Rescues and posers

Most of us at the CN&R are pet lovers. To get a glimpse of just a couple of the pets with whom we share our lives, check out this week’s Streetalk. There, you’ll see the sweet bearded face of a 90-pound German shepherd/wolfhound, the fourth member of my little family.

I have a thing for German shepherds. When I was a kid, my grandfather had a bunch of dogs on his nut farm outside of Hamilton City. But by far, my favorite was a shepherd named Scooter who followed him everywhere—except for when I was in town, and she took a shine to me. I’m no dog whisperer—my secret was food. My grandparents had a big freezer on their back porch, and my cousins and I were pretty much allowed to help ourselves to its well-stocked supply of popsicles.

While the other dogs would lose interest, Scooter would stick by me while I licked away. And eventually, I’d treat her to the remnants. During my visits, she’d follow me around the orchards and over to the pastures—where I’d hand-pick grass to feed to the small herd of cattle. When I was in town, she felt like my dog.

That’s the backdrop for my decision to purchase a registered German shepherd when I was 19 years old. I didn’t have a lot of money, so I ended up at a backyard breeder. Boaz turned out to be a great dog, despite his dysplastic hips, the result of careless breeding. I took excellent care of him, and he lived to 13.

These days, I’m a big supporter of adopting dogs. My latest adoptee, Monroe, the aforementioned mixed-breed, came by way of the Greater California German Shepherd Rescue (GCGSR), a Sacramento-based nonprofit operated by volunteers. That’s the thing about the unwanted pet population—because it’s so large, there are breed-specific rescues. Some of the dogs are strays picked up by animal control, others are surrendered by their owners due to life circumstances.

Indeed, there were many purebred shepherds available when I was in search of a new pal. I chose Monroe—there was just something about him. For starters, he’s pretty chill. And, I mean, look at that face. No, seriously, turn to page 7.

Here’s the thing that’s great about GCGSR: the folks who run the organization are serious about making sure its animals are given excellent homes. This includes not only an extensive questionnaire, but also a visit to the homes of prospective adopters to make sure they are able to provide a safe and healthy environment. I’ve been on both sides—the nervous adopter-in-waiting and the volunteer snooping around a hopeful adopter’s digs.

There are many other similar organizations throughout the state—and if there’s one thing I’d hope to share in this issue, it’s that adopting from a well-run nonprofit is worth the effort.

Oh, and one last thing: The CN&R’s Pet Issue is the OG in town. Don’t be fooled by the glossy lifestyle rag that last month falsely advertised theirs as being in its fifth year, though it launched only two years ago. In addition to biting our style, including verbatim the name of the issue, they also copied the date we launched. We’re flattered by the imitation—but, once again, there’s no substitution for the real thing.