Monika mentioned in a comment that she thought I didn't know where the Ts had come from. This gives me a perfect excuse to post about Timber's mystery, which I've been breaking my brain over since I first read his story.
Now, I got Taenzer from the breeder of my previous GSD, Stella: Kathy Watson of
Valiantdale Kennels. Stella is, in fact, (or was) Taenzer's great-great-aunt--Taenzer's great-grandmother and Stella had the same set of parents (although they're probably from different litters). She's registered as Valiantdale's StarDance ("taenzer" being German for "dancer," although it's the masculine--don't tell her!).
Timber is my rescue boy, and I don't know his breeding. But he and his five littermates were found scrounging out of the dumpster behind a truckstop near St. Louis. Stop and think about that: SIX 6-month-old purebred German Shepherd puppies, abandoned outside a truckstop.
This makes absolutely no sense. Even without papers, someone could have sold them for $100 or $200 apiece. But no. Someone abandoned six 6-month-old GSD puppies, and if anybody can come up with an explanation that makes any sense, I would love to hear it!
Timber's sister Lily
Timber's sister Callie
Timber's sister Ava
Timber's brother Rocket
Timber's brother Tank (so-named because he was the biggest--44 pounds. Timber weighed less than 30, poor little guy)
They're beautiful puppies. Callie got placed around St. Louis, I think, and got renamed Lexie. I think the other four wound up in the Chicago area. I would love to see the dogs they've grown up into. But I bet none of them is as beautiful as my Timber.
And this is the picture that started it all. I looked at that wistful little face and thought: "He's so CUTE. It couldn't hurt to just
ask about him--I bet someone already has dibs on him." Three weeks later, he came home with us.
This is Timber with his brother Rocket. You can see how much smaller he is--and how RED his markings are!
