malnourished, skin & bones puppy.
Favorite Sports/Activities/Pastime: SQUIRRELS, OMD (Oh My Dog!), I love chasing Squirrels in my back yard, just like Ricochet.And, the lizards... Do you have any idea how many lizards are in my back yard? I also like hiking the Santa Monica Mountains, and I have been to the snow. Running through Doggie Agility course tunnels are tons of fun, also. However, I get my best exercise chasing Birdies at the beach, and I have been known to herd sheep! Yes! Real Sheep. But, do you know that I see sheep at the beach surfing? Daddy says that they are really Doggies, but all I see are sheep that need to be herded. That's why you might see me wearing a muzzle at the beach when I am around all those sheep on surfboards. They are all running around crazy, and I should be organizing them all in a small herd! I am a different Doggie...I am a German Shepherd, but with a Big Heart.
Pet Peeves: Squirrels! Oh, doze waskally waskells!They know just how to climb trees to escape me.And, I am not happy when Doggies sneek up on me! Reminds me when I was a scared Homeless Puppy.
Favorite Toy: Lots! I have them stashed ALL over the house & yard.
Well, I was just a little puppy, and it is hard for me to remember. I don't remember having a home. I think I ate garbage in an alleyway. Other doggies were mean to me, and I was so, so hungry all the time. Then a man in a big truck with little cages took me to jail. There were other doggies in jail with me. But, soon the nice people came. Soon, they took me to a park where people came to look at us. I was sitting there when this wonderful college student named Jonathan and his buddy called Alex stopped and looked at me. I don't know what he thought since I felt sad at the time. Jonathan spent a lot of time with me, and said he wanted me. I didn't know what that meant. He and his friend left after talking to some people. They sent me back to jail that night! A couple of days later, they took me to a doctor where I think they said they were going to tutor me. I soon went to sleep, and awoke feeling hurt. A couple of days later at the doctor's office, I was taken to a waiting room, and was told to go with two people waiting for me. Larry and Rosemary, Jonathan's Mom & Dad, looked at me sadly. I was scared, quivering, hurt, and my ribs were sticking out from being malnourished. They were kind, but it took them a half hour to just get me to their car in the parking lot. I remember being taken into their house. Wow...a house! I always wondered what the inside of a house looked like. I spent the day cowering and sniffing around wondering when they would kick me out. Then, all of a sudden...there he was! Jonathan! The guy who said he wanted me! Oh, no...there's something terribly wrong with my body. My tail is moving back and forth extremely rapidly and my breathing is rapid, also. I don't know what is happening. I have never experienced this before.
So, what did Jon name me? He named me Heidi, of course. I have had a million tail wags at the Brambles FURever Home since those days. My life is so wonderful! Food, shelter, walks, and the best Doggie Hugs all day long. Even, Doggie massages! I get to chase squirrels, gophers, and birdies. Since I am a German Shepherd, and I am older now, I needed to have a job. So, I have tried several different careers. Doggie Agility was fun, and I loved running through the tunnel. But, there are just too many toys to buy and not enough room in my back yard. I tried herding sheep...the people at the Doggie Park told Larry that is where he needed to take me. He did, and I loved herding sheep. Only one problem. The dirt ground was causing abrasions on my paws and hurting me so much. Back to the Doctor, who said I would most likely continually cause abrasions to my paws if I continued sheep herding. So, what job could I get? Well, one day Jon's Dad, Larry, was at his computer working with photographs of sheep (I see dogs as sheep, NOT dogs) surfing that he had taken. I started whining, and wouldn't you know it? He got the hint.
My surf training lasted about one year and took Puppy Steps. First, learning to play in the surf chasing a tennis ball. OOOoohhh, but chasing the birdies were so much more fun. Then, I got a surf board! I just stared at it at though, not knowing what to do. Wow, I was given treats if I stood on the board, and even my favorite dinner if I laid down on it. Later on, Larry took the end of the board while I was on it and moved it around. That was so silly, but fun. One day, I got a new vest. I put it on at the beach and ran around with it. Didn't know what it was for until he took me to the Barkley Beach. It is actually a Doggie Pool at the Barkley Pet Hotel & Day Spa. Holy Cow! I've gone from a Homeless starving Puppy to K9 Glucosamine tastes of a rich Poochie! Well, at the Barkley Beach a Wonderful Hawaiian named Kahea taught me to swim using my vest to help. Oh, it's a Doggie Flotation Vest! Well, it didn't take me long to learn how to swim. One day on the way to swim lessons with Kahea, Larry said that we were going to take my surf board. HHhhmmm...I wondered what for? Well, at Barkley Beach Beach it was just a couple of laps chasing my birdie toy while swimming when they put my board in the pool. I just did what I always do, and jumped on my board without any hesitation. Why are they so happy? Very puzzling. But my reward was being pushed around the pool. Boy! I have REALLY got Larry and Kahea trained very well.
Barkley Beach Pool training on my board was fun. A German News Crew even came out and filmed me learning to stand on my board! But, then at the end of summer, we packed up all my gear and headed to Del Mar Beach far away. OMD (Oh My Dog!)...There were sheep all over the beach with surfboards! I just wanted to herd them all up. But Larry said this nice Lady named Helen Woodward arranged all those sheep to come down and show me how to stand on my board and have waves push me instead of Larry and Kahea.
Well, it was scary at first. I learned how to do the Wipeout. Then, Mr. San Diego Surf Academy told me that he would put a leash on me, and it would be like going for a walk, but just standing on a board. WALK!?! Hey, I know how to go for a walk. I can do that. So, he attached the leash, and I went for a walk just standing on my board while the waves moved me! Did you know that they call that surfing? I LOVE SURFIING! I did so well, that Peter said that I could join this club. I have finally found my job, and I would love everyone to come watch me surf! If you do, just tell everyone...Hey, there's Heidi the Surfing Shepherd!
Awards and/or Metals won Surfing: Well, so far, just real big smiles, cheers, and applause from Larry, Rosemary, Jon, Ryan, Peter Noll (SoCal Surf Dogs), Pat Weber (San Diego Surfing Academy), Helen Woodward Surf Clinic Volunteers Mike, Ollie, and Skye! Oh, and a big smile from Kahea Eaton, my Barkley Beach Pool surfing lesson mentor. He's Hawaiian...that's why I did so well at the Surf Clinics. So, that is all that I really want or need!
Awards and/or Metals for other Activities or Sports: The look on faces of sheep while I am herding them!
Titles and/or Honors:Voted Best Bird Chaser by Seagulls & Marbled Godwits of Ventura County.
Other: Taking applications for "Team Heidi" to help me surf at Del Mar Dog Beach and Huntington Beach Dog Beach! The Endless Summer has just begun...I am looking for the perfect surf board!