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04/12/10(Mon)16:14 No.9149562 File1271103252.jpg-(500 KB, 1080x1350, Death_Korps_of_Krieg__Tribute_(...).jpg)
When I went to the shelter, I was imagining some sort of lab mix, or maybe one of those retired greyhounds. Something that would lay around the house, go for runs in the park every now and then. But when I saw the little Krieger in his pen, he just looked too forlorn and adorable to pass up. All I had to do was fill out the paperwork. He already had his shots and a microchip; though the shelter staff assured me that neutering wasn't actually necessary for Kriegers.
I had some behavioral problems with Krieger at first. He kept trying to dig up the backyard, and was restless and territorial. He kept poking the mailman with his bayonet and trying to call in artillery strikes on passing cars. When I checked the behavioral books, though, they said that this was actually an expression of insecurity--that Kriegers were territorial and needed an established "bunker" of their own in order to feel content. So I cordoned off part of the yard to make a Krieger-kennel, like the book said. The Krieger does most of the work, actually: digging, creating breastworks, mixing and pouring the concrete and filling the sandbags. I was a big concerned that it would be cruel to surround the kennel with barbed wire, but my vet assured me that Kriegers actually enjoy it, and are accustomed to moving around in their bunker without getting tangled in the wire.
My little Krieger is much better behaved now, content and playful. We go to the park and play with his little toy potato-masher: I throw it, and he runs after it. Sometimes he'll throw himself onto it when it hits the ground, other times he'll scoop it up and fling it back to me, which is fun. He also likes running from tree to tree with his bayonet at the ready. And I enjoy curling up on the couch at night with my Krieger standing attention nearby. It's such a secure feeling. |