I was born into a dog family and was fortunate to have grown up in the country where we had lots of animals, my aunt whom we lived with used to show Gsd’s and breed the occasional litter, from a toddler I had been going to dog shows and from there my interest grew I was a bit of a ‘tomboy’ and never got into Dolls, much preferred playing with the dogs, l started handling in the showring when I was around 9yrs old, then became interested in obedience was ‘loaned a dog by my aunt to practise on, went to obedience classes ever week and soon got the bug, when I was 11 my aunt said I could have my own puppy on condition I took sole responsibility for it, I was so exited and couldn’t wait, when a litter arrived there was one little sable bitch, I new immediately she was the one and called her Paula, we had many wonderful years together and she taught me so much since then ive never been without Gsd’s in my life and was involved in showing / obedience until a few years ago. I dread when I think about getting too old for a shepherd and cannot imagine not having them.
Great topic! We all have our unique stories for how we became dog people. My parents always had a cat. A series of different Siamese, they got Juliet, a lilac point when I was five. Ask my Mom about her kids and one photo each of my brother and me n' 10 of Juliet...probably many more My Dad has never liked dogs. As a kid there were junkyard dogs and strays that used to terrorize his neighborhood...so no dogs. I got my canine cravings out through Zero. She belonged to a neighbor and we took her out every day. Mixed mutt with zero training but happy as a lark. I was allowed to have small animals. My Mom was afraid of rodents and hated birds but let me have fish, gerbils, once a whole flock of wild bunnies that were born in the ivy outside. Of course I couldn't keep them and they all hopped off one day. As a teen I started bringing home cats of my own. By the time I was married I had four. Over the years I can't even begin to count how many cats passed through our lives. A few pups but there was always a reason why they didn't work out. A huskie who was too much dog for an apartment and toddler. A Border Collie brighter than us and a cranky Bassett hound. Then the empty nest, I needed a walking companion. Sophie was on online, tiny ears and big tongue. There were ten dogs in her kennel and she leaped over all of them to get to me. Then one day I went to the shelter behind my job. There was a small brown boy...not small really. Big head and linebacker shoulders, but thin and sad. He raised his paw to meet my hand and won my heart right there. When we adopted Sophie, "American Staffordshire", "Pit Bull", "American Bull Dog", none of those words meant anything to me. I didn't know breeds at all. But loving my babies has made me an complete advocate for the bully breeds. I will always have them for the rest of my life.
We had a Dobe when I was a kid, and my dad would often tell us stories about his own faithful GSD when he was younger. Funny thing is, I could actually picture what his GSD might have looked like just through my dad describing him. One day I will get a GSD!
My parents already had a Lab x Staffy when I was born. She was the daughter of my Grandfather's two dogs. As an only child she was my nanny, playmate and best friend all rolled into one. She died just before my 12th birthday and my parents bought me an 8 week old Lab puppy who died shortly after I got married. I didn't have another dog of my own, but often looked after my parents two Labs, until the kids were about 8 years old when we bought 2 Golden Retrievers, which sadly we had to rehome when we went to South Africa. We soon bought a Great Pyrenee puppy and a few weeks later adopted a 4 month old Springer Spaniel. After them I was given a Border Collie x Fox Terrier and a young rescue GSD and a few weeks later my younger son turned up with a Rhodesian Ridgeback cross puppy who'd been abandoned. At that time we also had 2 cats, 6 snakes, 10 mice and a Bullfrog! And as a teenager my younger son had a Boerboel which I helped to train. I then moved into a flat and only had a cat but some years later when I worked for one of my sons I used to care for his 3 dogs. It was only when I came to Hungary I had dogs of my own again .. my first Shar-Pei and a Tibetan Spaniel who both died much too young. I now have Georgina (Shar-Pei) and my little black devil, Gwylim a Miniature Schnauzer I can't imagine a life without dogs .. I can manage without people .. but a dog... definitely NO!
