Our Girl Blue - The Adventures of a Blue Great Dane Pup

Surprise!

2009-08-21T13:04:00.002-04:00

Remember in my last post, on Monday June 15th, that we'd been busy gearing up for the arrival of our new little girl in 10 days? Well, it turns out that she had other ideas and decided to arrive the very next day on Tuesday, June 16th! We've been a little busy & sleep-deprived, but I wanted let everyone know that Bella loves her new little sister! Here's a picture of Bella and Samantha Grace:

We have lots more like this - Bella is a very protective big sister and takes her job of holding Sam very seriously.

We're still here!

2009-06-15T20:06:00.004-04:00

I'm so sorry for the looooong absence. I'm getting ready to have a baby in 10 days (yikes!) and we've been busy doing projects around the house and preparing Bella for her new human baby sister. Here's a little bit of what Bella has been up to:

Giving Dad smooshy-face

Enjoying the new toy that the Easter bunny brought her

Catching some rays

Relaxing on, um, I mean with, Moo-Cow

Playing with my friend Malu

Helping Dad with a big backhard project

And enjoying the fruits of our labor (hey, supervising is hard work!)

My favorite things

2009-01-18T11:44:00.004-05:00

Wow - it's been a busy holiday season this year! We had lots of places to go and people to see, but my favorite place of all has been right here:

This is where I hang out when mom and dad are watching TV, eating dinner, or doing anything that does not directly involve playing with me. (How dare they!). Sometimes they worry that I get too close, but I've tried to tell them I'm smart enough to move if I get too hot. Hhmmph.

So anyway, onto what else I've been up to. Christmas came and went, and I was a good girl again this year! Santa Paws brought me some goodies:

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2008-12-21T19:36:00.003-05:00

First, I am SO sorry for such a long hiatus - 2 months with no posts is entirely too long! I'll blame it on me - but I think I have a good excuse. We found out right around the last post that Bella is going to be a big sister - to the 2-legged variety! She seems to know that something is up - she is glued to my side all the time, and is always right there making sure I'm okay. I've been super-tired, and haven't been able to stay up past 8 in the evening most nights, so the blog has fallen by the wayside. I'm getting my energy back now, so you'll all get to see more of Bella again.

Here are some pics from our Christmas Card photo shoot last weekend...she was a good sport about the whole thing, and we got some good shots.

We hope you and yor families are having a great holiday season!

It's Fall!

2008-10-27T18:49:00.002-04:00

Mom and dad took me to a fall festival this past weekend! I'd never been to a place like this before - there were lots of kids playing games, riding rides, and there was even a petting zoo! I had so much fun and met so many people that day - it was great!

When we got there, I posed in front of pumpkins.

Then mom, dad and I all posed for a family portrait. Cheese! Or, should I say, Pumpkins!

There was a booth with some of those horse-things like I saw on vacation! My little cousin wanted to ride one, so I stood guard to make sure they were nice to her. They were - I think it was because of me.

I had to get a closer look just to make sure...

Oh yeah - I even had a doggie cookie shaped like a ghost, but I ate it before mom could get a picture. Let me just tell you - it was good! What a fun day!

Vacation Wrap-up

2008-10-08T19:01:00.005-04:00

Here are some of my favorite memories from the rest of my vacation. I can't wait to go back again!

I got sandy...

I played...

And I napped - with Jackson...

and without...

I loved going on vacation so much - I can't wait to do it again!

Vacation! Day 3

2008-09-23T18:53:00.007-04:00

Hi! It's day 3 of vacation, and you know what that means - another tough day of lounging at the beach. I was pooped after my early-morning beach romp, so dad moved the umbrella so I wasn't in the hot sun during my nap:

It was time for more posing when I got up. First, just me and the ocean:

Then, since I love mom and dad, and they were nice enough to bring me on vacation, I let them get in the picture, too:

After another awesome day on the beach, we came back up the house to relax by the pool. We had a visitor waiting for us when we got there - you guessed it, another horse-thing. I got a boost so I could see better:

Aaah, another awesome day of vacation draws to a close. Is it time to eat yet?

From the humans: We'd love to thank Sasha and Max over at a Dane's World and Huey at Hawaiian Dane for giving us this awesome award! Thanks, guys (and gals) - we love your blogs, too! We'd like to pass this along to Bogart and Malu. While they're not danes (and one isn't even a dog), we really like their blog (and their humans!), and we think you will, too.

Vacation! Day 2

2008-09-17T06:58:00.006-04:00

When we woke up the next morning, we saw these things right outside our house:

Mom and dad said they were called horses. They looked big!

After breakfast, we went down to the beach! I played with dad in the water

and then he took my friend Jackson for a run. I think they both liked it!

I took a break to pose for pictures

and then Jackson & I took a nap.

When I woke up, those horse-things were back, so dad and I decided to go check them out.

I don't think they liked me too much, so we came back to the house and hung out by the pool.

Aaaah, vacation - I could so get used to this!

Vacation! Day 1

2008-09-15T18:31:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry for the long absence, but it was for a good reason - I was on vacation! Yup, I went on my first ever real vacation to the beach with mom and dad and some of their friends (both the 2-legged and 4-legged varieties). We went to a place called the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and I sure did like it.

Ready to go!

Are we there yet?

We had to drive through something called a Tropical Storm to get there. It was pretty windy and rainy, but it didn't bother me too much. When we got there, here's what our beach looked like:

But then the sun came out!

