Chuck is back!

Sweet Dane mix is ready for a good home

Chuck is available again -- under the name Shaka. He’s a sweet Dane mix in the Los Angeles North Central Animal Shelter, which is known for putting many unwanted dogs to sleep.

I almost adopted Chuck last spring. I came across a new listing for him a few days ago when I was looking for the Dane photo in my last post.

Chuck stole my heart last spring and I wrote a post about him called “Great Dane mix Chuck charms us.” But he’s five years old, and we thought that we wanted a young dog. Somebody else adopted Chuck, and we adopted a purebred Great Dane puppy. But I often thought back to sweet old Chuck, and wondered what might have been.

He’s listed as a Dane-Dalmatian mix, but I think he’s a Dane-Collie mix, with very soft lamb-like fur and a slender Collie snout. He’s only 83 pounds, quite a bit smaller than a purebred Dane. He’s already neutered and seems perfectly healthy.

I went to see him again over the weekend. (I must be crazy!) He was scared at first, but he became his friendly self again when an attendant took him out of his kennel to meet me. “He’s an escape artist,” the attendant said. He explained that he had been picked up three more times by L.A. Animal Services, and his new owners relinquished him because “they got tired of bailing him out.” Visiting Chuck somehow helped ease my grief over Winston.

I would like to make sure that Chuck finds a home, and is not euthanized -- which is a real possibility. He’s in the Los Angeles North Central Animal Shelter, which is known for putting many unwanted dogs to sleep. If you’re interested, his ID# is A0939560, and you can call (888) 452-7381 for info.

Purebred Danes surprise me at shelter

This is one of the Great Danes who cheered me up at the shelter

I had an amazing experience in the animal shelter right after the Pet Loss Support Group meeting. I walked among the cages, visiting the dogs. I went there many times in the months after Winston died, always hoping to find another Great Dane or Dane mix. Nothing.

But this time I turned the last corner, expecting to see more Pit Bulls, and there stood two gorgeous two-year-old purebred Great Danes! One was a Harlequin female, and her mate was a mantle male. They had been turned in by their owner.

I fell in love with them and spent a long time looking at them and talking to them. I tried to imagine my new pup full-grown and as big as they were. The staff said that the Danes were “too much dog” for the owner, and that the owner couldn’t afford to feed them anymore. I longed to adopt the pair of them, and couldn’t imagine how anybody could give them up. Yes, I know it’s irrational, when I had my own half-grown Dane pup at home that I was struggling to handle. But that was my true feeling, and it renewed my spirit. I returned home with a heart full of love for my new pup, and new resolve to love him for exactly who HE is.

I found out from the staff that both Danes were already reserved for new homes, so they are having a happy ending, too.

Puppy’s personality can be tested

Now that we’re getting ready to buy a puppy, it’s important to be able to read a pup’s personality.

I was excited to hear about the Puppy Potential Evaluation -- a series of exercises that test a puppy’s personality, including confidence, submission/dominance, problem-solving, stress recovery, courage, prey drive, etc.

The most surprising quality tested is “forgiveness” -- seeing if the pup will still come when called after the tester has held it off the ground in a position of no control.

Hmm… I’m not sure if I would pass that test.

It would be useful to have simple tests like these in dealing with other humans. The Dating Potential Evaluation, maybe?

Dog group rescues Gentle Giants

Gentle Giants Rescue photo

We’ve been thinking about adopting a Great Dane from Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoption, a huge dog rescue operation in southern California.

They specialize in Giant breeds, especially Danes. In a surprising Hollywood twist, it’s run by Burt Ward, the actor who played Robin in the Batman TV series of the 1960s.

Their website features a delightful video that Dillon and I have watched many times. The best part is when “the herd” comes out to meet PBS reporter Huell Howser. He’s surrounded by dozens of huge, friendly dogs -- Danes, St. Bernards, Mastiffs, Great Pyranees, Newfoundlands, Borzois, in every shape and color. For me, it’s like an image of what heaven must be like. Click here to watch the video -- it’s a must-see.

