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Soon to be new GSD owner from Socal

2K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  Ace GSD 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello GSD community!

My name is Anthony and I live in a suburb of Los Angeles. I'm 43 and I've grown up with animals my whole life. From a child until my teens I lived with around 15 Boston Terriers as my mother was a breeder. Once I moved out on my own I got my own dogs and cats...all of them rescues. As of now I have one shepherd mix named Sasha and two cats James and Arthur that are brothers. I also have a large pond with 20 large koi. 6 months ago I had 3 dogs...Baby was a rescued Wheaton Terrier and Lucky was a rescued Cocker Spaniel. I had Lucky and Baby for 14 years and I've had Sasha for 10 years. Lucky actually found me on my construction site. I was doing a bathroom remodel and I was grabbing tools out of my van and I felt something cold on the back of my leg...when I turned around there was a puppy smelling my leg. I had only had my construction company for 6 months at that time so I didn't have much money, so I lived in a studio apt that didn't allow pets. I snuck Lucky into my apt in a back pack and fell in love immediately so I found a new place to live that allowed pets. Once I was in my new home I rescued Baby from the shelter so Lucky would have a companion while I worked. One day I returned home to find a shepherd mix puppy tied to a tree in my front yard with a bowl of water. She was welcomed with open arms and her name is Sasha. Baby was put down 6 months ago because she lost half her body weight. She went from 43 pounds to 26 and after spending a little over $2000 trying to save her I decided it was more humane to put her down then continue fighting a losing battle. After all the money and tests the vets were clueless. That left me with Lucky and Sasha as far as dogs go. Well Lucky passed last Friday laying beside me peacefully. I thought I'd take it much worse than I did but I think the fact that he was being treated for a failing heart I was mentally prepared for his passing. I cried all day Friday but Saturday my attention turned to Sasha because I could see she was obviously taking this very hard. When Lucky passed his bladder emptied and Sasha walked over and smelled it and disappeared for an hour. She started losing control of her bladder while just laying around the house. I took her to the vet for medication and decided to start looking for a companion for her immediately. That's what brought me here :). Like I said I've done rescue for years but I've always wanted a German Shepherd puppy with good blood lines that I could train or help train. Back to Lucky for a second...Luckys last month was day to day. He could barely walk, his lungs were taking in fluids and his breathing was hard to watch. The only reason I didn't put him down is he was alert as could be. The vet couldn't believe how normal he acted considering everything he was dealing with. For the last 2 weeks before he passed I'd kiss him goodnight and tell him "it's ok to go now trooper" every morning I awoke amazed he was still with me. Once I decided on getting a puppy I decided to name him Trooper in honor of Lucky. I'm getting my puppy through West Coast German Shepherds but I'm not getting one of her in house puppies because her waiting list is insane. I'd have to be on a waiting list 3 litters out and I don't want Sasha to be without a companion for that long. Barbie the owner of WCGSD is awesome and her love for what she does is obvious. She told me she could get me a puppy imported from Germany immediately if I didn't want to wait. She informed me it would cost more money but if I wanted a puppy now she could do it. So I bought one of 3 males she's importing. I get first pick and they arrive July 3rd. I'm so so so excited!!! I can't wait for Sasha to meet him as I know she will treat him as her own puppy. She's laying beside me now and I wish I could tell her what's coming next week. Well actually I do tell her lol but I guess I mean I wish she understood. I'm planning on taking Trooper all the way through IPO3 training just like his father. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of Trooper yet but obviously after July 3rd you guys can see him. Here is a picture of his father in the meantime. Thanks for listening to my long winded story and I look forward to learning from you all.
 

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#2 ·
Thank you for sharing your story. Losing our best friends is difficult indeed and I am so sorry......congratulations on a new male GSD. He will certainly keep you busy. GSDs bond very deeply, and from your post I can tell that will be very satisfying for you and Sasha. There is lots of great info on the forum to help educate you in raising GSDs. I bet your new boy is going to be beautiful. Stay in touch and post pics of your new little one when he arrives. Enjoy!!
 
#3 ·
Wow, you are a STELLAR, caring and responsible, doggie guardian!!! Wonderful story, update with pictures of your new boy please!
 
#5 ·
Thank you guys for the nice welcome. Heres a couple pics of the dogs in my story and Ill post pics of Trooper once he arrives from Germany.

Im not into posting pics of myself on the internet but Id like to share my favorite picture of Lucky and I from a decade ago. Lucky is the black cocker that just passed. Baby is the Wheaton that passed 6 months ago and Sasha is the shepherd mix that I still have.
 

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#6 ·
Aww! That last picture stole my heart of all three of them! So, cute. Well, welcome fellow SoCal'ian ;) This forum will provide with all the great advice you need. I hope Trooper and Sasha bond quickly and that a strong friendship grows. Good luck to you~
 
#7 ·
Anthony, I cannot wait to meet you in person this week and to present your Trooper to you, I just love the way you are honoring Lucky by the name you chose to use for your new puppy. I'm sure he will be a trooper just like Lucky was, Lucky was just that, Lucky to have a wonderful owner like you. I feel it's safe to say once again, you included, that I have truly the best clients and homes for my puppies. I feel very blessed to be able to place them into homes so full of love like yours :) See you in just a few days!!!
 
