Having been given my first pup in 1949 or 1950, and having kept up to 8 GSDs at a time after marriage, there have been a LOT of dogs in my life.

 

The first, and later a second pup, were sent home on the train with me by Gran. Both were "Fockers" (first cross between a Smooth Fox Terrier and a Cocker Spaniel - despite the breed-renaming efforts of the AKC, the Cocker Spaniel is a hunting breed, and developed in Britain, not the USA) and both were named Pal. The first Pal didn't last long - if vaccination for distemper was available back then he didn't get any, and so he died. The second Pal was presumably vaccinated, and he thrived. For a boy living in a valley on the northern foot of Mt.Messenger, with the only children his age living 10 miles away by pushbike (the local school was mostly a sole-teacher one. One pair of brothers arrived in a pony trap, having deliveerd their father's can of cream to my father's butter factory on their way to school), the second Pal was perfect, having inherited enough "Terrier spirit" to enjoy the madap things boys do on impulse, having inherited enough "Spaniel devotion" to stick with me wherever I went. Sadly, his time was short - whie I wasn't home he was kept chained to a kennel, but worked out how to release the horse clip that was supposed to stay attached to his collar, and the farmer objected to Pal disturbing the dairy cows at night, so Pal's life was ended.

 

During my years at boarding school and then at teachers' college & university, followed by teaching posts, I went without animals (unless you count certain of the boarders & flatters...). But as of the third school I taught at I had tabby cats. One of them enjoyed riding on my shoulder as I drove my little Morris Minor convertible.

 

In 1967 I married Jeannie. As her "bride price" she demanded a GSD, so at Easter we purchased Caesar (first on the sub-menu).

When we moved into Wanganui city we bought Zacki, and made a BAD choice as to who to mate her to. Caesar went to be a farm dog. Zacki was euthanased because of hip dysplasia and her willingness to bite anything in trousers unless we had assured her that that person was okay.

 

Our next trip to Auckland (8 hours away, but where Jeannie's parents lived) saw us buy Jena (Jean of High Clear, by SV Gold Medallist NZ.Ch. Yokel of Nerrav (Imp.UK) ex NZ.Ch. Xada of Nerrav (Imp.UK)). She was my devoted obedience dog until she developed a mysterious viral disorder that had me spooning Complan into her and then having the vet feed her by IV drip, but to no avail - she died just before Xmas 1972. You get very attached to a pooch you've worked to train, and so I felt her loss deeply - decades later I couldn't guarantee not to get wet-eyed when I think of her.

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Six months after buying Jena, her mother whelped again, and Rella was available to us. Her progeny put my kennel "on the map" and formed our first dynasty, so she & they have their page in this section.

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As do the British pair Kamee, our first import; and Ebby, our second import, whose grandson Bertold blended so well with Ciwa who combined my Rella line plus a Gina ;on.

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Plus our German imports Lieschen and Gina, our third and fourth imports, of whom Lieschen was supposed to be her brother, and Gina was supposed to come to NZ to whelp her litter by multi-nation Sgr. & Ch. Chicko vom Gut Friedberg SchH3 FH but was forced to stay in Britain for another 6+ months (from that litter we had to import a bitch and put her into a partnership home, from which she never reached us alive) then managed just one DownUnder litter before developing pyometritis.

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Not all the memories were recorded with photos, or the photos have yet to be unearthed & scanned.

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