Whenever I use Petfinder.com to look for Great Danes, almost all of the nearby ones are at Gentle Giants.

Some aspects of Gentle Giants are making us hesitate. Their fees are almost as high as buying a new Dane puppy. They have a lot more complicated rules than most dog adoption places and breeders.

There’s a whole big website called GentleGiantsNews.com that is “dedicated to discovering and exposing the truth about Gentle Giants Rescue.” Their testimonials from adopters are truly awful and the Wards sued them for defamation. I certainly don’t believe everything I read on the Net, but it does make me wonder why somebody set up such a site.

We might go check out Gentle Giants in person. Meeting “the herd” alone would be worth the trip. And we might find a new Gentle Giant to fill our hearts.

Great Dane mix Chuck charms us

Chuck, a cool Great Dane - Dalmatian mix

Dillon and I went to meet Chuck at the nearby city animal shelter just for fun recently. Chuck was billed as a “Great Dane/Dalmatian” mix -- and for once, the dog really did seem to be part Dane as promised. Although I thought he seemed more like a Harlequin Great Dane and Collie mix.

When I approached his kennel, Chuck stayed back in his doghouse until I called his name. He seemed pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm in my voice and the fact that I had stopped just to see him. He came slowly to meet me with a sweet, gentle look in his eyes, very much like my dear departed Dane-Lab mix Winston. Chuck was very gentle, and not over-eager to get acquainted. After a few minutes, he offered me a small dog kiss through the fencing. Then he let me pet his ears. His fur was much softer than Winston’s! He felt like a lamb.

Chuck is 5 years old. Dillon wants to get a younger dog, so that we’ll have more healthy years together with our next dog. Chuck’s other downside is that he needs training. He didn’t even respond to “Sit!” Later I realized that he might have been trained in Spanish, since we live in a an area with many Spanish-speaking neighbors. I should have tried, “Sentado!”

It might not be easy to train a 90-pound older dog, but then again Chuck did seem eager to please. Perhaps the biggest drawback is that Dillon and I both have busy schedules this month, so we need to wait longer before bringing home a new dog. We want to see several Danes or Dane mixes before making a decision. Still, I really liked Chuck’s loving, gentle personality and his BIG presence.

I actually met the shelter worker who took the above photo of Chuck. He said he tried hard to take a good photo of Chuck because he’s such a good dog. I understand that somebody adopted him not long after our visit.

P.S. on Oct. 17, 2008
Chuck is available again -- under the name Shaka! He’s in the Los Angeles North Central Animal Shelter, which is known for putting many unwanted dogs to sleep. If you’re interested, his ID# is A0939560, and you can call (888) 452-7381 for info. I don’t think I can resist going back to see him.

Backyard breeders vs. reputable breeders

I enjoy looking for Great Dane puppies online.

It’s hard to find a top-notch reputable breeder with puppies available. (One of the criteria of “reputable” is that they don’t breed all the time, but let their females rest between litters.) We’re going to go to an American Kennel Club (AKC)-approved dog show to try to meet some reputable Dane breeders.

Meanwhile, I do enjoy looking at the Dane puppies for sale now in my area through PennySaver.com. Some of these seem to come from “backyard breeders,” but they sure are cute!

In addition to breeding less frequently, the reputable breeders do various medical tests to screen against medical problems such as hip dysplasia. After Winston’s experience with hip dysplasia, I’m all for that! They also show their dogs regularly in competition, raise the puppies in a home environment, and do a lot of research to balance the pedigrees of father and mother dogs before mating. Reputable breeders take a lifetime interest in their dogs and will help with any problems that ever arise.

The opposite is the “backyard breeder.” There’s a lot of material on the web attacking the backyard breeders. Click here for an example. I can’t tell how much of it is exaggerated accusations from the “reputable” breeders. To hear them tell it, the backyard breeders mate their Danes carelessly and often with whatever Dane happens to be nearby -- even if they aren’t AKC registered -- causing untold health damage to the resulting pups.