Mom and I took a walk on the beach. I really liked the sand and the smell of the ocean. I can't believe we get to play here for a whole week.

Playtime Again!

2008-08-31T14:30:00.007-04:00

Remember my friend Malu? She came back with her mom for another playdate last weekend! We had lots of fun again!

We wrestled

Played tug of war

Ran around outside

And then we were thirsty, so we shared some water

And got a treat since we were such good girls.

Thanks for playing with me, Malu! See you again soon!

Now Serving...

2008-08-19T18:39:00.002-04:00

Slackers

2008-08-19T18:37:00.003-04:00

Hi, mom here... I'm so sorry for the lack of posts lately, but there's one coming tonight! We've been busy with vacations, bachelor parties and bridal showers, but I promise to never go this long again without a post. Luckily, we go back to the Outer Banks in a few weeks with Bella, so there will be a lot of posts from that trip. Thanks for your patience (hopefully you all haven't given up on us).

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go!

2008-07-28T21:09:00.004-04:00

Well, I didn't really go to work, since I don't have a job, unless you count playing, sleeping, eating, playing, and hanging out with dad when he's at work, 'cuz he works from home. But since my mom does have a job, and my dad was out of town, I got to go to work with mom for the afternoon!

I had so much fun checking the place out...I had to investigate every inch of it! I wasn't too sure about this thing in the kitchen with a big water bottle on top of it, so I barked at it for a while. Once mom showed me it wasn't scary, I got over it and moved on.

When mom actually had stuff she had to get done (pfft - go figure) I had to play in her office with my toys. I had fun in my bed..

watching people walking by outside...

watching people inside...

and staring at mom while she was on the phone.

So, in summary, this is how I feel about going to work with mom:

I still like to hang out with dad, but when he's not around, mom and her office will do.

Fun with Mr. Hedgehog

2008-07-15T18:15:00.004-04:00

I got a really cool new toy a few weeks ago from one of my favorite humans - she owns the doggie daycare place where I get to go run and play a few days a week. I had so much fun playing. I love toys - old or new, it doesn't matter to me!

Ah, ha! I've got you now!

Wait! Don't run away! I'm not done playing with you yet!

What??? He ran in here and I had to chase him.
Then I got tired & had to sit down....

Pretty Girl

2008-06-30T21:15:00.006-04:00

One of mom and dad's nicknames for me is "Pretty Girl." Here are a few of their favorite pictures of me (at least for this week!).

As they say to all the supermodels, "work it!"

Whew - I'm beat. Being beautiful is hard work. I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures. I might even share the spotlight with mom next time. Bark at you later!

Bed Hog

2008-06-19T20:25:00.012-04:00

In the beginning, we had a rule - no dogs in bed - especially a Great Dane. But as you can see, that didn't last too long. We caved and started letting Bella in bed on the weekends.

We created a monster.

I'm getting sleepy here...mind turning off the light?

And the flash on your camera? I'm waaaiiitiiing....

Mom came home from the gym one Saturday morning and found me sleeping like this - all tangled up. I sleep like this a lot, and I don't see what the big deal was - I was comfy!

We were sleepyheads - but it was nice!

("Hey, Bella - do you think we can get her to bring us breakfast in bed?")

2008-06-19T20:13:00.006-04:00

Wow - I can't believe it, but we got an award! My pals and their mom over at The Adventures of Kaya and Luna gave us the I Love Your Blog award! It's kind of funny, 'cause we love their blog, too! (Did you all know that Luna and I even have the exact same birthday?!) Thanks so much to all of you! Now we have to work harder to keep it up. We meaning mom....all I have to do is look cute, and let's face it, I'm pretty good at that already.

Part of getting awarded is passing it along - so I'm going to send it to my other blue Danes out there - The Zoo Crew and Savage!

Father's Day

2008-06-19T07:08:00.002-04:00

I know Father's Day was a few weekends ago, but in honor of my first Father's Day, I thought I'd get mom to post a picture of me and my dad. We were at my doggie daycare's "meet and greet" - I had so much fun, but boy was it hot! (The length of my tongue corresponds to exactly how hot it is - you can see it was like a bazillion degrees that day).

Hi, Dad! I love you!

Boring Update

2008-06-10T14:53:00.003-04:00

As Bella would say, this post is boooorrriiiingggg (because there are no pictures of her), but we wanted to give you all a quick update on our big girl.

For the last few months, Bella's food hadn't been agreeing with her tummy. We'd had her on Eagle Pack Holisitic Select Large Breed all her life, then at around 7 months or so, she stopped putting on weight (and even lost a little) and we noticed some, um, adverse effects on her digestive system (you can all use your imaginations there). After doing tons of research, we changed her food to Nature's Recipe Large Breed (no corn, wheat, beef or other ingredients that dogs may develop sensitivities to over time). For a few days, things seemed better...then we went back downhill again. We were pretty perplexed, and thought we'd try one more dry food before we seriously contemplated an all-raw diet. After more research, and reading how Willow over at the Zoo Crew had been having the same problems (and ultimately the same solution), we found success with Innova Large Breed Puppy formula. What an change - a total 180! We're almost through with her first big bag of the Innova, and Bella is back to a healthy weight, has her soft & shiny coat back, has good breath again (well, most of the time) and most importantly for all of us, a very happy tummy.

As of her 10-month birthday on Sunday, she's 33 1/2" tall and somewhere between 105-110 pounds (we had a little trouble getting an accurate weight with me, mom, holding Big Bertha on our bathroom scale...I work out, but come on - that's a lot of dog to hold!).

