We haven't decided to rename him yet, though I've been contemplating it.

He's a darling Bi-coloured German shepherd who is from a rescue here in the United Kingdom. He looks so old but is only 2 years old. The white Shephered pictured is Bailey, our first Longhaired White GSD.

Alfie, bless him, has had a traumatic life but you wouldn't know it if you met him. He was abused as a puppy we were told, has a broken ear where he must have been bitten and it will never stand and at 6 months old was taken in by the rescue. His rescuer worked as a volunteer and loved him. You can tell by his personality how much love and affection she poured into him but tragically half way through his silver training course she fell ill with cancer and it took her life. She was also her husbands carer. After she died her husband was left with their 3 GSDs, Alfie being the youngest, and decided to live his wives dream of living on a canal boat which he decided he would take the eldest dog who was 11 to live out her days with him. He wanted Alfie to go back to the rescue and be rehomed with active people where he would get love and attention. Our GSDR coordinator contacted us saying she had a dog that was very special to the rescue and asked if we'd meet him, so we were happy to.

To say it was love at first sight with me is an understatement. He looked so rough, intimidating but he had the saddest of eyes I've seen in a dog. He walked lovely on lead, Bailey didn't mind him and he wasn't bothered at all by her and her barking. His coat was gross, super oily and he never shed his winter coat from last season then to top it all off with severe dandruff. He looked pitiful.

We took him on the spot and brought him home last Saturday. The first night he refused to leave the ground floor so I kept checking in on him, sitting in a chair in the kitchen he came over and laid by me and let me stroke him even if it was gross feeling, but to him it was comfort. The next morning I got out some waterless shampoo for dogs and sprayed his back a bit to see how he responded. As I started massaging it in his eyes rolled back into his head and he just let me have my way with his coat. I looked at slaton and said we're going to try the bath tub. We took him to the middle floor and started the bath and it took Ellis to get him into the tub. He wasn't really sure if he liked it or not, but he let us scrub him. Our pure white bathroom turned black, there was so much hair everywhere. He easily hadn't had a bath in a year. We knew that he would have had proper care when his lady owner had been alive as it's a requirement for the Silver dog training course, so this must have let him relive his old life with her. He was a COMPLETELY different dog after he had his bath. He perked up, ran around and was just so happy. He let me take him outside when he dried and brush him. I brushed an entire plastic bags worth of fur off of him, about a pound of crap, and helped his skin breathe again.

Since Saturday we've learned he loves water, loves bath time, loves brushings and loves being vacuumed. He sits there and lets me run the hoover nozzle up and down him and lays on the floor so I can get all sides. We still have a lot of work to do on his coat, but slowly he's getting better. He's soft, no more dandruff, but I still need to get some of the extra fur off of him, but want to do it in a gradual process.

Food for him is also a sad story. We asked his owner what brand he eats so we don't disrupt his stomach since GSDs are VERY sensitive to diet change. ... "Whatever was on offer." Then I was told "Oh, his shits smell bad, so watch out for that." It took everything out of me not to eyeroll, but since being here he took to Chappies, which is what Bailey has to eat for her tummy (even raw feeding didn't 100% agree with her) and he has turned right around. Good poos, doesn't stink, doesn't smell like dog.. Bless him. He wasn't alpha in the last house so he hardly ate in comparison to the other bitches there, so he's a bit emaciated but he's eating well here.

I couldn't have asked for a more chill dog. He lets me do anything, isn't bothered by normal household things, and really settled down. He's been my shadow for the last week, and we both think he's a females dog probably severely missing his lady owner. He doesn't let me out of his site and sleeps on the floor next to my side of the bed. He's a darling and I hope to update you all in the future on his progress. He hadn't had visitors for the last year to his house so he gets a bit nosey when you come to the door, which is great since a dog pressing himself against the front window will probably not make anyone want to burgle the house. Haha. >_>;;

He's also as tall as a donkey. I've never met a GSD as tall as he is.


We decided to go ahead with adopting one more dog as we've been discussing with my doctors what's going to happen, and we will not be having children and will be going on the list for a full pelvic clearance. It's painful for me to know that my dreams of being a mother again are over, but I'm coming to terms with this and Alfie has been a massive help emotionally since bringing him here. I have a gorgeous son and I'm so proud of him being almost 9 (omg) so at least I can smile and be happy knowing that I have one loving child in my life that I'll continue to live for. <3 And now I have my two furry babies.

My family is now complete, and I couldn't have picked two better dogs.