I was a child who thought of nothing but dogs - but I wasn't allowed to have one! My mother used to say that I'd go off with the gypsies if it meant I could have a dog (well yeah - especially if the dog was a lurcher!) My mother,though certainly not anti-dog,was very much a cat person. My father - unfairly I thought - used to tell me about the dogs he'd had in the past - all called Gyp! One day he broke my heart when he came back from the pub and said he'd 'almost' bought me a Pekingese from a man who came in with a couple, one of which was for sale, but the one he liked wasn't for sale. When I was about 9 I decided to take matters into my own hands, and told neighbours whose bitch had had a litter that my parents had said I could have one. The big day came and I took it home - and was promptly made to take it straight back. Eventually when I was 14 they gave in and said I could have one. We went to Battersea (this was about 1960 - a very different place from what it is now) and I chose a puppy. We had to go back when it had been there the statutory seven days - but when that day came it was ill and I wasn't allowed to take it. My father didn't like any of the dogs which were on sale as they were all too big (though I am pretty certain the puppy was a GSD cross). Even though it was so long ago, I can still remember those dogs. Anyway, we drove to what I now realise must have been a sort of puppy farm,where they had several breeds of puppies to choose from, and I finally got my own dog - a black miniature poodle bitch. A neighbour introduced me to the world of Obedience, and I've never been without at least one dog since.
Mum hated dogs, dad loved 'em. Mum won out so no dogs for me growing up, in fact I was a little afraid of a lot of them. Move forward in time to having a handicapped son who was fairly isolated as he had major communication difficulties. Genius here thought a dog would fulfil a need for him. It didn't - he takes after my mum, but the little dog formed a tight bond with my other son and they were inseparable. Best laid plans and all that, but it worked out in the end, just not in the way we expected it to
I spent some years with my Aunt when my mother died and she had a Rough Collie and Scottie. Our near neighbour (who also trimmed the Scottie) had a show kennel of Staffs and I used to go and play with her dogs which whetted my appetite for working in a kennel. I took a 'live in' job aged 15 as a trainee kennel maid in a large show kennel of Airedale and Lakeland terriers where I learnt the basics of rearing puppies, to hand strip and to 'handle' at shows. I was given a Miniature Schnauzer bitch by the kennel manager a South African woman who was returning to South Africa and bought the dog as foundation stock to start the breed over there but she was not thought to be suitable. From the first kennel I went to work in a second with mainly Scotties where I learnt to trim a number of breeds. I wanted to work with Miniature Schnauzers so I contacted a breeder/kennel owner I had seen advertising in 'Our Dogs' Christmas annual and asked to be considered should they need any staff. Soon afterwards they got in touch to say I would be given a trial. So I went to work in the kennel with Minis and Cockers. The kennel owners were both international show judges and one was the secretary of a championship show. I learnt so much from them and was eventually made a partner in the kennel and stayed there for many years. It is 51 years since I was given that Miniature Schnauzer and I have had one more or less ever since.
Gsdslave great topic. It was very similar for me as we always had dogs since I could remember. As a kid I was a tomboy too and also much more interested in dog shows and weight pull. I can't imagine ever not having dogs.
As I've recently found out Miniature Schnauzers are like Liquorice Allsorts ... once you've had one you can't give them up, they become addictive!
I grow up in household of Pitbulls, Rottweiler, fox terrier, JRT, Poodles & Heinz 57 dogs from the age of 3 years old, I was given a GSD (was known as Alsatian's in the 70's) by my father for passing my 11plus I have never been without a dog
If by involved you simply mean owning dogs, then I was about 14 when my mum finally relented and allowed us to 'adopt' a dog from a work colleague of my dad's who was being pushed from pillar to post since he'd had a new baby. Apparently Barney had snapped at the child, pulled, and was reactive. Well, he did pull & was reactive, but we had no young children in our immediate family so that was never known to be true or not. But he was an amazing dog. My best friend during some very tough times and we was a team together, learning as we went along. I did everything I could for that dog, besides pay for vet bills etc. But I took on a part time job with the sole intention of being able to provide for him, walked him miles everyday, and just loved the bones off him. Then along came Missy & Ty later on in my late teens after Barney had passed. It's only since getting Cash I've become further involved in the dog world so to speak with showing and training etc. And I'm loving it!
When I was very young, a friend gave my family a tiny mixed breed puppy. He slept in the back of one of my toy dump trucks. Several weeks later we heard a noise coming from another room. It was Joe, trying to get into his truck bed so he could go to sleep. But he had grown, and the truck would rear up when he tried to get in. He became "my dog" and lived a very long time.
Since I was a child, I was always fond of dogs. Now I work as a volunteer for an animal rescue charity.