Enough of the boring stuff - more pictures of Bella soon!

My New Friend Malu

2008-06-08T17:57:00.005-04:00

Last weekend, some friends of my mom and dad came by with their puppy. Her name is Malu (they're big Steelers fans, which is how Malu got her name) and she's very young and tiny (compared to me) and lots of fun to play with. It was the first time we'd ever met, and we both had lots of fun playing together! You can read more about Malu and her big brother Bogart here.

We really liked to play tug-of-war - Malu's little jaws were pretty strong!

What? You told me to sit...

We were very tired puppies after a hard day of playing.

Wet Doggie

2008-06-08T17:39:00.007-04:00

Hi, everybody! My mom wanted to tell you that she's sorry it's taken so long for her to put up new pictures of me. My Auntie K. got married this weekend, and everybody has been very busy doing fun stuff with them instead of me. But now they're married and going to some beautiful beach for a week, so Mom can give me her undivided attention again and update my blog more regularly, like she's supposed to do.

So anyway, a few weekends ago, we went back to the awesome dog beach! It was a little chilly and it had rained a lot the day before, so there wasn't much beach left, but I didn't care - I was there for the water anyway.

Come on, dad - throw me the ball!

Don't tease me, just throw it!

Okay, thanks - that's better.

Got it!

Whew - it's hard work getting out!

Sleepy time!

2008-05-20T18:36:00.006-04:00

We have a nightly ritual around here. When it's time to go to sleep, I get in my comfy bed, lay down with my sleepy-time toy, let mom and dad give me tummy rubs, and then they cover me up and I fall asleep with a smile on my face. It might look a little goofy, but I love it.

This little guy in my mouth is my Micro-Puppy. He got that name because he can go in the microwave and get all warm and toasty for me to sleep with. I've had him since I came to live with mom and dad when I was just a tiny puppy. I sleep with him every night, and I'm very gentle with him. I do like to give him some nibbles before I fall asleep, though.

Good night!

Bobbing for Ice Cubes

2008-05-08T20:57:00.007-04:00

This past Sunday was hot - or at least I thought so! I heard the weatherman say it was 85 degrees, a lot warmer than I remember from when I was little. Mom and dad say this is springtime. All I know is it makes my tongue hang out!

So on Sunday, mom was getting some sun on the deck. She looked pretty relaxed, so I thought I'd join her. It was pretty nice, except for one thing - I was HOT! So mom, being the nice lady that she is, got me my own water dish for outside, and as a special treat 'cause I looked so pathetic (I must finally be getting it right), she put some ice cubes in it for me. Man, was that fun! I invented a new game - I call it, "Bobbing for Ice Cubes." Also known as, "Hey, what's this wet stuff up my nose?"

Step 1: Identify ice cube.

Step 2: Make contact with ice cube.

Step 3: Submerge entire snout when going after ice cube.

Step 4: Remember to breathe out through nose when bobbing.

Step 4 in greater detail - breathe out!

And that's it! My favorite thing to do once I finally get it out is to bat it around with my paws, suck on it and spit it back out again. I don't like to eat it - too cold and crunchy

My first day at the beach

2008-05-04T11:04:00.007-04:00

Last weekend, I got to meet my other Grandma for the first time! She lives in Texas, and she came to visit for the weekend. I had lots of fun with her - she even let me sleep in bed with her one night! I'm a great snuggler, and I gave her lots of hugs and kisses while she was here. If you're reading this, hi and I can't wait to see you again!

While my mom and her mom were on the Eastern Shore (where I went at Christmas-time and played with pinecones), dad and I had some quality time together - he took me to the doggie beach! It was my first time ever at the beach, and I liked it a lot. I loved the water, and even though I know I can swim, I didn't really like it when the water got over my head and my paws couldn't touch the ground. Here's what our day looked (and sounded) like:

Hi! You guys come here often?

Me? Nope, it's my first time here. Thanks - I think I will join you!

Ooh - a ball! I can get it, I can get it...

Hey - a bigger ball! I'll help you carry it out...hang on, I'm coming!

Hi, dad! This is lots of fun! Thanks for bringing me here!

Swimming is hard work...mind if I just sit here for a minute?

Rock on, Bella!

2008-04-22T07:03:00.004-04:00

B and I love dogs, and I won't even get started on how much we love Great Danes now, too. We love Bella and think she's a riot, and part of the reason we started this little blog back in August was so we, and our family and friends, could keep track of how she grows, what she does, and the ins and outs of owning a giant breed dog.

In doing all our research, we stumbled upon Savage's blog (the link is in the sidebar to the right). Savvy is a gorgeous blue male, and we were fascinated with his mom's documentation of how he grew, his training, feeding style, and all her research on the breed.

Over the past 6 or so months since we brought Bella home and started this little blog for fun, we found tons of other Great Dane blogs out there, and started a little family, so to speak. We always check in to see how our other Dane pals are doing, and we love their blogs. So imagine my surprise when Savvy and his mommy presented little ol' us with this:

We're excellent - go figure!! So we just want to say thank you to Savvy and his mom for thinking of us!

My Pal Jackson

2008-04-22T06:45:00.005-04:00

I had so much fun on Saturday - I got to play with my new friend Jackson all day!

Jackson is a Rhodesian Ridgeback who mom and dad's friends rescued a year ago. He is such a sweet boy, and he's one lucky dog to have such great (and fun!) parents. They love him so much, and he loves them right back.

