Every tail wagging like a spinning propeller set something in motion inside me — a rush of emotion and joy. Every “watch over your lady” and every “come to your lady” was never just a command, but a bond — deep and strong, mine and theirs alone. And those eyes — trusting, intense, full of love — made us feel like one whole.
Take a Look Inside
Discover memories in which you may recognize your own experiences.
To paraphrase a thought from Haruki Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: a person who has a heart has nothing to lose, wherever they may find themselves.
This is a personal memoir about large dogs, but in truth, it is not only about dogs. At its heart is the relationship between a person and an animal: trust, responsibility, attachment, everyday care, boundaries, fear, loss, and gratitude.
Whether you are only beginning to think about your own journey with large dogs, looking for other people’s experiences, or simply sharing your life with a large dog, you will find here a broader story of a home full of dogs, litters, breeding, and enormous responsibility. There is humor and warmth, emotion and loss — just like in life.
Life with a dog is not a project fully under human control. The dogs in this book enter a family’s life, change the rhythm of the home, and teach attentiveness.
Life with big dogs means every day is
FULLER · RESPONSIBLE · GRINNING · ENERGETIC ·
SURPRISE · CHALLENGE · SAFETY · TRUST ·
Kazan
German Shepherd
Large, powerfully built, with beautiful lines. Strong, brave, and dependable. At the command “watch over your lady,” he was ready to defend me like a soldier, yet when left home alone, he behaved as if he wasn’t there. He loved playing football, while running in the mountains and fetching were simply part of his routine. Wary of other people but calm, he adored children — they could practically climb all over him. His phobia? A man carrying a briefcase.
Frida
Dogue de Bordeaux
Gentle, with a calm and well-balanced temperament. A companion in the children’s games, she would play with them while at the same time watching over and protecting them. Obedient, she carried out every command and instruction immediately, without hesitation. She trusted her owner completely. She looked forward to dog shows as if they were a fun adventure. The leader of all my dogs, she was always the first at the gate whenever a stranger tried to enter the property.
Grace
English Mastiff
Beautiful, with perfectly distributed brindle markings. Well-balanced, with a strong character. Calm, almost phlegmatic, but whenever her family was in danger, she reacted immediately. Patient with children, she was an ideal family companion. She had an enormous will to live and, without a clock, knew when it was time for dialysis. She recognized her owner’s return by the sound of the car engine. She was always waiting for her.
Gloria
English Mastiff
Grace’s sister was brindle too, although her markings were not quite as evenly distributed. A devoted mother to her puppies, she could lie beside them all day, as long as her owner stayed nearby. She was never fond of dog shows and definitely preferred familiar places. Well-balanced, calm, and unhurried in everything she did, she was nevertheless always the first to greet her owner.
Fern
Newfoundland
A black bear, calm and cuddly, but with a strong personality and the independent spirit of someone who seemed to say, “I know what’s best for me, but all right, I’ll listen to you.” That kind of conversation between us was part of everyday life, so she carried out every command perfectly, although always at her own pace. Patient and gentle, she loved being brushed and groomed, as long as her owner was the one doing it. Then she could stand patiently for hours, waiting until she was beautiful enough for another medal to appear on the trophy board. She was known for her beautiful movement – she moved with the lightness and grace of a ballerina.
Mary
Fila Brasileiro
Slender and not particularly tall, she was an unassuming dog who did not seem to stand out in any obvious way. And yet her sixth sense could unfailingly distinguish genuine safety from the mere appearance of it. Her home, everyone who lived there, and the surroundings she knew were her priority – something to defend to the very end. She had absolute trust in her owner. For her, she would even make her way through a fence, and it was her owner she chose for help when she gave birth for the first time. Quiet and calm in everyday life, she was always alert. When faced with a real threat, she became a deadly weapon.
Belus
English Mastiff
Gloria’s son and the largest puppy in the litter. His size made Gloria’s delivery dangerous, and a veterinary technician had to intervene. He weighed 1 lb 10.5 oz at birth, and by the age of two he had reached an impressive 274.5 lb, confirmed on a certified scale. A calm, lovable, slightly clumsy giant. Strong and brave around strangers, yet a snowman was quite another matter. Better to stay safely behind his owner, just in case. Every time she came home, his happiness sent his tail spinning like a windmill. His greatest phobia? Going down the stairs.
Astra
Alaskan Malamute
She arrived as a small, quiet, peaceful ball of fluff. And then? She was everywhere. Always first, always the instigator. Whenever something was going on, all you had to do was find her, and things quickly returned to normal. And her strength – more than one strongman could have envied her. Silently lifting a heavy pot full of meat with her mouth and setting it down on the floor was just one of many demonstrations of what she was capable of. Incredibly fast, she could spot a mouse almost in mid-stride, catch it, and bring it straight to her owner – because, of course, he came first. Gentle with her own people. Her phobia? Her owner being gone for more than half an hour. That was when the vocalizing began… and she could keep it up for hours, right until he came home.
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Choose Your Edition – Paperback or Kindle, in English or German
Choose the edition that suits you best — paperback or Kindle, in English or German. If you use Kindle Unlimited, you can read the Kindle edition at no additional cost, and on my Amazon Author Page you can discover all the books I have published.
Some of the Characters
Belus
Kazan
Fern
Take a Look — and Get Your Copy
