Happy Tuesday, folks!
Today I have for you a special post, my friend Kieran's German Shepherd named Trooper!
Kieran is not only a buddy of Andrew and I, but a very close neighbor. I've gotten to know Trooper since last November, and he's actually made me like German Sheps even more, and maybe even erase any past stigmas I didn't even realize I had about them.
Kieran adopted Trooper about two years ago—he's between 4-5 years old. He had just moved into his house in Wilmington, and was thinking of getting a dog of his own. He started looking online at adoptable dogs, when he stumbled upon Tri-state German Shepherd Rescue. He had never owned a German Shepherd before, and was very interested in the breed.
After seeing Trooper online and meeting him in person, they bonded immediately—and the rest is history.
What struck me though, besides his wonderful personality and incredibly calm disposition, was Trooper's backstory. One
of the first times I was over Kieran's house, Trooper was looking out the window (obviously being an incredibly loyal watchdog). He began barking—but instead of a deep, hearty bark, I heard nothing but a soft whisper of a bark.
Trooper came from a sad past—he was tied up to a tree for most of his first few years. Some absolutely horrible human had cut his vocal chords—because they didn't like his loud barking. Kieran explained that Trooper was a mere 29 lbs when he was first rescued (but full grown frame), and is now 79 lbs. He was incredibly malnourished when the rescue found him.
Thankfully, Kieran explains: "He's recovered well! He's very friendly with everybody—dogs and people. I thought when I first got him, he'd be kind of skittish…but it turns out he just wants attention all the time."
The only times he will get upset is if he's left alone for too long. He always likes a bit of company:
"My dad is probably his favorite person. When I used to have class, my dad would come and watch him."
These days, Trooper enjoys taking long walks with Kieran as long as it's not too hot. He likes being outside and hanging in the backyard (but will go off on his own adventures if he's not leashed!) and he now lives the life of a very normal, happy (and pampered) pup.
He absolutely LOVES eating—Kieran has described his belly as a, "garbage disposal" because he eats just about anything. He even has one of those, "Not so fast" steel dog bowls so he doesn't inhale his meals. He's even gotten himself into some trouble when Kieran's roommate, Chris, left some Halloween candy out last fall.
"Chris left a giant bag of fun-sized chocolate candies (like Snickers, etc.) on the coffee table, within Trooper's reach. The bag was completely sealed, with all of the candies individually sealed inside so it was probably harder to smell. I got a call when I was at work from Chris saying, 'yeah uh…Trooper ate through the entire bag of chocolate…wrappers included. Every last one.' Trooper was okay—I called the Vet and they were just like, 'um…well just wait and see what happens, and keep us posted.' Luckily, he pooped all of the wrappers out for the next few days…so that was interesting."
I know that's not the first time I've hard stories like that. I always think of dog bellies like shark bellies—I wouldn't be surprised if there were old licenses plates and tires in there...
When I asked Kieran what Trooper's motto would be, he laughed and said, "His motto would be, 'Everybody needs to love me. Now.' because he's a little diva. He needs to be pet and constantly attended to."
Name: Trooper, Troop, (I like to call him Troopa and Koopa Troopa)
Favorite Toy: "He loves his bear that he ripped the ears off of, and this little goose that's ripped to pieces. Chris, my roommate, got him the bear, and the goose was an old toy from my first dog that Trooper seems to love."
