It's all about Andy!
I have to admit, when I created my blog last year I thought I would be able to update it (with more or less useful entries) every other week or so. Well, I guess I was wrong. So what happened? It can be explained in one sentence: It's all about Andy now...
Most of my relatives and close friends in "Old Europe" are somewhat familiar with my secret past, but my more recent friends in the "New World" don't have a clue that at one point in my life, it was all about dogs…
At a time when Global Warming was still something to look forward to (at least in rainy Hamburg), my parents decided it would be nice to add a dog to our family. The decision came down to either a Boxer or a German shepherd. Knowing that Boxers slobber a lot, I successfully lobbied for the alternative. So it all started with Anka, my dad's first German shepherd. Since you can't just lock a German shepherd in your house all day (unless you want it demolished), my dad got involved with a German shepherd club nearby and eventually became one of the founding members of one of Germany's first Red Cross rescue dog teams (DRK Rettungshundestaffel Hamburg). At that point, I was not too involved with my dads dog, but I guess if you expose a teenager to all this doggie stuff every day for years, you either get someone that is eager to follow the same path ( = me), or someone who will probably never get dog at all ( = my brother). At the age of seventeen, I got my first dog. Having worked a lot of dogs over the years, "Wolf" certainly was not an easy dog for a rookie, but a perfect one for teaching a clueless dog handler that even simple training mistakes won't be forgiven.
I spent the following ten (+) years with dogs. Every spare minute that was not occupied with studying or some of the other "important" things youngsters do was focused around dog stuff… They say it's the taking part that counts. I did not think so. The news clipping below might help to illustrate that.
I started with "Schutzhund" training, ultimately competing in a myriad of trials and tournaments where especially my second dog "Sam" did very well. I also joined the rescue dog team that my father co-founded and I trained my dogs in trailing, area search and disaster search. Eventually, me and my dogs were deployed in countless search and rescue missions ranging from missing person searches in the wilderness to urban disaster searches (i.e. after gas explosions). We were also twice selected to serve in international Red Cross rapid response missions after the major earth quakes in Armenia (former USSR) and eastern Turkey. I was eventually awarded the "DKR Leistungsspange in Silber" (Silver achievement brooch), one of the highest awards conferred by the German Red Cross for outstanding mission achievements.
Over the years, my career got more demanding and I ended up with (a lot) less time and (a lot) more travel. My work with dogs had to take a backseat. When I left Germany in 1997 and moved to the United States, my second dog "Sam" went into his well deserved retirement with my parents. Did I miss my dogs? Absolutely, but I also knew it would not be fair to a dog if you don't have enough time and/or space for it. I did not want to get anything other than a German shepherd, and boy do they need lots of time, space and exercise. Now, more than 10 years after I left Germany, I call California my home and I finally have more time, space and flexibility (thanks to my amazing wife Sandra and the benefits of entrepreneurship).
That brings me back to Andy. One morning in January during one of my regular video-conference sessions with my parents in Hamburg, I mentioned to them that Sandra and I had decided to get a dog. We were thinking about getting a German shepherd puppy later this year and I was interested to learn what it would take to import one from a strong working-dog blood line directly from a German breeder. Since an old friend of mine is a German shepherd breeder, I asked my dad to consult with him about what kennels I should look at later in the year. The next morning when I checked my email, I was flooded with a dozen of puppy pictures. At first, I thought "gee! my parents are taking their information gathering job seriously and it is nice of them to send me pictures of my friends' current litter... But then, my mom said something unexpected: "Did you see the picture with your father holding your dog? His name is Andy…" My dog? Andy? I still did not quite understand what was going on when the boiler room sales pitch started. "He is the perfect puppy, Maineiche blood line, we watched all siblings and he shows very strong, you need to make a decision NOW or the opportunity is gone!" Holy moly! This was not a penny stock trader pitching there, these were my parents and they were serious. I told my dad that I had to deal with some critical business at the office for the next 6 weeks, but as soon as I said this, he responded that he would bring the dog to me and all I needed to do is pick him up at the airport. Well, Sandra and I were kind of taken by surprise, but what would life be without surprises? So we decided to get Andy.
Here comes Andy von Tajö (his registered name).
Andy arrived in the United States on January 22, 2008 - My dad took him by train from Hamburg to Frankfurt and then checked him on a direct flight to San Francisco to minimize the time this poor little thing had to be locked in its crate. Look at these paws! He is going to be *really* big.
The past few months, I have been spending a lot of time with Andy. I even got a bunch of training related books since there has been a lot of talk that training methods evolved quite a bit over the years. And they did… In the end, having Andy around is great fun and you can watch his energy level grow day by day. I am back in my element, I am taking Andy tracking 3-4 times per week, he has learned a great amount of self discipline and is eager to work (=play). I might join a rescue dog team again, but then again, I don't think that I have that much spare time…
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