I’ve spent most of the week looking on Petfinder, at the animal shelters and at the various rescue groups. Once we eliminated breeds that didn’t speak to us we really didn’t have a lot of choices. We knew in our hearts we both wanted a German Shepherd. We’ve both had and loved Shepherds before and missed having one around. Once we agreed on that it I basically parked myself at the local Geman Shepherd rescue website and studied the profiles of the animals they had available.
Cassie caught my heart right away. Saturday they had their adoption fair so we went down to visit the 7 or 8 dogs they had there. I’m so glad we were one of the first ones to arrive because otherwise we might not have been able to adopt this little sweetheart. While we were at the adoption fair the workers were home installed a new gate and front fence so we could pass the home visit. Sunday morning we picked her up and brought her home.
If you’re not familiar with breed rescue groups they take in owner surrenders but they also go to the pound and rescue dogs from there and try to place them with people who love that breed. Cassie was found at the pound about a month ago. Her owners surrendered her saying she didn’t get along with other dogs and she made too much noise. (They also gave her the inappropriate name of Patton. We think she was just left in the backyard alone.) Her foster mom had her with several other dogs and a caged Macaw and said she was just fine. Hmmmm.
She does like to talk but we think it’s when she is trying to tell us something (Take me outside. Let me sit in your lap. I feel the overwhelming need to kiss you right this very second.)
Her foster mommy said she loved squeaky toys so we made sure she had several. She loves to try and pull the nubs off of this. She also loves the tennis ball except when it rolls under the chair. Then she waits for someone to get it out for her.
She’s about 7 months old. We took her over to meet my brother-in-law’s Shepherd who is 3 and Cassie is already as tall as she is. We figure she should get to be about 75 pounds or so. She is amazingly gentle for still being a pup and walked very well on the leash. She’s already learning some of the basic commands and goes to the door to ask to go outside. It’s going to be hard to leave her at home when I have to go to work in the morning.
Now all we need to do is find her a buddy. 🙂
OMG! I’m in love with Cassie! Congratulations! xoxo
Thanks. She is such a lover. I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet Chelsie but Cassie for sure. And we’ll be visiting Books Inc a lot together since they allow dogs!
They allow dogs???? *perk*
Good place for Cassie and Trixie to meet- on neutral ground! I want Trixie to have a friend! 🙂
Yep, my former agent brought her dog to my book launch and several other times I’ve been there there have been dogs. I think I was told there was only one time they had to ask one to leave. We’ve been checking out the pet friendly places in the area.
That would be great to get the girls together to meet.
She just loved meeting my brother-in-law’s female Shepherd. They played and played. Not a problem at all. And at the adoption fair there were a lot of Shepherds of varying temperments and she just didn’t care.
She is beautiful!
Thank you! We are already utterly in love.
Congrats! She is gorgeous and looks very happy.
Thanks. She is well on her way to being quite spoiled. 🙂 Hopefully we can find her a playmate soon.
She looks so sweet!
She is!
Those eyes. Those eyes.
She is looking into the camera
as if she knows
you are capturing her
on film and
she so wants to be loved
and to give love
Thank you for bringing her home, Susan.
May every second of your days together bring you joy!
-Pamela, who can only imagine what your heart is feeling right now… {{{}}}
Thanks, Pamela. You would SO love Cassie and Cassie would love you. She wasn’t given much love before now and she just can’t get enough of it. It was wonderful to watch her play with my brother-in-law’s dog, running free then running back to make sure we were still there.
I’m going to be completely goofy about her for some time, I am sure.
She’s adorable! What a face!
We haven’t been able to bring ourselves to think about a new dog yet. Thinking next year. I’m glad you found yours!
Thank you. It’s hard, isn’t it, to think of bringing home a new dog? I think we were ready right away because for the last couple of years our last dog had pulled away from us. So we were caretaking for an elderly family member that we loved but that didn’t want to be with us.
You’ll know when and if the time is right for you.
Yeah, we lost Othello pretty quickly – three weeks from when they diagnosed him to when we lost him. They gave him two months, but by then he had had it for at least a month already.
Ry keeps looking at dogw, wanting to bring them all home, and plays with imaginary dogs. I just can’t do it yet.
Enjoy your new baby!
She’s just a beautiful sweetie, Susan. Congratulations!
Thanks, Laura! How goes it around your house with your new dog?
Good! He’s a cutie. We were out of town for a whole week (without him), and then we had a visiting doggie that we were dog-sitting (she just went home yesterday). And we have family visiting right now. Then next week, we’re gone again for 4 days and he’ll be dog-sat at relatives’ house. So….the training is quite interrupted, as is just the normal routine. But he’s proven pretty adaptable so far, so we feel lucky. We’ve lowered our expectations for the rest of the summer, basically! Just trying to keep up with the basics he’s learned and keep reinforcing them. He’s so lovable!
Oh good. Lovable is the very best. That’s how we feel about Cassie. We can’t figure out what went on in her history (picked up as a stray, adopted and then returned in a couple of weeks) It’s like she’s been around for weeks instead of just 2 days.
