My Dad loved German Shepherds.  We had 2 in my lifetime one named Fritz (Fritzi is what Dad called him) and Kristina.  I don’t remember much about Fritz as I must have been really little when he was around, but I do remember Kristina.  She was the best of dogs and a great protector.  When you heard her utter her soft growl you knew someone was toast.  It was a barely audible growl, but when I heard it I moved from between her and whatever direction her face was pointed.  I knew that there was a dash in the near future.  I never worried about ghosts, the boogie man or anyone ever hurting me when she was there.  I knew she was going to protect me. 

Kristina had several litters of puppies that we sold or gave away to others.  She was a purebred German Shepherd.  It was really a sight to see when she was weaning a litter of puppies as my cat Miranda was weaning her kittens.  Kristina let the kittens nurse off of her.  There is a picture somewhere of this site, but to see that big dog and those tiny kittens was too sweet.  Kristina had a very soft side that offset her killer instinct well.  She was a great Mother to her pups and those kittens, too.

With her last litter of puppies she started to decline.  We thought she had given birth to too many litters, but after she went to the vet we found that she had been shot quite a while ago.  Evidently, it went right up her backside so there was not a wound.  She had been bleeding internally for quite a while and that last litter put too much strain on her weakening system.  We had to put her to sleep.  We cried tears for days over losing her, but knew she was much better off than living in pain.  We only wish we knew sooner. She never bled, never appeared sick or weak and never gave any indication something was not right with her. 

I think about the person that shot her.  Was it intentional?  Was it a ricochet?  Was it an accident?  A planned event?  I choose to believe it was an accident as she never strayed far from the house.  I don’t want to think about someone shooting at her near our house as we always played near her. 

Rest in Peace Kristina!  I am certain you are sitting with my Dad and he is scratching your head.  You both liked it that way.