Beautiful story. Thanks for posting it!
Great story!!
Thanks. *sniff*
great story but probably a hoax:
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/reggie.asp
it still is a good representation of the sacrifices made by our military.
"Warning, keep a box of tissues within easy reach as you read this article."
I’m in tears, what a beautiful story. Thank you for posting this.
Something went wrong with my computer screen, after reading this article — it went all blurry.
Thank you for posting this,
I have to go now and cry in private. God bless our soldiers!
The unconditional love thing? It’s true and anyone who has had and loved a dog will understand that it is very, very special.
Unqualified love, I know it well. Where else can you get that on this earth?
Thanks.
Darn misty screens ...
Thats what you call a good boy right there.
After I got out of the service, I got my first German Shepherd - Kaiser. It was him and me for thirteen years. Then I got married and for a while we had no dogs. Then we moved to the country and, primarily because I was away a lot, my wife wanted a dog. I still remembered the pain of losing Kaiser and resisted – briefly.
We went to the Providence sheter and Sandy immediately saw a Golden Retriever puppy. On the way into the parking lot of the shelter, I’d noticed what appeared to be a full grown German Shepherd in one of the kennels out back. While my wife began the arrangements to adopt the Golden, I walked out back to “just take a look”. Long story short, we took them both home. Named them “Druck” (Shepherd) and Zeil (Golden) a couple of German words of vague meaning but related. They both lived to be almost fourteeen. Druck was a couple of years older so she went first in 2001, Zeil in 2003. After Zeil died, I told my wife, “I can’t do this again.”
We’ve since moved to Florida. Over the years, Sandy had hinted at maybe getting another dog but being selfish and cowardly, I resisted. As time passed, I suggested that if we did, I’d like to adopt an older German Shepherd – one that maybe had lost its human(s) and needed a few more good years.
A couple of years ago we became acquainted with a woman who was about to become the Animal Care Director at the Sarasota Humane Society. She, of course, said we really should think about adopting. I told her that, if we did, I wanted it to be an older German Shepherd.
My bluff got called. She called and we went down and neither of us could resist this beautiful, majestic 11 year old dog that was a lot German Shepherd and something else. To us he looks like he’s got Norwegian Elkhound in him. He’s huge and warm and as laid back as they come and as receptive to affection as any dog I’ve ever known or seen, an utter joy to have around.
His name is Tank. It’s probably not a name we would have given him but no way were we going to try to change it at that point and throw that curve at a dog who’d presumably been called that for 11 years. He’s not the Tank in the story and we don’t know how he got that name. I always thought it was because he’s a burly sort of guy. But I’ll never call him or hug him or play with him or even just say his name again without thinking of this story.
Thank you for posting......
Because I'm in a hunting club, I know a ton of hunting Labs (the blind retrieve signals - back, angle back, over - which is fairly advanced work, indicate a hunting Lab). They're just happy boys and girls, perennial optimists and affection sponges. My older Chocolate will work her birds for ANYBODY, even a six year old kid, and circulates among the crowd trolling for pats and the occasional treat. Even my young field bred girl who is not a schmoozer will kiss anybody who'll hold still long enough.
If something were ever to happen to me, Shelley and Ruby would adapt to whatever person they wound up with, and would love them just as much and work just as hard. That's just the way Labs are. Give them food and affection and a job to do, they will be happy. Thank goodness -- I don't have to worry about them wasting away like The Dog At His Master's Grave.