Luke

 

I am Luke. The GREATEST Dane. I know that, cause my Mom says so. Every single day. At least once 😛

I was born on July 14th, 2009, in the province of Quebec. I had many brothers and sisters, and I loved my first human Mom, but you see, I was waiting for the time when I meet my forever Mom and go home to her. We were meant to be together. Fate, Mom calls it. She had dreams of ME for over 2 decades! That’s longer than…well…that’s just a long time. At night time, when we’re cuddling in bed and she is feeling super emotional, she tells me the story of how she found me, how she cried and cried like a baby when she saw my picture on the computer, and how she prayed to God that he would make things happen so she could finally have her dream come true. And guess what? God listened! He made things in Mom’s life happen so very quickly, she could arrange to have me fly in a big airplane (that thing was creepy if you ask me, but I’m a tough guy and I made out just fine) and go to a whole new province (New Brunswick) to be with her.

I was nine weeks old, and I was brilliant. Don’t smirk, it’s true! Mom will tell you! I was totally toilet trained when I got to my new home. I even knew to go to the back door and scratch to be let out. And if Mom didn’t hurry up and get me out fast enough? I would go to where she was and tell her to hurry up. I learned sit, down, and come, in the first week. I tell ya, I was smart! Mom taught me all kinds of things, and it wasn’t hard. Ok, so maybe a few commands weren’t my favorites. Like stay. I hate that word. I do not want to stay if I don’t want to stay. It’s really that simple. I’ll do it, but I sure don’t like being told to stay in one place if my Mom is not staying with me!

I never barked much. I never did puppy stuff like chew on shoes, or destroy the furniture. Ok, that might not be true. Mom just reminded me about the buttons on the couch I took off, but that was it. Not a big deal right? I never once jumped up on anyone. Ever. In fact, for quite a while, I wouldn’t even jump all the way on the bed. Mom had to  come lift my bum up. Well it was hard work I tell ya! Someone had to help me, and since she was born to serve me…:P

I learned to walk properly on lead right away. See, Mom is a sucker, but for some things, she can be strict. Leash manners is one of her rules. No pulling, no weaving in and around her legs. It didn’t take much prompting for me to walk at her side. I mean…I was always at her side anyway. She just made sure I knew I was a good boy every single time, and stuffed me with yummy treats when I was good. It really paid to be good in my house 😛

Mom and I went everywhere together. To the stores, to Grampy’s house, to Nanny’s. I met all kinds of dogs and humans. Explored my entire neighborhood and the woods, and Nanny’s neighborhood. Grampy’s too. Mom wanted to make sure I was “socialized”. Well was I EVER!  Everywhere I went, people ran to me, to meet me, pat me, love me. I was famous! If I have a big ego, it’s only because everyone I’ve ever met (and I’ve met a LOT of people believe me) has told me over and over again how handsome and smart and yes…HUGE I am. So after a while I had to accept it…they must be right..right? 🙂

Some say that I’m a spoiled boy. To them, I probably am. I mean, I DO share my bed with Mom.

It’s a double, and we don’t have much room (well she doesn’t, but who’s complaining) I do own the furniture. I”m nice though, so I let people use it if we have company. I get toys or treats every time Mom goes shopping. Mostly whenever she has to leave me for more than a few hours. But hey, I deserve it! I’m good. I don’t need to be crated, I never bother anything when I’m alone. I deserve some compensation for that, since it’s a huge inconvenience to me to have my slave ((oops Mom)) gone for more than an hour! The truth is, I can be a demanding boy. I’m very opinionated. I guess I’m like my Mom that way ((BOL))

I get a full body massage every night at least once before bed. Hey these big bones get sore, and so do my manly muscles! My feet carry a lot of weight you know…they need rubbing.

Mom reads to me. People laugh at her, but I like it. I like the sound of her voice and I fall asleep with my head on her shoulder or in her lap as she tells me the story in the book.

I like the sound of thunder and rain at night. Mom plays those sounds on her computer as we sleep. I require a clean bowl to drink out of. After every drink. Yes. I don’t like drinking out of a dirty bowl. Toilet bowls? SOOO not my thing! I eat really good food. Yeah, it costs and arm and two legs, and yeah, Mom gets to eat the cheap food, but I’m worth it. Plus, I’m a Great Dane, I NEED good food.  Oh, and I know when I need grooming. Don’t ask me how. I just do. At least once a week, I will let Mom know it’s time for her to dig out the curry comb and brush me good. I like to look my best. I like hearing how shiny and healthy I look when I go out and strut my stuff 😛

Hmmm what else? Well….I can be moody. I tell ya, Mom and I really are soul mates cause she sure has moods too! We usually share the moods. When Mom’s mad, so am I. You just don’t mess with  us. And NO ONE messes with my Mom! I don’t like people touching her all that much. Me either for that matter. I don’t mind being petted, but when I say enough, I mean it. That’s because I got sick of  having strangers pulling and tugging and touching me every time I walked out my door! A man needs his space don’t ya know. Mom is the only one I want mauling me. And I do require regular bouts of mauling 😛

I have a brother. Oh…what stories I could tell about him. Let’s just say, we have what you humans call a “love/hate relationship”. I tolerate him. Let’s leave it at that.;)

The cat? Hailie the evil one? She hates me. Always has. I’ve tried and tried to make her see that I just want to be friends. No luck. Not even after 2 years. If you ask me, she’s just a mean, hateful…well…you get my drift. Sadly, every cat I’ve ever met has been mean to me, so now…they are…prey. But I never try to chase them or anything if I’m out with Mom on the leash. That’s one of the “rules”. No lunging at ANYTHING. I dont’ want to talk about rules…I don’t like them that much. Moving on….

