Just a couple of months after Remy came Opi, an 8 week old, ahem, "rottweiler" (one of many lessons in breeders to avoid). A very fluffy puppy, it wasn't long before we twigged that Opi was a cross! I'll never know for certain, but her physical appearance, coat, and behaviour put German Shepherd/rottweiler/collie at the top of the list for her heritage. Since I've subsequently owned Faolan, who was a GSD?collie, I am certain of that as they were so, so similar!
Opi was a nervous pup to begin with; she spent her first round of puppy socialisation class hiding under the chair, so I signed her up for a repeat. Within two weeks she'd made a friend in a young dobe, and has gone from strength to strength - for her first few years she took it upon herself to teach other nervous dogs how to play and be confident, encouraging several dogs who'd never played with anyone before to find their feet. She retired a few years ago, but she was always my best stooge dog - ever calm, gracious and understanding, gently teaching frightened dogs that other dogs aren't all that scary.
Sadly I lost Opi in 2014 to aggressive liver cancer. Losing her was a huge shock for me and my other dogs, and it's never been quite the same here since; Opi was very much the matriarch of the group here and it's never been the same without her.
Opi was a nervous pup to begin with; she spent her first round of puppy socialisation class hiding under the chair, so I signed her up for a repeat. Within two weeks she'd made a friend in a young dobe, and has gone from strength to strength - for her first few years she took it upon herself to teach other nervous dogs how to play and be confident, encouraging several dogs who'd never played with anyone before to find their feet. She retired a few years ago, but she was always my best stooge dog - ever calm, gracious and understanding, gently teaching frightened dogs that other dogs aren't all that scary.
Sadly I lost Opi in 2014 to aggressive liver cancer. Losing her was a huge shock for me and my other dogs, and it's never been quite the same here since; Opi was very much the matriarch of the group here and it's never been the same without her.