Life lesson learned from my fog
Iwas 8 years old, more or less. The time frame was during World War II. We — my parents and my older sister, Jackie, and I — lived in a large house in Atlanta, up on a hill on a very busy street.
We had a big dog, Grafter, a German Shepherd. I am told he was a “shadow dog.” That meant he followed Jackie and me EVERYWHERE we went. I was in the third grade (I think) and Jackie was 18 months older, so in the fourth grade. When we walked to the bus stop for the school bus to pick us up, Grafter would walk with us. If we were running a bit slow on a morning, he would go ahead and hop onto the bus, and not get off until we arrived. Then he walked back home the couple of blocks. And, usually, he would be at the bus stop when we returned.
My parents were not at all concerned about our safety. Not with a full-grown German Shepherd right there. There were no leashes then.
Given it was during the war, and my dad was in the military, somehow, Grafter got drafted! He was suddenly gone. I just learned from Jackie that he had been taken to the Ft. McPherson base near the south part of Atlanta, near what is now East Point. That was our doggie!
HOLD YOUR BREATH. About a month or two later, Grafter showed up at our door. In Atlanta. He was skinny, exhausted, and ready to collapse. How in the world could that have happened? To escape is one thing. To find your way home, more than 30 miles away, is a whole different “believe it or not.”
And he could not tell us. Nor did we know what was yet to happen.
Sister Jackie told me a few days ago that somehow, after he healed, he was ordered to return to base. Incredible. He was sent to Germany and became a “messenger.” The enemy paid no attention to dogs, so Grafter’s job was to carry important messages, perhaps hidden around his neck, to help our troops know vital information. As far as we know, he never returned from Germany.
It seems that German Shepherds have somehow been a part of my life ever since. A recent film, “Megan Leavey,” is about a United States Marine Corps corporal who served as a military police K9 handler. It is a powerful true story. I have seen it two times. And in my own family, Amos, also a German Shepherd, has been a part of the lives of several of my grandchildren.
As I reflected over and over about our incredible dog Grafter, it just seemed like he has sort of become a hero to me — in my life, almost 80 years ago, and today. The Shepard is a breed that guards and protects. That may be their mission in life. I am so grateful to have uncovered this touching story of my childhood. This was a great lesson for me. I just knew that if Grafter could find his way home, then, I, too, would always know where home was.