Everywhere I take my puppy we get a million questions, complements, suggestions! The most prevalent assumption is "is that a weimeraner?", probably because most people have never seen a blue great dane. I also hear a lot of "what a beautiful color!", which Savvy definately is. And people are amazed at his soft, glossy coat, and want to pet him endlessly. Of course, Savage just eats up all the attention. "What did you do to his ears??" is a popular question, and leads to a lengthy explanation about ear-cropping, taping, etc. I've found that a lot of people not really familiar with the practice believe that his ears are still healing and the supportive tape is actually bandages. They also are curious as to how long he will have to go through taping and I usually say that we will do it through the age of 6 months and then see how things look. In all truth, I believe it will take longer, mostly because I think we would be really lucky to get standing ears that early, but I am getting more adept at ear-taping and am prepared to do it for as long as it takes. The tape really seems to confuse people as to what breed Savage is. I've been complemented on my weimeraner, doberman, german shepard(!), greyhound, etc. I've heard "did you rescue him from the race-track?", "are you gonna dock his tail?", "when are you going to crop his ears?" (when his tape is off) and all sorts of strange questions! It's amusing, but I try to give everyone accurate information while not making them look foolish.Since I've been bringing the puppy to public places I've also met a few people in my hometown that have danes, which I would have never had the opportunity to meet before! The little personality quirks in the adults I can see emerging in Savage. What an awesome breed. We've been visiting a lot lately. A lot of businesses in my town are dog-friendly and actually keep free dog biscuits in the store. A few times I've had to turn down biscuits from well-meaning employees because Savage is not allowed to eat commercial dog food, but everyone is very understanding. Usually they are just thrilled to pet him and ask about him. The other night my sister and I stopped by a hometown bar for a drink and inevitably the talk turned to dogs. The bartender, a friend of mine, was more than happy to let Savage join us inside and he ended up dozing on a barstool for an hour or so. I always make sure that if there are loud and rowdy customers around I will take Savage out to the car or leave altogether, but in a mellow, laid-back environment he is really comfortable.
We have gone shopping together, rented movies, filled up the car's gastank, checked out new trucks. He is such a part of my life now, and I find myself making plans only if he is involved. When I'm at work bartending I serve repeat customers from last year that knew I was planning on getting a puppy and ask if I ever did, at which point I whip out his little photo album for them to look through! On non-busy nights (Mondays and Tuesdays) he usually "helps" me at work, mostly charming the customers and dragging bar-rags around the bar. He's already getting too big for our oversized barstools and my employer suggested we get him an even bigger one so he can be comfortable. With my boss's two shepards, Savage, and Ted coming over to play, the bar I work at has definately "gone to the dogs". This is a good thing, right?I've noticed that Savvy is getting more vocal. During play with other dogs he has started to growl and bark more, and is deciding to try out this dominance thing. I see him laying his head over another dog's back, or putting his paw over someone's neck. It's refreshing to see him trying out new things, since when he was smaller he automatically rolled on his back when another dog made a move. When I'm preparing his food he does bark and I'm kinda encouraging it, so he will "speak" on command. I realize I may regret this later! He still "talks" in his sleep, which instead of being irritating, became comforting after awhile. When he's talking and running during sleep it's probably the cutest thing ever. With R. leaving on a snowmobile trip for a week I know Savage will make it a lot less lonelier. Though I don't really trust anyone else to help me with ear-taping, so I hope these hold up until he returns.
On Saturday my blue guy will get his second dose of roundworm medicine, and on Sunday he will get his first distemper vaccination. I have not seen any worms in his poop, and believe me, I'm paying attention since I'm intent on keeping the yard spotless. Perhaps we've got the worm situation kicked in the ass. The back toenail that was torn off is now growing back well, though very slowly. Health-wise, he is thriving. I have been clipping his nails once a week and now I don't think it needs to be that often. I still worry that he is not getting enough organ meats in his diet because he only picks at beef-, and now chicken-liver! So we will have to find another, more tasty option. I feed him fish on Mondays only, and the rest of the week's menu is generally raw meaty bones (chicken and turkey), mashed sweet potatos, ground turkey and beef, and treats like eggs. I've heard that unsweetened mashed pumpkin is agreeable on the raw diet, and if I can find it in my town, we'll give it a try (in moderation).
Savage loves the snow and runs around trying to burrow into the drifts. He also eats quite a bit of it, which I'm thinking may help with the pain of teething. (Yes, I do supply him with fresh water at all times.) My yard is starting to look pretty trashy, since there are a few alcohol bottles here and there.But I've found Sav has the most fun chasing plastic half-gallon-size vodka and whiskey bottles around. He can pounce on the bottles, and carry them by the necks, and they slide around easily on the hard-packed snow when you give them a kick. He hasn't actually pierced through them with his teeth, so I think they are pretty safe. He also has tennis balls in the yard, and stuffed animals and squeaky toys all over the house. He loves chasing the dot of the laser pointer. Yet boots and socks are completely irresistable. Hmm... the many joys of puppy ownership!!