In the beginning...

I remember being around 10 or 11 years of age and 'living' practically at the horse stables where my cousin worked and my father had a harness horse stabled called Gregorius and where a litter of mix shepherds were born. All male, 5 of them. They were all called HENKIE. I pretty much was raising them and went into the woods with them all the time feeling like one of the pack. I contribute my insight in shepherds nature due to being around them so much at that early stage where one sponges up so easily like a second language. They all remained at the stables for the remainder of their life. Of course, when I turned 15, 16 and became a teenager, boys were more interesting...and I was not at the stables any longer though I still loved dogs and I had a small very smart doggie called Thunder which I taught every trick in the book. But, as you can see, I never forgot about the 5 Henkie's and what I learned from them. So I hope that any child lucky enough to have a German Shepherd will learn and thrive and start a life long love affair with this incredible breed too. And that he or she may always remember his first German Shepherd they way I do of all my 5 Henkie's!

Then, my friend Ivonne, her family had German Shepherds all her life, but I met her when they had Lex. We were about 16 then and Lex was just such a supremely beautiful red and black west german show line male. A true protector and great character dog. She still loves shepherds more than anything though her husband wanted a Rhodesian Ridgeback due to the shedding. Believe me, she loves him, but she knows the difference...

The 3rd phenomenal Shepherd I met was when I was 18 and visiting in Southern France. FiFi. Here a drawing I did of her of a picture I took of her. This female belonged to a friend who wanted to give her to me, as she followed me around in stead of him from the getgo. But I was living in Switzerland and couldn't bring her there. He adopted her out to a large ranch after a while. This female was a superb example of a GSD. She protected me without becoming a danger to her environment. Another valuable learning lesson of how they are supposed to be.


Much later on in life:
One day, in June of 2000, while I took my two mutt dogs out to the arroyo for our usual walk, the smaller one, Ginger, was attacked in the distance. I was not quick enough to stop the attack, but I managed to chase of that creepy dog who attacked her. Needless to say, I was extremely upset, (there is no word for Fear and Anger at the same time, but that was it) in tears, and Ginger was slowly bleeding from her belly. The three of us were stuck in the arroyo behind fences and barbed wires, and Ginger not letting me pick her up, I swore that would not ever happen to us again. After I coaxed her for an hour to slowly proceed (she wouldn't let me pick her up) I was near enough my house to run uphill in 90 degree temps, and get in my car, drive down hill with a crate and get her to enter into it. (after challenging barbed wires, mind you) I drove like a maniac to the vet, then 35 min away, where she was put back together for $1000.-- but what's money in that case anyway. The next day, I went on the internet, and typed in "german shepherd protection dogs" Which led me on a search of many sites, and I contacted one, from whence I purchased my Pandora Box. ZUNI. There can only be ONE Zuni. Ever.