It is now time….I ‘think’ I shall be ok! 😉 I have posted BHRR’s Dana up on our PetFinder site(not sure why she is not showing up as of yet) and it is time to post her here as NOW AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION! As careful as we try to be on all of our adoptions; I am going to be even more super careful about Dana’s. Ideally, I would love to see her in a home whereby someone worked from home, worked part-time, semi-retired, retired etc. Dana really needs a ‘job’ and would excel in obedience or therapy work. As great as she is in ‘holding’ down the bedclothes on our bed; she really thrives on the mental and physical stimulus of a ‘job’. I am constantly thinking of puzzles for her to solve, games to play to enrich her and to keep that brain occupied from thinking of ‘other’ amusements. 😉 As we believe in full disclosure at BHRR; I want anyone that is considering applying to adopt Dana to know that she stills has the incliniation to want to ‘jump’ when she is excited around people that are visiting. This is NOT something that should hold up her adoption YET it is something that shall require continued training and positive reinforcement in her new home. The behavour is not that common anymore here; but it still has been known to happen. Tethering when guests are expected; is a really great corrective method to use. The other thing that is a MUST is that the approved home that she will go to had better NEVER EVER let up on her continued NILIF training for that would be setting this personality plus gal up for major failure and I shall be doing my very best to ensure that the home really understands this. Experience has taught me that while many do ‘read’, many do not really ‘see’ what is there and I get many calls after dogs are adopted about ‘things’ that never should have been a cause of question; if only the home had done what they were suppose to in the very beginning. YOU do not set the boundaries with this beauty from the beginning, there are going to be issues. She is positively brilliant this sweetie and smarter than a lot of people out there in the world! I KID you not…I would rather not adopt out this incredible Great Dane than take any major chance or risk of a home setting her up for complete failure and ‘ruining’ all that she has accomplished to date. I say this NOT to scare people away for she is beyond magnificent and so many people out there know how much she means to me. I say all of this for it is so important for a successful adoption. The ideal home should have a great sense of humour, tons of patience, the ability to stop, pause, take a deep breath and a calm controlled voice helps too.  😛 You are going to earn so much respect and love from Dana with your solid approach of ‘honey’ & ‘sugar’. NO animal should be forced or man handled ever. Spoiling her and overdoing it on the treat spoiling end is not going to be effective either. As it is, when I look at my darling ‘Alvin’…ooops, I mean Dana; I feel ‘guilty’. Her brown eyes seem to be saying ‘am I not good enough to stay here?’ and I just keeping saying to her that ‘it is us that are not ‘right’ and good enough for her’. Somehow, I almost get the feeling that she thinks I am betraying her in placing her up for adoption AND she remains ‘holding’ back a deep piece inside her. Something that I feel is going to be almost magical to the home that she does release it too. Dana and I have had many talks and chats since her arrival here last November and lately, I find that we have been having even more talks about her future, how wonderful and exciting and great it is going to be and she just looks at me with those all seeing/knowing; deep; gorgeous brown eyes; yawns her ‘sassback’ and does not look convinced….sigh…. I have said to Sean many times; maybe she needs more time yet that is not ‘it’; she is actually insecure about her fate moving forward and I can ‘sense’ it in her yet she would never let it come to the forefront, this one. So, my promise to you Dana is that I would rather see you stay here than ever be ‘wronged’ in a home and I feel a huge weight of responsiblity to not make any wrong decisions where you are concerned for Mazda’s ‘failures’ loom over me daily still.  🙁 No one has a crystal ball and I can only strive to do my absolute best for Dana yet if I ‘failed’ her; I do not know how and ‘if’ she shall recover. She just is ‘special’. Those who have met her; know what I mean and understand. So, please; before you consider applying to adopt BHRR’s Dana; READ her whole story to date and our mandates; policies, procedures and processes for it is not BHRR or me that one would be letting down; it is Dana and please if you really care; do not apply to be considered if you cannot MORE than meet what Dana needs and deserves for the rest of her life. I am so proud of this Dane and as with all of our animals; we just want loving forever homes for them. I have new pictures posted of Dana as well; #16 – #18 are from May 11th, 2009 and I wanted to put in a picture below of Dana from today. Slide #20 is from April 21st, 2009…sorry it is out of order. 😳 She is a well adjusted, happy and loving Dane; a far cry away from when she first arrived emaciated back in November of 2008. The tears I have shed in thinking about saying good-bye to this fantastic beauty will be nothing compared to when the time does come to let her go…

BHRR’s Dana – about 13+ months – happy, ears flapping in the wind and sandy! – May 21st, 2009