Atlas (January-June 2017)

Brad REALLY wanted a German Shepherd puppy. Yes, we already had two puppies but he thought a big dog would help him and he could sleep with it at night and it would help him out more than the little tiny pups. So we looked and found a beautiful black German Shepherd pup way past Heber, in Duchesne, Utah. It was a freezing cold day with temperatures well below zero but we made it and Brad used his own money to pay for her. He named her Atlas and she loved Brad instantly. She would lay at his feet whenever he sat down and slept in his bed but would never "cuddle" up to him but would always sleep at the foot of his bed. I never realized how hard a German Shepherd pup is to train. She was the most stubborn dog and even though we loved her, she didn't love Pip. She and Popi would gang up on him and a few times he got hurt. We tried to teach her to be "soft" but it was no use. Pip was starting to be scared of everything and started growling if anyone tried to move him and he was constantly on high alert. We also had a new family move in next door and they would let their little poodle out without a leash and Brad was scared Atlas would tear that puppy apart so he decided after a few weeks of going back and forth that we should give Atlas up. It was so hard to do but it was definitely the right thing to do. Pip is back to his happy little go lucky self and we don't have to worry about him getting hurt or any other dog or child getting hurt. We prayed every day for weeks that Atlas would go to the perfect home for her. We wonder about her often and tears are still shed (by Eli) when we talk about her.

Atlas (4 or 5 months)

Atlas waiting for Brad to notice she needed a piece of whatever he was eating.

She loved Popi and Brad

Such a pretty girl!