Snips and snails

I get obsessed about things.  2 years ago it was The Great Dane Search.  We had lost our first dane to a long, horrible illness and it had been completely overwhelming and heartbreaking.  A few months later I became consumed with the task of acquiring another dane to snuggle.  I found tons of danes online.  Some being rehomed by idiot owners.  Some being sold by idiot owners.  And one being given away for free by someone who I was sure was just trying to scam people, or was the biggest idiot of all.  I decided to try to find out which one.

"Jesus!", was the first thing that went through my head when I saw him.  He was not just big; he was a Big. Damn. Dog.  With his sleek coat, soft eyes, and thick tail, I instantly knew he was mine.  I contacted the owner and we went back and forth for a bit over email before they dropped off the planet and pulled their ad.  I assumed they decided on someone else.  I kept looking and eventually brought home this crazy looking goofball.

Beast is about 110 pounds of pure sweetheart.  Fabulous with the kids and just a happy dog.  She had recently had a litter of pups and then was dumped by the owner.  She needed an emergency spay and a lot of love.  She looks so silly, she's so good with the kids, and that dog will not let a stranger in this house.   She has a lyrical name, unlike her online alias here.  Just a great girl.  About 2 weeks after bringing her home, we had to euthanize our dachshund.  Her name was Sputnik.  Really, it was.  Sputnik the Wonder Dog.  I still can't even think about it without crying, but a short week after that, I saw a familiar ad online.  I was still trolling pet sites, you see.  I don't know why.  But there he was again and I had to find out what was going on that he was back online.

The owner was having a hard time letting him go, but they had finally come to grips with their decision.  She drove 3 hours to come check out our house and yard.  She brought him with her.  It took us about 10 minutes to get him in the house.  Once in, Beast lost her mind.  I had her corralled in the kitchen but she came flying through the pass-through window from the kitchen into the dining room.  Bounded over to Cujo and it was love at first sight.  He wasn't nearly as enthralled.  He gave her a withering look, ambled a few steps away and took a giant dump on my dining room rug.  That pile sealed the deal - I had to have him as my puppy. The rest of the visit went well and the owner took Cujo home with her to make her final decision.  A few days later she called me and I drove the 3 hours to her house to pick him up.  We got him in my van and life hasn't been the same since.  He's MY dog.  Don't get me wrong, he loves the whole family, but he's MY dog.  And here he is:

Giant George, the Guiness world record holder for Largest Dog, is 40 inches at the withers and 245 pounds.  Cujo is 38 inches and 242 pounds; which is a little overweight, but he was just diagnosed with a thyroid problem.  We're starting meds and praying it helps him.  He's a lover, a snuggler, and not afraid to defend his house.  I don't know how I got so lucky to get two protective mutts that aren't dangerous around the kids or aggressive to the cats.   Not only is he a giant loverdog, but he keeps The Boy feeling safe.  The Boy refuses to go to bed until the dogs are in his room.  They keep away the monsters and other scary people that give him nightmares still.  Nearly 3 years after coming to us and he's still feeling the effects of his past trauma.  Oh, how I hate his past.  And oh, how I love The Boy.  Especially the fact that he can find it in him to trust something -  the Big Damn Dogs - even if he can't allow himself to fully trust us.