We went to the dog park earlier in the day - it was hot and there weren't many other doggies to play with, but we still had fun. We came back to my house and played, ate and slept for the rest of the day. We got plenty of treats, but as you can see, we had to work for them!

Near the end of the night, Jackson decided he needed a midnight snack, and check this out - he moved my bowl out of the way and found the food underneath! What a smart guy - I should have paid closer attention - knowing how to do that could come in handy someday!

Quick Update

2008-04-21T09:04:00.006-04:00

Once again, I've been slacking on the blog updates (I'm SO sorry - really!) but I wanted to give a few quick updates before the next round of photos (which will be tonight - I promise!).

Bella turned 8 months almost 2 weeks ago, on April 8th. She's almost 32" tall and weighs in at a whopping 102 pounds! We're in triple digits now, folks! She's been doing great with her obedience class and takes her test to pass Obedience II tomorrow. She'll also be taking her Canine Good Citizen test next Tuesday, so everyone out there, keep your fingers and paws crossed that we all do well on that! She's got everything down except the "Accepting a friendly stranger" and "reacting to another dog" tests (only because she wants to lick the friendly stranger and play with the other dog). Dad and Bella have been working very hard on those two pieces, so when she passes, Dad also deserves a big pat on the back.

Healthwise, our big girl is doing great! Our vet referred us to a doggie ophthalmologist since she'd been having some eye issues, and her right eye appears to be sunken in a little more than the left, which concerned us. Happily for all of us, the doc gave her a clean bill of eye health, and said she's perfectly fine. She said that since Bella is still growing, she may not have "grown into" her face just yet, or she just might have deep-set eyes, and that it's really nothing to worry about. She did suggest that we give her some moisturizing eye drops every day, and it seemed to give her some relief last night, so we may be on to something! She'd also been eating a ton of grass lately, and after researching it and asking our awesome doggie daycare lady, found that it might be due more to the grass being fresh and new (it is springtime here, after all!) than her having an upset stomach. We also decided to supplement her dry food with some fruits & veggies to give her some added nutrients, in case she was eating grass for that reason. We're happy to report that as of the last few days, our pup is no longer an herbivore, thought she has taken a liking to green beans.

Photos are coming tonight - Bella had lots of fun on Saturday with her pal Jackson, a rescued Rhodesian Ridgeback, and we've got the pics to prove it! Hope everyone has a great day out there!

Mischief with Mr. Octopus

2008-03-31T21:06:00.003-04:00

Easter 2008

2008-03-31T20:29:00.006-04:00

This was my very first Easter, and even though I didn't see that Bunny everybody was talking about, I still had a great time! I got to go to Gee's house for the day. I felt very priveleged to be invited and tried really hard to be on my best behavior. It was a nice day, and I had so much fun playing outside!

Before I made it outside, though, Dad thought it would be interesting to see if I liked to walk on the treadmill. He'd seen some guy named Cesar do it on one of those shows on the big noisy picture thing in the living room, so he thought it might be fun. I can assure you, it was not. I might like it more when I'm a little older, but for now, I think I'll pass.

Once I escaped the exercise room, I got to play outside. I found the biggest branch I could and dragged it around for a while.

But that was hard work (I'm still a puppy, after all!), so I had to come inside and rest for a second.

After I got my second wind, I went back out to play fetch with my Auntie K. She made me sit first, and then I was off - like the wind!

Got it!

After a great day of running, playing and sniffing everything, I was one tired girl. There was so much going on, I forgot to take my naps for the day! I got to relax in the truck on the way home, so that was nice. Hey - we're home!

Happy Easter, everyone! And Happy Spring!

Weigh-In

2008-03-31T20:23:00.003-04:00

Here's the weekly weigh-in from Bella's 7-month birthday....91 pounds! She was also 31" at the shoulders. Even as strong as he is, it's getting tough for B to pick her up and weigh her. Our everyday bathroom scale is almost maxed out this way, too thanks to her! We'll have to get creative in the weighing from here on out - we might have to start bribing the local vet to let us use their scale! But seriously, who could say no to this face?

New Sheets!

2008-03-16T12:58:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite parts of bath time (besides the actual bath) is getting new, clean sheets and towels in my crate! And my favorite part of that is this - playing with them!

We play "bite and shake the towels"...

"toga party"...

"hide the puppy"...

and of course, we always end with "look cute for the camera." (I'm getting pretty good at that one.)

Waiting Patiently

2008-03-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

Is my dinner ready yet?

Bella says...I'm 7 months old!

2008-03-09T15:44:00.002-04:00

Hi, everybody! My mom wanted me to tell everyone sorry for the lack of photos, but she says the computer is giving her a hard time & won't let her upload them. (Whatever that means.) She says she'll have lots of new pictures of me up soon, though, to make up for lost time.

In the meantime...I turned 7 months old yesterday! We had a fun day of walks and playing, and I had some visitors last night, too. Right now I'm telling mom what I want to say because I'm lying here sunning myself on the bedroom floor (well, that and I can't type).

So as of yesterday when I had my weigh-in and measure, I'm 31" tall and 91 pounds!

It's time for another nap...my eyelids are getting really heavy...see you all later!
Licks and kisses,
Bella

New Toys!

2008-03-09T15:01:00.004-04:00

Mom, dad and I went to PetSmart a few weekends ago. My aunt, uncle and cousin across the street had given me a gift card, so I got to go in and pick out whatever I wanted! It was so much fun! I had to test them out with dad when we got home, but I definitely have a favorite!

