When we decided early in our marriage that our first child would be a Great Dane, we did our research. Along side them being gentle giants, we learned that an average lifespan would be 6-8 years. We met the mom and dad of the litter we got our first puppy from, and ended up with "the runt" as she was classified by our breeder. With a common expiration date on her life, we put a lot of effort into what she ate and how she lived to try to extend that. She ate a very clean and healthy diet, and I lifted her out of the SUV as much as I could to save her hips from the stereotypical demise. We ended up with our first baby lasting 10.5 years. I stumbled across the following video, and felt that warmth of our baby Dane's muzzle once more.
I think we can sometimes believe too much of the press on any topic. While we had our "paws" firmly planted in reality, we also dreamed big. We felt a lot of our Dane's life would depend on our decisions for her. As we move onto other pets, the same rules apply, and we look for better ways to extend the lives of our additional family members. I think the lesson from the Pegasus video, and the life of our sweet Dane, is to not settle for the status quo, and show more effort. I've seen it deliver better results in the lives of pets, children, and a person's own self. Below is a tribute to our first pet, our "little girl", and a wonderful friend.
Miss you girl.
J.
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