[danica]

I dont know, maybe that he is such a loving boy, so great, non-aggressive, you can take food from his mouth, the kids play with him for hours and he's only happy when he is playing with the kids, he grieves if they are gone, I have never seen such a wonderful dog ever, so my love comes from lots of things about him.

 

[Stonevintage]

Are your really asking where does unconditional love come from?

My pipeline for this is only thru GSD's, IMHO.

 

[ThorsonVonThorson]

When I was born my dad ahd a GS named Zena. All together while growing up we had three of them. So I guess I was more less born to love them.

 

[River-Otter]

I have really enjoyed reading all these.

I never had a dog growing up, and always wanted one. The little picture book of dogs that was one of my first memories had a picture of an Alsatian police dog, and that's what I wanted. I showed it to my grandfather one day and he told me that in this country, Alsatians are called German Shepherds and he told me about his dog Duke, who had died not long before I was born.
Grandpa had bred German Shepherds for years, but after Duke, couldn't bear to have another.
I grew up on stories of Duke, but never had a dog until I was 18 and living on my own. Thunder was a GSD/BC mix, and I could tell stories about him all day. After Thunder went where all good dogs go, we had a few rescues, and when my sweet friend Deacon, a BC cross my daughter had pulled out from under a shed one Mother's day, was hit and killed while I was away, like Grandpa did, I said no more dogs. I couldn't take it.

My husband put up with that for a little while, and then told me it was flat out unnatural to see me without a dog, and he was getting me one. I like GSDs, right? He was buying one in a month. I could pick one, or at the end of the month he was bringing one home on his own.

Since he meant it, I started looking, and was lucky enough to find a perfect (for what I wanted) one-time breeder, and we brought home my first GSD, and my first girl (always wanted a female dog, every rescue that ever showed up was a boy) who I named Sunni, after my Grandpa Sonny.
And the world was once again in balance. I don't think I'll ever be without a GSD.

 

[Nikitta]

We had an awesome dog named Pal when I was growing up. He was a Samoyed. I'm not sure when I became obsessed with this breed. I was kind of raised on RinTintin too I guess. What I actually wanted more then anything in the world was a horse. I cut my teeth on Walter Farley novels. We always had various pets. etc. hamsters, birds. Mom was always a soft touch for any animal that was hurt. When I moved out, my first dog was an irish setter. I loved him but didn't really like how hard they were to train. My second dog was a GSD. God, he was smart. I wanted to train him right so I signed up for a summer dog training class and tried to work him at what I thought they would be on. I was already two weeks late joining the class and with my rotating schedule at work I would miss half the classes. I trained him for 3 days and went to the class. They were working on the down command that week. The instructor was showing ok say down and shove them here. I said," what about them just going down on command?" He said," Oh no. That's weeks down the road." I said," But my dog does it now." I gave Sarron the command," Down." He went down. The instructor said," How long did you train him?" I said," 3 days." He said," You don't need to be in this class." LOL I have loved the breed to death ever since and I'm on my 6th and 7th ones.
P.S. Oh and BTW, when I moved out I bought my first horse too. I've owned a horse ever since.

 

[lexiz]

I have no idea where my love of dogs came from. My parents aren't dog people, and neither are my brothers. Ever since I was a child, I've been obsessed with dogs and puppies. Finally, when I was just barely a teenager, my parents bought me the most wonderful puppy. Ever since then, I've been totally hooked. We had almost seven amazing years together before he passed away. Now, Vesper is my first puppy since then after a couple of years without one.

 

[amburger16]

My dads side of the family, they like to recycle animals.. I think its disgusting.. Anyways, my dad worked at a scrap yard on weekends when I was 7ish, I spent every weekend there with him and Thunder, the giant rotti guard dog. That dog followed me everywhere, played with me, let me walk her on a leash.. (Everyone told me she would drag me down the road on my face). The scrap yard was getting rid of her.. Had no idea at the time why, we took her in. Turns out she bit a kid.. My dad instantly gave her back.. or gave her to whoever.. I was so heartbroken. Still am almost 20 years later, and I know to this day some idiot wasn't watching their kid and I never got to see my bestfriend again because of it.
Teach your kids how to treat animals!

My assumption here is RIP THUNDER :rip:

 

[Pepper311]

When I was 5 years old I would act like a dog. I acted like a dog for years after too long after. I just loved them I don't really know why. We had friends and family that had dogs and I think they sparked my love.

When I was 9 I was crazy about dogs and dog breeds. I got a breed book and studied them all not kidding quiz me. Out of all the dogs I read about the german shepherd was my Fav. I would sketch them and dream about one day having one. I met a few and loved them all. When I was in 7th grade I got my first dog. I had to go to summer school to get her. My mom did not like dogs. I wanted a GSD but they told me they are too big and all the health issues. So I got a Boarder collie mix who was awesome.

Now I am adult I wanted a GSD but my husband said no because he was scared of them since he was chased down and bitten by one when he was 10. So we compromised and I got a GSD Mix. My husband loves her and now he is ok with the idea of even rescuing GSD when we lose our old pitbull dog.

After having my dog Cookie that is half GSD I only want GSD and or GSD Mixes. They just match my personality is so many ways it's kind of creepy.

 

[Jessiewessie99]

I have no idea tbh. Both sides of the family has had their fair share of dogs. Though my aunt on my mom's side is a big animal lover too, so everyone thinks I got it from her mainly. As long as I can remember I have always wanted a GSD, so when we got Molly I was super excited. My mom had one growing up and my great grandma had them and loved them.

