When I was a young boy my grandmother owned a pure white German shepherd. He was very well trained. She used to have him sit at the kitchen table with his nose touching a steak hanging off the table for long periods at a time. This dog would not eat anything unless's you shook his paw and of course he would have to know you to let you shake his paw. She trained him in that manner so no one could poison him. Their was also TV show on at that time with a well known health trainer named Jack La Laine who also owned a pure white German shepherd. When I slept this dog would stay beside me and no one except my grandmother was allowed to come near me. Sometimes I wish Teddy was still around.

My other grandmother had a golden retriever named Taunto. I watched him take a pillow off a couch and lay it in a corner and then drag a blanket off the same couch and cover himself with it.

Years later I read a story that was supposed to be true. The book is called Grey Friars Bobby. The story was based in the 1800's and told about a cop who walked a policemen's beat with a little dog named Bobby. They would stop at a certain establishment and eat every day. When the policeman died the little dog watched from a distance whiles the burial took place. When everyone left he went and laid on the dead policeman's grave. The next day at the precise time the dog went to the establishment he and his friend had always been accustomed to eating at and the owner fed him. After he ate the dog went back and lay on his dead masters grave. This went on for a few weeks before a few townspeople became concerned. They watched the little dog repeat this process everyday and decided to leave him alone.The dog repeated this same procedure until he also passed on laying on his masters grave.

I have seen animals perform with incredible intelligence. I watched some children once throwing a stone into the ocean and the dog was retreiving the same stone over and over again. I also had some friends whose dog would climb a ladder from one boat to another around 15 or 20 feet practically straight up.

I personally have 2 sister german short haired dogs that were dumped on me by an ex girlfriend  11 years ago and since I did not have the heart to abandon them stayed in TN with them. It is hard to meet a friend as loyal as your dog.