Читать книгу The reincarnation of Molly, the German Shepherd - Thomas Rogers Walter - Страница 7

As I mentioned before, I was familiar with the advantages of the German Shepherd as a guard dog and family pet. My favorite uncle, Horst, played a key role in this because he bred German Shepherds just a few kilometers away from my home town. They were used for service training and to maintain the German Shepherd breed.

Horst gave me a puppy back when I was doing my butcher apprenticeship and also took me to the dog training area. When I was thirteen years old I I learned how to train German Shepherds to be guard dogs and assistance dogs at the dog training area in Hütschenhausen. I knew exactly which characteristics to look for in order to select the right dog. I was convinced that only a good German Shepherd would be worth considering to do the task of a guard dog. I also knew about the various ways these faithful dogs could be utilized from the media. Together with friends and relatives we started a motivated search in newspapers for a potential, young German Shepherd that would be suitable for our family. Only a few days went by and I got a call from my sister-in-law Martina. It was a hot summer day and Jasmin was splashing in her pool on the big lawn behind the house, where Marion used to play in the sandbox when he was a little boy.

I sat under the white gazebo in the shade, reading a police report in the Rheinpfalz newspaper, when Martina called and told me about an American woman who was giving away a six month old German Shepherd because she couldn't control it anymore. It simply had too much energy and spirit, and was eating up her budget. Martina worked at the library at the air base where she had met the American woman looking for books about how to train German Shepherds. I immediately called my close acquaintance Kurt, an American who worked at the air base, and I asked him to register me at the base so that I could take a look at the young German Shepherd. I got a bit of information from the dog's owner: she told me on the phone that it was a rather large and dominant female dog. She also said that every attempt that she had made to train the dog had been unsuccessful. I smiled to myself while on the phone with her and told her I would come by that very same day. That evening we drove with Kurt to visit the American woman and take a look at the puppy. I can still remember how Manuela's hands became wet with fear when she rang the doorbell - even as a young puppy this dog had the deep bark that I wanted our family's dog to have. We spent some time at Kelly's, this was the friendly woman’s name, so that I could get a good impression of the dog.

We sat on a large colorful sofa, with a high backrest, that I sank right into. While I was petting Molly's head, because she was leaning right in close to my legs, the doorbell rang twice. The first time it was the neighbor John, an older single soldier, who came to borrow two eggs, and the second time it was her thirteen year old tall son Benjamin who came to the door. What impressed me immediately was that young Molly jumped up and ran to the front door barking both times the doorbell rang. I immediately knew that although this young dog might be a bit spoiled, after a few months of intense training it would have the necessary courage to assert itself in its task. While her son Benjamin removed his black Nike running shoes, I watched Molly chew on the worn-out heels, which wasn't a behavior that a dog should engage in.

I also liked the playful instinct she showed when the vacuum was switched on, as she kept trying to attack the vacuum without any fear at all.

Manuela was still doubtful and a bit afraid. She had never had such a big German Shepherd and so it was difficult for her to imagine that I would be able to train Molly to stop misbehaving.

So we arranged a second meeting with Kelly at our house so we could see how Molly would behave outside of her familiar surroundings.

What a wonderful and unforgettable moment it was when Molly simply rolled onto her back in front of our little Jasmin, inviting her to play with her paws. Jasmin naturally petted Molly's tummy and gave her a few treats. At this sight, I saw the last concerns disappear from Manuela's face. She did not think that such a big dog like Molly could be playful and gentle. That day, I told Manuela that although Molly was rather big for six months, she was still just a puppy in her own mind. After what we saw during this visit, we both agreed that Molly was the right dog for our family. She was already very vigilant for her age yet still family-oriented and sensitively loving with children. Some dogs that we knew had the habit of ripping reward treats from the hands of their owners. Molly, on the other hand, would very carefully take treats from Jasmin's delicate, little hand. This was very important to us because we wanted a pet and a guard dog that was also respectful towards our children. Especially because Jasmin wished to have a brother and he was already on the way.