Shadow Somerset

Shadow was a beautiful dog and was loved to the maximum by his mom Jo Somerset. Jo died in 2007 and I truly think that Shadow died from a broken heart after she died. German Shepherds are known to have one owner and since she passed, he lost the one person that loved him unconditionally. Below is a story that Jo wrote a few years back. Now he is with his mum and other furry friends.

SHADOWS STORY, written by Jo Somerset
31st AUGUST 2000

Hello, I am Shadow. I live with my mum Jo in Bristol. United Kingdom.
I know my mum loves me and I love her too but I do like to play tricks on her sometimes. I love it when she is at her computer because I jump up and type out my own message then mum has to translate it to whoever she is chatting to. I love it also when mum has a cup of tea, I push her arm up quickly with my nose and her tea goes al l over the place. She does tell me off but I lick her face and she bursts out laughing.

I had a very rough puppy hood until my mum came and took me to her home. My first guardian was a lady called Sue and she had 5 Jack Russell's, my father, my grandmother, and 7 cats. They all had fleas and they used to bite me. I had no fur on my tail and hardly any on my back when mum came to see me; I had scabs all over me.

Mum took me straight to a man she called her vet, well, he took one look at me and asked mum what she thought she had. Mum laughed and said “He is a German shepherd and I am going to call him Shadow ".

Well he ( Ian ) gave me an injection, it didn't hurt, I was very brave, then he put an identity chip ( I always thought you ate those ) under my skin in case mum ever lost me, he also gave me an injection to keep me from catching nasty things that could really hurt me. Well, I was not bothered about any of that but then he took me into another room, and he sprayed me with this awful stuff. He took me back to mum, I was soaking wet. He told mum to bathe my scabs in warm salt water 4 times a day. Mum did this and my coat started to grow back. I am glad Ian put that horrible stuff on me though, it killed all the fleas and now I have a tail ( so mum says ) like a fox. I am so big now that mum does not have to bend down to stroke my coat, she just puts her hand on my back and it feels so good.

Mum named me well as I will NOT leave her alone, I follow her everywhere, yes, even to the smallest room. If she is sitting watching TV and does not take any notice of me I jump up on her lap, you can imagine mum getting squashed by a big German shepherd. I love it when we go for a walk, we take a ball and mum and I play for ages.
Anyway, it is nice to meet you all and thank you to those people that said such nice things about me, I shall grow into a bighead. I hope mum lets me write some more fo r you. Well, I was only a little one when I wrote that lot now I am 3 and half years old. I still love to tease mum when she is typing but she is used to it now. I still follow her everywhere; mum says no peace for the wicked.
I hope you like the selection of photographs. Mum only has me now, Freddie went to Rainbow Bridge last Oct 16th 2004.

Bye for now, I hope we chat again soon.
Slurp,slurp,slurp.
Sorry if I got you all wet.
Shadow Somerset

Nancy Rodgers, Jo Helms and Sidni P.