In college I boarded my horse at my roommate’s parents stables. They had a pair of Black and Tan Dobermans that were absolutely exquisite and so loving, protective and well trained. They would go on trail rides with us. I swore one day I would have my very own Doberman.
I went to dog shows and literally drooled over all the majestic dobies there.
I moved to my first home I bought and a neighbor a few doors down had a gorgeous European Red Doberman. It was a show dog and displayed strong protection instincts and had that sharp temperament typical of Dobermans in the 70’s.
He sired a litter and I got the last pup. A buyer had backed out at last minute so I was able to purchase him.
To say he was a true gem would be an understatement. He was perfect in every way. He did not bark and whine like many today. He wasn’t destructive and was so easily trained.
My girlfriend hooked me up with her trainer and show handler and he was shown for several years. I moved overseas and he was thrown into so many different and stressful situations and handled it like a champ. His energy and drive were off the charts but it suited my lifestyle as I was very physically active in water sports, running, martial arts. We were a perfect fit. I loved adventure and so did he. I put him in PP training and he excelled beyond belief.
He went everywhere with me and his training was so advanced that hand signals and even eye commands was all that was necessary. He was dock diving and a frisbee dog before it became a ‘thing’. His intelligence was intimidating as he knew what I wanted before I did. He lived on a boat with me, he lived in cold weather and hot without any difficulty. He transitioned to every move without issue and was my true partner in everything I did. He was off lead trained and stayed by my side, no slip ups ever, even when other dogs were around.
I had him for 14.5 yrs.
I couldn’t bring myself to have another one for many years because the pain of losing him was still raw.
14 yrs after losing him I rescued a 7wk old fawn girl ‘Gracie’ that became my life. I was happy once again. She was the best natured, loaded with energy and lots of love. She suffered many health issues but it never stopped her from wanting to run and play. She beat cancer with amputation and treatments only to pass from DCM at 12yrs.
The loss of her hit me incredibly hard. The silence without her was deafening, I could not handle not having a Doberman partner or for that matter a dog either. I adopted a 12 yr old Beagle and proceeded to search for another Doberman. 7 months later I found Bogie and Bacall. Needless to say I “forgot” about the anxiety ridden part of raising a Doberman puppy. I got litter mates and boy did everything come back quickly on raising a Doberman puppy except it was doubled. Many times I questioned my sanity for this but today I have 2 well adjusted, well trained and beautiful dobermans. They have proved themselves many times over, they are extremely Velcro, comedians, con artists and at times too intelligent for me but they fill my heart with pride and intense love. My life revolves around them, their needs, training and fun time.
I am grateful for them everyday and extremely thankful I survived their upbringing because it was not an easy task!
For most people, once you have a Doberman you are spoiled for life and will always want a Doberman by your side.
They have gone from this:
To this:
Always a team but very independent of each other.