Von Koepsel Dobermans

09/26/2026

Good Morning Cat People!

09/22/2026

The hardest thing🤍

09/21/2026

In 1956, R.D. “Red” Blaine had a pretty capable assistant on the security patrol at Oklahoma A&M Tech in Okmulgee. Frances, Red’s Doberman Pinscher puppy, had been given to him at six weeks old by Jack Rhoades, an art-leather instructor at the school. By May, at just five months old, she had already made herself useful enough to earn a feature in the Okmulgee Daily Times.

Every day, Frances carried the security department’s daily record log from the patrol office to the telephone office. She made other deliveries around campus as needed, then promptly returned to the security office to collect her reward.

But Frances’s talents went well beyond messenger duty. On Saturdays, she accompanied Red as he made his rounds checking that campus doors were locked and the school property was secure. When Red stopped to inspect one door, Frances would run ahead to the next one, sit down and wait for him to catch up. The newspaper noted that she was occasionally thrown off because Red deliberately took a different route each Saturday.

She also knew how to “watch.” Given the command, Frances would go to a doorway, look both ways down the hall and remain at her post until told otherwise. And while she was friendly with visitors, Frances was very much Red’s dog. If he left her in the office, she stayed — even with the door wide open and other people trying to coax her outside. A simple “no, no” from Red would end playtime and send Frances straight to her corner.

Her obedience was impressive for such a young puppy. She walked consistently on Red’s left, adjusted to his turns and, when asked to sit, moved around in front of him, sat facing him and waited for his next instruction.

All this earned Frances quite the reputation around Oklahoma A&M Tech. The newspaper reported that people who encountered her considered her “almost human.” Her salary for all that work? No paycheck — just a nice big bone.

Red could only imagine what his precocious five-month-old Doberman might be capable of a year later. As the newspaper put it: “Who knows, if she gets much smarter, she might be put on the payroll.”

Source: R.D. “Red” Blaine and Frances, Okmulgee Daily Times, May 22, 1956.

03/04/2026

10/30/2025

Mariah’s Bellarosa von Koepsel at the DPCA 2025 Nat’l.

10/12/2025

So proud of Bella at the DPCA Nat’l. Many thanks to Aslynn Rose for showing her that showing is fun!

07/10/2025

With this collection, we stand with the heart of Texas—supporting those impacted by the floods. 100% of profits from this collection will be donated to Kerrville Pets Alive in Kerr, TX. Every purchase you make helps provide lifesaving care, shelter, and supplies to animals in need during the Texas...

04/08/2025

Silhouettes and nose smears…