See how tall I'm getting? I know I'm not supposed to jump like that, but I wanted to see if I was catching up to dad! yet! I'm getting there!

Feels Like Spring!

2008-02-23T16:08:00.003-05:00

It was so warm on Tuesday that I decided to go hang out in backyard for a little while and soak up some of the almost-70-degree weather. It felt like spring!

The sun feels so good! I wonder if I need some sunscreen out here...

Hi, Dad! Thanks for taking my picture! I love to be photographed.

Wait, get one from my good side...

After basking in the sun for a while, I went to play with my cousin Dewey. He's a 7-year-old Weimaraner. I may be bigger than he is, but he's still the boss when we play!

Hope it's warm where you all are! Bark at you later!

Another V-Day Post

2008-02-23T16:01:00.003-05:00

When dad picked me up from Doggie Daycare on Friday, I had a surprise for him! Since I missed Valentine's Day, I got some special treatment the day after. Don't I look cute in my bandana? I liked wearing it a lot...I have a feeling there may be more like it in my future!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T16:42:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to wish all of our two-and four-legged friends a happy Valentine's Day!

Bella sends smooches!

(Photos courtesy of the World's Best Husband! Isn't he the sweetest?)

Tag - I'm it!

2008-02-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by my new friend Kaiser over at The Zoo Crew! He's blue (like me) but he's a grown-up and a boy (not like me). I have to list 7 things about myself, so here goes!

1. When I yawn, I make a really funny loud noise, kind of like a person does when they yawn. It's how I let mom and dad know I'm awake in the morning.

2. My favorite non-dog-food things to eat are vanilla yogurt and bananas.

3. I was almost a show dog, but I decided I wanted to come home with my mom and dad instead. I picked them - not the other way around!

4. I have bedtime toys that I can't sleep without - my favorites are Micro Puppy (he can go in the microwave so he gets warm; I always sleep with him under my chin or between my paws) and Mr. Monkey (but he doesn't have any arms or legs left, thanks to me - only a tail).

5. Sometimes I like to sit outside on the deck and watch our neighbors. Mom and dad say I'm being nosy; I just like to know what's going on!

6. I can burp like a truck driver.

7. I love that I have my own website. I like getting my picture taken and being able to talk to everyone!

Thanks for tagging me, Kai!

Bella's Half Birthday

2008-02-08T18:48:00.000-05:00

Bella is 6 months old today! She's 29 1/2" tall at the withers and 83 pounds. She just passed her second obedience class and is the youngest one to be "promoted" to Basic Obedience II. We're so proud of her!

Bella spent her birthday at one of her favorite places - Doggie Daycare! She played with her friends all day long, and came home to a nice warm bath, yummy dinner, and even a little birthday mischief. But Bella wants to tell you about it herself...

Hi everybody! Whew - what a day I had! I'm so ready for a nice hot bath. I waited patiently while I heard the water running in Mom and Dad's big tub.

Ready to get in! Thanks for the lift, dad.

Aaahhh...that's nice. What girl doesn't love a warm bubble bath?

Water time!

I heard Mom and Dad say they're glad they have a big tub (so am I!).

All done! Time to dry off!

Mom and Dad went across the street for a minute, and when they came back they found...

Hey! Wait - I wasn't expecting you back so soon! What? Get down? Sorry, can't hear you.....too..tired......must..lie..down...

Snoooore....snnnooooorrre...(Are they gone now? See you all later!)

Bella says... I have a new friend!!

2008-02-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Remember my Uncle Tony? He came over to play with me as soon as I came to live here in Maryland. I like him a lot, so you can imagine how excited I was when I found out he got a doggie, too! Here is Hogan - he's an Old English Bulldog, and he's 9 weeks old here.

I had lots of fun playing with him (once I was over my giar...giard...whatever I had). Dad had to keep reminding me to be gentle, that he's a lot smaller than me, so I tried really hard not to squish him or hit him with my big paws (sometimes I forgot).

We had lots of fun together. Uncle Tony - thanks for getting Hogan and bringing him to play! I know we're going to be good buddies!

Bella says...I'm siiiick

2008-02-01T07:37:00.000-05:00

I'm siiiiick.... Or at least I was (I'm back to normal now!). I had something called Giardia - I don't know much about it, but I do know that I felt terrible for about a week. See?

This was after I got, um, sick in our obedience class. Too bad we had to leave early - I was doing great that night. See how pathetic I look? I can't even lift my head up to come lick mom as she takes my picture.

Mom and dad were worried about me, so they got me checked out. I had to take some medicine for a few days, but I feel like my old self again now. I will admit, though, that it was nice getting chicken and rice for dinner and having mom and dad give me extra lovies (not like I don't get a lot every day, but you know what I mean). I'm so glad I got better soon, because I had a new puppy cousin to play with! (More on that later.) Bye!

Bella says...Long time no talk!

2008-01-17T07:17:00.001-05:00

Hi everybody! I know, it's been a while since I wrote anything to you all, but it's been crazy around here! I rang in my 5-month birthday on January 8th, but I was so tired from my first day at doggie daycare that I zonked out (before I even got home, I might add) and I was too sleepy to post. As of a few days ago, I'm 28" tall at the shoulders and 78 pounds. (On a side note, doggie daycare is awesome - why didn't my mom and dad think of this sooner??)

I don't have too many pictures this time around, unfortunately (my mom has been slacking off with photographing me - I'll have to talk to her about that.) Here's one that will show you how big I am, though - and one of me hanging out with my dad. Talk to you soon!

Merry (Belated) Christmas!

