{ruger's legacy}
His short time with us has turned out to be so important for so many people. It turns out that without even trying he captured the hearts of the nay-sayers just as I suspected he would!
I will admit that a few people gave me a hard time for wanting a Great Dane. I'll leave out the specifics but "what good is a big dumb dog anyway" was a conversion I had on more then one occasion. Great Danes are not at the top of the class as far a IQ goes but it was the family bonding and the memories that Hercules left me with that I so wanted for my kids. They don't need to have all the brains of a hunting dogs or the skills of a herding dog because their heart is 2 sizes bigger (literally and figuratively) and they live for their family. Being so big and relatively the same color as us, he really felt like another person. Plus, he "talked" quite a bit, even from a pup. He would mouth these sounds and you would swear he was trying to tell you something. The last time he did it I was too lazy to get my phone and record it and I'm kicking myself for that decision now.
The first Monday back to work and school was a beautiful day so we put the girls outside in the kennel run and walked away. Ruger's side always had a lock because he figured out quickly how to lift the latch. Hmm, he was the only dog to figure that one out... maybe not so dumb after all. Anyway, much to our shock when we got home from work Morgan and Stella were fast asleep on the porch. How the?, what the?, they escaped for the first time. I shot this video 3 days before Ruger died and now suddenly one of the girls knows how to lift the latch. Coincidence?
Now that he's been gone for a week it's slowly getting easier but I cant put away his stuff just yet. His tall bowl is still there, his crusty blanket that he never wanted inside his dog house is still there, and his collar, of course, is still there.
So the question is, are we going to get another dane? The answer is yes. When? I don't know. I feel like it will all just fall into place. We will just know when it's right. I go back and forth between guilt and happiness. Guilt for thinking about another one and happiness that we can love a new one and give it a good home. Ruger set the mark for all future great danes in our family. Our memories with him have turned into his legacy that all future danes will have to live up to.
I think he had a pretty full and interesting life. Here's a brief look back at Ruger through the years.
I will admit that a few people gave me a hard time for wanting a Great Dane. I'll leave out the specifics but "what good is a big dumb dog anyway" was a conversion I had on more then one occasion. Great Danes are not at the top of the class as far a IQ goes but it was the family bonding and the memories that Hercules left me with that I so wanted for my kids. They don't need to have all the brains of a hunting dogs or the skills of a herding dog because their heart is 2 sizes bigger (literally and figuratively) and they live for their family. Being so big and relatively the same color as us, he really felt like another person. Plus, he "talked" quite a bit, even from a pup. He would mouth these sounds and you would swear he was trying to tell you something. The last time he did it I was too lazy to get my phone and record it and I'm kicking myself for that decision now.
The first Monday back to work and school was a beautiful day so we put the girls outside in the kennel run and walked away. Ruger's side always had a lock because he figured out quickly how to lift the latch. Hmm, he was the only dog to figure that one out... maybe not so dumb after all. Anyway, much to our shock when we got home from work Morgan and Stella were fast asleep on the porch. How the?, what the?, they escaped for the first time. I shot this video 3 days before Ruger died and now suddenly one of the girls knows how to lift the latch. Coincidence?
So the question is, are we going to get another dane? The answer is yes. When? I don't know. I feel like it will all just fall into place. We will just know when it's right. I go back and forth between guilt and happiness. Guilt for thinking about another one and happiness that we can love a new one and give it a good home. Ruger set the mark for all future great danes in our family. Our memories with him have turned into his legacy that all future danes will have to live up to.
I think he had a pretty full and interesting life. Here's a brief look back at Ruger through the years.
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