Finding joy in becoming part of the German shepherd pack

PHOTO: Kelly Colbath and her German sheperds (Ginna Caldwell photo)

By Linda Galway

PENOBSCOT — Serendipity. That’s what Ginna Caldwell and her daughter, Kelly Colbath, both of Lewiston, experienced when Caldwell was helping a friend search for things to do in the Penobscot area. Coming across a “German Shepherd Pack Walk,” she was instantly intrigued.
“We are both huge dog lovers,” explained Caldwell of her decision to surprise Colbath with the adventure. “We lost our dogs over the past couple years, and I knew it would be something that would make my daughter happy,” especially because they are not allowed to have dogs where they live.
“This hike revived my whole heart,” Colbath added. “My heart and soul needed this.”
The walk is hosted by Jennifer White and Tony Ortega, owners of Seelenvoll German Shepherds. White and assistant Katie Radcliff hosted this particular hike. Their website, mainegermanshepherds.com, describes the walk as a “1.5 mile private nature hike hosted by a pack of loose, well trained German Shepherd Dogs.” The hike starts at their farm and includes a network of trails, forests, streams and meadows. Lasting about two hours and traversing well maintained trails, the walk includes bridges, built by Ortega, over streams and muddy areas.
“The greatest benefit was the sheer love of being with the dogs, watching them bound through the woods, come back to wait for us, and run ahead again,” Caldwell recalled. “When they would run off into the woods, they would all come back together, and it sounded like a herd of horses; the ground would thunder.”
Caldwell and Colbath were amazed at how socialized the dogs were. Most were under two years old, friendly, loving and well trained.
“They knew the whole hike and led us most of the time, but stayed with us, too, Caldwell said. “They swam in streams, rested in the cool moss, played with us, gave kisses and snuggles. There was only one male, Vermeer, out with us; the rest were females.”
Because of the pack mentality, there could be only one male in the group, she continued. Pippin, a Jack Russell terrier, described as the “adopted nanny” of all the dogs, also participated.
“They all loved and followed her,” Caldwell noted. “At the end of the hike, we got to sit and relax with the dogs.”
White provided beverages and snacks, after which the hikers met other animals on the farm, such as several corgis, multiple goats, a black horse and two miniature horses.
The need to spend time with the German shepherd dog pack springs from a lifetime love affair with dogs.
“We have never had a GSD, but my father does, and we have always had dogs,” Caldwell said. “We’ve had an Australian shepherd and an Old English bulldog.”
To view this hike, click here. To learn more about this adventure opportunity, as well as walks featuring corgis, visit www.mainegermanshepherds.com/pack-walk.