Tanesse Gers and Bear
Dear Kris,
After reading the testimonials on your website, I thought that maybe I should send you details on what our dogs have been up to!
After breaking up with my ex partner, he decided it would be a lovely idea to break through my bedroom window at 4 o’clock in the morning. It was the scariest moment of my life, to be woken up covered in glass with a 6ft4 man breaking through my window, who obviously had malicious intent.
He ended up being scared off that time, but I knew he would be back.
I was living with my father and two daughters, aged one and two. We beefed up the security and alarm system in our house, but the break in had made us realize, alarms are useless. It takes somebody 3 seconds to get into your house, quicker than what an alarm can wake you up! So after a lot of brainstorming we decided to get a guard dog, feeling that was the best way to guarantee my children’s safety, by covering the whole block nobody would even get close to the house! As the danger was now, I needed a dog that was trained. NOW!
Somewhere in my life I had picked up a misconception that Rottweilers were the best guard dogs. So we rang all around Australia , trying to find a pre-trained guard dog, to little avail. Common answers we got were ‘no, but we have dogs you can hire’, etc. We got given you’re number from a few people, but told you dealt with Dobermans and Germen Shepards. Finally, after making STD phone calls for half the day, we decided to give you a call, deciding the breed of the dog didn’t matter as long as my children would be safe. This was 3 days after the incident, and none of us had any sleep in that time, because we were too worried about my ex-partner getting in, and everyone’s safety.
So we rang you. And after explaining the circumstance and what we needed, were quite surprised to hear ‘I’ve got just the dog for you, when do you want to pick him up?’
When explaining I was more looking in the field of Rottweilers, I remember I was told ‘ If you have two children, you will be much better off with a Germen Shepard, Rottys aren’t as good with children’.
So I arranged for my father to go and pick up Bear.
We were waiting at home for him to come back, and when Dad got back he let A BIG BLACK MONSTER OUT OF THE CAR! I froze. Dad laughed at me and said he’d had the same first impression, but he’s really a nice dog.
Nice? NICE???? I was convinced Bear wasn’t a dog. He was nearly as tall as me! So inside we went. And I sat in my chair, rather afraid of this hulking mass my father was still trying to pass of as a dog!
He was looking at me, with what I was convinced was an ‘I’m going to eat you look’. And then Dad told me to give him a pat. I reached my hand over, and gave my hand a funeral inside my head….
AND HE LICKED ME!
So I realized he was quite a nice dog after all.
That night we all got some sleep.
In the meantime I had calls from my ex partner, saying he was coming back when I was alone. And although I am now ashamed to say, I was worried that Bear wouldn’t do his job of protecting us.
I was home alone with my children who were in bed. As I was still jittery from the break-in, I brought bear inside with me. We were sitting down watching TV when he decided to pick up one of my daughters shoes and eat it… I grabbed the shoe of him and yelled. I had him on the leash at the time. The next minute he went flying to the side door of our house, which opens up to our yard. Although he hadn’t been rough to that extent with me before, I thought he was just cranky with me for taking the shoe of him and so wanted to go outside. I opened the door for him and he FLEW outside to the 6ft colourbond side fence. And he was jumping as high as the top of it. He was barking in a really scary way and snapping over the fence. I heard somebody fall of the fence, who I assume to be my ex-partner about to complete his threat. Now I was standing by the door, and I could here whoever it was running down the side of the fence on the dry leaves, and Bear was running on my side of the fence keeping pace. Now obviously, whoever tried to break in then was rather stupid because they tried to jump over the back fence…. greeted with a similar response from Bear. They took off after that. I went to go out the door to tell him what a good boy he was for protecting us, he flew back to where I was standing and LITERALLY pushed me back inside. He wouldn’t let me out. Every time I tried to step out the door He would physically push me back in. And considering his size weight and power… he won. I went inside and then shut the door. My house has a lot of windows, and after I was inside, he went around the whole edge of my house (I walked around the inside watching him) checking it out. He then went and patrolled the fence line. Then he came and sat by the door. For four hours. Just sat in front of the door, I still wasn’t allowed out. Grounded by my dog!
Needless to say I felt very safe!
There was still a major step, and that was introducing Bear to my children.
We gradually got him used to them, until the point of letting my 18 month old come outside with me. He was lovely to her all the time and so gentle. I was always worried about maybe what would happen if she ran around him though, and if his natural instinct would kick in.
And then one day it happened, we were outside enjoying some sun, and Angel started running down the yard. And Bear bolted after her. I panicked and was trying to catch them. Then Bear pulled level with her and started trotting along next to her! By that stage I was at their side thinking, THANK GOD!
Then Bear stood in front of Angel and pushed her to the ground! I couldn’t believe it! He’d been so gentle and then pushed her over! I yelled at him and tried to get him to move but he held his ground. Then I looked down. Somehow a broken bottle had ended up in back yard, and not visible unless you were looking, the glass shards were sticking up out of the ground. Angel had been just about to step on it when he had pushed her… and he wouldn’t move until she was away from it!
I am absolutely impressed with Bear. I don’t have to worry anymore. He’s like a member of the family, and has one of the world’s biggest attitudes ever! He’s stubborn but at the same time so caring and loving. So when I decided to buy a dog I went and got another pup from you, who I named Trixie. She’s also beautiful natured, with a real character! The only bad point Bear has is his nicotine addiction. If I go outside to have a smoke, he will snap it out of my hands, and although I love him now, when he does that those teeth are just a bit close for comfort! And if he can get hold of a lit cigarette but he eats it. Obviously he has no sense of pain whatsoever!
Thank you so much for supplying us with two amazing dogs.
I can now go to sleep every night and don’t have to worry anymore! And when I’m going to be home alone and dad asks if I’m sure I’ll be ok alone, I just smile at him and say ‘Of course I will! I’ll just bring the dogs inside tonight!’
From Tanesse Gers,
Shepparton
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