Saastaa - Helping Someone To Survive

Saastaa as a 5 week old puppy, when Laura picked her out of the litter!

Säästää was born into a litter of 11 puppies on October 9th, 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana. She was bred by Kuper Haus German Shepherds near Nashville, TN, who specialize in breeding working-line German Shepherd Dogs. Her litter-mate, Remi, also lives in the local area, and they spend time together frequently for training, hiking, and play activities.

Säästää's first year was mostly about socialization with people and other dogs, as well as exposing her to a wide variety of environments and experiences. Her temperament is ideal for her working goals, as well as her time spent at home. She loves to interact with people of all ages and enjoys spending time with her collection of soggy tennis balls, frequently offering them to anybody nearby to throw to her.

In the spring of '06, Säästää began her "Basic Training" at Golden Halo Puppy Acadamy, learning simple commands and obedience. She responds to both verbal and hand signals as a result of that initial training experience. Later in 2006, she began her intermediate and advanced obedience classes, where she was first exposed to the positive training techniques of Homeland K-9 under the guidance of trainer Mike Loesche. By the spring of '07, Säästää had received her "Canine Good Citizenship" certification through the American Kennel Club.

Säästää advanced into tracking training during the summer of '07 through Homeland K-9 and has proven herself to be quite capable of ground-scenting. Since that time, the training guidance from Homeland K-9 has continued to hone her skills and build a foundation towards eventual state and federal certifications.

In February of '08, Säästää and her handler Laura took a training program for therapy work and received her Therapy Dog certification through Therapy Dogs International (TDI).

Säästää is living up to her name, which means "To help someone to survive." We'll share more on her progress as it develops!