Hello from Ohio!

[Brend83]

Hi! My name is Brenda and I found you guys through a GSD Reddit post. I’m down to one shepherd after losing my youngest Haley (at 9yo) to DKA the day after Christmas. My male (Rocky D. Dogg) is still mourning her so we are now saving up to get another puppy. It’s really weird only having one! I’ve never had less than 2 shepherds at a time. Anywho…I’ll post a picture of Rocky and Haley. Everyone always asks me if Rocky is a wolf lol. Haley is the pic with her beloved ball which now sits next to her urn.

 

[Andre]

Hey Brenda, welcome to the GSDHQ! I am sorry to hear about the passing of Haley. It's definitely a really hard adjustment to be down a family member.

Rocky D. Dogg is a great name by the way. I can definitely see the wolfiness in him, he's got a very light coat. Give Rocky a nice scratch for me.

It's great to have you both around. I’ll be looking forward to hearing how your puppy search goes. Have you already joined any waitlists, or are you still checking out breeders?

 

[Malakai The Great]

I’m so sorry for your loss, Brenda. Haley sounds like she was something special, that kind of bond never really fades, it just changes shape. You can see the love in both of their eyes.

Rocky’s a handsome boy too, he definitely has that wolfy look! I’m glad you found your way here. This is a good place to share memories like that, and I’m sure your next pup will have some big pawprints to fill.

 

[20thcentboy]

Hi! My name is Brenda and I found you guys through a GSD Reddit post. I’m down to one shepherd after losing my youngest Haley (at 9yo) to DKA the day after Christmas. My male (Rocky D. Dogg) is still mourning her so we are now saving up to get another puppy. It’s really weird only having one! I’ve never had less than 2 shepherds at a time. Anywho…I’ll post a picture of Rocky and Haley. Everyone always asks me if Rocky is a wolf lol. Haley is the pic with her beloved ball which now sits next to her urn.

Hiya, welcome to the site. Rocky looks like a good boy. Sorry to hear of your loss your companion Haley.

 

[Kaia Murphy]

Oh Brenda, I’m so sorry for your loss. Haley sounds like she was such a special soul. That photo with her ball says it all. I’m glad you found your way here, it sounds like Rocky’s lucky to have you helping him heal. Can’t wait to see which puppy joins your family next when the time’s right.

 

[Brend83]

Hey Brenda, welcome to the GSDHQ! I am sorry to hear about the passing of Haley. It's definitely a really hard adjustment to be down a family member.

Rocky D. Dogg is a great name by the way. I can definitely see the wolfiness in him, he's got a very light coat. Give Rocky a nice scratch for me.

It's great to have you both around. I’ll be looking forward to hearing how your puppy search goes. Have you already joined any waitlists, or are you still checking out breeders?

Thank you!
I haven’t joined any waitlists yet because I’m saving up the money needed. I’ll tell you I got my first shepherd on my own for $250 from a breeder and Haley was $750 from a breeder and now you need at least $3000 for a puppy! It’s nuts! I’ve been looking at breeders online but I honestly hate this part of the process because even though I do a lot of research it still seems to be a crap shoot…I definitely don’t want to go through what we did with Haley ever again…it was devastating not being able to do anything to stop the DKA and we were never told by the vet that it was even a thing until I’m sitting with a paralyzed dog wondering what happened. We had been checking blood sugar and giving her insulin twice a day for a year and a half…strict diet the whole 9 yards and bam! Here we are having to put her down the day after Christmas. All my shepherds have lived no less than 12 years and I’ve had 2 make it to 16…so to lose her at 9 when she was still acting like a puppy was just devastating. So I’m open to any and all suggestions on breeders in Ohio, PA.

 

[Andre]

Thank you!
I haven’t joined any waitlists yet because I’m saving up the money needed. I’ll tell you I got my first shepherd on my own for $250 from a breeder and Haley was $750 from a breeder and now you need at least $3000 for a puppy! It’s nuts! I’ve been looking at breeders online but I honestly hate this part of the process because even though I do a lot of research it still seems to be a crap shoot…I definitely don’t want to go through what we did with Haley ever again…it was devastating not being able to do anything to stop the DKA and we were never told by the vet that it was even a thing until I’m sitting with a paralyzed dog wondering what happened. We had been checking blood sugar and giving her insulin twice a day for a year and a half…strict diet the whole 9 yards and bam! Here we are having to put her down the day after Christmas. All my shepherds have lived no less than 12 years and I’ve had 2 make it to 16…so to lose her at 9 when she was still acting like a puppy was just devastating. So I’m open to any and all suggestions on breeders in Ohio, PA.

The prices are wild right now, I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been in the same boat looking for the right breeder, one even quoted me $5,500 for a pup from a champion line. Around $2,500-3,000 really does seem to be the new normal for dogs with proper health testing.

I totally understand the fear of going through another health issue after what happened with Haley. That had to be devastating. You can tell how much you cared for her, she was lucky to have you fighting for her that way.

These days, I’m really trying to focus on due diligence too, checking hips, elbows, DM, LUW, and asking as much as possible about health in the lines. It feels like that’s the best peace of mind we can give ourselves.

When you start searching again, definitely make a post here. I’d love to help share what I’ve learned so far, and I’m sure others would too.