I work in the veterinary field and I volunteer with the German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Iowa. At the time I was an active volunteer home with this organization and had a foster dog in my home. Gunther’s first family wanted what was best for him, and it was not in their home. I decided to treat it as a foster-to-adopt type of situation and see how it would go. Gunther came to live with me in early June, 2022.

The morning after he was dropped off I took him into the clinic where I work. That morning Gunther got all of his vaccines, and was put under anesthesia to be neutered. While he was asleep the wonderful Liz, who would become his groomer, shaved his face and his feet so that we could get through until his first real groom. I am so thankful for Liz, her kindness and knowledge has helped me so very much in navigating this poodle hair that I was absolutely NOT prepared for.

I wasn’t really prepared for a second dog in the home, much less one that was going to be staying long term. I was angry at the situation and worried about this 10 month old puppy that was now my responsibility. Poodles are new to me as a breed. I had not interacted with many, though I liked the few I had met. My breed is the German Shepherd. These are VERY different dogs. I knew this, but man, did I not really know this until I experienced it.

Between these challenges and other life challenges happening at the same time I felt very overwhelmed and that made it hard to bond with this new dog. Roxie, my long-term German shepherd foster, help a lot. She was a young dog herself, but she was grown-up enough to show Gunther some basics of living in the house. Roxie helped me potty train him, helped me teach him not to counter surf, and she played with and cuddled with him more than he had ever experienced. Watching them interact was an awesome experience, and I am very thankful that Roxie was around when Gunther came into my life.

The first few months of life with Gunther were a whirlwind. He had lots to learn, as did I. With all the hard work of integrating another dog into the house, teaching manners, and getting him into training, I was having a really hard time bonding with him.

I decided that starting an Instagram for him might help.

I wanted to give it at least 6 months before making the decision to rehome him. He had already been through a lot, and I was doing my best, but it was not an easy time for either of us.

I got him enrolled in a puppy class. It was a private class, he was in no way equipped to handle a group class, and I’m sure my frustration level would have made both our heads explode. Cherel was an amazing addition to Gunther’s village. Most of her time was spent training me, and encouraging me to see Gunther’s progress.

Then the week of the 6 month “trial period” came.

I vented to a “dog friend” that I didn’t see a future with this dog, it was too hard to see any progress, and I was really leaning towards contacting a poodle rescue.

That weekend I took Gunther to what we were calling our “parallel training” sessions with another dog that was very close in age to him. Both pairs had been working on some specific things over the months and making progress, but this session was different. I could finally see some progress. I got a glimpse of the dog we are working towards, and knew I could work with him.

At that point he still didn’t feel like mine, but I could see a future with him.

Social media has kind of become a part of that. It has grown from an Instagram to include a Facebook page, and now a website! It’s a way for me to encourage myself to see the positive things, to find the good stuff in my frustration to share with my new internet friends. It has encouraged me to try new things with this dog I may not have tried in the past. Now that he’s mine, we’re in it together.

So, Welcome to our Journey, new friends.