2008-01-07T07:33:00.000-05:00

And a happy (belated) New Year! I know, I know - Bella and her humans have been slacking on the postings, so hopefully this will make up for it!

We started out the holiday season with Bella's first road trip to visit family and friends on the Eastern Shore. We loaded (and I do mean loaded) up the truck and hit the road...Bella was great in the car, just as long as she could see us...

(Bella's first present - a cool new collar from her grandparents in Texas & their dog Max! )

We got to my grandparents' house and she loved all the wide open space! She discovered pinecones and ran (or hopped) around with at least one in her mouth at all times.

We came back home the next day and relaxed for a little while, before picking up the pace again on Christmas Eve. Church, then to B's parents' house for some gift exchanges and dinner. Miss Bella made the trip with us, and she got a present from her Auntie K - her very own argyle sweater! She really likes to open presents, and got pretty good at it over the holidays! (No, she's not spoiled at all...) I don't have any really good pictures of her actually in the sweater, but let's just say she was not a fan at first (she looked like a bull at the rodeo trying to buck it off - it was hilarious!). She also got a Puppy's First Christmas ornament from Aunt J, Uncle B, and her cousins M, A & T!

Headline: "Huge Puppy Eats Entire Train Village"

Back home on Christmas Day, Bella perfected her gift-opening skills.

(You can see the remnants of our gift to Bella - the indestructible octopus, un-poppable giant tennis ball, and her favorite puppy chew bone from Grandma and Grandpa H on the Shore!)

The moose was a huge hit! (Thanks Uncle B, Aunt J, & Cousin R!)

We hope everyone had a great holiday season & wish you all the best for 2008!

Waiting for Santa

2007-12-19T07:37:00.000-05:00

No, not yet, big girl...6 more days...

Bella says...What's all this white stuff?

2007-12-11T10:37:00.000-05:00

I woke up last Thursday morning, and it was cooooold. And then all this white stuff started falling from the sky. What was that all about? By the time my mom got home from work, our house looked like this:

So we all went outside to play! I had a great time! The white stuff was a little cold on my paws and my nose, but it tasted pretty good and I had a lot of fun hopping around in it.

Dad made some snowballs and tossed them my way. I tried to fetch them, but it didn't really work. I like snow!

But you know what I liked the most? Curling up in front of the warm crackly-bright thing and snoozing afterward. Did I mention I get my own stocking? See - it says Bella! Mom says Santa Paws is coming to visit soon and bring me some toys. I can't wait! Happy Howl-idays to everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-12-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

Bella celebrated her first Thanksgiving in style - she was allowed to come with us to B's parents' house for the family turkey extravaganza. There were about 24 people there, and Bella was a great girl! She had such a good day - she was calm, happy, and laid-back almost the entire time, which we thought was pretty great for a 3-month-old puppy. She especially liked to run around outside and play with the leaves.

("Are we there yet?")

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

A Week in Pictures

2007-11-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, maybe it's been more than a week. But here are some more photos of Bella.

You may recall Bella's floppy ears - her vet urged us to tape them for health reasons (he said her floppiness could cause cartilage problems as she got older, plus she was having ear infections that may have been related to the flop), so we did. After a week of the lovely chin-strap look, here's what we have - ta-da! Natural-floppy-eared Bella once again. She was SO happy when we took it off that she ran around the house shaking her head and watching her own ears flop for a good ten minutes straight. It was great.

Please, please ignore the person holding Bella. I look terrible. I mean, that's not me, the person holding Bella looks terrible...

She looooves her crate. And making her ears flop. And Mr. Monkey.

Weekly Weigh-In! Drumroll, please....48 pounds! For real! Large Marge, she is.

Oh, and here's B., our very own Dog Whisperer. We're also trying not to flunk the "sit" portion of Puppy Obedience (which, by the way, is going awesomely well).

Goodbye for now, and happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Bella says...I'm 3 months old today!

2007-11-08T16:08:00.000-05:00

It's another reason to celebrate - today I turned 3 months old! I was born on August 8, 2007 (I'll be a year old on 8/8/08 - kinda funny, huh?). Here are some pictures of me from the first time my mom and dad met me, and some from now when I'm bigger. I was only 21 days old the day we met for the first time. I'm a lot bigger now, and much more mature. (Ha ha - that's a funny one!) I knew that I liked mom's lap back then, even though at the time, none of us knew we'd be a family someday. I don't really fit in her lap as well as I used to, but that's okay. I don't mind, and neither does she.

That's my sister trying to crawl up dad's shorts. It was pretty funny.

I crawled right into mom's lap and fell asleep. I might have snored then, too.

Here I am taking a snooze in my bed the first night at home...and now...
Speaking of snoozing, it's nap time. See you later!

Professional Snuggler

2007-11-06T07:31:00.000-05:00

Bella is a part-time professional snuggler. Here are a few pictures of her at 12.5 weeks in snuggle-mode. She's up to a whopping 38 pounds now, which makes fitting into laps a little more challenging (but she doesn't let that stop her)!

("Hi up there, mom!")

("Can we please go to bed now?")

Football with Dad

2007-11-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

On Sunday night I got to stay up and watch football with dad. It was really funny watching those big men run around chasing that little ball. It looks like the stuff I do with my toys! We did more playing than watching TV, though...

I love hugs!

Happy HOWL-oween!

