We all have stories where our dogs shock us with their intellect, bravery and compassion, so this thread is dedicated to 'Man's Best Friend', an understatement no doubt...

I'll kick it off with one about my German Shepard, a rescue dog, though if you ask God, I was the rescue.
Heidi entered my life as a 3 yro, high, really high energy and looking to bond, it's who they are. Well we did bond and living in the mountain wilderness she was a total asset, from protection to saving injured animals, no, she didn't have a mean bone in her body.
No, her sole purpose in life was serving my interest, making sure I was always safe and happy, and yes, that is a German Shepherd trait, and the ideals behind their breeding.

OK, so here's just one of the many stories about this special dog I'd like to share.
Everyday I would pack up my mining bag with a days supply of mining gear and food, walk the half mile to the bottom of my property where two small creeks converge.
I digress a bit, a short back story, about a year earlier in early Spring with snow still on the ground, Heidi came running and barking, I knew something was wrong, a "Timmy stuck in the well" moment, for sure.
I said show where Timmy is girl, yes, I actually said that, because I know this dogs language and she knows my actions as well as language.
Well we run for nearly a mile down stream and she stops and looks up the cliffside, and on a ledge about 15' above the water is a big ball of golden brown fur.
At first I thought it was a bear and I suspect Heidi thought so too. but to cut a long story short, it was a 7 week old Great Pyrenees puppy, beautiful, and scared, I climb up the rocks and snatch him up, he seemed OK, just cold scared and hungry.
I tried for over a month to find where it came from, even went to the shelter, but nothing, so I told Heidi he was her responsibility, a duty she greatly appreciated.

OK, 9 months in and these two were inseparable, and Pal, that's what I named him, simply adored Heidi and never left her side, and the same for her.
So my daily routine was to start mining as early as possible, usually first light, work play a few hours and stop to eat, have my cup of coffee, grab my toilet paper and find a clear spot off the trail for my #2.
After I was finished, I'd grab a shovel and bury it, then back to mining.
At the end of day, usually sundown, I'd pack up my gear, stuff the toilet paper in the open slot on the side of the bag and head up the mountain for home.

One night I guess Pal had eaten something he shouldn't have and had a serious bowel movement in front of the living room door.
I get up the next morning, and there's Heidi blocking my way to the living room, very odd behavior, something I'd never seen before.
I'd try and step past her, and she'd sit in my path again, moving every time I'd shift left or right, with the most upset look on her face.
I said it's OK Heidi, let me see what's wrong.
It's dark so I didn't see it till I was nearly on top of it, and there it was a circle about 18" across and a huge mess, but what I didn't see till I turned on the light, was right in the middle of the pile, was my roll of toilet paper, yes, I went to my bag by the kitchen sink where I'd classify the gold, and my bag was there minus the TP.
Yes, she, through observation, had reasoned on her own what TP was for and did her best to reconcile the issue.

I quickly praised her as well as alleviated Pal's fears of doing wrong.
It's not as if they ever got in trouble during house breaking, rather for Heidi it was her shame for failing me. Bless her heart.
Yes, this is just an example of just how special this dog was, and yes I miss her dearly, which is why I now have a 9 month old West German, German Shepherd who is proving to be a near replica of Heidi in personality.

So what's your story, because I could easily fill a book on Heidi alone.

Quote from: Solar on July 28, 2016, 02:48:57 PM
We all have stories where our dogs shock us with their intellect, bravery and compassion, so this thread is dedicated to 'Man's Best Friend', an understatement no doubt...

I'll kick it off with one about my German Shepard, a rescue dog, though if you ask God, I was the rescue.
Heidi entered my life as a 3 yro, high, really high energy and looking to bond, it's who they are. Well we did bond and living in the mountain wilderness she was a total asset, from protection to saving injured animals, no, she didn't have a mean bone in her body.
No, her sole purpose in life was serving my interest, making sure I was always safe and happy, and yes, that is a German Shepherd trait, and the ideals behind their breeding.

OK, so here's just one of the many stories about this special dog I'd like to share.
Everyday I would pack up my mining bag with a days supply of mining gear and food, walk the half mile to the bottom of my property where two small creeks converge.
I digress a bit, a short back story, about a year earlier in early Spring with snow still on the ground, Heidi came running and barking, I knew something was wrong, a "Timmy stuck in the well" moment, for sure.
I said show where Timmy is girl, yes, I actually said that, because I know this dogs language and she knows my actions as well as language.
Well we run for nearly a mile down stream and she stops and looks up the cliffside, and on a ledge about 15' above the water is a big ball of golden brown fur.
At first I thought it was a bear and I suspect Heidi thought so too. but to cut a long story short, it was a 7 week old Great Pyrenees puppy, beautiful, and scared, I climb up the rocks and snatch him up, he seemed OK, just cold scared and hungry.
I tried for over a month to find where it came from, even went to the shelter, but nothing, so I told Heidi he was her responsibility, a duty she greatly appreciated.

OK, 9 months in and these two were inseparable, and Pal, that's what I named him, simply adored Heidi and never left her side, and the same for her.
So my daily routine was to start mining as early as possible, usually first light, work play a few hours and stop to eat, have my cup of coffee, grab my toilet paper and find a clear spot off the trail for my #2.
After I was finished, I'd grab a shovel and bury it, then back to mining.
At the end of day, usually sundown, I'd pack up my gear, stuff the toilet paper in the open slot on the side of the bag and head up the mountain for home.

