About It
I’m going to talk about real experiences and lessons learned from life love and the pursuit of happiness. Will we find it? possibly. Are we about it? Most Definitely! Come along for the journey as we venture through the up’s and downs together.
About It
From Shelter to Soulmate: The Rewarding Chaos of German Shepherd Ownership
Ever wondered what happens when you adopt a canine genius with unlimited energy? That's exactly what I discovered when I brought home Bolt, my German Shepherd from a shelter at the county dump in Florida.
Bolt isn't just a dog – he's a furry tornado with a PhD who can open doors, turn on faucets (though never off), and execute complex problem-solving that would put some college students to shame. After my beloved poodle Sparky passed away, I decided to "be about it" and go bigger. Little did I know how that decision would transform my life completely!
German Shepherds were bred for herding and protection, making them working dogs with intelligence and stamina that can feel almost supernatural. While my Golden Doodle Murphy embodies the calm, therapeutic temperament many dream of in a pet, Bolt approaches life with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated toddler discovering sugar for the first time. Through marathon walks where he pulls like he's towing a semi-truck to endless games of fetch (because "Ball is life"), Bolt has taught me patience, consistency, and joy in ways I never expected.
Living with a German Shepherd requires dedication – two-plus hours of daily exercise combining physical and mental stimulation, consistent training routines, durable toys that can withstand determined destruction, and understanding their territorial nature. But the rewards? Absolutely immeasurable. As Bolt approaches three years old, our bond has deepened into something profound – a loyalty and affection that makes every challenge worthwhile.
Whether you're considering adopting a German Shepherd or just curious about these remarkable animals, my journey with Bolt offers both caution and encouragement. These dogs will test your limits and transform your understanding of canine companionship. Ready for the adventure? Subscribe to the About It Podcast and join me as I navigate life with my brilliant, exhausting, and utterly lovable fur monster!
Get a German Shepherd. They said It'll be fun. They said, oh man, yeah, it's pretty great though. Welcome to the show, Talk about it or be about it. It's the About it Podcast. Here we go. I'm your host, bradley Marcello. Hey, hey everyone, and welcome to About it.
Speaker 1:Today's episode is going to be on dogs, and I have a three-year-old German Shepherd who, I believe, is harnessing the inner child of a Tasmanian devil. Well, let's get to it All right, y'all. So about a year or so ago, I got a feeling the urge to no-transcript. I used to have a poodle called Sparky that was his name. Um, really cool little dog lived about 14 years until we had to put them down. A little sad. But um, this time around I'm like you know what I'm going to be about it. I'm going bigger, going home, and I did not go home without my new German shepherd. His name is Bolt and man, I got to say it's been a challenge.
Speaker 1:Now I knew pretty much right away that I didn't want to go just buy a dog. I'm more into the adoption type of thing. So, after what seemed like an exhaustive search, looking around shelters online and all that good stuff, I found my guys sitting at a shelter that the sheriff's office ran in florida. Um, now, this place, I gotta tell you like, like, really, um, so this, this shelter was actually at the county dump. Now, if you don't think that's a strange place for a shelter, I don't know what to tell you, but really, like this animal shelter, it was on the same property as the landfill and when I walked in there and I saw Bolt, now I did look at some of the other dogs around there and German Shepherds and all that, but they just weren't as friendly and we didn't really connect like I did with Bull. So when I went to some of the other cages, for example in kennels, the dogs would either be aggressive, go to the back of their cage and growl or something like that.
Speaker 1:But Bull, when I got to his now, he came up to the front of the cage, he laid down and when I kneeled down in front of him he actually just started licking my fingers through the cage. He wasn't growling or anything, he just he just wanted a good home to go to. And when I saw that I I just couldn't pass it up. I knew he was mine right then and there, and I think he did too. The reason I'm told that his name is Bolt is because apparently he had so much energy and was just about uncontrollable and like a bolt of lightning. He actually got adopted before I found him and the owner returned him to the shelter because I believe they were an older person and just could not handle him, and I can tell you from experience that he has been a handful. When I finally got him out of the cage there and took him to the preview area that they had set up for owners to test to see if they were okay with each other, this guy could not stop moving around. He was running to one side of the cage to the other, jumping around. Um could not control him, could not get his attention. He just wanted to do anything else, but pay attention to the fact that I was there good times, uh. So anyway, yeah, I was like this sounds like a good idea and I took him home.
