German Shepherd · From the studio
Della, the German Shepherd keeping watch over the bassinet
Look at the photograph first. A long-coated German Shepherd stands behind a white bassinet, ears up, mouth soft, looking straight at the camera. In the bassinet, a newborn is fast asleep.
Della's family came to Simon for a portrait of Della and the family. Kate S. wrote about the day afterwards:
Simon was amazing at capturing our beautiful German Shepherd Della and our family. We absolutely adore the images he captured. Simon is calm and patient and made the whole experience effortless (which is saying something as we had a newborn at home)
A German Shepherd and a new baby
Bringing a baby home to a big dog is one of the moments families worry about most. German Shepherds are a guarding breed, close to their people and alert to every change in the house, and a newborn is the biggest change there is.
We cannot tell you how Della took to it beyond what the photograph shows. What it shows is a big dog standing right behind the bassinet, calm, watching the camera over the top of it.
Kate finished simply:
We will treasure these photos for a lifetime.
Thank you Simon
Big dogs and small people
Della is not the only shepherd we know with a soft spot for babies. In German Shepherds of Australia, Volume One, Putney's family calls him a baby whisperer, and says his favourite human of all time is his one-year-old brother. The two of them, the page says, operate as "team trouble".
If your own shepherd has a story like that, Volume Two is being photographed now, and each owner's $100 donation goes in full to German Shepherd Rescue Victoria. You can register at germanshepherdsofaustralia.com.au.