I cannot believe that THIS much time has passed and I have not updated my ‘Alvin/Dana’s’ blog…. 😳 That is just terrible! I have added slide #6 from December 4th to her show and slides #7 & #8 are from December 24th, 2008. I am unable to locate all of her current pictures from January and February and that makes it that much more important for me to take new one’s FOR she is looking fab!!!! My dear ‘Alvin/Dana’ shall not be going up for adoption for some time yet to come. She is a HUGE ‘excite’ jumper when guests are over plus she and I are continuing to work on ‘co-operation’ and ‘teamwork’…LOL She keeps me on my toes and I laugh many times every day from her antics and that ‘poker’ face of hers is to die for! OMG! Even knowing that she has done something wrong; she will sit there and look at you and if she could talk; she would be doing a bald-faced lie right to you! She is full of insolence, impudence and mischief that I am not sure whether to hug her some days or pull out a few more grey hairs that she has given me!!! 😛 MY GOD, I so love this dog!!!! She is patience personified for me and her!!! LOL If she wants something, she is prepared to dig in her heels and not move(my loving mule) until she gets it, which for the other dogs usually means her sitting on their heads, chests or kidneys until they can barely breathe and they leave the toy they had or the bed…..Our ‘leader’ female Kona is 10 shortly and letting go off the reins in our home and this is NOT the time to have that happen for we have some of the other gals jokeying in for position and NONE of them are truly suited for the role. For Dana, this means just barging her way through the sea of dogs to go where she wants….no respect shown…she such a hoot and she and I spend many an hour having conversations back and forth about ‘things’…. 🙄 I have never met another Dane like her and she cannot go to a home inexperienced or faint of heart! LOL She is so loving, sweet and gorgeous(I call her ‘dollface’) and snuggles so adorably with you and your heart just wants to melt but the ‘goober mule’ girl is in there and we saw when we spayed her; just how easily she could ‘slip’ back into wanting to do a lip curl here and there and not share….I have not seen this behavour since her spay and even then it was minor BUT one cannot give this girl an inch…at least for now. She does not sleep in bed with us and she sleeps in a crate and NILIF is very much part of her daily life with us and she so excels with it and her intelligence. I have to say that on my worst days in Rescue; I find myself taking Dana for a walk; just her and I and I tell her all my pain/sorrow and heartache and I ‘feel’ her listening….she is so like Samson George that way….our special walks in the early AM hours or now as it is lighter later; before the sun sets and it SO special. She is all ‘heart’ and ‘passion’ this Dane and she just soaks all of your angst up and leaves you feeling peaceful. There has been many a tear that her shiny black coat has soaked up from myself or my kids in sorrow and she gives all of herself unconditional. THERE is no halfway with this girl and any home that she is adopted too; when she is ready; will have to understand that. She is such a survivor with a tough exterior and core but deep deep deep inside is the most amazing and special Dane ever. I see more and more glimpses of it and I believe in full disclosure with all the animals here; so will not underplay her ‘toughness’ but I am most certainly not going to underplay her ‘gift’. Her crate is where my computer is and she is often found lying there ‘just’ to be near. While Dana comes across as extremely independent; she is actually a lot like BHRR’s DBB Mudslide; she ‘NEEDS’ so much more than many others out there and has no idea how to ask for it and so stays silent and my heart breaks on that………I make it a point to give her special impomptu hugs and kisses and the light in her expressive eyes says it all. Now, of course, I cannot give her too much or I might ‘cramp’ her style! LOL Fine line there……. 😛 I am SOOOOOO loving this journey with Dana…..and while some days are better than others for her and I; this Dane has my ‘number’ all the way. When you are with her; you know you are with something bigger and better than yourself and this girl has NO idea just how unbelievable she is….MAYBE that is a good thing…LOL BUT it makes all the ‘trouble’ and ‘mischief’ that she does do; so much more understandable for I am ‘getting’ it and she is teaching me. AND my role is to teach her that her negative seeking behavour is not really her and along with the other dogs here; give her good solid foundations with support, guidance, a firm hand and yes, treats……lots of treats! I find that everytime, I begin to write a blog on Dana, I could go on for days and days…..no amount of writing shall every capture this true beauty. She is all ‘fire’ and ‘spice’ and incredibly ‘nice’!