In May of 2008 Shelane graduated
and immediately went into the Army, officially making me Oliver’s full time caregiver and partner. He weighed close to 100 pounds and I was concerned that a big Doberman not properly trained could be a menace to society. So I enrolled him in obedience training and set out to socialize Oliver with other dogs, cats, horses and people. From the beginning, we forged a strong bond; a sort of partnership in which I came to view him as the closest a canine could be to a “dog-person.” Conversely, I think he viewed me as an equal and that his job was to protect and watch out for me. One thing that impressed me early
on about Oliver was his attention to other dogs and animals. At our first obe- dience training session, there were 12 other people with their dogs. Upon arrival at that session and each one fol- lowing, he would walk around and per- sonally meet each dog face to face. While none of the other dogs cared to do this, he was like a politician working the crowd. This trait stayed with him his entire life. He came to work with me in my
office almost daily. We ran errands togeth- er such as trips to the auto store and the hardware stores. He always created a commotion with his sheer size, shiny coat, distinct markings and overall good looks. It was as if six-foot-four Clint Eastwood, at the height of his career, walked into the room. Oliver could not be missed or ignored. People would con- gregate around him to ask questions and pet him, while saying what a magnificent looking dog he was, and that they had never seen a Doberman this large. When asked about his name, I would respond “Oliver North.” Inevitably people would smile or laugh and say what a great name for him. I was merely Oliver’s partner. He was the star. In his second year, I realized he was
far too big for my mid-sized SUV. Standing 33 inches high at the shoulders, his back would rub on the headliner. Plus, he had to jump several feet to the ground, which I did not think was good on his skinny legs with his heavy frame. After much research on which vehicle would be good for Oliver, a used mini- van that became known as, “the dog
30 THE NEW BARKER
mobile,” or “Oliver’s car” fit the bill. Being in Florida, I made sure to get a van with the rear air conditioning so he could stay cool on a hot day. Removing the middle seat and leaving the far back seat in place allowed him to sit on the rear seat like a person. He could also come forward, stand in the middle with his face about six inches from mine and watch where we were going. While riding with me in the van, he was always alert and watchful, never resting. Besides sitting in the rear seat of the
van like a person, Oliver also did that at home whenever a chair or couch was available. Most people have never seen a dog sit like this, but it was quite natural
wallet from my desk and hide it.
for him. He would put his rear on the seat with his hind legs dangling over the side and have his front legs on the floor holding him up. Visitors to our house were amazed to see him just sitting on the couch or in a chair. On one occasion, during a visit to his veterinarian, he was on a leash and sat down in the lobby. A woman was sitting two chairs away with a vacant seat between us. He proceeded to sit down like a person in the chair between us, looked the lady square in the eyes as if to say, “Hi. how are you today? My name is Oliver North.” The look on her face was priceless. For me it was just another day in my life with Oliver. Dobermans are a surprisingly playful
breed. Oliver could be a total ham and played many tricks. He reached 121 pounds when full grown and he was probably one of the biggest registered Dobermans to ever live. At this size he could, of course, do many things regular sized dogs couldn’t. For instance, when eating at our breakfast nook, he would rest his face on the table and look at
us...and the food. Ultimately, we bought a higher table so he couldn’t do this. However, to get attention he began the habit of pulling Sheila’s socks off. He would also steal hot pads from a kitchen
Oliver North’s most mischievous trick was to steal my
shelf and move away when we tried to get them back. In the evenings, while sit- ting at my office desk, he would move close to me as if he wanted me to pet him. However, when I tried, he would back away, wag his stub tail and shake his head. The message was, “you can’t pet me until I get a treat." He also regularly played with our youngest son’s six pound Chihuahua. He would lie on his side and let the little dog jump on his head. His most mischievous trick was to steal my wallet from my desk and hide it. He did the same with gloves and various other items. He could also talk and when he wanted something he would keep talking until he got what he wanted. Throughout his whole life he was a trickster to the first degree. Surveys show that more than 50% of
pet owners share their beds with a pet. My wife and I are among that group. The problem was, Oliver took up a lot of space. Of all our dogs and cats, he was the first one to sleep in our bed. We had not planned this nor had we wanted it. But, it happened because during the first eight months of his life with Shelane, she let him sleep with her. When he came to live with us we tried to have him sleep on a dog bed. We locked him out by closing the door to our bedroom, but he cried and pawed at the door. We finally gave up and let him in our queen size bed. Of course, he had to be in the middle, between us. When stretched out he was more than five feet long and he usually took up more room than either of us. After being too crowded for months,
I went to a bed store and purchased a sin- gle bed and frame. My plan was to have Oliver sleep on the smaller bed placed next to my side of our bed. It was a good plan, but it didn’t work. He would start off in the little bed and then end up in our bed. After several weeks, I gave up on the idea and ended up purchasing a king sized bed. This made a big difference for Sheila and I. There was finally enough room for all three of us. We were fully aware of the comedy
of this nightly scene, which became our regular sleeping pattern for eight years with Oliver. While we loved him, it was too embarrassing to tell anyone he slept with us, lest they think we were totally nuts.
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