Is it really that dangerous to breed outside the AKC-approved box? I don’t know. When I was growing up, we got a poodle from a backyard breeder, and she was fine. But that was in the Seventies, many doggie generations ago.

I feel a bit intimidated by the reputable breeders with all their rules. When Dillon and I met some Dane breeders at a dog show years ago, they were horrified by the very existence of our dog Winston -- living proof that a Harlequin Great Dane had been allowed to mate with a Labrador Retriever! However, his disreputable pedigree didn’t prevent him from being a fantastic companion. Perhaps a mixed breed has a better chance at good health than a careless mating of two purebred.

One thing’s for certain: There sure is a big price difference for the puppies, with “backyard breeders” may offer Dane pups for about $500, while some “reputable” ones may charge $1,200 and sometimes $4,000 for a dog with “show quality” coloring.

Cesar's DVD tells how to get a new dog

Dog expert Cesar Millan’s new video “Your New Dog: First Day And Beyond” looks great! I want to get it for advice in my search for our next dog.

It’s the third volume in his “Mastering Leadership” series. It follows three families who adopt a dog from a rescue group, a shelter and a breeder. I’m still considering all these options, so his expert guidance is most welcome.

You can see a video preview at Cesar Millan’s website.

I first heard about it from a neighbor with a new dog. She recommended it highly.

Calling all Danes!

Chuck, a cool Great Dane - Dalmatian mix

Every day I search for Great Danes on Petfinder.com.

It’s a fantastic website for locating specific breeds available from nearby pet adoption groups. As I write this, they have 253,486 adoptable pets from 11,300 groups all over the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

There are usually about 25 Great Danes or Great Dane mixes in my area. Many look like they really are Danes, too -- not Pit Bulls who were labeled Danes by overzealous people trying to find them a home.

As I watch the ever-changing array of dogs, I wonder where they came from and where they are going. The time hasn’t come for me to meet my own special Dane yet, but I enjoy looking online at all these big dogs and wondering about their stories.

Above is Chuck, one of my current favorites from afar. He's billed as a Dane-Dalmatian mix. I’d like to help this big boy find a home. Click here for more info on Chuck and how to adopt him.

P.S. on Oct. 17, 2008:
Chuck is available again -- under the name Shaka. He was adopted back in April but now he’s in the Los Angeles North Central Animal Shelter, which is known for putting many unwanted dogs to sleep. If you’re interested, his ID# is A0939560, and you can call (888) 452-7381 for info.

A strange twist of fate - dog custody battle

Our journey with Eleanor the black Labrador Retriever took a strange twist when her original owners returned from overseas and wanted her back very much, blaming their pet sitter for letting her escape while they were gone, and blaming the Humane Society for mishandling it when they first reported the dog missing. The Humane Society called us 8 days after the adoption and asked if we would return the dog.

We were the legal owners, but we thought that returning Eleanor was the right thing for the dog and for us. Now she is home with the family that had her since she was a puppy.

We’re going to take more time to get over losing Winston. Then we’ll look for a Great Dane -- one whose ownership is not in question. I hope to introduce our new Dane pup online later this year. Meanwhile, I’ll keep writing about the search for the New Dog.

The video above was made the day before we returned Eleanor, fondly known as Ella.

We feel grateful that a twist of fate brought Eleanor into our home to light up our lives for 10 unforgettable days.

Dog bonding

Here's a photo of my new black Lab Eleanor kissing me shortly after we brought her home from the humane society. There have been many dog kisses since then!

We adopted a new dog!

Eleanor on her first day with us

Big news: We adopted a new dog! She’s a black Labrador Retriever and we named her Eleanor, or Ella for short.

She’s a friendly, intelligent, calm dog whose expression glows with a steady stream of love. She was a stray picked up by the Humane Society. She’s a wise old lady at age 9, based on the Humane Society estimate of her age. Her muzzle is starting to go grey, but she still seems full of life compared to what I’m used to with Winston. The vet thought she might be 6 years old and a purebred Lab. She weighs 77 pounds, exactly 2/3 of Winston’s peak weight of 115. She’s 23 inches tall at the shoulder, which is 6 inches shorter than Winston was.

