You are the best, Joann. You never let me down. Thank you for starting this thread. I'll text you a picture of Shelby in a bit, so you can post it for me. LOL!
Shelby was mostly German Shepherd. She looked like a long haired German Shepherd, but had some black and tan coonhound and Rottweiler thrown in. I think she had more of a coonhound brain. She knew her basic commands, but didn't seem to retain what she was taught. She understood "Mommy see" - she'd roll over so I could check her belly. And she understood, "Mommy kiss" - she was very free with her kisses. Her intelligence was in her problem solving skills. My son used to have a pulley system for weight lifting. He had a construction bucket full of sand. A cargo rope was attached and the pulley was used to get the bucket up to our second story deck. Shelby taught herself how to work the system. She would pull the bucket all the way to the top. Unfortunately, she would let the bucket crash to the ground losing sand, each time. She always checked the deck gate to see if it was unlocked. If it was, she would jump up and flip the gate open so she could go into the yard. Shelby was a very long dog. She had no spatial awareness. Instead of turning around, she aways backed up. Shelby never walked. She always ran and treated steps like a sliding board. Multiple times a day, I would say, "Shelby, you are going to kill yourself." Shelby had anxiety about the outside world. She didn't like going for walks. She loved her safe places - her house, her yard, and her car. She was the world's sweetest dog. She didn't have a mean bone in her body. She was a big, beautiful, soft, cuddly bundle of love. She had the most beautiful, deep, melodious howl. Poor Natty Boh tried so hard to sing with her. He'd try to make his mouth into an O, but he was like the kid who sings off key. I kept hoping Shelby could teach him, but it was impossible.
Shelby slept at the foot of our bed every night. In the morning I'd wrap my arms around her and kiss her ears. She was the best foot warmer. We always shared my apple and banana. I took it upon myself to apply for a German Shepherd mix puppy from Kentucky. She was supposed to be my dog, but she chose my husband as her person. Like Molly's Moms' husband, my husband has taken Shelby's loss very hard. We all have. But I wouldn't have missed a minute of having her in our lives. I am so thankful for the time we had.
Shelby 9/2/2014 - 11/7/2022
Shelby was mostly German Shepherd. She looked like a long haired German Shepherd, but had some black and tan coonhound and Rottweiler thrown in. I think she had more of a coonhound brain. She knew her basic commands, but didn't seem to retain what she was taught. She understood "Mommy see" - she'd roll over so I could check her belly. And she understood, "Mommy kiss" - she was very free with her kisses. Her intelligence was in her problem solving skills. My son used to have a pulley system for weight lifting. He had a construction bucket full of sand. A cargo rope was attached and the pulley was used to get the bucket up to our second story deck. Shelby taught herself how to work the system. She would pull the bucket all the way to the top. Unfortunately, she would let the bucket crash to the ground losing sand, each time. She always checked the deck gate to see if it was unlocked. If it was, she would jump up and flip the gate open so she could go into the yard. Shelby was a very long dog. She had no spatial awareness. Instead of turning around, she aways backed up. Shelby never walked. She always ran and treated steps like a sliding board. Multiple times a day, I would say, "Shelby, you are going to kill yourself." Shelby had anxiety about the outside world. She didn't like going for walks. She loved her safe places - her house, her yard, and her car. She was the world's sweetest dog. She didn't have a mean bone in her body. She was a big, beautiful, soft, cuddly bundle of love. She had the most beautiful, deep, melodious howl. Poor Natty Boh tried so hard to sing with her. He'd try to make his mouth into an O, but he was like the kid who sings off key. I kept hoping Shelby could teach him, but it was impossible.
Shelby slept at the foot of our bed every night. In the morning I'd wrap my arms around her and kiss her ears. She was the best foot warmer. We always shared my apple and banana. I took it upon myself to apply for a German Shepherd mix puppy from Kentucky. She was supposed to be my dog, but she chose my husband as her person. Like Molly's Moms' husband, my husband has taken Shelby's loss very hard. We all have. But I wouldn't have missed a minute of having her in our lives. I am so thankful for the time we had.
Shelby 9/2/2014 - 11/7/2022