All Dogs Go To Heaven

If you have ever lost a pet before, I am sure you have had this hope for the pet.  Last week, our farm's sweet old  German Shepard passed away.  While at Lacrosse practice, one of the girls said to me "don't worry, all dogs go to heaven", and this sparked an idea for me.  

Dutch was the pet, a tan German Shepard with the sweetest personality and disposition.  My grandparents brought Dutch home 11 years ago, when she was already a year old.  That made Dutch 77 years old, in human years, she lived a good life.

Usually people multiply the dog years by seven to figure out how old the dog is in human years.  This can be deceiving however, because the actual age of a dog in human years depends on the breed and the size of the dog.  Usually, larger breeds live shorter lives and mature more quickly, usually considered senior by the time they reach five.  Medium sized dogs are senior around age 7, and little dogs live the longest, usually around 10 years old before they reach senior.

For a German Shepard, Dutch was a pretty good age when she passed away.  

I decided to do a little research on the German Shepard to learn a little bit about Dutch, as well as our other Shepard Dixie.

Dixie taking a snooze on bale, keeping warm off of the cold ground

German Shepards are often used as working dogs, and are usually the choice of dog for the police force.  They are courageous, keen, alert and fearless; as well, they are cheerful, obedient and eager to learn.  They are dogs who have a confidence, are serious, and clever.  To their human pack they are faithful and brave, they will not think twice about giving their lives for their humans.  

On our farm Dutch gave us an example of just how faithful the German Shepard are to their humans.  A couple of years ago my Grandma fell outside of her house and it took her a little while to get up.  While she was lying on the ground, Dutch never left her side, Grandma said she was licking her face, probably trying to comfort her.   Dutch was Grandma's dog, and she loved Grandma more than anyone.  Dixie also loves Grandma, and just the other day she jumped up, without putting her paws on Grandma, and kissed her on the cheek. 

I remember once when I was young, I got stuck in the mud out in the field behind our house and our previous German Shepard stayed with me until help came.  Another time when I was younger I had buried myself in a snow bank, and although I wasn't stuck, my German Shepard could see my feet moving in the snow pile and she dug furiously to get me out, ruining my igloo in the making.  Well, at least she was looking out for me.

Dutch has blessed our family with two batches of puppies.  When I say blessed, I mean surprised.  My father and grandfather would not have considered the puppies a blessing, they more or less considered them a nuisance.  In her first batch she had four puppies, but one of them died.  There was a tiny black one with a white stripe down it's belly, called Flash.  And two tan ones with black noses and paws called Rollie and Copper.  Lucky for me, my parents decided to let me keep Copper, the little tan female, but I had to give the other puppies away.  

Unfortunately, we live by the highway, and one afternoon a semi truck took Copper from us.  Thankfully, all dogs go to Heaven.

So, we got a Border Collie, Lady, to keep Dutch company.  When Lady turned two, Dutch surprised us with another batch of puppies, apparently the neighbor dogs really liked coming to visit our farm.  This time there were four puppies, two passed away, and we were left with two porkie little puppies, Diesel and Dixie.  Diesel and Dixie had the pure markings of German Shepards, both black bodied, Diesel with a white and gray mix of paws, face, and underbody, and Dixie with tan markings on her face, paws and under body.  I worked my magic and convinced my family that we should keep Dixie.  

Dutch and Dixie having some family time

Dixie loved being with her mommy, and some mornings if we let Dixie out of her kennel before untying Dutch, Dixie would push her way into the dog house with Dutch.  Dutch, Dixie, and Lady spent every day together, exploring the pastures, and partaking in their favorite activity of chasing the squirrel who always mocks them from high in the tree.    

Dixie

German Shepards love to be close to their families, and they need their people, they don't like to be isolated or left alone.  This trait is very evident in my German Shepard Dixie.  Dixie is the dog who is always smiling, always loving.  Since she was a puppy she has been very eager for attention and affection, from me especially.  My grandpa always says that Dixie is my dog, and I really started believing this when I moved away for school.  When I would come home on the weekends, Dixie would start to cry the minute she saw my car drive in.  When I opened my car door she would be right there and try to jump in onto my lap.  She would cry and shake her tail so hard that she would knock herself off balance.  Then, when it was time for me to leave again, she would sit outside of my car, and watch as I drove away, only to start the entire process over the next time I was home.  

This is how Dixie sits whenever I leave home

German Shepards come with health problems, and these were evident in Dutch as she started to get older.  Just this past winter, I could start noticing the stiffness in her hips when she was running with the other dogs.  German Shepards can also have blood disorders, digestive problems, bloat, epilepsy, chronic eczema, dwarfism and flea allergies. When I think about all of the things that could have been wrong with Dutch, I am very grateful for the healthy, and fairly long life that she lived! 

Dixie is always smiling

I hope that this article has informed you a bit about the German Shepard.  If you are interested in learning about your dog to the same depth that I was able to learn about mine, check out this link Dog Information.  All you have to do is go to the site and choose your dogs breed, and you can research all about them!

Good luck researching and happy Monday! 

<3 Sam