Speaker 1:So a little info on German Shepherds. They were originally bred for herding and protection, so they have very high levels of intelligence and endless energy. They're considered a working class dog, so they can go for days and days and not get tired. And these things are smart, I swear. I mean. They have intelligence to the point where if I wanted to cheat on a college test, I think I would bring Bolt along Like no joke.
Speaker 1:When I first brought this guy home, I thought I'd put him in the room or something when I needed to have company over, or anything like that. And next thing I know the guy's greeting me in the living room with a smile. He actually knows how to open doors, as long as they have a handle on them, that's not round or something like that, and they have a lever on them. This guy has learned to open doors. He can open them and push them or pull them with his nose. If he gets thirsty, then he has actually learned to grab onto the water faucet of the house and turn it on himself. Now, turning it back off, that's another story.
Speaker 1:I've come home sometimes and wondering why there's a lake on the garage floor. Look at Bolt. He's sitting over there in the corner, grinning, of course, and I'm like yep, yep, yep, I already know what you did. I know what you did, buddy. You did buddy. Thanks a lot. Now I got a whole uh lake to mop up. Thank you, I just wanted a best friend, but I got a four-legged uh fur monster with a phd that could go take out the declaration of independence like on national treasure, the treasure of the movie, or something.
Speaker 1:Now, murphy, on the other hand, uh, the golden doodle we also have now, she, uh, she's a sweetheart, she is also smart, but she listens. She will come and sit with you all, nice and calm, and and uh, the groomers called her a therapy dog. Um, just, very docile and and and you know, can't go. Do no wrong with her. I mean, she uses the bathroom outside instead of peeing on the fresh groceries you just brought home, is hypoallergenic, doesn't drop fur all over the place. Meanwhile, bolt over here, you give him one hug and you come out looking like a woolly mammoth. I mean, good Lord, after winter's over and then the summer starts hitting, bolt, sheds enough fur to create, create like five more dogs. I swear you should see it fill up a trash bag when you go to brush them.
Speaker 1:And walks, oh yeah, let's talk about walks. Uh, there, aren't they the best? Uh, hauling one of these uh tractors around. So the other day I took a murphy and bolt on a walk to town and back. I think it was about a I don't know four mile round trip. Um, murphy loves to walk on the leash. She's all nice and calm and and doesn't yank your arm out. Meanwhile, bold, over here, uh, I think he's trying to pull, uh, at least he thinks. Um, he's trying to pull a semi-truck full of uh, bricks or something that broke down. I mean, good Lord, you can't stop them. So we get through this walk, halfway through this walk and you know Murphy's tiring out, but Bolt like we get all the way to the end of the walk and this guy is still pulling my arm out of the socket. Now let's talk about Ball. Ball is life, even at the end of this walk. We just did. Let's talk about ball Ball is life Even at the end of this walk. We just did.
Speaker 1:Bull gets home and he's like Ball, ball, where's Ball? Where's my Ball? I want Ball, let's Ball. And I'm like, okay, give me a minute.
Speaker 1:So, literally miles after the golden doodles worn out, at this point Bull is chasing the Ball down and at this point I feel like I should just quit the gym, because now I've gotten a workout from walking miles with this guy and now my arms have gotten pulled out of their socket and I've been throwing this ball around for about I don't know 30 minutes, and he still wants more. I mean, this guy is amazing. I love him, but after a while in this case, a long while eventually I got places to be, things to do. Maybe I just want to sit down and rest. So the ball life is going to have to be put on hold for a while.
Speaker 1:What I have to end up doing is hiding the darn thing, and even then it takes him a while to get it. Uh, of, just uh. He'll sit there and, and he knows where this thing's at, like it, I've hidden the ball at this point, but it's not like it's disappeared. He, he is smart enough to know right where I've put it. So he'll just sit there and and stare at it for a while until he gets the message that hey, it's, it's, it's relaxation time, it's time for us to take a break, buddy, that's when I'll sit there and chill for a while and, uh, scroll on my phone, you know, take a breath or something, and and I'll get to thinking that you know what I?
