Cassie came to the rescue in 1994 when she & her 4 pups were left at the pound by her former owner. She only weighed about 50 lbs & was heartworm positive. However, it was love at first sight between Cassie & my husband Bruce although she was pretty pitiful looking, all skin & bones. We adopted her and it wasn’t long before she became the Alpha & queen of the house and Bruce was her “human”. With some time, good food & some spoiling Cassie became a truly stunning dog with all the classic markings and kept her “looks” all her life always looking much younger than she really was (I should be so lucky). She was also the most intelligent dog I have ever seen. She learned after only seeing or hearing something once and sometimes you could almost “see” the gears turning in her head. She was almost “scary” smart because she never forgot anything and seemed to understand everything. We’ve added to our family with a yellow Lab adopted in 1999 from the SPCA and another GSD adopted from the rescue last year but even at 14 years old, Cassie was undeniably the Alpha and remained such until her last day. Cassie truly was the personification of everything that GSD are known for. She was beautiful, intelligent and affectionate and nothing ever got by her and we miss her every day.