Over the holiday season our family has been really busy and Savvy has done a wonderful job dealing with strangers (to him) stopping by and the interruption of his normal routines. This was his first Christmas with R. and I! We had no Christmas tree, so no worries there about my puppy eating tinsel or anything. From his "grandma" he got a big stocking filled with puppy toys, which he proceeded to scatter gleefully around the house and yard. My present to him may be less appreciated but it's become a necessity. I am ordering a "radio fence" for our yard, which is an transmitter that allows him to run free while being confined to a pre-determined area. It involves an electronic shock collar that will warn him with beeping as he approaches the perimeter, and before he actually gets a "correction". I can no longer assume my pup will always come when he's called, and with the road and the snowmobile trail being so close I've realized that he's got to be better controlled. I now know that I should have done this months ago.
Savvy's foot pads are still sensitive to the ice and snow, but I think they'll toughen up with more brief periods of exposure. He enjoys playing in the snow (what little snow we have) and if I find it necessary to buy him booties I will. It's still not cold enough that we need to limit our walks, and he hasn't needed to wear a coat yet. My friend knitted him a thick, soft neck-warmer that I can pull over his ears, since they are the first part of his body to get cold, and that will help tremendously when we snowmobile up the lake to my parents' place. With the first snowmobilers out and about, and R. and I preparing our three sleds, I can tell Savvy is excited about riding again. He gets startled when the engines start, but then wants to crawl right up on the seat. I hate to think it might be impossible for him to ride this year, but he is getting huge. Next I'll probably be buying him a sled to tow behind the snowmobile!
I continue to apply udder balm to his elbow callouses daily and it seems to be softening them up a little. I'd like to prevent them from getting bigger and becoming cracked, both for his comfort and for looks. His ear tips are still floppy when he runs and I'm sure I should have continued taping a bit longer. In any case, he looks magnificent standing still, so I'm probably going to leave them alone and stop being a perfectionist, at least regarding my dog's ears...
By the way, as you can see in the picture, Savage has finally made peace with the new couch.
Happy Holidays, Dane lovers!!

This is Savvy's little blonde girlfriend. She is a 6 month old fawn female that Sarah (Ted's mom) is now fostering. She is recovering from HOD (hypertrophic osteodystrophy), and our hope is that she will finally find her home up here on the Trail. In the short time that Sava and I got to meet her, she made a wonderful impression, having a sweet, well-adjusted personality, and of course, she is very beautiful, delicate and feminine. We are both simply in love with this girl.