Memorial Day dogs

A week ago today I covered the Memorial Day observance up at Green Hills Cemetery. Among those participating were San Pedro dog trainer Peter Burmeister and his German shepherds.

Pete has been training police and military dogs for many years and I was amazed at how mellow these animals -- who will attack on command -- were around children and other people who wanted to pet them. Pete stood close by supervising, but the dogs, who both weighed nearly 100 pounds each, were as calm as could be.

Also interesting was how attuned they were to Pete's voice and every movement. If he turned away to talk to someone, their eyes were immediately on him, watching his every move.

Those were Pete's dogs also who were featured in Josh's Daily Breeze story from May 23  when the military dog cemetery was rededicated at Fort Mac in San Pedro. Josh told me later that one of the former handlers who attended the ceremony told him the guys would typically spend the first full two days with their dogs reading aloud from the newspaper to them -- to completely acclimate the canines to the sound of their voice.

Do you talk to your dogs very much? I've been trying to talk to mine more (but not in a crazy dog lady way, you understand). I think it does help to make them more attentive to you.