Dutch Shepherd Forum

Greetings fellow DS lovers. It was totally by accident that I stumbled upon this group but I'm glad I did. I've owned my DS since 2007 when I rescued him off a major highway in rush hour. I already owned 2 large dogs at the time so I had planned to save him and find his owners. When the newspaper ads and flyers garnered no response I set out to find a rescue organization to help him find a home while I fostered him. 5 years later he is a part of the family and we would have it no other way.

I named him "Happy" and from the first time I called him by his new name he answered. It is amazing how his name is such a perfect match for him. He is a very happy and loving dog with a great big heart. He is a wonderful guard dog, avid chaser of Kongs, loving family member and great clown with our other dog.

The one thing that made me fall in love with him more than any other trait is how unbelievably gentle he is with our young daughter who came along after he had been with us over a year. Happy has even laid in the lap of my 6'3" son when he was 18 years old and being 'taken to task' by my husband. He is not the type of dog that is overly cuddly (he had no idea what affection was or even what my dogs wanted when they tried to engage him in play) so when he climbed into my sons lap as he sat on the floor looking up at my husband listening it made me pause. Happy gave my husband a look to say "That. Is. Enough." His loyalty cannot be doubted - when our 3 year old squeals in delight or shock he barks and comes running and follows her doggedly as she plays. No one can harass "his" little girl.

Happy has been a great ambassador for the DS breed and we've enjoyed sharing our story with others as no one seems to know what a Dutch Shepherd is.

I'm sure you all know what I am talking about and see much of my own dog in yours. This breed is amazing and beyond loyal. I think that he is most likely a DS/GSD cross but I'd love feed back from those of you who have more experience with the breed. He seems too big/robust to be a full blooded DS weighing in at almost 100 pounds before we had to slim him down due to arthritis in his hips.

Aside from my wonderful dogs I work in the horse industry. I hope to learn a lot from this board and maybe find our next DS!

Hello!!
Welcome to the group.
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Happy's story seems familiar to me?? Did you, by chance, contact the North American Dutch Shepherd Rescue when you found him. I don't know why, but I really have a sense of De ja vu (sp??) with him.

Welcome to the forum! Do you have any pictures of Happy you could share?

Welcome

Thanks for the welcome guys. It's great to be able to chat with knowledgeable owners/breeders and others who love and enjoy this breed as much as I do!

Christie, I think I only contacted a GSD rescue but it's possible I contacted you too. I was in TX at the time. I'd never heard of (or seen) a DS before rescuing Happy. There are a lot of them in the area because of the military base though. When I found him he was between 4-6 years old (best guess by vet) an in tact male who weighed in at 35 lbs, and had heart worms so severe the Dr. said the treatment would probably kill him. He was also suffering from major elephantitis in his ears from chronic untreated ear infections. Several of his teeth were chipped from chewing on rocks and it was very clear he had never lived in a house or been allowed to interact with other dogs. Happy did not know what dog food was and would not drink or eat from a bowl. When my dogs tried to engage him in play he would just get out of their way and try to make himself invisible so he wasn't 'in the way'. It was pretty clear he had been living on the streets finding food wherever he could.

He came into the home of 2 spayed females and was as kind and polite to them as you could ask any dog to be. Despite having his testes he never took a step out of line with them or us. The first photo below was taken on the 2nd or 3rd day following his rescue (he weighed less than 45 lbs in this photo) the last was taken after he'd been with us for a year. He is seated on a swing (which he enjoyed swinging on) next to my GSD mix and weighing in at close to 100 lbs.

Welcome.

Welcome

Welcome!

welcome
and great rescue story

Welcome. What a great story and great name!

Thank you all! Does anyone have feed back regarding his breeding. Do you all think that he could be a pure bred or is he likely a cross due to his size/bone? He has a thick coat like a GSD, not a fine coat like the other DS's I've seen. I know they come in long hair too but I've not seen a long hair in person so I cannot comment as to the similarity of his coat to those.

My husband and I are on the look out for a DS or GSD that may need a home or foster care so if something comes up please keep us in mind. Since we have a coming 4 yo child and 2 other dogs (and cats around the barn) we do need a dog that is good in those situations. Sex does not matter and we are happy to train or work with 'problem children' as we've rescued those before.

I'm so happy that Happy found you guys! What a great story, and he sure sounds like a wonderful dog.

I think he's a DS mix, but a little hard to tell from that picture what the mix would be. Do you have any of him standing from the side?

Glad you found us!

Welcome

Welcome to the forum

Glad to see another PNW member.
I'm in Oregon but travel to WA a few times a year to attend training seminars or trial with my Dutch Shepherd 'Force' .

Happy is gorgeous !!!
How lucky for him that you came to his rescue, and lucky you for having such a great dog in your life

Hope you'll share more pictures and adventures with us.