 

[wyoung2153]

My love came from raising Titan to be honest. I actually didn't even think I liked the breed when I moved on my own in Germany. I saw one once when I was little and I thought he was ugly.. then when I was looking for a dog there was an ad for GSD puppies and for whatever reason I checked em out and Titan got me right in the feels! Now here I am... obsessed. :wild:

 

[Muneraven]

For a few years my parents were "backyard breeders" of cocker spaniels in my small town because everyone wanted a puppy out of our female, Mitzi.

Then, when I was nineteen, some friends got me a puppy . . .just a random puppy someone was giving away. He was a mutt with probably a lot of short-coated collie in him, and very protective and smart. My Noah. I can't tell you how much that dog meant to me. I was a dumb kid still and he was better to me than I was to him, no doubt, as I knew nothing about quality food or anything. I also didn't understand how much he loved me. He lived his last few years with my parents because I was in grad school, and my Mom adored him and he helped her through some tough and lonely times, but she wasn't me, and I didn't realize Noah actually missed me until I came home when he was old and mostly deaf and had failing eyesight. I went right out to see him and he . . .it is hard to explain . . .he yodeled for joy and cried and threw himself on me. And I knew, he had missed me all that time and didn't understand where I went. It was awful, and humbling, and just writing this makes me cry because, you know, I didn't mean to make him so sad and he was my boy, my Noah, and he saved me in so many ways. I loved him. I didn't understand that, for some dogs, there is no substitute ever for their one person, not even if they really like other family members.

So, though I adore dogs like crazy, I didn't get another one until I was forty-ish and owned a home with a yard and was as sure as I could be that I could keep a dog for his or her whole life and be as good to my dog as my dog is to me, you know? And since then we have had two sweet mutts who lived to 12 and 13 respectively, one dog we had to rehome because he was a bad fit, and now three young dogs, one a GSD and one a half-GSD/Belgian. I am home with them all the time. I think they are all happy boys. And if everything ever goes South and we lose everything? I will give up everything to keep them with me because I understand now: It isn't the fenced yard, the fancy food, or anything else, although it is great to give one's dogs those things. But, in the end, it is us that matters to them. My dogs would not willingly walk away from me for any reason. I owe them the same.

 

[acacia]

I worked as a k9 officer for a private security company and was issued a GSD. Three of them really. The first had confidence issues, the second couldn't ride in a car without getting sick (bad for a patrol company) and the third was amazing. Never had a more enjoyable job.

 

[Jason1A]

My father purchased 4 trained German Shepherds for the property in 1989 when he went to China for work. I was 6 at the time and my mom didn't want guns in the house so we got dogs. They were a ton of fun, kept the solicitors away from the house and occasionally walked me to school.
When I was 9, 3 young gentleman hopped our back fence and made it about 6 feet from their entry point. Our alpha "Bruno" paw slapped my mom awake(which he knew she hated) before they were even over the wall. One young man lost 2 fingers when he tried to pry his wrist out of Brunos mouth. Needless to say they got steaks for almost a month before the vet told us to cut it out because they were getting fat. Bruno was nicknamed "the barrister" because if I was getting yelled out for doing something stupid, which was often he would vocalize and argue with my mom until she had enough and sent him away. Almost everyone we knew had Shepherds or at least a shepherd with their other dogs.

Besides GSDs I had a Siberian Husky after the 4 Shepherds. After 15.5 years of adventures with the old girl I had to put her out in March of this year. When it was time to consider another dog the GSD was at the top of my list. On June 18th I got Yogi a GSD/Lab mix when I was back home in So Cal for a visit. It wasn't planned or anything it just kind of happened.

 

[Michael W]

Stories my father told me of his first German Shepherd.

 

[kimsdamom]

I have always had dogs in my life as far back as I can remember. Starting with dachshunds. My parents never wanted large dog breeds, so we always had little dogs. Because of that, when I was old enough to have a dog of my own, on my own, it was a big breed. I had always wanted a GSD but never had one until 4 years ago. I love both of my babies. One is a rescue and the other is a purebred, and they are both the best dogs ever!

 

[HeavyMetal]

My grandparents always had GSDs and my first interaction with any dog was with their all black GSD named "Gippy". We were best friends until he passed away when I was about six. I loved that dog and I always wanted to have another companion just like him.

 

[lalabug]

As I was growing up as a young adult, I had a great deal of respect for our DARE officer(drug resistance education) assigned to my school, Gary. His K9 was a beautiful GSD named Barry. I grew up with Gary and Barry from about 6th grade all the way through highschool. Those two were at every school assembly, every football game, and you could even catch them at the local coffee shop together welcoming visitors to sit and talk. I went to Barry's Funeral service with the police department when he passed. I have ALWAYS had a great respect and love for so many aspects of the breed, and I know it started there! <3

 

[islanddog]

Littlest Hobo, don't laugh. Beautiful dog.
My mom wanted a gsd just like that, and went out and got one (some Hoofprints bloodlines).
She was gorgeous, and just full of VERY Rough fun. Nice dog, but wrestled like she meant it with all the sound and fury of a real fight. Landed butterfly bites on bare arms, shredded leather sleeves and tugs. She became my very first dog when I inherited her.
I love gsd's because they are such natural looking and acting dogs.
I also love the way they can give you sass back. Strong, tough, smart.

 

[Johnnny13]

I have had dogs my whole life. While living in Thailand I had a Akita and a Beagle. I went to a movie with my wife and drank a bit. After the movie we visited a pet store and there was a GSD in one of the cages. After playing with him I just threw down the money and took him home. I think their temperament, athleticism, and appearance did it for me. Years later I have 4 dogs and one of them is a giant GSD. He's always up for adventures and I'll always have a GSD.

 

[woopiee]

I have a boxer and a black lab, which are both great dogs. As far as other animals go, I have a saltwater fish tank too; not really pets, but animals nonetheless, my love for animals comes from the childhood