Linda A.

I've been interested in all animals, especially dogs, for as long as I can remember. I got my first dog that was my very own when I was in junior high school. I wanted a German shepherd and no other breed would do. After lots of begging and promising, my mom agreed to take me to the shelter so I could look for my shepherd. There was only one shepherd there so I just had to decide if this was the dog of my dreams. I had a few days to decide because she had just been brought in and wasn't yet available for adoption. It took me only a few seconds to know that I wanted her. I named her Heidi and we had a lot of great times together before I went off to the military six years later. She lived at mom's house until she had to be euthanized at a ripe old age.

I currently have a golden retriever named Brandy. Brandy was abandoned up in Wrightwood and was in a foster home when she was recommended to me. I had been looking for a large breed dog that would make a good companion for me and Brandy needed a home where she would be the only dog. I wasn't thrilled about her being a golden retriever, since I really wanted a German shepherd or Rhodesian ridgeback, but we were a good match so I said yes. Brandy is a therapy dog and she loves her job. She probably would be good at any of the other "doggy" activities but I've been through soccer, baseball, football, softball, karate, etc. with my three human kids so I'm sort of burned out with extra activities (still even after them being gone for over six years).

Brandy's favorite activity is hiking and rock climbing. Brandy has been a therapy dog for one year and has been a hiker since I adopted her almost two years ago. About a year ago, we took Brandy to Joshua Tree to do some hiking through the big boulders. After about a two hour hike squeezing between, under, and around these huge boulders we decided to head back. At one point we couldn't remember which way we had come and then realized Brandy had taken the lead. Her nose lead us back through all of those rocks exactly the way we had come.

One of my favorite doggie memories was when I was stationed near Tacoma, WA. I adopted a German shepherd puppy who I named Greta. She was a long-haired shepherd, mostly black in color with tan accents and looked like a bear cub. After she got a little older, Greta and I used to go play hide-and-seek out in the woods a couple of times a week, usually in the rain. We would be out walking and as soon as she got distracted by something, I would hide behind a tree. It was a lot of fun watching here go crazy trying to find me. She learned to keep a sharp eye on me so this game didn't last more than a few months. However, her excitement at finding me became a permanent memory for me.

One of my most embarrassing doggie memories involved Heidi, my first dog. I wanted Heidi to be protective of me so to test her I had my best friend pretend to beat me up (I think all kids have tried this with their dogs). As soon as we started scuffling in the front yard of my house, I yelled for Heidi to get her. A moment later Heidi got a hold of my shirt and nearly ripped it off of me. My friend laughed her head off and Heidi just kept tugging. Heidi wasn't being aggressive she just wanted to join in the fun.

I originally joined the dog club because I wanted to get into dog therapy work. After a couple of meetings, I realized that the people in the club were so nice and friendly, and it was fun to be with other people who loved dogs.

The only dog related goal I have is for Brandy to stop itching or at least to get it under control.

My advice to new dog owners would be to spay or neuter your pet, don't leave the dog alone in the back yard all day, and take your new friend to a dog obedience class.

My other hobbies are genealogy, hiking, gardening, playing and collecting brass instruments, NASCAR, watching football, and tending to my goldfish pond.