2007-11-02T07:22:00.000-04:00

Wednesday was Bella's first Halloween! The costume didn't exactly work out (I'd gotten a little set of orange pigtails with slots for her ears to poke through, but she's too big for it already! It wouldn't even velcro under her chin!) but that was okay - Bella and B weren't thrilled with the idea anyway. We did, however, get her a Haloween treat that she seemed to enjoy much more...

("Mom - seriously? Again with the camera?")

And after a long night of handing out candy and licking trick-or-treaters, there was only one casualty...

Mischief

2007-10-31T14:45:00.000-04:00

Sometimes Bella likes to create a little mischief around the house, just to keep us on our toes.

Saturday was a gorgeous day - warm and sunny, so we opened up the house to let in some fresh air. Bella was especially fond of the screen door, since she was able to better see, hear and smell what was going on outside. So she stood by the door, watching the people working in their yards and listening to the other dogs in the neighborhood...

And then she had enough and decided to be cute, lying in the sun chewing on her favorite frisbee...

And then, just when we thought she wasn't moving, and decided to do something other than give her our undivided attention for five seconds, we come back to this:

Someone had figured out how to slide open the screen door. Little turkey!

Bella says...I'm 11 weeks today!

2007-10-24T07:42:00.001-04:00

Hi again! I'm 11 weeks old today! I'm getting much taller, and I weigh 26 pounds (or at least I did on Sunday) - that's 10 pounds in 4 weeks! Here are some pictures of what I've been up to lately. I love to hang out with my mom and dad, and I especially like belly rubs. I always have to know what's going on in the house, too. Luckily, I'm big enough now to see over the gate they put up, so I always know what's happening.

Hey - is that food I hear? Gotta go! See you later!

Ear ye, ear ye - an update

2007-10-23T09:30:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Carol (as always - you're the best!) and Shannon, who sent us information on Bella's stray floppy ear. If anyone else out there reads this and wants more info, check out this link from Sixstar Danes breeder page (http://www.6stardanes.com/ears.html) or www.danesonline.com. From the other research we conducted, we found that it's also pretty common with other breeds (including German Shepherds and Yorkies) whose ears flop when teething, and usually go back to "normal" (whatever that is) once their adult teeth come in. Both of Bella's are flopping together now, so we've dubbed her "Origami Ears" for the time being. Taping is a solution, but we've decided just to see what happens, and if she grows up with ears in the Lotus position, then so be it. :-)

Bella got the in-house spa treatment this week! She had her first bath and got her first manicure - Carol, thanks for the tip on using a Dremel to do her nails! She really didn't mind too much, and she especially loved the bits of banana she got as a treat when it was all over. For more info on using a Dremel to do your dog's nails, head over to Gunther's page and look at the list on the right-hand side - there's a link to a great resource full of photos and tips.

I'll post some pictures tonight during her evening naptime. Have a great day, everybody!

Very Int"ear"esting

2007-10-17T07:13:00.000-04:00

Here's something funny...we can't for the life of us figure out what's going on, so we need the advice of you smart, Dane-experienced people out there.

Here are Bella's ears at 9 weeks, last Wednesday:

Here are Bella's ears on Saturday:

And here are Bella's ears today at 10 weeks:

What's up with that right ear? It just started flopping over Monday night, for no apparent reason. She didn't take a tumble, it doesn't appear to be injured, she doesn't wince when we touch it. We even cleaned both ears last night thinking it may be irritated, but nope - just crooked. Any thoughts? Will it go back to flopping forward? Thanks, smart doggie people!

Life with Bella - Week Two

2007-10-14T13:45:00.000-04:00

I swear, sometimes I think the girl grows overnight - she seems heavier when I pick her up to take her downstairs in the morning. I can't believe how fast she's growing.

Bella is starting to take on more of the typical Great Dane characteristics - her jaw is squaring up a bit, her ears have started to stand up (it's so funny), and when she's alert, she stands like a champion show dog - head up, chest out. Maybe now people won't mistake her for a Weimaraner on our walks. "No, she's a Great Dane," we say. And the number one response we get is, "Wow! Are you sure?" Yup, we're sure. ;-)

She's been getting better about her leash this week - less chewing, more walking. Housebreaking is coming along, too - we realized that we'd mistakenly taken on the "weekend" mentality. Humans break out of their Monday-Friday routine, so why not her, too? We found out quickly - breaking out of the routine = lots of accidents. We've learned our lesson, gotten more in tune to her schedule & her signals, and we've all been doing much better this week.

We'll post more pictures soon!

Bella says...It's my birthday!

2007-10-10T07:37:00.000-04:00

Well, sort of. I'm 9 weeks old today! I weigh 20 pounds, and I'm growing so fast! My vet says I'm going to be a big girl when I grow up.

I got a present on Monday from some nice ladies that mom works with - she says they like to look at pictures of me and hear how I'm doing. I like them already! Thanks for my present - mom and I have been learning to play fetch with my new tennis ball.

So far, some of my favorite things to do are eat, sleep, play, eat some more, play and sleep. Oh, and snore. I like to go for walks and to go watch my dad play soccer. I love vanilla yogurt and bananas (my mom hides my vitamins in there; she thinks I don't notice, but I play along to make her happy).

It's time for me to go play now. Arrrf - I mean, I'll see you later!

Bella in Action

2007-10-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

Life with Bella - Week One

2007-10-05T08:58:00.000-04:00

My, how far we've come in a week! Bella has been such a good puppy - we're so lucky! She's adjusted well to her new environment, with almost no anxiety over being in a new place with new people. She's a pro in her crate now, too - she never puts up a fuss about going in for a nap or to sleep at night, and when she wakes up, she can calm herself down (unless we need to take a trip outside, but that's usually quick and efficient so we can both get back to sleep!). She's learning to walk on a leash, which usually goes well - unless it gets within chewing distance, at which time it lands squarely between her sharp little puppy teeth. That we need to work on, but all in good time.

