The Education of Anca Wood

Here I am at four months old, looking like a miniature German Shepherd I've been told that visits to the veterinary clinic are a necessary part of life -- immunizations, ear inspections, nail trimming, weight checks, and who knows what else.  I've been several times now, but all I can say is that my mom told me that if I couldn't say anything good not to say anything at all, so I'm not talking. 

My older sister, Navi, is in charge of the household. As I said earlier, Navi is my older German Shepherd sister. She’s almost five years old and somewhat dignified. Like me, she has an Eastern European heritage, but an entirely different personality. She’s reserved, cautious, and serious about being a guard dog. My parents don’t know it, but Navi runs the household. She’s aware of everything that’s happening and especially where our mom is all the time.  The first time I met Navi, I wanted to jump all over her and play. Well, she quickly let me know that there are rules about our time together.  First : Navi sleeps late and isn’t very communicative until after she’s had breakfast. Even then, she’s not interested in a full-on play session.  Second : Major play sessions are reserved for late in the day, generally after dinner when it’s slightly cooler outside. These sessions must follow a similar pattern every day. We both do play bows, indicating that we’re ready to rough...

The owner of the kennel where I was born is of Romanian descent and that’s reflected in my official registered name.  My parents thought it might be nice to honor that heritage and the fact that my canine parents are of Eastern European stock, so they researched Romanian names and made a short list that included Sorina, Illinca, Crina, and Anca. My mom’s first choice was Crina, which means lily, but after meeting me, my dad suggested that Anca would be a better choice. It means grace, which is lovely and girly, but has a strong, tough sound that suits my personality. It’s a sturdy name for a tough kid who has a soft side.

Here we are all ready to leave the kennel in Dinwiddie. I was born in Dinwiddie County and spent the first eight weeks of my life there. Apparently, I was the rowdy one who was always the first to explore the world or cause mayhem. My parents had said that they wanted an alert, wide awake, look out world German shepherd, and that’s what they got. Because of the covid-19 pandemic, there were special precautions in place when my parents came to get me. There was a specific time for arrival; they had to wear masks; and they had to practice some major social distancing. No problems there. I was waiting for them in an X-pen at the end of the driveway. If I do say so, I was a cute little bundle of energy, and I was more than ready for a new adventure. My new parents took my back to their farm in Lunenburg County. It was a long, hot drive, kind of boring, but I didn’t want my parents to assume that I was an easy-going sort, so I threw up all over my mom and then promptly went back to sl...

Here I am a seven weeks old, a mere pipsqueak. Hello, dear readers.  I want to tell you a little bit about this blog. It’s called The Education of Anca Wood , that’s me, but it’s really about the education of my parents. You see, they think their job as responsible German Shepherd parents is to civilize me, teach me how to walk on a leash, not to pee in the house, to sit quietly while they’re eating,   to play nicely with other dogs and kids, and basically just hang around with them and do whatever they want.  I hate to tell them, but it’s the other way around. I’m training them to meet my needs. Take house training as an example. Whenever I need to go outside, I whimper. If that doesn’t work, I increase the volume of my whimpering and sound pathetic. They usually come running. If they’re slow, well, I just pee on the floor. My parents don’t like that, so they learn quickly. When I want to play, I act cute and cuddly. They usually fall for it every time and bring out ...