Ginger – the German Shepherd Mutt
Ever since my daughter was 2 or 3 years old she wanted a dog of her own. It’s part of why we started fostering. Even though we already had a rottie/lab mix, JJ, I wanted to give her the experience of different dog breeds, and show her the responsibility of a dog.
We attended the Dog Fair in Madison, WI and ever since she has been obsessed with German Shepherds. I didn’t feel a German Shepherd was a good first dog for a 9-year-old 🙂 So I began looking for a mix that resembled a GSD. I was all set to foster Miley, a GSD mix… but then saw this face posted needing a foster and I fell in love immediately!
For some reason that face was calling my name, so I immediately asked if I could switch dogs to foster, and that was the start of our story of Ginger. She was 6 months old when we took her in January 2016. She was a little wild, full of puppy energy still, and not potty trained… so here we go again.
We decided to get a DNA test on her out of curiosity. If you want to know what breeds she is, read about DNA Tests.
Ginger has become a great addition to our family. Even though she can be a challenge sometimes, she has also taught me so much about dog behavior that I would have never have learned without her.
You see, a few months after we adopted Ginger, we started to notice resource aggressive behavior. We struggled not knowing why, or what we did wrong. There were some intense altercations with our other dog and foster dogs. And even though living with a resource aggressive dog has it’s challenges, I wouldn’t change it for anything. It has made us better dog owners, more educated, and more aware.
Many people would have given up on Ginger, and I will admit the thought crossed our minds a few times after she attacked a foster dog. But with the right training for her and us, we are able to control her resource aggression. No dog or human is perfect. She is a great dog in every other way and we love her to pieces.
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