We made our first visit to the doggy park on Saturday, and after finding the "little dog" portion empty, we decided to venture into the "big dog" section. She wasn't too sure what to make out of all the sniffing and bigger dogs, but she didn't act overly submissive or aggressive if she was frightened. She did make a beeline back to us if it got to be too much, but she didn't stay there for long. She also met a little 10-week old Rottie puppy, and they played for a little while. The size difference was amazing between the two - Rotties are big dogs, too, but Bella was a lot bigger that this adorable furball even at 8 weeks.

My dad and stepmom came by to meet their "granddog" on Saturday evening. Bella was on her best behavior, and we think she won them over. This may tide them over on grandkids for a little while, but we're not taking any bets. :-)

Sunday was lazy family day - we all liked that! Following a bruiser of a soccer game on Sunday for B and a little overstimulation at the fields for Bella (new people overload!), we all zonked out and watched football all day. We think Bella enjoyed the extreme laziness - her frequent and loud snoring clued us in.

Our first days with Bella

2007-10-02T08:37:00.001-04:00

Here are a few photos from our visit to pick up Bella on Saturday. Maybe this is why she can sleep through anything?

B with Bella's parents (such sweethearts!)

and human mom and doggie mom:

On Sunday, we took her to a soccer game, and we had some friends over to watch football. Bella was great with all the new people and puppies she met that day. She especially had lots of fun with her Uncle Tony.

Crate training is coming along...she gets better every night, and is starting to develop a routine with us. She likes to take her favorite toy (whichever one it is at the moment) and hop into her bed, or play with it in our laps. She likes to go for walks, but she really loves it when we turn around to go back home. And when she's really, really tired, she snores like a lumberjack.

She is so funny - she makes us laugh constantly, and we feel so lucky to have her in our lives.

Bella says...Hi!

2007-10-01T14:01:00.000-04:00

Hi! My name is Bella! (But I think you already knew that.)

I went home with my new mom and dad on Saturday! We had lots of adventures - we drove through three states, from my old home in New Jersey to my new home in Maryland. I didn't see much of it, though - I was really tired, so I slept almost the whole time.

When I woke up, they took me to a little pet store and bought me lots of toys! The girls in the store thought I was cute and took my picture to put up on their bulletin board. We went home, and I checked the place out. I liked exploring! I think I wore my dad out, so we took a nap together.

I met some other dogs and their people, and all of my cousins came over to play. My mom and dad took me for a little walk on my new leash, too - they said I did a great job, but I just liked being outside with all the new things to see and smell. We came back home, ate some dinner, and I had lots of snuggle time with mom and dad before bed.

I really like it here - my human parents are really nice, and they give me lots of love and hugs and kisses. Okay, now I have to go play with my tire. Bye!

Meet Bella!

2007-09-23T11:35:00.000-04:00

We drove up to New Jersey on Saturday with every intention of coming home with a puppy, but we ended up falling in love with a puppy in a different litter (and we think the feeling was mutual!) She was only 6 weeks old, still too young to come home with us that day, so we get to go back next Saturday and pick her up. We knew the instant we saw her that she was our Bella - she ran up to us, smothered B in doggie kisses, and we were mush from there. So, without further delay, here's Bella!

Bella is a little bit sassy... (is she telling her cousin that red is maybe not her color?)

and a whole lotta sweet...

For reference, here's Bella's dad (who is the biggest teddy bear, despite the fact that his head is bigger than B's and the dog weighs 190 pounds):

On the bright side, not coming home with her on Saturday gave us the opportunity to get her living quarters ready (and toys! lots of toys!).

Meeting the Puppies

2007-09-16T19:30:00.000-04:00

On the Friday before our wedding, we drove to the home of our wonderful breeder to meet our prospective puppy, her brothers and sisters, cousins, parents and grandparents (that's a lot of dogs!). We had such a great time with them all - we didn't want to leave! Here are a few pictures from the day.

You're getting a what??

2007-08-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

This is the typical reaction when we tell people we're getting a Great Dane:
us: "We're getting a puppy!" (one step away from jumping up and down with excitement)
them: "That's awesome! What kind?"
us: "A Great Dane!" (doing happy dance)
them: (eyes huge, mouth wide open) "You're getting a what?" followed by some or all of these comments, listed in no particular order:
"Do you know how big they get?"
"You do know they don't live very long, right?"
"Why would you want to do that? You're young and freeeee.....travel! See the world!"
"Do you know how big their poop is?"
And later we laugh about it over dinner, thinking of how great it will be when she's here, and she's the coolest dog in the world, and she's all ours. Big poop and all.

We're taking the plunge...

2007-08-06T12:38:00.000-04:00

on a few levels. B and I are getting married less than 4 weeks from today. And now we're one step closer to our baby blue! After tons of research and even more careful consideration, we decided that a Great Dane puppy would be the perfect addition to our new family of two. We knew we wanted a blue girl, and lucky for us, we found a breeder who was anxiously awaiting such a litter any day. Nine pups were born on Friday, August 3rd and we immediately started daydreaming about life with our new pup. And exercising veto power over names (I still say Maximus is not a suitable name for a girl.) Stay tuned - we'll let you know what happens next!