We had a bad July 4th weekend at the farm.
My sweet 10yr old girl Nyssa has been suffering with hip dysphagia for a few years. We did what we could to help with pain management, proper exercise and diet, but bless her heart she finally reached the point that she was struggling to get up, get around and the pain management was not allowing her to rest or enjoy life. She could not maintain a quality of life she had earned as our family protector, babysitter for the kids and now grandkids and trusted friend.
This one hurt, best Shepherd I have ever worked with. I rescued her as a small pup and trained her at 6 months old as a service dog for my father and she quickly became a beloved member of our family. At 18 months she was protection trained literally displaying the aptitude for proper situational response without prompting. She was always on point and amazed us all with her ability to discern a situation and act accordingly without prompting or command. It was like she took in everything around her and knew where and when to respond and what level of response was appropriate. Whether it was putting herself between the grandkids and a stray dog or blocking my path and herding me away from a timber rattler I did not see ahead of me on a wooded path, she was always there. Great GSD for sure.
I am a tough guy, but this one hit me hard...
CH_V
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