Well, I knew it would come eventually. We got a puppy. Bacchus was my working sport dog for years. When he passed away in August 2024, Xiggy was supposed to take on the mantle. She had other ideas, however. Despite trying several different training styles and avenues for her, including IGP, nosework, agility, and rally, she prefers to be a house dog. I’m not one to push a dog who doesn’t enjoy the work, so I thought for the time being I would be dogless.

I had talked to a few breeders about various dogs and had just about taken the plunge a few times, but for one reason or another the timing was never right. In this case, I had reached out about the longhair male with a nice pedigree. Unfortunately, he was spoken for. I had moved on, but then got a note from the breeder. The man who had put the deposit down on this guy decided he didn’t want the hassle of a longhair German Shepherd. The puppy then known as Jack was again available. After discussing it with the better half, we said yes.

His official name is Basil von Kernholz on his AKC paperwork. Basil rhyming with razzle dazzle. I picked him up at 9 weeks old. He has been a handful! No matter how ready you think you are for a puppy, you’re not.

We’ve been having a lot of fun, though. He is a fast learner and absolutely fearless. We will see how it goes. So far, he has had his first vet visit and seen many new places. He has grown from about 12 pounds when I picked him up to 33 pounds at 14 weeks.