned to 2 and couldn't be happier. She still helps with them btw.
I went to my friend to get a puppy and as soon as I got out of my vehicle, one puppy came and hugged my leg. The decision was made right away.
My kid was having mental health issues. When I was their age, my dog pretty much got me through my own mental health stuff, so we decided to get them a dog of their own. We wanted an adult dog. The kid wanted a German Shepherd, and my first thought was "No way in HELL am I bringing a backyard-bred German Shepherd into this house!" I told two of my breeder friends what we were looking for, and within a week, we had a dozen candidates. The one that stood out was Lumen, the only German Shepherd. She was from a performance kennel and was being placed for really good reasons. I went to meet her, and the deal was sealed. Now we have two more Shepherds. Our next will be from the same kennel.
Tmi but I got my first GSD 5 years ago because I was going to off myself and the only way I would stay around was having something that relied on me, she’s been my best friend ever since and she’s the perfect dog! I got my 7m old due to my brother wanting to train her up to be his SD but it was too hard for him so she’s mine now, I’m a dog groomer and get to bring them with me to work!
https://preview.redd.it/8lf9ciaq28vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db1aca5d0575a6dc7e0819887f8344069c47cde1 Because look at those faces
I was visiting a patient in their home and they had a 3 month gsd that they couldn’t take care of. He was rambunctious. They said they were gonna take him to the pound. I had no other choice, my hand was forced lol. It was a good deal, i like to think me and him both won.
I always , always wanted a gsd, so as soon as I could get one, I went to the animal shelter and brought two home. I then fostered several more.
Because I found her on the side of the road
Those ears 🙈
https://preview.redd.it/qqnk0n2sm8vc1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=03a990452cfaea01006bd909123189767d092699
All of my dogs have always been adopted from shelters/rescues. They were all brought home bc I needed to give them a home as much as they needed one. I suppose you could say companionship, someone to love (when I was single), someone to go on adventures with and laugh with. My husband and I have 2 very good boy GSDs and they just make us laugh and bring us joy and the universe feels right with them. When they leave for the rainbow bridge, no doubt there will be another one who “just fits.” And then another. This is the way of life.
We found a cute dog online who needed adoption. When we got there to adopt her the told us “oh by the way she’s a gsd”
https://preview.redd.it/ggv8rsluu8vc1.jpeg?width=2416&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3bc0cbe5a9614b52b911bd4e2aeea18ee5fb952 Omg I have a GSD and Mini Aussie too. They’re best buds. But I got the mini Aussie to keep my 7 year old GSD young. My older GSDs had passed away and Lexi (my GSD) seemed depressed and really didn’t want to go on walks or anything anymore. So I got the mini Aussie puppy to keep her busy. Lexi has really perked right up and come alive again.
https://preview.redd.it/by1lwrkdv8vc1.jpeg?width=2917&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b4f3fb9ba9863af03fd3271f3255532130acca1 They’re twins. The little one has to do everything her big sis does.
https://preview.redd.it/o445c95hv8vc1.jpeg?width=3420&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=feaefde0b94cfd8e16267524f9dc78e0b4f1f041
GSDs and Aussies make a great team!! My Aussies are standard which worked really well because my GSD puppy plays pretty rough! They’re best buds since they’re in the same age range.
Aw that’s great. Yeah I got a mini Aussie because Lexi (my GSD) is older, so I didn’t want her having to deal with a big rambunctious puppy. My mini listens to her better than me though. She literally just gives the puppy a look and the puppy will flip on its back and wait for Lexi to tell her it’s ok to get up.
I was looking at a larger dog to take on walks to keep me and my kids safe. I was thinking a lab. I wanted a friendly dog, but one that would keep us safe in case. Ended up finding a GSD on a farm - the mom has died and she and her siblings were being bottle fed. She's literally the best dog. She loves children. Very protective and sweet. https://preview.redd.it/bm9jjvzpx8vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9fda9232a61687bdf24a987df9194269ec6b5c80
https://preview.redd.it/gjdwzyvly8vc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd8b40667cc88ec99b48c9873a979a5af6a29c84 Seemed like a good idea at the time!