Speaker 1:I am an animal person, and I thought I was a dog guy, right, yeah, but this guy has taught me that I am no animal expert. I am not a professional dog trainer. Thanks for taking me down a notch, bolt. This is where I highly suggest, if you're not a professional dog trainer, that you definitely look up some good resources, like I had to do. I didn't exactly want to spend money on, or have the money to spend on, a professional dog trainer, so I looked up some tips and resources online and there is a lot of good stuff out there and I highly suggest you doing this early on as possible with these guys.
Speaker 1:Other dogs may be more, like I said, docile and take on training better, um, but these german shepherds you definitely have to invest a lot of time and energy into their well-being. They highly benefit from a steady and consistent hand. You know, just be willing to dedicate a lot of time and patience and effort into these creatures. Honestly, they deserve it. The biggest thing that helped, obviously, is that Bolt and I connected right from the start and while I didn't know a lot going into it, I have learned a lot along the way. So I have to say, if the connection was essential, then the willingness to do whatever it takes and believe me, it takes a lot to raise these dogs the willingness to do. Whatever it takes is a requirement get a German shepherd. They said it'll be fun. They said, oh yeah, it's pretty great.
Speaker 1:Though, if I have to say one thing, getting bold has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It hasn't been easy along the way, but now, once you get into the three years old mark and beyond that, you're going to have a companion that will never leave your side, and you're never going to have a friend more loyal than a German Shepherd. I'm telling you, every bit of time and energy and blood, sweat and tears or whatever you want to call it that you put into these guys, they're going to give it back to you tenfold and love you with everything they have for the rest of their life. Just like Bolt loves Ball and Ball is life, he also loves me too, and he would do anything for me. If you find yourself with a German Shepherd in the house, you're going to find this out too. I love this little adorable goofball with ADHD more than anything and would do anything for him as well.
Speaker 1:Some tips I'd like to leave you with is German Shepherds. They, like you've heard, require a lot of exercise. They honestly take about two hours plus daily. To get their fill, I suggest mixing walks with runs. Play fetch with them they definitely love that. Play some mental games with them, some puzzles, leave things places where they haven't seen you, put it there and then release them and let them go find it. Get some snuffle mats, some play hide and seek with some kibble. Let them sniff it out, you know.
Speaker 1:Of course, get them some toys, and I highly suggest get them some tough ones, like the Kong Extreme, some Go Nuts, max Bark Box, things that stand the test of time and definitely be ready to replace some toys here and there, because these guys can create a little destruction once in a while, especially if they get bored. So just try to do the best you can and keep them busy to the best of your ability. Obviously, work life gets in the way, but I know my guy definitely does better the more attention I can pay to him. Some other advice is obviously about training. Now I did mention a little bit before, but once you look up some good resources online to start five to 10 minute little training sessions, give some treats, get a clicker, use some loose leash techniques like stop and sit, turnaround methods, avoid choking, prong collars the best you can for house training, do consistent potty breaks, definitely, reward them for going outside and supervise them when they're out there, at least to start.
Speaker 1:Definitely. Because I'll tell you one thing um, they definitely can be territorial. Now, my dog's not aggressive or anything really, but he will definitely let me know every mailman, ups guy or fedex person that shows up. Oh my gosh, I'm sorry amazon person that showed up the other day. I am so sorry for leaving the garage door open. Um, won't happen again next time. Now to all my listeners, nothing happened actually, but bolt definitely went up to the amazon person and and loudly announced that that this was his house To close, through chewed T-shirts and marathon walks, bolt has taught me patience, consistency and that, well, life's more fun when you ball. I'd like to thank all my listeners for joining my show today. Please, please, if you enjoyed the show, subscribe, download this episode, follow, follow me, look me up on youtube at the about it podcast, and I just wanted to thank you so, so much for taking time out of your day to join the about it podcast. Remember, talk about it or be about it. Let's go, thank you.