Maybe I should make a list of things I like, and things I don’t like. yeah. That’s what I’ll do!

Ok for things I like: FOOD. I LOVE food. All sorts of food. All flavors and textures. I love the look of food, and the smell of food. And I LOVE watching people cook. I’m very good in the kitchen, so I’m allowed to watch 🙂 See? Here I am being a very good boy watching my women slaves in the kitchen 😛

Did I mention that I LOVE food? Ok moving on….

I love stuffy toys. Toys that squeek. Tug toys. Toys that make crinkly sounds (which Mom just recently found and bought me 4 of BOL)

Here I am with a few toys. I have far too many to show them all here!

I like to go shopping with Mom when we borrow Nanny’s car and she can take me. Here I am shopping with Mom to get my food. This was when I was still eating Taste of the Wild.I eat Orijen now.

My best friend is Kayla. She’s a standard poodle and she lives with my Nanny. We spend a lot of time together, she spends the night a few times a week here with me. We love going to the park together and exploring the woods and trails together. I must admit, she can only stay for four days tops. You see, she’s kinda boring after a while. She’s an “odd dog”, and doesn’t really like to play all that much. Plus, I’m kinda selfish about my space, my toys, my Mom. So I can only share for so long, then she has to go home 😛

I like to play tug, and chase me. I’m not a fan of the old fashioned “fetch” game, so I invented my own kind. It’s called “you throw the toy, then try to chase me and get it back!” much more fun for me I must say 😛  I like playing with dogs that play chase. I don’t like wrestling or a lot of bitey face type play.  I wrestle with my Mom, and with Brother. He’s fun to wrestle with cause he can take pain..and I like giving him pain heehee. Just kidding!

I LOVE to sleep. I have never slept on a floor. I’m either on the couch or in our bed. When Mom took me to Grampy’s, I wasn’t allowed on his couch or in his living room, so she always made me up a bed with a pillow so I would be comfy.

I should move on to things I DON’T like:

Rain. Peeing in the rain. I HATE it. Mom has to do the rain potty dance to get me out there and even then I might not go.

Really loud people. Hyper people. I just don’t like them. My Nanny happens to be one of those kinds of people. It’s a good thing she’s my Nanny otherwise I wouldn’t be able to stand her at all BOL.

Kids. Ever since we moved here, I’ve hated kids.  I’m not scared of kids, I just don’t  like them. Brother helped with that 😦

The black GSD who lives a few houses down from us. He is my enemy. He is a very aggressive dog, and after I saw him try to attack my Patty, I’ve  hated him ever since. He’s always pulling his owner and barking his head off at everything that moves. I can get along with some male dogs. If they don’t try to play the “I’m a bigger man” game with me. I will not be dominated!

I don’t like chaos. I’m a quiet type. I like peace and calm. You do NOT raise your voice to my Mom. Period.

I’m a lazy sort. I don’t like anything tedious, so trick training must be kept short and fun. I get bored easy. But I really get frustrated easy if I can’t figure things out pretty quickly. Another thing I share with my Mom. You should see her when things don’t ‘work for her…she gets so mad BOL.

I’m a brave boy. Some Great Danes are scared of a lot of little things. Mom says a lot of that has to do with bad breeding practices. Well not me! I’m not afraid of anything. Not fireworks, or thunder, or people or dogs. The closest I ever came to being afraid of something was when we had to walk past a construction site where they were digging big holes into the pavement. The big machines and the noise kind of freaked me out a bit, but with Mom’s help, I mastered my fear and walked on by without bolting.

There’s not a whole lot I can put on this “Don’t like list”. I mean, I don’t like Mom leaving me, but I don’t suffer from separation anxiety. Which Mom thinks is kind of miraculous in a way, considering the intensely close bond we have with one another.  I am protective of my home and my family, but not overly so to the point where I’m aggressive. Once I know Mom wants the people in our house, I am happy to meet them and get my due attention from them 😛

Mom makes me a part of every little part of her day. I am not just a dog. I am not just the Greatest Dane. I am allowed to have opinions. I don’t feel “owned”. I respect my Mom, and I obey her, but if I really don’t enjoy something (like the old fashioned fetch game, or spending hours doing training) she respects me and won’t try to force me. I do have rules. I’m spoiled yes, but I have rules that I must follow. Mom says those rules are for my safety and well being, so that’s why I have to obey them. I can be stubborn, I can be demanding, I can be moody….but she always treats me like I matter the most to her, and I do. Some people get dogs, and after the warranty runs out, they act as if they almost forget the dog is still there. They aren’t as excited to have the dog, they don’t take as many pictures anymore, or talk about them anymore. Mom says it’s like those dogs fade into the furniture, or become like the furniture to those people. NOT ME! My Mom is still as in love with me today as the day she found me, and I know that because she always shows me. No matter how bad a day she’s having, no matter how stressed out, she always shows me how important I am to her. No matter what. She is always proud of me when I do good things, and she never gets really mad at me when I don’t do something right or I disobey once in a while. I see how it hurts her when she sees other dogs being mistreated, or un loved. I comfort her the best that I can. Even though she feels like she doesn’t do enough sometimes, I know I am a lucky boy. My Momma loves me, more than anyone or anything in this world, and I have a great life. There are all kinds of people who don’t, and won’t, understand the kind of relationship I have with my Mom. That’s ok. I kinda feel sorry for them, and even more sorry for their dogs if they have any, because there is nothing more beautiful than the bond between dog and human. We are not less than because we are dogs. We are not less intelligent. We are just different in some ways. Mom likes to say we should celebrate those differences. Humans might be considered the intelligent species, but isn’t it funny how we dogs can interepret their language much easier than they can interpret ours? 😉

I am Luke. And I am LOVED.

Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoy your visit. Come back again soon! ~Luke~