Some people think we’re crazy.
I’m not sure I’d disagree! After all, we have FIVE German Shepherds.
We started with one dog, like most dog people. And she was wonderful red sable German Shepherd we named Sasha. She was regal and noble–clearly the queen of the house. She and my husband had a special bond and he used to joke that she was the alpha female of the house.
Sasha with her red ball and Marta close by.
We planned to get a buddy for Sasha and we did when Sasha was two. Enter Marta.
Marta, would not be mistaken for a regal queen. She was a little anxious and a bit flighty and completely loveable. She submitted fully to Sasha and there was no question who was the alpha–Sasha all the way. Marta was always my girl. She followed me everywhere and waited up for me at night. Every morning she greeted me with a crazy dance and a barrage of kisses. It was her way. Just a bundle of anxious love.
In 2006 Sasha, died of liver cancer just two weeks before her 10th birthday. It was hard blow for us–she was our first dog, the big girl, the queen. If you’ve ever had a dog you described as “the best dog ever,” then you know what I mean.
And Marta, who had always followed Sasha’s lead, was suddenly alone. And Marta changed. Sasha had stayed over night at the animal hospital the night before she died and Marta greeted me the next morning with her same crazy morning dance. And then we came home the next day without Sash, because she had died. That next morning, Marta greeted me quietly. No more crazy dance. It was as if she had grown up overnight. As if she knew Sasha was gone.
We had planned to look into adding a new puppy before Sasha died, but her death took us off guard. We weren’t ready. We had no plans of running out to get a puppy to replace our Sasha–but Marta was just lost. She seemed so blue and we were worried about her.
And that’s when we found Eva. Eva is our all black German Shepherd and she’s amazing. She was a feisty little pup and a bit much for Marta at times. We learned the art of the daily morning two-mile walk in order to take the edge off Eva’s energy and that helped a lot. Soon they were a good twosome and our little nervous Marta somehow became the alpha female at age 8.
Eva’s breeder wanted a breeding agreement on Eva for a litter of puppies and we agreed. So in 2008, Eva gave birth to a litter of five pups: three males and two females.
Eva and her puppies.
Having puppies is a special experience and we just loved it. We watched Eva give birth and we watched the pups go from squirming blind little things to rambunctious self-sufficient pups.
And this is where things get interesting. We planned to keep a puppy, of course. How could we not?!
The question was, “Which puppy?” My husband wanted the big male, and there was no question who that was! The big man, Maximus. But both my husband and my son started talking about keeping two puppies. TWO!? On top of our two full-grown German Shepherds?
Max trying to cause trouble with his mom, Eva.
And that was it, I said, because “only a crazy person would have FOUR German Shepherds.” Very funny.
Then there was an accident. I accidentally stepped on one of the female pups while wearing heels and broke her little elbow. We had no idea if her leg would grow or function or have to be removed, and I felt horribly, horribly guilty—and determined to heal her. So, that’s where my husband and son got their wish–we kept both Max, the big alpha male pup, and Nastia, the dainty girl with the broken elbow. Four German Shepherds.
Nastia at six weeks in her cast.
It became my mission in life to heal Nastia. We used tons of natural anti-inflammatories from Shaklee (http://LifeSpring.MyShaklee.com) and our vet was impressed with how quickly the little pup was healing. We anxiously waited to see if her growth plates had been damaged–and the good news was that both legs were growing at the same rate. Now, at nearly two years old, Nastia is healthy and barely has a limp. And, she’s madly in love with my son.
It would seem, wouldn’t it, that we had a full house? Four German Shepherds, one with allergies (that’s old Marta) and one with a leg injury . . . but my husband is a sucker for an underdog, literally.
Lilija at this point was 6 months old and we’d watched her grow up. Every week during dog training , she played with our pups and charmed us, too. She belonged to our trainer/breeder and he was trying to find a home for her–preferably one open to a breeding agreement, and hopefully, since her dad is a former police dog, someone interested in advanced training.
Lilija is such a sweetheart, something my husband always mentioned, and she was being bullied by her kennel mate. She had a big gouge in the top of her head from a fight and John’s heart just caved in to her. And, she reminded him a bit of . . . his girl, Sasha.
But I resisted! I tried to find Lilija a home, and every week she played with my dogs. She and Nastia especially seemed to have a bond. And one day I heard her yelp as her kennel mate bit her in the butt . . . and then I knew she was coming home with us.
Max, Nastia, and Lilija hanging out on Christmas morning.
It hasn’t been easy–we’ve had a few dog fights between Nastia and Lilija, but they seem to be working through their relationship and 99% of the time, they are absolutely best friends. I was prepared to like Lilija, but I didn’t think I’d love her as much as I do. She’s a real momma’s girl, it turns out.
And that’s how we came to have FIVE German Shepherds. And I love each and every one of them!
So what’s your multi-dog story? Please share!
the natural dogosphere's Blog 