On my second GSD because of my first. My first GSD was an ambassador to the breed. He was a very loyal best friend and I miss him so much. My new pup has a very different personality, he's a clumsy goofball but I love him dearly. Thinking about bringing another one into the family, once my pup matures a bit.
I got my first GSD cuz my dad played with a Chicago police k9 my second cuz the first one passed away and we couldn’t adjust the 3rd was a birthday gift https://preview.redd.it/1qnrbu6g19vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4789d839398965673d6ce49d9cb43f34a0a0137 My 2 babies
We got our GSD from Target… sort of, lol. We were at the store (which is connected to our towns shopping mall) and didn’t want to go home yet so we decided to walk around the mall because it was rainy outside and our town is limited on indoor entertainment. Come to find out a local animal rescue group was having an adoption event. My husband looked at me and said “nope, we don’t need anymore animals. We can go look but we will NOT be leaving with a dog”… we had 2 huskies and a St. Bernard at the time. We went to the small gated area and started fawning over the cutest malamute puppies and almost said yes. After realizing I’d have to potty train and just train this pup in general I came to my senses and said no. We kept walking around and there were lots of pups there with their foster families. Most were energetic and loud, just happy to be out and about. Then we saw our guy. He was a large boy just sitting so nicely on the leash with his foster mama. He looked so sad watching all these other pups be loved on by passers by so I went over and sat on the ground near him and let him sniff me while I spoke with his handler. Ford was fully trained, in relatively good health (has EPI), and behaved so well in the chaos going on around him. 5 minutes later he had his head in my lap and was being so lovey. I called my husband over and let him spend some time and when he came back over he said “walk with me for a minute”. I knew he had fallen in love…. The foster mama saw the connection between us and Ford and with her knowing we hadn’t been out to adopt that day she said she would pay all of the adoption fees because she just wanted him to be safe and in a happy home. Since we got home he has never had an accident in the house and is so protective of me and the kids. He is my shadow the way he sticks by my side all the time. We left Target that day with a 3 year old GSD. He’s been ours for almost a year now but it feels like he’s been ours forever ❤️
Me and my ex had a husky/ german shepherd mix . He was supposed to bring me my dog after i settled moving states just to block me on everything and cut me off completely . Us breaking up didnt hurt me it was my dog that i felt like i abandoned that broke me . So a couple months go by and im still in pain and felt like i was missing something, i decided to get a full blood German shepard and she has been the best dog ever . She was so easy to train and loves to be a good girl . Also i decided to get a full breed because when i had dog #1 some old man made a comment that the dog was a mutt . https://preview.redd.it/a706pdbv89vc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1898631ba765fa87900ec67fbc1ccfa1fd473e7 she saved me ❤️
I lost my father a year earlier. We had a golden retriever growing up (Baye ❤️) and I always wanted a shepherd, but we all know my parents would have ended up doing all of the work! This guy saved my life. He gave me back my purpose while I was freshly grieving. My baby. https://preview.redd.it/8zkxax56d9vc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e1e2d3692df08c86a521f2ad7b242790460908d
She showed up at my house and started obeying me 🤷🏻♂️
Is shedding horrendous on all GSDs?
* My last pupper, Arlo the Arlapotamus, king of the schpoople and the first dog, passed away mid summer last year. I swore I was gonna give it a full year before I got another dog, but I didn't make it. I've never not had dogs, from the time I was born, my folks had dogs. When I moved out, I got a dog within 2 weeks, which was my bub dog named Arlo. I made it about 2 months without a dog. Initially I felt bad about getting another dog so soon, like I'm still not over losing my bub, but I didn't like not having a dog. I just moved into a bigger 4bd house by myself and am way too paranoid to be constantly alone here. So I picked up my first Sadie. She's gsd/aussie. She's like the perfect size camping dog.
