12/06/2023
It has been a while since I last posted here and this is a difficult one for me, but I think it's time I honored Greta.
I bet many of you know this pretty girl in the pictures. As soon as I would start getting my gear together she knew it was time to go to work, time to go to the shop with me. She was always at the shop with me and probably met you at the door a time or two. She would check you out in typical German Shepherd Dog fashion by circling around you and probably barked a little until you rubbed her ears. Once you did that you were a friend, unless you tried to shake my hand and at that point she wasn't having any of that business. No touching allowed!
At home we referred to her as the German Drill Sergeant. She hated when the kids would jump off the diving board into the pool or if there was any splashing or horse play going on. She would run circles around that pool "protecting" everyone, get hot then stick her whole head in the water.
Greta was a wonderful dog. I really hate to even call her that, a dog. She was way more! She literally understood what I was saying when I talked to her. She understood hand signals and we never really trained doing that, but she understood. She would watch TV with me. Anything on TV with any animal would grab her attention. She liked the Kennel Club dog shows. We even watched the movie Hachi together, no kidding.
Greta was a best friend, she was a once-in-a-lifetime companion, she was my Greta von Hammersmark. I gave her that name the first time I saw her at the Bryant pound, looking shy but so very confident at 3months old. She seemed to be embarrassed to have even been in there in the first place, she was so majestic. I knew as soon as I saw her that day in December of 2011 she was coming home with me and she did so gracefully and there she would stay until Saturday morning, 28 October 2023. Sadly our beloved Greta passed away in her sleep the night before. She had her spleen removed recently and it was cancer. We decided quality of life was the best route for her and the family. She was comfortable and didn't suffer much.
I miss her being with me at the shop while I'm writing this post. I wish she was here with me now, looking out the window, always having my back, always protecting. I felt safe with her with me. Gonna miss her when I take the Land Cruiser out again when the weather feels right. She really enjoyed riding in the FJ40. I just miss her, period.
Greta we all love you and miss you. There will never be another one like you.
Stu