One night I guess Pal had eaten something he shouldn't have and had a serious bowel movement in front of the living room door.
I get up the next morning, and there's Heidi blocking my way to the living room, very odd behavior, something I'd never seen before.
I'd try and step past her, and she'd sit in my path again, moving every time I'd shift left or right, with the most upset look on her face.
I said it's OK Heidi, let me see what's wrong.
It's dark so I didn't see it till I was nearly on top of it, and there it was a circle about 18" across and a huge mess, but what I didn't see till I turned on the light, was right in the middle of the pile, was my roll of toilet paper, yes, I went to my bag by the kitchen sink where I'd classify the gold, and my bag was there minus the TP.
Yes, she, through observation, had reasoned on her own what TP was for and did her best to reconcile the issue.

I quickly praised her as well as alleviated Pal's fears of doing wrong.
It's not as if they ever got in trouble during house breaking, rather for Heidi it was her shame for failing me. Bless her heart.
Yes, this is just an example of just how special this dog was, and yes I miss her dearly, which is why I now have a 9 month old West German, German Shepherd who is proving to be a near replica of Heidi in personality.

So what's your story, because I could easily fill a book on Heidi alone.

We currently have three rescues.

Quote from: supsalemgr on July 29, 2016, 03:59:37 AM
We currently have three rescues.

Over the years I've had more than 40 dogs go through my life, and only two weren't rescue. I never planned on getting the dog that entered my life, but at the time, they were always a perfect fit, the way God intended.
However I'm running out of time in the big scheme of things and expect this will be my last dog, so it was my time to choose, and I wanted to be certain of it's character, and the one I chose is turning out to be exactly what I expected.

I actually love mutts, they make the greatest companions, and the mix of different dogs tends to bring a special kind of intellect, and it's always a surprise to watch it reveal itself.
The Great Pyrenees Pal wound up being 130 lbs, a huge massive dog. I had him groomed once because of the heat, but had them leave his mane and face alone, and I swear, he looked just like a small male lion. Freaked people the Hell out.
When Heidi died, he died that same week of heartbreak, just couldn't live without her.

Quote from: Solar on July 29, 2016, 05:15:11 AM
Over the years I've had more than 40 dogs go through my life, and only two weren't rescue. I never planned on getting the dog that entered my life, but at the time, they were always a perfect fit, the way God intended.
However I'm running out of time in the big scheme of things and expect this will be my last dog, so it was my time to choose, and I wanted to be certain of it's character, and the one I chose is turning out to be exactly what I expected.

I actually love mutts, they make the greatest companions, and the mix of different dogs tends to bring a special kind of intellect, and it's always a surprise to watch it reveal itself.
The Great Pyrenees Pal wound up being 130 lbs, a huge massive dog. I had him groomed once because of the heat, but had them leave his mane and face alone, and I swear, he looked just like a small male lion. Freaked people the Hell out.
When Heidi died, he died that same week of heartbreak, just couldn't live without her.

We actually have four, but the other is not a rescue and she will soon be fifteen. They are all poodles. We rescue seniors as they are more difficult to place. We have lost four and wife has established a grave site out back for the four we have lost. We have those cremated and she works their ashes into the site with the others. Many would think we are crazy, but dog lovers understand.

Quote from: supsalemgr on July 29, 2016, 12:33:22 PM
We actually have four, but the other is not a rescue and she will soon be fifteen. They are all poodles. We rescue seniors as they are more difficult to place. We have lost four and wife has established a grave site out back for the four we have lost. We have those cremated and she works their ashes into the site with the others. Many would think we are crazy, but dog lovers understand.

What does cremation cost? I never knew it was an option. I'm running out of room in my puppy cemetery which now has 12.

Quote from: Solar on July 29, 2016, 01:29:25 PM
What does cremation cost? I never knew it was an option. I'm running out of room in my puppy cemetery which now has 12.

We pay $150. The pet crematorium is in Greenville, SC about 50 miles away. We receive the ashes in a bag and a little wooden box. It also a lot less traumatic.

Quote from: supsalemgr on July 30, 2016, 04:25:05 AM
We pay $150. The pet crematorium is in Greenville, SC about 50 miles away. We receive the ashes in a bag and a little wooden box. It also a lot less traumatic.

Excellent, I'll look into it here.
So you have Poodles and not one story? That's hard to believe, Poodles are one of the top breeds for intellect.
I had a poodle mix/mutt when I was 8 and that dog was amazing. First Frisbee dog in the country.

Quote from: Solar on July 30, 2016, 06:52:33 AM
Excellent, I'll look into it here.
So you have Poodles and not one story? That's hard to believe, Poodles are one of the top breeds for intellect.
I had a poodle mix/mutt when I was 8 and that dog was amazing. First Frisbee dog in the country.

They are smart. There is a rescue down in SC that specializes in poodles. The last one we got was turned in by a breeder after five years. The poor thing had lived its entire life in a crate. It was virtually a five year old puppy that we had to treat as such. She has made much improvement, but we still can't just pick her up after three years. This is a "good" breeder because she at least turns them into a rescue. In my view all breeders should be outlawed.