Good night, sweet boy

[deborahjross]

Our sweet, brave German Shepherd Dog, Oka, died peacefully on Wednesday. He was 12 1/2, quite old for that breed, had had been battling lymphoma and degenerative myelopathy. We'd hoped to have him for a little while longer, but he developed leukemia, lost the ability to walk, and most likely had an embolism and a stroke. The vet came out to our house and he slipped away with "his people" holding him and talking to him. Also, "his cats" - all 3 gathered around, especially Oka's "best buddy," who cuddled up next to him when it was all over.

Here are a few images to share with you:

Oka at 8 weeks. The green coloring in his right ear is the Schaferhundverein breed tattoo, certifying that he really is a German Shepherd Dog (i.e. both his parents were Schutzhund titled; in fact, his father was the Weltsieger: the world champion).

 

Attempting to wrestle the cat toy into submission.

About 1 year old, hiking in our area. He would have made a super search-and-rescue dog, he was so focused on scent. You can see how he's "tracking" naturally.

About 2, getting his basic obedience title. You can see the bond between Dave and Oka."What next, Dad? What do we get to play next?"

Herding his hard rubber horse ball. He would do this for hours, bringing the ball back so we could roll it away for him and barking at it to let it know who was boss. We tend to forget that German Shepherd Dogs are indeed sheepherding dogs. This is his spherical "sheep."

I think he's 3 or 4 in this picture. This is how I'll remember him, a loyal, loving friend, steady in temperament and eager to do anything we asked of him.

Good night, sweet boy

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry--there has to be an Oka-shaped hole in every part of your house and yard.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

This is so true. I took his bed out to the garage so we wouldn't see it when we woke up the next morning, but there's still an empty space.

He kept flitting in and out of my dreams last night. This will take a while.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Hugs to you both!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Beautiful boy. He was as lucky to have you as you were to have him.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Thank you. We did good by him. One of the keys was realizing this is a working breed, so he needed a job. Daily obedience work, herding his ball, escorting me into town (and into the bank, where they gave him treats), breaking up cat kerfuffles, keeping the yard free of squirrels and deer (and the occasional near miss with a skunk). On soggy days, we'd play "where is it?" and work on chaining freestyle/dance behaviors (spin, twirl, bow, go between my legs and sit in proper hell position, etc.)

An Oka vs skunk story. One twilight, Dave heard a scuffle in the yard. Oka had pounced on a skunk, which was on its back. Dave called, "COME!" and ran toward the house. Oka's obedience was so solid that he immediately launched himself into a full-out run. By the time the skunk righted itself, Oka was out of range. iirc, Oka caught a little of the aerosolized spray, but not a direct hit.

[noire.livejournal.com]

*hug* I am so sorry--families are not just made of one species.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

This is so true. The dynamics of our 3 cats have changed, since Oka is not here to be police dog ("Break it up! Move along!") My concern is that Cleopatra (on my shoulder in the icon) is quite elderly - just turned 20. But we simians will keep an eye on them and see how they settle.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I'm so sorry. I only met him once, but he was a lovely, lovely boy.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you got to meet him. He was such a special dog. Well, all dogs have are good dogs if handled correctly, but Oka started out with marvelous genetics and an inherently steady, affectionate temperament.

[anghara.livejournal.com]

oh he was beaturiful. And shepherds are "my" breed, I had two pure-bred ones and one shepherd-rottie mix growing up and I love these dogs fiercely, and still miss mine although they've been gone for many years. My heart goes out to you all. may your memories stay bright.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, Alma. My husband is a total GSD addict, having owned a number of them, but Oka was by far the best of the lot. Like going from junk cars to a Porsche.

I suspect a puppy is in our future.

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

Such a great dog. I love all those photos. I have never understood how folks can bring a new pet into their home then get rid of them so easily a year of two later simply because they get big or do something wrong. To me pets are always family.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Me, either. They must subscribe to the same set of attitudes that treats horses like organic motorcycles instead of sentient beings.

There's a lot of evidence that dogs can and do act as moral agents. They are not lawn ornaments but -- as you said -- members of the family.

[otana.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. Oka was a wonderful dog, I used to love watching him herd his blue sheep around the yard, talking to it the whole time, and begging Dave for the laser pointer so he could fox pounce it.

You both did well by him. He was always so happy and loved and he had a wonderful life.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you got to meet him. He gave so much to all of us and brought so much joy to so many.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Oka is the world champion, too. I can tell. What a sweet boy he was.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, Karen. Oka was too much of a laid-back cupcake to compete in Schutzhund, which made him an astonishingly good companion. So long as we gave him another job -- hence, destroying Evil Laser Bugs and keeping Spherical Blue Sheep in their place!