We’ve been contemplating for a while whether or not we wanted a second dog or not. We went to the pound/kennel a few months ago, but didn’t really find a dog we liked. Then we went through www.savegsd.org to see about getting another German Shepherd. This organization actually finds foster homes for all the German Shepherds that end up in the pound, and then has a weekly meeting where pre-approved people can go and see if they want to adopt one of their GSDs. So, someone had to come to our house, check us out, check Kymba out, etc., and then we got approved. After that, we went to see the dog “Night Star,” which if you go to the link you will see is an absolutely gorgeous dog. Unfortunately, someone beat us to the punch, and we also found out that he has a heart condition, so it wouldn’t have been ideal since I like to go for runs with the dog(s).

After that, we decided to give it a rest on a second dog, but I guess Barbie kept checking the website and found the following description for a new GSD named Arturo.

Arturo is 12-14 mos old. He is fun, happy, outgoing, confidant, very intelligent and still an active puppy! Arturo was a stray at the shelter, and was very thin and in poor condition. He has been in foster care for about 1 mo., and now his coat shines and he is gaining much needed weight. His hip x-rays are good. “Turo” loves to play ball and is always ready for a run or play time! He is crate trained (sleeps quietly all night), and pretty well housebroken (still a pup that needs watchfulness). He does not jump fences, nor is he destructive. He appears to be exceptionally good with children he has met, good with all other dogs, and OK with cats. Arturo is NOT a lazy dog, but rather he is an active, young , healthy male that needs a family that will take him for a long run/walk and will put more training in to this boy. He knows basic commands, and is great on walks on public trails. “Turo” could easily do competition obedience, as he has flashy movement and he LOVES to work for a toy or treat reward. He has a generally soft temperament and will work best with an owner that uses “reward” based training methods (rather than correction based training). He gives you great eye contact during training and is sooooooo much fun to train and to handle. He would also be ideal for an owner that does lots of hiking/running/walking and wants a GSD for companionship. Arturo should have an owner that has owned a GSD before. He is in Walnut Creek in a foster home (you can contact them directly at dezmurray@comcast.net –you must have an application placed with our program first and a home visit done , please).

Well, he sounded really good, and if you look at his pictures you can see he is a good looking dog. He is a little on the thin side right now b/c he was a stray for a bit, but he is going to be a big dog. He apparently weighs about 75lbs. now, but should add about 10 lbs. to be his normal weight. Only problem is that he is still a growing puppy. If you look at Kymba’s pictures when she was the same age, she was a lot smaller.

Anyways, he is an absolutely great dog, with a great personality and aims to please…unlike Kymba who is princess and wants to be treated accordingly. The question for us now is if we want two big dogs roaming the house, especially with Kyle. Kyle gets along great with both of them, but we have to be careful if they start playing as Kyle could get ran over. So, we are spending the next week with the two dogs, who absolutely love each other thus far and want to play a ton, then we will make our decision next week. Wish us luck.