Bruce and the Police Dog Handler

by Sue
(was South Africa)

We had a beautiful GSD bitch who was mated with a superb male that the local police had long coveted. We agreed to keep a male pup for a year, and then donate him to the Police for training. The Police Dog Handler came to visit us to explain that we could teach basic commands such as ?sit? or ?stay? or ?down?, but nothing else.

So Bruce grew up in our home, along with the children and our cats.

Then came the day that the Dog Handler was to come and get him to start his training. South African Police in those days had an aura of aggression about them, and the Dog Handler came while my husband was at work.

The children and I were there, as was Bruce, his mother and his aunt. Bruce did not like the Dog Handler and growled to warn him not to come any further. The Policeman ignored him and carried on walking towards us. Bruce grabbed him by the wrist, sat down, looked up at him and carried on growling.

?Oh no!? I thought. ?I?ve had it now. That dog has bitten a Policeman, and there is no way I can talk myself out of this one!?

I needn?t have worried. The guy was very pleased because Bruce hadn?t bitten as such; he was simply holding the man?s wrist in his mouth and warning of worse to come if the guy upset him further. When the Dog Handler discovered that we had not trained him to do that and that he was acting on his own initiative, he was over the moon.

It was very sad to see Bruce go, but he went on to have a long and successful career as a Tracker Dog.


Total German Shepherd:


Hey there, Sue. It is good to hear from you all the way over in South Africa. Thanks so much for taking the time to come here and sharing your story of Bruce and the Police Dog Handler with us all today.

That is a great picture too - Thanks!