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Sterling
Sterling, pictured on the right, is just a wonderful puppy and we love having him and his big
sister Luna. They get along great and are always together. Sterling is now
almost done with basic obedience with just one day left and then he will
graduate and we will go on to Intermediate classes . We have been
working with him along with working with Luna, who is all done with the
obedience classes. Because of this, Sterling is ahead of his class
and the instructor sometimes has Sterling and I demonstrate a command.
He is very smart and catches on to things very quickly! He is very good
when company comes, he will greet them then lay down beside his Daddy or
me for the remainder of their visit. He loves to go for rides, and he and
Luna will get into the back seat and lay down or sit. We would like to
thank his foster parents, Joe and Deb for the great job they did
with him during time that they had Sterling. He is just a great little boy
62 lbs now. We can't wait to show him off at one of the GSRNE upcoming
events!
Phoenix
I have loved and owned German Shepherd Dogs for many
years, and when the last of my lines died before Christmas, I was
heartbroken and devastated. Then GSRNE gave me a beautiful 10 yr. old male
“fuzzy bear” with the name, Phoenix.
Phoenix is truly my gift.
He loves and enjoys every minute of the day, from chasing squirrels &
chipmunks in the yard, getting belly scratches, vacuuming crumbs off the
floor, playing keep away, to going for rides in the car. I now must spell
that word, “r.i.d.e”.
There is not a person in this world that he doesn’t like
or want to greet and few that don’t love him back. I fell in love with him
the first time I saw him. His beautiful brown, loving eyes warm my heart,
start my day, and ease me to sleep at night. I have had shepherds for
over 30 years and he is unique in the joy he has for life. Each day is an
adventure experienced with a wag of the tail and a “let’s go!” attitude.
He loves to sit in the back of my van when we get home from our
“r.i.d.e.s” and watch the world go by especially when the kids on the
street are playing. He loves every minute of every day.
He went to Therapy Dog class and immediately won the
hearts of his teachers. After getting his certificate and his jacket, we
signed up for nursing home duty. Now he's in 7th heaven when we go
through those doors. I am amazed at his intuitiveness about these elderly
people. If the patients are active and alert, he is happy and excited.
If the ladies are more fragile, he immediately becomes very quiet and just
puts his head in their hands. They love him and remark about his big
feet.
Phoenix had his little quirk - didn’t particularly like
other dogs, especially big ones. But he has been working hard in obedience
classes and got his Canine Good Citizen Certificate last week. He now can
greet other dogs and behave like the gentleman he is.
I am retired now so we have the whole day explore and
enjoy life together. To the family that had to give up this dog, I thank
you for sharing him with me. He is my “forever” dog.
Sugar GSRNE #156
We've all heard of a wolf in sheep's clothing, but what do you call a
Labrador retriever in German shepherd's clothing? We call her Sugar!
That's the name she came with and it fits her so very well. She is as
sweet as sugar and has never met anyone that she didn't like.
Sugar came to live with us when she was 15 months old, a few days before
Thanksgiving in 2003, which was very appropriate. With Sugar at our house,
we had much to be thankful for. She was totally accepting of us from the
start, embracing our home and extended family as well as all the
grandchildren. She also came with a few infirmities.
At 8 months of age, while running loose in her neighborhood, she was hit
by a car and suffered a broken left hip and cracked pelvis. The only
saving grace was that she was turned over to the Animal Control Officer by
her owners as an alternative to euthanasia. She received much-needed
surgery and was left to recuperate in a local kennel. After spending
several months in different kennels, she eventually came to the attention
of GSRNE who evaluated her and found her to be a happy-go-lucky, eager to
please adolescent who loved life and everything in it! She went to live in
Penny & Stephen Cooper's wonderful foster home and thrived on their
devoted attention and care. At 15 months of age, it was now our turn to
welcome her into her forever home.
Sugar has lived up to her name in many ways. Even though a year later, she
had to endure another surgery and long months of physical therapy and
chiropractic care, the ordeal has never quenched her sweet nature or her
indomitable and loving spirit.
At home Sugar is crazy about her large plastic ball that she maneuvers
with the dexterity of a soccer player. One of our sons enjoys coming over
with his son to have a brisk game of soccer with her, much to her
everlasting delight! In the morning, if she is outside by herself, she
will scratch at the door, but not to come in. She will stand and wait,
with a quizzical look on her face, asking for her big red ball.
Unfortunately we have lost a few wooden picket fences and lattice work to
her eager play drive. If the ball rolls up against them, and we're not
there to stop her, she dismantles the lattice into pieces or takes off the
pickets one by one in her excitement.
She also enjoys trying to launch a surprise attack on squirrels. Every
morning, as she is let out onto the deck and yard, she sprints out the
door just in time to see a wily squirrel disappearing up a tree. Sometimes
I will find her sitting on the deck in the rain, patiently waiting for
that squirrel to reappear.
Sugar has brought so much to our lives; she is our fourth shepherd out of
six dogs. Each one has been a love affair and has stolen our hearts. We
would like to thank GSRNE so very much for taking the time and expertise
to find us our forever match.
Gail & Ken Van Hoesen
Nyla-Jean
(formly Dakota) GSRNE
#116
When we met Nyla, we were
looking for a white Shepherd to fill a huge void, left when we lost our
beloved Cain, a White GSD my husband had found in a pound. When we
adopted him, 2 year old Cain was only hours away from being euthanized. He
was with us for 9 years, and we lost him when he was 11.
Nyla had spent most of her life in a backyard, suffering
from constant ear infections and flea allergies, and she was pathetically
underweight. She was so ignored by her previous owners that she didn’t
even respond to her name, Dakota, when she was called.
GSRNE’s angels took her in, vetted her and set her up in
a nice foster home with two GREAT kids. They renamed her, after much
thought about who she was and what name would fit her. Nyla now had a new
name and responded to TLC given by her foster family.
We met Nyla in October of 2001; and although she wasn’t
the White we were looking for, we fell in love on the spot. Nyla is a
gorgeous Sable girl. She has high prey drive, so our cats now live
upstairs and Nyla rules downstairs. She enjoys her BARF diet and no
longer gets ear infections. She weighed about 55 pounds when she came home
with us and now maintains a sleek 85-90 pounds and is in constant motion.
Nyla now has an adopted big brother, Max, who was on his
last day in a pound, after two time extensions. She took to him right
away, and it seems like they’ve always been a pair.
One day, Nyla was being a total brat and not listening
to her commands; out of frustration, I said to her “Now Nyla-Jean, NO!”
From that day on, she’s kept the second part to her name; it also happens
to be my sister-in-law’s name, and they are both incredibly stubborn,
mind-of- their-own gals!
Thank you GSRNE for the best girl ever, my beautiful
Nyla-Jean, formerly Dakota, # 116, adopted in October 2001. |