She’s fantastic! How lucky you were to find her – and vice versa.
Thanks, Barb. She is such a lover, making up for all that time she didn’t get it. I was amazed at how great she did last night sleeping in our room.
And it looks like the rescue group has several more waiting so we might find her a buddy sooner than we had expected. 🙂 Such fun.
What great news! Lucky Cassie! And lucky you. Sometimes things work out right!
Thank you. And yes, sometimes it all falls into place.
That first picture…she takes my breath away, Susan. What a *soul*. Congratulations!
random commenter
awww, congratulations on your adorable new family memeber!!
Re: random commenter
Thank you!
how absolutely beautiful she is. No coincidence, I think, that she needed you at a time when you needed her.
Isn’t it wonderful the way life sometimes works out like that? She came along, just when I needed her most. I spent all day Sunday just walking her or sitting on the floor loving her. My heart is full.
Yay!!!
What a sweetie.
Have fun with her.
Thanks, we will! Of course I will have to give up other things, like cleaning house, just to have more time with her. 🙂
Woof, woof! What a face. I hope she brings you years and years of doggie joy. 🙂
Me too! Thanks.
She is gorgeous! What a look she has. She was waiting for someone to love. Lucky Cassie!
Thanks. She’s a looker and a lover both.
She’s beautiful. Congratulations!
Thank you!
Welcome home Cassie!
German shepherds are lovely dogs. 🙂
Whoops – somehow my replys got mixed up but yes, thank you. We have always loved GS and it is nice to have one around the house again.
Congratulations! She has such gentle eyes. I love German Shepherds – and so many of them talk a lot, showing every thought and feeling, and often talk in their sleep.
Welcome to your forever home, Cassie ~
Thank you. She is a gentle girl. We will work very hard to keep her that way so we can always have her out around people and other dogs.
I wish she could tell us her history. I think a lot of the talking was confusion at first with so many changes. She is settling into our life so easily.
Last night she did talk in her sleep. I woke up about midnight to her mumbling and grumbling and then a yip. It was cute.
She looks adorable and cuddly and sweet and…oh, my. I’m so glad she’s with you now.
Thank you. We love her so much already. She is always ready to give loves and roll over to have her belly scratched. I’m glad she came before we installed the new yard because I can modify things to give her what she needs but still have places for wildlife. I need to train the doves to go to the front yard as she does like things that move fast. 🙂
SHE IS SOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!! Congrats, Susan! (((HUGS)))
Thank you. I can’t believe we’ve only had her a few days. I’m so in love with her.
I love German shepherds. I’m trying to stay off the adopt a pet sites b/c I’m not ready yet. But it’s hard.
It is REALLY hard. We know we want another one and there are two males that sound great but we think since Cassie is so young we need to give ourselves a few months alone with her to make sure her training is really started before we bring home another one.
That’s probably smart.
My cat died a year ago next month. I still miss him–but not enough to agree to keep up with a litter box for another 17 years, lol. But I sooo love dogs and I haven’t had one for years. The last one I had to give up and it broke my heart.
She is gorgeous. And super-smart – you can read it in her eyes. I’m sure she’s actually trying to talk, and will probably learn some version of your names (are you first names, or Daddy and Mom/Mommy?)
She is super-smart. She already knows some of her toys by name, frog, blue, stuffie, bone, ball, and can pick them out of a line-up.
She knows daddy and can “find daddy”. Working on mommy now.
We think someone must have started working with her and lost her (she was picked up as a tagless, unspayed stray – adopted from the pound and then returned to the pound in 2 weeks)
She will already sit as soon as I pick up the leash and waits for me to go out and invite her out. Ditto on coming back in the house. For a pup she walks very well next to me on the leash and responds to light corrections.
Okay…proud mommy gushing. 🙂 Vet check is today because I think she’s still got a few leftovers from the pound to deal with so we’ll get all that taken care of then watchout world.
Who’s a clever doggie?
I hope the vet check goes well. She sounds like a keeper!
Cassie is beautiful. We had a German Shepherd once, and she was so sweet.
Thank you. We do think she is especially sweet.
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Oh. 🙂
She is a Lucky Lucky Dog.
Glitter to you for loving a rescue dog who deserves the best.
YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!
Can’t wait to see the buddy :))
Thanks, Meg. We are lucky humans too! Must pace myself because I so want another one right away (there are 2 male GSD available right now that sound like good matches for buddies) but we will give Cassie some time to settle into life with us before we do. Maybe after she passes her Good Canine Citizen test.
Woof! Woof!
She is gorgeous! I’m so happy to hear this…with Merlin, I made the mistake of mourning too long — thought it would be too painful — until finally hubby decided son and I were WRONG. Yes, he was right — it didn’t stop my tears for Mer, but it made them stop HURTING…and become bittersweet, precious memories that brought him closer through our new ‘baby’. I’m so glad you knew this! Have been behind, just catching up…great news!!
How did I miss this?!
Cassie’s gorgeous! I’m so glad you found each other.