Some more thoughts on this delightful German Shepherd.
Cleopatra has been with us since 2011 when we lived in Payson, Az. The background is that Sandra Tucker who ran the GSD Breeders Jutone, in Devon, England, where Pharaoh was born, gave me some advice. Sandra said that when Pharaoh was getting on in life, then bring in a German Shepherd puppy. Apparently, there were two solid reasons why this made sense. The first was that Pharaoh would teach the new puppy many of the skills and disciplines that Pharaoh had learnt as a young dog and, secondly, the puppy would keep Pharaoh active.
That was the case. Cleo has never had a day’s training from Jean and me yet she is a bright, smart dog that knows all that is to be known.
Well Pharaoh died in 2017 but Cleo is very much alive. She is a beautiful dog!
One of the issues with Parkinson’s disease is that it plays havoc with one’s sleep patterns. For a long time Jean has been waking anytime between midnight and 3am and having to get up. Jean tends to go into the kitchen and prepare the breakfast to be consumed much later on when we are both washed and dressed.
But this article is about Cleo.
Cleo has the instincts of a hunter dog; that’s a common feature of GSDs. So when Jean gets up and goes into the kitchen Cleo is right with her. Indeed Jean says that she won’t enter the kitchen area properly until Cleo has given it the all clear. Cleo takes a careful observation, including scent and hearing, looking for any sign of mice and rats. Luckily I sleep through it all albeit in the early days I used to wake up as well.
Just another example of the way that dogs embrace our human lives!
Learning from Dogs 
Ours take the ‘show’ of guarding the house very seriously.
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John, German Shepherds are an extra special breed in a species that are exquisitely close to us humans.
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Cleo is adorable and so fortunate to have had Pharaoh as a teacher! ❤️
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And an essential step on that journey, Marina, was being given that advice by the owner of Jutone.
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Nice story of life with dogs.
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Thank you for your reply!
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Paul, I had a German Shepard as a kid until she was put down at age 17. And she was my guard dog, much like your Cleo is Jean’s. Today, I have 2 Border Aussies. The more Border Collie female, Maddie, is watchful, by my side, everyday. She checked me out wherever I am. And alerts me to outside noise & close to the house – mail person & delivery packages. The more Australian Shepard male, Max, is the follower, more calm, cool & collected. They are the same age, from different mothers and the same father. I’ve never had the experience that you had with bringing a puppy into the house with an older dog there. It does make sense, and it certainly worked for you. 🐶🎶🐶 Christine
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Christine, thank you for your reply and I’m only sorry I haven’t been at my computer for the last 5 hours. The nature and sophistication of the bond between a dog and a human is amazing. There is so much more to a dog than some people think but, luckily, in this place we all know and love dogs for what they are!
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Absolutely, Paul 🐶🎶🐶
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Thank you!
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Oh wow, Paul, sorry to hear about Jean’s Parkinson’s. And that she has Cleo is wonderful. What a beautiful dog! And aren’t they here to teach us SO much!? Happy New Year to you both and all! ❤
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Bela, and a Happy New Year in return. Yes, Jeannie was diagnosed in December, 2015, exactly the same date that my good friend in the UK, Richard Maugham, was diagnosed. Cleo especially takes remarkable care of Jean when she wakes in the middle of the night. All dogs in general share their ‘unconditional integrity’ with us humans. They teach us how to love and behave!
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And more, Paul. I love that, ‘unconditional integrity.’ Can’t say that about many humans! 😇
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Bela,
From the home page of this blog:
Dogs live in the present – they just are! Dogs make the best of each moment uncluttered by the sorts of complex fears and feelings that we humans have. They don’t judge, they simply take the world around them at face value. Yet they have been part of man’s world for an unimaginable time, at least 30,000 years. That makes the domesticated dog the longest animal companion to man, by far!
As man’s companion, protector and helper, history suggests that dogs were critically important in man achieving success as a hunter-gatherer. Dogs ‘teaching’ man to be so successful a hunter enabled evolution, some 20,000 years later, to farming, thence the long journey to modern man. But in the last, say 100 years, that farming spirit has become corrupted to the point where we see the planet’s plant and mineral resources as infinite. Mankind is close to the edge of extinction, literally and spiritually.
Dogs know better, much better! Time again for man to learn from dogs!
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Absolutely! Thanks for sharing. 🙏
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