Hershey is not just a character in a book–Hershey was a real dog. He was a five-year-old Doberman pinscher when my parents adopted him from a rescue. He had lived in a garage most of his young life. Although he walked well on a leash, he did not know how to behave inside a house and jumped on couches and grabbed food off tables. He was very playful and friendly with other dogs.
Hershey was a very big boy!
My father enrolled Hershey in obedience training and he loved being with the other dogs. When he wasn’t acting as class greeter, he did very well in class. My father walked him for three miles every day and worked on basic obedience commands like heel, stay, and sit. Soon Hershey was the star of his class.
Hershey also liked people but some people were intimidated by his size. I remember walking through the neighborhood with Hershey and my father and seeing a woman cross the street to avoid Hershey. Little children at the neighborhood park all knew the gentle giant and would rush up to pet him as they squealed his name.
My parents actually had three rescue Dobermans in a row. The first was Argus–a huge male who was very protective of his owners. Heidi, a sweet female who liked to chase squirrels, was next. And finally, the namesake of the character in my book and the sweetest Doberman of them all–Hershey!
The best gift my sisters and I ever gave my father was a painting of his beloved dog (see below). This painting also appears in the book.
