Meet my German Shepherd, Janey. This month, it’s already ten years ago since this little miss sunshine came into my life, so I thought to write a piece about how we’ve stuck together ever since and how she still makes me laugh every day. I’ll do so using ten pictures from throughout the years. (Pictures all by Hanny van Arkel, unless stated otherwise).
This was the first day we met. I was 16 years old, she about 6 weeks. When I entered the cage with all these black and fluffy balls crawling all over the place, there was one who stood out. She came to me first and had this naughty look in her eyes, so it wasn’t hard choosing at all. (Picture by my mum, Bettie Schellen).
I think she’s the definition of cute too and I have this next picture as proof of that. She still has this curious look and a will of her own. I can’t say she broke a lot of things, but she did try everything. And of course, having chickens in the backyard bigger than you is quite interesting.
I took her to my room from day one, where I sometimes would just lie on the floor next to her. I do also remember her being sick and I’d have to get up every hour or so. Janey quickly realised that, although my mum’s dog Katja was older and therefore ‘boss’, I was part of her ‘territory’. She would often challenge Katja and then sit next to me looking at her like she’s saying: ‘What are you going to do about it now?!’
I love that about her. Cat owners often say they like a cat’s attitude, but Jane so has that too. She always wants to have the last word. Literally. When I tell her to do something which she doesn’t particularly feel like doing, she just looks around, pretending not to hear me. When I then say something like: ‘Do as I said please!’ she will do it, but with grumpy noises.
In the next picture, she’s a little bit older than a year and a fully grown, beautiful dog. I think here she is saying: ‘What, you mind me laying here? Am I not a pretty flower too then? Due to not making back-ups on time, I’ve lost a lot of pictures, but J still has a nice portfolio.
Here she’s running in the park. She absolutely loves sticks! She still jumps around with them like a puppy and if she finds one when she’s on her lead, she starts pulling, lifting her head up, walking very proudly with the stick in her mouth. Especially when another dog passes us. She carries her sticks all the way home, where she has to drop them under our balcony, otherwise I would have wood all over the place.
Back in my mum’s backyard, mum made a (single) hammock and I was testing it out. Janey quickly made clear she wanted in it too, by putting two paws under my legs, trying to get on it. I helped her and myself not to fall off and I heard my mum laughing from the kitchen.
Janey reminds me how animals have a lot of basic feelings in common. She gets jealous when Katja would get a piece of cucumber and she wouldn’t, even though she hates cucumber. So, obviously we always give her some too and she would just play with it. But she and Katja are good friends too. Here they are having fun in the water.
This is in my current home. Obviously, when I moved out, she came with me. She is so sweet, she makes me feel safer, she’s a clown and she makes sure I don’t work too hard by climbing on my lap for hugs when I spend too much time at my desk. But here she’s demonstrating ultimate laziness, I think.
Did I mention she loves sticks? The bigger the better. My friend Graham Bowes took this picture, while she was challenging me to take it from her. She also managed to bump into a few streetlights, when she was looking if the other dogs across the street could see her stick. And the time she tried pulling a stick horizontal through a vertical fence, was hilarious too. She didn’t gave up though!
Okay, one more picture, of us together. Recently taken by my friend Richard van den Bosch. Happy birthday to Janey! I hope she will stay my wonderful loyal friend for a lot more years.
9 Comments
Janey appeard on this site before by the way.
In these posts:
The terror of the Christmastreelights
How big are you?
Welcome chicks
Lovely blog and how cute, say hi to Janey for me
Hi Hanny,
To me as your father, I see two lovely puppies in the first picture!
X X X Dad.
I was thinking the same thing when I posted it.
What a beautiful dog you have, Hanny!
Thank you John!
I like your dog, Hanny. She has a kind face.
Thanks Caro! She does, but she still scares some of my neighbors!
I came across your site by accident. I too have a German Shepherd, who is the love of my life as well. Mine is named Emma and will be 8 in Aug of 2011. I understand how you feel about your girl. Keep her fed and loved and she will keep you safe and sound. I hope you enjoy your girl. Love, Lisa and Emma
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