When I decided to get a dog, the only breed that I could think of was a German Shepherd. I also knew that I wanted to adopt one. I had decided to get one as a graduation present to myself and I knew that my parents would like a dog a lot better than a motorcycle! Needless to say they were very happy that I went with the dog. Since mid summer 2006, I had decided to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and I wanted to share the adventure with a great companion. I filled out the application and did the interviews, but the one question that kept popping up was, “convince me that it is OK to take a dog on a hike for six months”.    continue Once everyone felt comfortable with my decision and planning to hike the trail with a dog, we started looking for the best fit for me and all the activities that I love. They had the perfect match for me! They told me that he was a little big, which was a total understatement at only 10 months and 70 pounds, but I knew once I saw his picture and heard more about him that he was going to be great! When I finally got to meet him, I was very anxious. I pulled up to his foster home and saw the gate to the back yard….There he was. I walked up and the first thing that he did was jump up, put his paws on my shoulders and lick me straight in the face! I knew right then that this was going to be a perfect match. After talking to his foster parents for a while, we decided to start the trial right away. I couldn’t have been happier. They kept saying that “if for any reason it doesn’t work out just let us know and we will come and get him”, but I knew that this was it. It took no time at all for us to adjust to each other. Actually it only took until the car ride home after I picked him up, when he laid his head on my hand. Since that day it has flown by, even though it has only been a few months. We have been training for the Appalachian Trail since the first day that I had him. We do training hikes a few times a week to get ready. We both love to go hiking in the woods and it is obvious that when he has his backpack on, he is on a mission! He is growing up to be a great companion. He is learning German, English, and hand signals, which he is picking up very fast. He is always watching me and what is going on around him. I don’t think that I could have asked for a better match with a more amazing GSD! Please feel free to keep track of us on our hike. We are starting on March 24th, 2007 and should finish the 2,174 mile trip in mid September. Go to www.trailjournals.com/walkerthompson/ to read about it and check out the pictures along the way!