The best dog in the world, my German Shepherd, Conner

by Kenny
(SC, USA)

I grew up with the best dog in the world. So did every other child who ever had a dog, I know. My best dog in the world was Conner, my German Shepherd. He was amazing with myself and my sister as we grew up – despite my father, who loves mischief more than is healthy for any human being and is another story.

Conner was fantastic. Some of my fondest memories of him are when he used to let me wrestle him to the ground when I was about seven years old. He’d pretend to struggle against me for a few moments and then collapse to the ground and roll on his back, all the while making happy whining noises.

Conner was a talker. A fantastic conversationalist as dogs go. Every day when I came home from school he’d be there to greet me at the door and tell me all about his day in the various whines and barks only a German Shepherd can manage. Then he’d want to play and we’d wrestle.

He was an amazingly gentle dog – we would playfight without his ever hurting me. I didn’t understand until I was much older exactly how dangerous play fighting with a dog could be… and I’m glad about that. Conner would pretend to bite without ever closing his jaw on my arm.

He did nip though – he had the worst habit of nipping at clothes when he wanted to play. He never grew out of that and if he did it too hard it would smart for hours. He never meant it though; he was a dog completely without malice.

I still remember when he got sick – I didn’t know with what – and I got all my bedding and crept downstairs to sleep with him so he was OK. The poor dog didn’t know what to do. He was far too sick to be protecting a child and wasn’t quite sure how to send me back to bed. He ended up getting up and going to my room to sleep there so I’d go back to bed.

He was quirky like that, and believed very, very much in the order of things. I wouldn’t have traded growing up with him for anything. He was the perfect dog.