Eleanor already knows all the basic commands, and is very obedient -- except about leaving the cat alone. The biggest challenge will be teaching her to get along with the kitty, but we’ve done it before. Eleanor goes nuts when she sees the cat, but Sapphire stays calm and actually seems glad to have a dog around again, as long as we enforce the rules against cat-chasing.

Above is a photo of Eleanor on her first day with us, which was Wednesday, April 2. Since then I’ve been so busy getting her settled (and working on taxes) that it’s my first chance to post the good news.

P.S. Perhaps I spoke too soon about the “very obedient” part. While I was typing this, she went into the bathroom and pulled the trash out of our waste basket!

Waiting list for a dog

We’re on the waiting list for a dog! She’s a friendly, intelligent, calm black Labrador Retriever whose expression glows with a steady stream of love. She’s a wise old lady at age 9. Her muzzle is starting to go grey, but she still seems full of life compared to what I’m used to with Winston.

She was a stray picked up by the humane society, and if nobody claims her in four days, we’re at the top of the waiting list to adopt her.

Dillon and I went to our pre-adoption interview, and the counselor quickly matched us up with the Lab. We were drawn to the loving look on her face as she wagged her tail and gently kissed us through the fence. We were especially impressed at how she watched each person who walked by, paying special attention to the staff people. She had obviously identified the staff, even though she had been there less than a day. She was far and away the best dog there for us.

People kept telling me that when I found the right dog, I would “know.” I doubted this, since I’ve been looking at hundreds of dogs in local shelters lately, and never felt that kind of connection. But today I did.

Well, we had imagined getting a male dog, and also a younger one. However, I did ask Winston’s spirit to help us find the right dog. I should have known that he would choose a black female. That was definitely his favorite “type” throughout his whole life.

I think that an older dog will be easier for me to handle with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I feel a sense of peace about choosing this loving Lab.

We do know that it still may not work out. Later in the day I applied at a Labrador Retriever rescue group, too.

Great Dane hunt

I woke up and found two panicky messages on my answer machine: A Great Dane mix needed a home!

The dog’s owner had gone into drug rehab and a friend was desperately trying to find someone to adopt the dog. My vet had referred them to me.

Dillon and I got sucked into this drama. Our longing for a Great Dane mix like Winston overcame all our misgivings -- even after the man on the phone described the dog as equal parts Pit Bull, Boxer and Great Dane. He also warned us that the dog had been abused. We drove over to meet the dog that afternoon. At least it wasn’t far.

When we got near the dog’s temporary home, we saw a sign marked “Winston Street” with an arrow pointing the other way. It proved to be an omen.

There was nothing wrong with the dog, except that he was nothing like what we expected or wanted. He looked like a regular Pit Bull and Boxer mix to me, without an ounce of Great Dane. He was much smaller than Winston. What really bothered me is that he wouldn’t look at people and paid no attention to us. After giving him a short ride in the car, we dropped him off with our best wishes that he find a good home -- with somebody else.

It wasn’t a waste of time because it helped us figure out more about the process of getting a dog and the clarity we need to have. But it made me realize how vulnerable I am to choosing the wrong dog because I want a dog back in my life so badly. I suppose this is how people end up dating the wrong person “on the rebound” after a split-up.

And I am haunted by the way that Pit Bull mix wouldn’t look at us. From the moment we met, Winston did everything in his power to read and charm human beings, all human beings. Maybe that trait is rarer than I thought.

The whole incident reminded me again of how special it was that Winston came out of nowhere and adopted us. He was a stray who found us, like an angel sent from heaven. I still miss him so much. It’s hard to let go of searching for a dog that looks like Winston, or that somehow IS Winston.

I’m trying to focus on attracting the right new dog to me. Not reacting or searching, but knowing what I want -- a very friendly, loving dog -- and finding it.