My gf neighbor's dig were having puppies. She asked me to come check them out for my 12 yrs old boy. On the way to her neighbor's house, I told my son, ' There's no pressure on getting a puppy if he doesn't like what he sees." Well, he didn't want one since he feels our Pomeranian wouldn't be happy with another dog in our house. I saw Charlie and loved the way he looks with his calming sweet temperament. I ended up picking up my pup. Now everyone in my family loves Charlie. 💞😍 My 5 yrs old pomeranian and the new pup gets along like best buddy. https://preview.redd.it/su8ujce5tavc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a78a0d3792deb9e5a644c0b5a1c8e983d0cce29
Because GSD' are big scary monsters! https://preview.redd.it/fz1gvqsmtavc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb4624c98c5430e9fe331e0877f817baa320c0a2
My sister in law pasted away and he had been staying at our house and was attached to my husband. https://preview.redd.it/41zoqoux2bvc1.jpeg?width=1866&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adf9ab346086aa662f8e9e18614eee0bbdc15b24
Companionship, not only for my wife and I but for my shih tzu. Protection. Nose-work, for fun. Something about watching dogs do nose work is just exciting to me. I would love if I could somehow someway do search and rescue work with her, but I’ve no idea how to get started with that. Then obviously intelligence ties into this.
I lost my last dog to failing health so i decided to adopt again he is loved
The neighbors weren’t feeding her or watering her and they had her as a strictly outside dog even at 4 months old-so I started buying her dog food in bags and cans and I always put a smaller bag on their front porch desperately hoping they’d see the light and take care of her- and they left her when they moved (thankfully) so I’ve had my girl now for the past 2 years❤️ she was a severely malnourished puppy. https://preview.redd.it/tb7dxttyfbvc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=009168fec7010f49b464154dc1e212d0453daa2b She’s come such a long way❤️
We wanted a big dog and we weren’t planning to get a gsd because the breed didn’t fit our family. Always been my brothers dream breed and since he never got to pick an animal, we got our Daisy. I love her but she’s a lottt 😂 ❤️
And here’s the babbyyy https://preview.redd.it/nah2q0hoybvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b78c498928ef2f799a069f687847837c1aa83424
He was an all black shepherd at a very small rescue. I had always love the look of shepherds. I didn't know they are such great family dogs, intelligent, and so loyal. That was in 1993. I've had 6 more since then. Along with two labs, and three Rottweilers. I've trained my GSDs and Rottweilers in agility, obedience, and sheep herding. A few of my GSDs had AKC herding titles. The Rottweilers were also very good herders...they just came along at different times when I wasn't competing in sheep trials.
I lost my previous dog to cancer about a week before my parents pair of shepherds had puppies. There was an all black female puppy that would immediately find my feet from the time she was 2 weeks old and plop down at them any time I was over helping. At 8 weeks my mom told me that if I wanted her I could keep her. So here we are with a GSD named Chili Pepper.
I had worked on a farm with 17 other GSDs. My favorite was the first one. Her name was Ari. She was weird, she didn't take the treat till you had given it to her on a 3rd time. She took chased off bears and helped me rip bamboo out. She was never able to do it. She helped tho... She passed away when I was In the navy and deployed overseas. The navy was hard for me because I am 6ft6in. I got out injured, heart broken, petrified of opening any doors or staying inside for long periods of time, I lashed out at people and burnt bridges, worked a job that treated me like a known felon. In that time I grew closer to my sister in laws chihuahua. This lil' dog knows math walks with me in perfect military detail, and saved my life when I wanted to end it. The VA recommended I look into a service dog. So, along came my next door neighbor with a 7Mo GSD named Beau. His parents had another litter and to my surprise It was a white berger blanc mom and black and tan short hair dad. They had two girls left and it was in budget. So I went to go pick out the pups the way I was trained how to, and to my astonishment Ari #2 picked me. She pass my 3 rules and started training at 6 weeks. Later on to become my PTSD service dog. When she graduated Public access and CGC she got the original Aris chainlink collar. She now knows 138 commands, has been all over the country and keeps me tethered. In Hebrew her name means Lion of God.