One of my best friends is Copper – my 3-year-old German shepherd. In fact, she turns 3 today – the occasion for this profile.
There’s another reason, too.
Three days ago, Copper gave birth to a litter of seven full-bred German shepherd puppies. It was her second litter. Last year she had 11!
But this is her last litter. She’s a great breeder, but she’s now retired from this occupation and now becomes my full-time pet, companion and guard dog supreme.
Copper and I start every day together, when she’s not nursing pups, with a fast walk of up to an hour – rain, shine, snow, sleet.
Sometimes I don’t feel like walking in the sleet or snow or slush, but Copper looks forward to those walks – and it drives me to do something that is good for me. So it’s a symbiotic relationship. No way would I get up while it’s still dark out and freezing cold to walk for miles if it weren’t for Copper. It’s the highlight of her day.
I’ve had many dogs over my many years, but there’s something very special about Copper – who got her name for multiple reasons, including her coloring and her “profession.” She comes from a long line of police dogs, and she takes her role as protector very seriously.
If I sound a little gushy, it’s because I am indeed a dog person.
I grew up with a cocker spaniel who was born about the same time I was. So I lost her when I was 12. She followed me everywhere. And she was quite a watchdog, too, pound for pound. Shortly after I lost Lady (yes, Lady), my parents encouraged me to adopt a German shepherd who was part husky. No one would ever suspect she wasn’t a purebred German shepherd. In fact, Bonnie’s markings were identical to Copper’s. If you saw pictures of both, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.
Bonnie and I were very attached. But I had to leave her with my parents when I moved to California for work in 1979. I kept a picture of Bonnie on my wall and would see her when I visited my parents.
But one day the picture of Bonnie fell off the wall for no reason. I called my parents and they told me Bonnie had died. When? Just about the time that picture fell off the wall inexplicably. I like to think it was Bonnie’s way of saying goodbye.
 Bosco and Baxter |
I’ve written about some of my other dogs in this space before. There was Bosco, the fabulous chocolate lab mix. More recently, there was Baxter, an Australian shepherd with a hint of Brittany. We just lost him two years ago. My 14-year-old daughter still can’t talk about Baxter without crying. Both of those guys are buried in our backyard.
All my dogs had endearing characteristics. They were all great companions. They all amazed me with their intelligence and their ability to understand so much of what I said to them. But Copper is, without doubt, one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever seen. At 6 months old, she proved herself to be an escape artist. She could open gates that people have problems with. She learned to turn doorknobs through observation. And she never missed an opportunity to break free and take off outside – chasing deer or squirrels or just running for the fun of it.
She loves her family members, but with other dogs she can be aggressive. She’s got a little alpha in her.
She loves toys – especially those that squeak. She likes any kind of ball – but they need to be indestructible. She likes stuffed animals, too. She’s also nuts about popcorn and pistachios.
But let me tell you my most amazing Copper story. My wife, Elizabeth, loves birds. And she has a lot of them – finches of varying kinds, all quite beautiful. They live in large cages in our morning room, where Copper also spends most of her time. She even serves as their guardian, because we have three cats who love to torment them. I would hate to think of what would happen to those birds, even in their protective cages, if Copper weren’t around. (Right now, while she’s nursing her pups, we have to keep the cats in other areas of the house.)
Sometimes, like it or not, a bird will escape from one of the large cages. It’s sometimes tough to find them and get them back in their cage because of the high ceilings in our house.
A few months ago, one of the birds got out. We spent hours trying to catch him, but finally gave up – knowing he would eventually come back down to earth where we could use the net to put him back where he belongs.
We forgot about him until the next morning when Copper and I returned from our morning walk. As I opened the door to the house, I saw the bird drinking out of Copper’s water bowl. So did she. But she’s quicker than I am. Still on her leash, she bolted for the bird. I thought, “This is going to be ugly. What am I going to tell Elizabeth?”
Copper grabbed the bird in her mouth, but instead of eating it, as I assumed she would, she gently handed the bird over to me – being careful not to let it escape before the transfer.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
I took the bird from her, which was completely unharmed, and returned it to the cage.
And I thanked Copper with a treat.
Isn’t that amazing?
She knew this wasn’t just any bird. This was one of Mom’s birds. And she took care of it – just like it was one of her own pups.
I’m looking forward to Copper’s retirement from breeding. I’m looking forward to spending many more years walking her and just hanging out.
We’ll grow old together. And I’ll never get tired of telling Copper stories.
Happy birthday, Copper. And congratulations on your puppies.
[jwplayer wtE17hpY]
Media wishing to interview Joseph Farah, please contact [email protected].
|
