K9 Contest Winners

In the July–September 2024 issue of Kids Answers, we asked to hear about your furry friend’s special skills and tricks. The Kids Answers magazine team loved reading about all your capable canines. Congratulations to our top dog finalists!

Sierra,

Nicole K.

“Do you think we’ll ever get a dog?” I asked my mom as she tucked me into bed one night. After a moment of hesitation, she replied frankly, “Probably not. Me and your dad are not dog people. But . . . you can pray, and if God brings about the right situation, then he can override us.”

“Well, I’m going to pray! And I’m going to pray for a German shepherd!” I declared excitedly. After Mom said goodnight and closed the door, I prayed and asked God for a German shepherd dog.

Four days later, a kind man from our church brought us a few hens. He had heard that we lost several of our chickens to coyotes and other wildlife, so he decided to give us some of his.

“I hear you’re having coyote troubles,” he said. “I have a dog for you.”

My mom quickly replied, “Oh no, that’s okay . . . we’re good.”

“It’s a German shepherd,” he said.

My mom paused and swallowed hard, remembering the conversation we had a few days before. Mom said, “Describe the dog to me in one word,” to which he replied, “Sweet.” He then told my mom about how the dog had showed up at his house and didn’t seem to have an owner. He had contacted animal shelters and veterinary clinics and put up posters around town for about a month, but nobody had claimed her.

My parents decided that since I had prayed so specifically for a German shepherd, we should at least go see the dog.

When we arrived at the man’s house, we walked over to a fenced area where I spied the most beautiful dog lying on the soft grass. She was mostly German shepherd with a blend of some husky and border collie. She was young and looked to be under a year old. She had a soft back coat, brown and cream markings, and a big fluffy tail.

As I approached the pen, her sweet brown eyes met mine.

Dad told me and my siblings, “Let me go up to her and see if she’s friendly.” My dad then reached his hand inside the fence, and the dog licked him. “Sold,” my dad announced. We named her Sierra and brought her home that day.

Ever since, she’s been a big help with the wildlife that live on our mountain. One day, as my mom was walking on our property, she did not notice that a black bear was in a tree above her. My mom froze, but immediately Sierra chased the bear into the woods. Sierra is an answer to prayer and a very special dog.

Thunder,

William W.

I think my dog is a very special, top-notch dog. My dog is an Australian shepherd. He’s the red merle kind. He has long, fluffy fur. I like brushing my dog, and he likes it too. By the way, my dog’s name is Thunder, and he is 12 years old. Thunder was about four weeks old the first time we saw him. He always had a lot of energy and liked being where everyone was. My dog is very protective. He always tells us when there’s a car coming down the driveway. We have a long driveway. He would lie on the ground when we were playing outside and guard us.

One time, my sister was swinging, and she fell and started screaming. Thunder came running over to see if she was fine. Recently, we were outside playing when my oldest sister got hit on the head and fell over. Thunder came over to see if she was okay. He licked her on the face to wake her up.

Last fall, four of us were outside playing. My youngest brother who is special needs was running to the back of the yard, and Thunder started barking in a way I’ve never heard before, and he growled like he was very angry. His growling made us stop, and my oldest sister saw a rattlesnake. It was curled up waving its tail. My sister grabbed my little brother, and we started running to the house. Thunder prevented my little brother from being bit. That’s why he’s a top-notch dog. I love my dog.

Chewbacca,

Angela S.

Don’t make a sound. Stay very still. Do I smell? How quickly will I be found this time? All of these thoughts would flutter through my head as I waited. It didn’t take long for twigs to crack, and a wet nose was pressed into my hand. Playing in the woods was becoming a favorite pastime for my family since moving out of the city limits and into the country. Our dog, Chewbacca, is a hunter. He’s a Karelian bear dog mixed with an unknown breed. These dogs are known to be trackers, usually for bears or larger predators, not small children. However, my mom wanted Chewbacca to be able to find us if we ever went into the woods and she could not find us. It took her about a month of multiple-times-a-week trainings for Chewbacca to find us with ease within our small woods. She started by having me hide, then she would give him something of mine to sniff and gave him the command to “find Isabelle.” At first, she would have to guide him with the leash since he tried to follow many other scents. Then, he would start to do well with following my trail but not complete it, so I would have to make a noise from my hiding place until he found me. Then one day, he could find me, off his leash with no assistance! We continued to practice this with him until his passing a few years ago. He was the best at hide-and-seek!

Rifle,

Availea H.

I think my dog, Rifle, is the best dog in the world. Rifle is a three-year-old English shepherd. I believe Rifle is top dog not only because he knows basic and special tricks but also because he has many practical and useful jobs.

Rifle knows how to sit, down, stay, come, heel, and fetch. Those are just basics.

Rifle also has many special tricks, such as go “bang” (play dead), “take a bow,” “crawl,” “shake hands,” and “flip.” Rifle can “speak,” which means to bark. He can dance on his hind legs. Rifle can “give me ten” in clapping my hands with his front paws. In 4-H, he does obedience and agility. Rifle got the highest obedience score of all dogs in the show. In agility, he was not the fastest dog, but he passed with a clean score. The obstacles that he did were tunnels, jumps, pause table, dog walk, seesaw, and weaves.

Rifle has so many practical uses. When I ask him to “pick it up,” he picks up the thing that I want him to pick up. On our farm, Rifle guards me from steers and rams. He also puts loose animals away and helps in other manners of herding. Rifle pulls sleds for me in the winter. Winter or summer, Rifle is on watch for predators and vermin. He has found groundhogs, mice, and opossums. When I need to open a bale of hay and I don’t have a knife on me, I use Rifle. I tell him to “chew it,” and then he chews the twine to open the bale.

Whether he is guarding me from livestock or giving me pleasure in his tricks, Rifle is my best friend and definitely top dog.

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