On his right side is a big beautiful heart (which my sister was first to notice - and thereby officially started the I-SPY game when Luna was just 10 weeks old). I love this shot of him trying to do his best to be friendly with the neighbors!
And on the left side of his neck, he has vanity spot. His own profile proudly displayed, his spot mimics the image of a Great Dane profile -cropped ears and all. We have also found the United States, an exclamation point, and Captain Hook's hook. Great fun!
Also, as you can see... Ava is back to her lazy ways. She is doing much better, although I did revert back to using the syringe for subsequent pepto doses. Turns out she is waaaay too smart for that whole "lick the plate" deal to fool her more than once. I have spent the last two days rearranging furniture and she has trailed behind sniffing the new path through the house to aid with those dark, late-night strolls around the house.
I arrived home to find Ava was sick... everywhere . She has caught a bug and her digestive system is on the fritz.
I called the vet and promised I would keep them off food and water for 24 hrs. What I didn't tell them was that I was about to give her Pepto Bismol under the direction of two dane owners I trust immensely. But I was not looking forward to the battle. Ava, can be stubborn when it comes to medicine and there is no reasoning with her if she won't look at you (again, deaf and blind). Then I thought of how she is always eager to lick off my plate if I offer it. Sure enough! When I came at her with a syringe, she backed away and hid ... but when I smeared it on a plate from the cupboard... she licked it without protest . They are both resting now and I hope she will be on the mend soon. As for me? I am left with clean up...
FYI: For those of you in need of a serious pet cleaner, zeroodor.com is the only one I use. The stuff is no-lie magic?! I'm not in the business of advertising for companies, but if you have not tried it... my three animals and white carpet are testimony to my trust in the product. If you have tried it - I would enjoy hearing how /if it worked for you.
Numa is a solitary cat and would undoubtedly throw a fit if another feline came to be part of the pack (again, that may go back to his "i am a dog" thing - but who's to say for sure?), so naturally that leaves canine additions. Of course it takes some getting used to on his part, but he seems to forgive me each time I trail an unusually large dog home behind me and he somehow he finds peace with it.
Yeah, that hasn't quite happened yet for Ava and Nums... Don't get me wrong, there are signs that deep down they have grown fond of each other, but the chase is just too tempting when the urge hits them.
You see, Ava followed Numa around the house for the first several weeks after she arrived. It was a new environment, she was out to meet the locals, and Numa was having none of that. He would, yeowl, hiss, and fire a one-paw-warning-shot over her bow, but Ava just kept coming. What Numa had yet to discover was that Ava has some sight and hearing issues. She didn't hear the yeowls or hisses and she didn't see the warning shot. In fact, Ava is blind in one eye and what remains of her vision in the other is blurry at best. But Numa is black, the carpet is white, she was able to see him no matter how bright the light source, and used him as an "involuntary seeing-eye cat" to learn the lay of the land. This was winning her no points in Numa's book.
Being deaf means Ava meets and categorizes people and animals through scent. However, she conveniently lacks an understanding of personal space. Makes sense to me... the closer she is, the more she can smell. The down side comes in when you realize the two areas that have the strongest scent on your body.
The northern region typically brushed and flossed and the southern region where cold, wet, large, noses are alarming at best.
Even if she is polite and decides to smell the nose / mouth region of someone she meets, it is still unnerving to be nose to nose with a giant dog you have never met before. Not for the faint of heart and Numa is no exception.
Luna Bleu. He (yes, I am aware his name is of the female persuasion - but a nine year old cares little of these things when naming a pet, and truth be told we call him Loon most days) comes from a rescue history. His whole litter was found at 4 weeks of age and taken in by the local shelter. Thirteen of them, twelve lived through the emaciation and skin rashes after their mother took ill. Without her, they stood no chance in the world. Did I mention they were all merle color markings? Now what are the chances of that? Every one of them displayed merle, which meant someone didn't know what they were doing in the breeding process. The norm is 1/3 of the litter will display merle with the remaining 2/3 displaying the harlequin color pattern. But 13 puppies all born merle?... boy you have to wonder. The shelter took them in for one month before releasing them for adoption all the while keeping them away from the regular traffic flow of daily hopeful eyes wandering through as they worked their way back to health. When I called one day for local and state resources I was transferred three different ways to Sunday and finally informed of the litter currently residing with them. I was allowed an interview and questioned thoroughly and upon entering the dane puppy room was assaulted with the 10 or so wriggling puppies all suddenly vying for my attention. I was at once overwhelmed and delighted at the energy but I had to keep a level head if I was going to find the right one for me. Then, in the corner a small head popped up, stretched, and yawned awake from his lazy afternoon nap, and I immediately asked to visit with "the big lazy one in the corner, yawning... him". I visited with one of his brothers too, but Luna was already settling into my heart. He came home 2 days later and we have been learning about each other for the last 4 years. He is an amazing companion. Yes, he missed out on all the rules his mother meant to pass along, so for a long time he didn't understand he was a dog and we have worked hard on his quirks, but he is on the right path now. He is the look-out and peace keeper here in the Major pack (two roles?... unlikely I know, but I will explain the necessity of that later), and we can't imagine our pack without him.
She is doing much better, although I did revert back to using the syringe for subsequent pepto doses. Turns out she is waaaay too smart for that whole "lick the plate" deal to fool her more than once.
I have spent the last two days rearranging furniture and she has trailed behind sniffing the new path through the house to aid with those dark, late-night strolls around the house. 
. She has caught a bug and her digestive system is on the fritz.
... but when I smeared it on a plate from the cupboard... she licked it without protest
. They are both resting now and I hope she will be on the mend soon. As for me? I am left with clean up...
If you have tried it - I would enjoy hearing how /if it worked for you. 
but who's to say for sure?), so naturally that leaves canine additions. Of course it takes some getting used to on his part, but he seems to forgive me each time I trail an unusually large dog home behind me and he somehow he finds peace with it. 
