By Heidi Dahms Foster
It’s always a pleasure to read a book crafted by a local author. Pamela Brink is one such author, and in My Love Affair with German Shepherd Dogs, she takes the reader through her first memories of these majestic dogs. While she has no memory of the German Shepherd her father gave to her mother while the family lived in the Philippines, she vividly remembers each and every one since.
That first GSD was named Guapa, “pretty” in Filipino. She died while whelping and the family lived without a dog for several years. Then came Gerry.
Pamela’s father had purchased him from a breeder who was happy to give him up as he had severe hip dysplasia. Gerry was her mother’s dog – he never let her out of his sight. Pamela remembers him gently teaching a visiting toddler to walk.
Pamela’s family was living in Cebu, Philippines when the Japanese bombed Hawaii in 1941. They moved to their vacation home in Montalongon, Philippines, hoping to escape the Japanese bombing and invasion of Cebu. That was not to be, and soldiers came, several times, ransacking the home and finally hauling the family off to prison camp.
They were forced to leave Gerry behind, and one of Pamela’s heart-wrenching memories is Gerry sitting at the gate watching them drive away. The family later heard from neighbors that he died where he waited, refusing food and water.
Pamela, with her two brothers, has written about the family’s experience during World War II in Only by the Grace of God: One Family’s Story of Survival during World War II as Prisoners of War in the Philippines.
The family was able to move to the U.S., where Pamela’s father died and her mother began to teach.
One day, she brought home a German Shepherd pup given to her by a student’s family. Her mother couldn’t bond with the pup they named Shon, because she had left her heart with Gerry. So Shon became Pamela’s, and a lifelong love affair with the breed commenced.
Pamela takes the reader through the years, through different cities and countries, and through her numerous competitions with these intelligent dogs, from exciting conformation wins including a Best in Show, to competing in Obedience and Rally trials, and becoming a breeder and trainer herself.
She treats the reader to short vignettes describing the personalities and her experiences with each of her dogs.
All dog lovers will enjoy My Love Affair with German Shepherd Dogs, and relate to Pamela’s descriptions of life with these wonderful animals. Find this great read on Amazon in Kindle or in hardcover.
