For many of us, love for creation deepens through the relationships we form with our pets,
particularly our dogs. By their very nature and need, dogs draw us out of ourselves: they root us
in nature, making us more conscious of the mystery of God inherent in all things. We cannot but
delight in recognizing God’s mystery in the length and breadth of our daily life. In our particular
monastic context of New Skete, we have been privileged to share this in a special way with our
German Shepherds, who in an entirely natural way have taught us many important lessons
about life and about ourselves.
Our relationship with the German Shepherd breed began when we were given our
first dog, Kir, in the early days of our monastery. Kir was a beloved pet to all of
us and our relationship with him led us to adopt more German Shepherd dogs
and eventually, at the request of friends, to begin breeding these intelligent
and beautiful animals.
For more information on our breeding program and to apply for a New Skete
German Shepherd puppy or dog, click here
In addition, we offer a three week dog training program at the New Skete monastery
for all breeds of dogs. Our books The Art of Raising a Puppy, How To Be Your Dog's
Best Friend, Divine Canine, I & Dog and Dogs & Devotionprovide detailed information
that describes and illustrates our distinctive approach and were written to help dog owners
bond with and train their dogs and ultimately, build a relationship with their companion
animals based on love and respect that enriches both human and dog.
For more information about the monastery's dog training program and to enroll your dog,
click here
Training Program Breeding Program Application