#9 ·
Thx everyone and especially you Barbie!!! I can't wait....I'm bringing CASH woot woot. I bought the double door 48 inch cage you recommended plus a bunch new toys...and two new beds...couldn't leave Sasha out of the party. Got lots of things to chew on as well. In other news one of my kittens James left a dead rat on the back porch for me to wake up to. I know it was James vs his brother Arthur because James brings things home every night. Two nights ago he brought home a single high heel shoe. He carried it home by the strap and carried it over my 7 ft fence...pretty impressive. Last night he brought home a cigarette butt and dumped it on the living room floor...not so impressive.
 
#10 ·
Two nights ago he brought home a single high heel shoe. He carried it home by the strap and carried it over my 7 ft fence...pretty impressive. Last night he brought home a cigarette butt and dumped it on the living room floor...not so impressive.
:laugh: I could just picture the cat carrying a high-heeled shoe all the way home as a "gift" for you. What a riot!! Thanks for the laugh today. And congrats on your new GSD. Can't wait to see the pics!
 
#12 ·
Trooper has arrived!!!! This dude is awesome and he follows me everywhere when he not being crated. Today we went to the football field and ran around. He even plays fetch and hes already potty trained except for one accident when he was trying to get out back but only made it to the back porch. Im not even counting that though because he was having stomach issues Im guessing from the flight from Germany and all the excitement. Not to mention change in food. He even walked right through the doggie door without being taught. Im loving the crate because its gonna take a minute for him to except the cats and for Sasha to except him. Because the crate is so big and I didnt want to mess with the divider and break it down to get it through the doorway twice a day I bought another crate for the bedroom. I also put an exercise pen in the living room and thats really helping with the socialization situation. The part Im hating is getting up 2 to 3 times a night for his potty breaks.Ill get more pics soon. Ive been so focused at the tasks at hand that Ive been forgetting to take pictures. Well Im gonna get back to my Michael Ellis dog training videos.
 

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#14 · (Edited)
Update...Trooper is no longer having stomach issues!!! It didn't start getting better until yesterday so I was a little concerned. Today will be my first day back to work since getting him on Saturday. I planned it this way so I could have a few days of socialization work. It's going great so far. Everyday seems to be leaps vs baby steps. The first day the cats disappeared for 36 hours and that was concerning since they spend every night and day around the house. I found them a couple doors down in a neighbors shed and brought them home so they could see Troopers environment was always in my control. After that they would almost flaunt on purpose it seemed. Laying in front of his crate and whatnot. He wanted to get them so bad and would bark like crazy. Sasha wanted nothing to do with Trooper and I had to keep them separate as well. The last couple days Trooper has stopped barking at the cats...Sasha is excepting Trooper as well. She's very intelligent and has already realized she gets Troopers training treats when she's nice to him. All he wants to do is sniff her and she's finally letting him. Both tails are wagging :). Now that Trooper has firm stools he's only getting me up once a night so I actually got a little sleep. As of this morning we all ( including the cats ) were hanging around outback while we played. I had Trooper on a 30' lead but regardless that's a huge step. You'll be amazed what locking yourselves in a room for 72 hours can do lol...except for the occasional exercise and potty breaks. I used the time to watch training videos and the animals got comfortable. Last but not least Trooper is amazing...I honestly can't believe how smart he is. I've had dogs my whole life and I've never had one on his level...he's da man. Ill get some play pics tonight after work. He is spoiled rotten. He has and loves around 10 Kong toys so those will make some cute pics.
 
#15 ·
Anthony, I could not be happier that Trooper is with you, you're a fantastic owner and your animals are priority one and it's visible to everyone. I loved meeting you and your dad, he is part of why I knew what a great guy and owner you are, he's a very nice man. I'm happy to hear things are going so well. I can't wait to see more pics as he grows up, he's going to be one handsome dude :) His brother Oskar goes to his new home Friday, so just Odin is waiting on his new family, which won't take long either. These boys are quite amazing, I'm really impressed with all three of these gorgeous guys :) Talk to you soon, and thanks for sharing your story on here for everyone to share in your joy and experience, we would not be where we are today without amazing clients like you.
 
#18 ·
more pics...
 

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#21 ·
Congrats on that beautiful puppy (another one I want to steal!) ... all your animals are (were) :( beautiful. Love that you post LOTS of pictures. (hands clapping) Looking forward to watching that sweet puppy grow.

This ^^^I dismissed my puppy in terms of pictures and regret it terribly.

I'm happy for you! You seem like a great hooman friend to your puppy and we really enjoy those people here! Keep up the great work!

<3
 
#20 ·
Well I'm happy happy happy as Phil would say. I figured since last night was Friday and I didn't need to get a good night sleep that I would leave Trooper out of his crate last night...and it went perfect. Both dogs and cats all slept on the same bed :) . Trooper used the doggie door to go outside to use the bathroom. We are one big happy family. My socialization plan worked like a charm and it only took 6 days!!! I was prepared for a month.
 
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