I think it will help to go to a rescue organization where the counselors can steer me toward appropriate dogs based on their knowledge of many dogs and discussion with me and Dillon.

Stray Dog Brings Unexpected Joy

I rescued a giant stray dog. Or, more accurately, we rescued each other. A Great Dane mix was the last thing that I thought I wanted, but he turned out to be just what I needed.

“He’s the world’s biggest puppy!” smiled one neighbor, while another groaned, “You mean he’s going to get BIGGER?!” He was 89 pounds of black-and-white spotted energy.

I first saw him on Independence Day, when I was walking through my Los Angeles neighborhood to watch the fireworks. My doctors had urged me to take a short daily walk in the cool of evening to help me recover from chronic fatigue syndrome, a disability that suddenly left me unable to work.

On the worst days, my life partner Dillon prepared meals for me and my only activity was eating them. I usually walked at night to avoid people. I feared that they would wear me out and provoke a relapse. I was already two years into my disability on the day I met the dog who was destined to change my life.

We live on a winding, mountaintop road overlooking the city, so I was able to view several different fireworks displays in the distance. As bursts of gold and emerald sparks shimmered against the night sky, a large, dappled dog emerged from the bushes nearby.

He galloped ahead of me, stopped to sniff something, then ran to catch up with me again. I was impressed by his grace and his countless spots. He had short white fur with black spots, much like a Dalmatian, except he had more spots than usual and they ranged in size from big blotches to tiny flecks. This is the look of a Harlequin Great Dane. Since that night, the sight of him has inspired many strangers to stop and exclaim, “What a beautiful dog!”

Still, I didn’t think much about him until the next morning when I found him on our front porch. He greeted me with a joyful grin and a wagging tail. His brown eyes were intelligent and eager to please. Later a vet would estimate his age between six months and one year. He had a dirty piece of rope around his neck -- and quite a few fleas -- but no identity tags.

Dillon and I had been toying with the idea of getting a dog, a small dog. We resisted feeding this giant, reminding ourselves of the many practical reasons against adopting him. Wasn’t I too weak to help train him, or even hold him on a leash? How could I carry the huge amounts of dog food he would eat? For that matter, how could we afford to buy it? Yes, yes, yes and yet -- there was Winston. Before we knew it, Dillon had named him.

In just the first three days, he made our lives better. We found ourselves looking out the window often, happy to see that Winston was still there. Other people fed him, but he chose to hang out in our yard. My walks, once solitary affairs, became family adventures as both Winston and Dillon suddenly wanted to join me.

During these walks we asked everyone we met if they knew where Winston belonged. I discovered that Winston had already made friends with the entire neighborhood. Everyone agreed that Winston had once been well cared for, because he absolutely loved people. But nobody knew who owned him.

The neighbors informed us that lots of unwanted dogs get dumped in a nearby park. Somebody had already called the county animal shelter to catch Winston, but so far the animal control officers had not come. When dogs go to the local shelter, more than half of them end up being euthanized.

I longed to keep Winston, but I could not care for him by myself and I felt it was too much to ask of Dillon after all the extra burdens she had assumed due to my disability. On the fourth morning, we agreed not to adopt him.

Just a few minutes later a young man rang our doorbell. I had never spoken to him before, even though he lived right across the street. He offered to help us with Winston if we wanted to keep him.

Dillon said she would think about it while se was at work, and drove away to his office. I could tell she was excited by this new possibility.

I rested in the backyard by laying flat on a lawn chair as I always did. But it was not the same as always. Winston lay beside me.

Until that moment, I had not realized how lonely I was. Here was a loyal friend who was delighted to stay with me all day, even if all I could do was lay there silently. Winston was an easy playmate, overjoyed with any activity on my part. He also gave me something to think about besides my problems. Suddenly I realized that my heart had been broken by the many losses surrounding my illness. But that was past. Now I was healing and I wept tears of happiness.

Dillon came home that evening with a collar, a leash, a ten-pound bag of dog food and a big smile. Winston was home to stay.