Declan playing soccer with Duchess. More stories on people and pets in this week’s Connection. Geraldine Pitsinger
Our son Declan has been begging us for a dog for the last several years. We finally received our dog, a German shepherd named Duchess, in late February. She was definitely worth the wait. We've only had her for a few months but she is such a part of our family that we can not imagine what life would be like without her. She is so sweet and has such a wonderful disposition. She loves people, especially children and gives millions of "doggy kisses" to everyone.
One unique characteristic about Duchess is that she is a sports fanatic.
Duchess loves to play soccer, chase us while we ride bikes and she loves to play frisbee. It is amazing to watch Duchess jump several feet in the air to catch a giant frisbee. She jumps higher than my son Declan is tall, it is incredible to watch.
Once she catches the frisbee she runs around with it in her mouth until someone catches her (which is not easy since she is as fast as lightning). She can also play fetch for hours at a time. She is very loving and loyal as well.
I was actually kind of hesitant to get a dog, knowing how much work they might be or how much time you need to devote to them, especially when they are just a puppy, but I can not even begin to explain how absolutely thrilled our entire family is now that we have Duchess as part of our family.