Morgan is our other dog. I’m actually not sure what she would be like if we’d had her since puppyhood. When we got her, she was eighteen months old and she’d already lived in four homes. She is the poster child for what not to do with a German Shepherd puppy. She has some really strong instincts that are good, they’re just too intense and she won’t ignore them if we try to call her off. Once she goes into protection mode, she just cannot see any reason, or even hear us when we try to call her or make her see reason. But I learned a lot about what we did want to do with Kuster from the very beginning to make a good dog out of him. I also try hard to remember that Morgan’s bad behavior comes from a good place. I know that she loves us deeply and I suspect her biggest fear is losing us. The video you showed the other day made me think a lot about her. I don’t think she’d stand up too much to someone who broke into our house if we weren’t home unless she felt cornered, but I think if I were at home, she would be very protective. What makes her challenging is what also could make her our hero, but I hope the day never comes when we find out.

I LOVE your post! It is so heartwarming and so true! There is indeed always a silver lining. Thank you so very much for sharing. You are such a great Mom!