Meet Duke, the most adorable and precious 3-year-old German Shepherd from Wildhorse. Duke is a respected member of the Bort family, and the Bort family includes Matias, a college student; Felipe, who is 17; Ines, who is 14; Mariela, Duke’s mom; and Guillermo, Duke’s dad. Duke was born in Joplin, and he joined the family when they really wanted a dog. The name Duke was chosen by the Bort family altogether because they thought that Duke sounded strong and brave, just like the puppy they had.

Duke is full of cute quirks, like wagging his tail and jumping up in excitement every time anybody comes over or walks by the house and being super afraid of the school bus. When Duke was a little puppy, he had one great fear: the school bus. Every time Duke was on a walk and the school bus came by, he would hide behind a bush and pretend he could not see it.

Also, one of the most impressive moments that Duke shared with the Bort family happened when Felipe was riding his bike on an unknown trail. During the ride, he lost his balance and scraped his knees. When Duke was on a walk with Mariela the next day, Duke pulled on his leash, insisting Mariela go with him, and he took her to that same exact spot that Felipe fell the day before. At that time, Duke showed how loyal and smart he truly was. When such an impressive event happened, everybody in the Bort family was astonished by Duke's performance that day. It was truly the behavior of a good boy. That also illustrates why the German Shepherd is preferred as a police dog.

Now, since the Bort family’s oldest son, Matias, is in college, Duke misses him a lot and will go into his room every night to sleep in his bed, where Duke can still smell the scent of his older brother. The trainer the Bort family recommends is Kim from PetSmart. Mariela recalls: “Duke was like a fully changed and well-behaved puppy after Kim’s hard work.” Duke is not only an adorable German Shepherd, but he is also the Bort family’s good boy. If you ever see Duke on a walk (and you're not in a school bus), make sure to say hello!