My Lady Emma

Emma's Story - Adopted May 2004

Emma was a project of a 4-H family. From the very beginning they complained about her. How she walked side ways, which as a obedience instructor I never saw this. How she was so high drive and always following the mother around. This was a cause for lots of complaints, I never saw Emma as a high drive GSD but rather a calm dog wanting to please. In fact she was the most mellowest GSDS I have ever seen. She did well with the other kids, and dogs during 4-H. She had good manners and behaved well in the class's.

Then last winter I received a call, how Emma had attacked their Great Pyrenees during a home coming of the family. This family had three females dogs all intact, they included Emma a GSD, Sara (the Great Pyrenees,)and a Sheltie name Sally. All three of the girls were just coming out of heat. Even though we had warned them that having intact females could cause problems in the dog pack. The leader of the family, "the wife", had to leave town in a hurry due to a death in the family. I informed them that with the "girls in heat", they were fighting for position in the pack or trying to get higher in ranking. Especially since the mother was gone and this happened during the family coming home (the father and the four kids) and the dogs were loose in the house. I strongly suggested that they have the dogs crated while they were gone, so when they came home they could controll the homecomings. They did not listen to what was suggested. After the wife had been home for over a week, she had another death in the family and had to leave again. As before they did not control the dogs by crating them as suggested by me, but sadly this time, during one of the home comings of the husband and kids, Emma attacked the Sheltie and killed her.

I received this phone call about the incident and I was to come and get her or they were going to shoot her. They had placed her in a crate in the barn! (a little to late don't you think?) They had kept her there for about 24 hours. My husband meet the husband several hours later to pick up Emma at a big store parking lot. They could not be bothered to bring her here at all, they just wanted to dump her off.

When I received her she was confused and afraid of what was happening and wanted her family. But they, do to their ignorance of how GSDS think, actually caused the sad death of their Sheltie.

I took Emma home, and crated her immediately, as I have eight GSDS myself. I let every one greet her thru her crate, starting with my own Alpha of the pack, Athena. Her actions dictated to the rest she was accepted. But because of the ordeal at her home, keeping in mind that she had killed another dog, I kept her separated for a week from the rest of my pack, by being in crate while they were out, and her out while they were all in a crate.

After a week, I had my husband hold Athena, while I held Emma's leash so they could greet each other. Athena, being the Alpha, ignored her as usual and we went down the line with all of my dogs. If any one snarled or growled their leash was popped, and corrected with a "NO leave it!" This communicated to them that I was not going to allow any wrong doings or misbehaviors. I then walked Emma among the group while she was on a leash, for a week. After that time period she was allowed to be among the rest of the pack. The only problem we had was she did not like any other dog to be around me. She had decided that I was hers.If any dog came up to me to be petted she would growl and snap at the upcoming dog. Since she is not in charge of who I pet she was corrected firmly and told "NO leave it".

The rest is history as she became a great little dog, with lots of love to give. I then put the word out that Emma was three years old and needed a home. I started the screening process and had several people interested but only one fit the bill, a growing family of a husband and wife with a five year old little girl and a baby on the way. A family that was willing to do any and every thing to make this adoption work. They also did a lot of hiking, camping and going to the ocean and planned on taking Emma with them. She was not a dog but a member of the family. On their way here, which was a seven hour drive, I told her to envision what Emma's life would be like with them. And I did this also several days prior to them coming. When they showed up Emma went running to them, just knowing this was her new family. She even jumped into the cab of the pick up truck claiming the truck as hers! While before she was depressed and wanting to know where her old family was, she could not figure out why did they leave her?

She immediately accepted their little girl and began following her, like she was in her charge. Since then she has become a precious member of the family and they are very, very happy with her as she is with them! This story is so true of a lot of GSDs who in a home with no guidance can and will do terrible damage to a fellow animals or person. That is why it is so important to have control and to communicate to your GSD that your the Alpha.