Well, this long week comes to an end with some bad news…that Captain has moved on to doggy-heaven to run and play, pain free, with Champion and others. Captain lived more than 8 ½ really happy years, and for a Great Dane, 8 ½ is pretty good.
For those not in the loop lately, Captain has been showing his age more and more. Getting around had become much more cumbersome for him in the past few months. His issues were in his back more than his hips (which many giant breed dogs have difficulty with). He struggled to go up steps, and even more than struggled going down them. While he would occasionally show flashes of excitement and try to run a little in the back yard, those times had dwindled greatly in the past few weeks. We tried steroid injections but even those had stopped giving him any relief. He’s just been in constant discomfort and hasn’t been showing his “happy” eyes at all. Over the past few days, it got dramatically worse and he’d reached a point that we decided it was time for him to get some relief.
Here is a series of pictures (and words) that tell Captain’s story…fun for me to recap and recollect. It brings back many memories of the big dog that I will never forget.
Around mid-2001, after thinking about getting a dog for quite some time, and having an interest in Great Danes, I got a few books to read about Great Danes. One of them called The Great Dane, Model of Nobility was written by a lady named Jill Swedlow. In the back of the book, it listed some resources, including Jill's email address. I emailed her explaining that I was looking for a reputable breeder for a pet Dane. She introduced me to a lady named Lorraine Rainwater. I spoke with Lorraine by phone. She seemed to be the expert resource on Great Danes and had obviously been raising and showing Great Danes for a long time. While I had no desire to actually get into showing dogs, I did have a desire for a good tempered and healthy Dane for a pet. Lorraine lived somewhere out west, I believe maybe in Phoenix, Arizona, so she put me in contact with a very reputable breeder on the East Coast…a lady named Cindy Niske. Cindy and her husband Glenn lived outside of Columbia, SC and raised and bred Danes. I called Cindy, and after a little phone tag, we finally connected about noon on September 11th, 2001. As the events began unfolding that fateful morning, I had left the office to go home and just watch TV and absorb the tragedy. My phone rang about noon and I answered to talk to this lady I’d never spoken to before. Almost three hours later, I felt like Cindy was part of my family. She was the sweetest, most genuine stranger I’d ever spoken to and now she was like another mom to me! I got a thorough education on Great Danes, but more importantly, Cindy and I got to know each other very well. As I later found out, part of placing a championship quality dog, even if the buyer isn’t going to show that dog, is getting to know the owner and feeling good about the relationship. Cindy and I both felt good about our new relationship. I knew I’d one day get a Great Dane from Cindy.
Cindy and I kept in touch, and on Sunday, December 1st, 2002 (more than a year later), Cindy’s female (Hallie) gave birth to a litter of 7 pups. On the following Saturday, Cindy broke every breeder rule possible and allowed me to come visit the 6 day old pups. When I say “visit”, I don’t mean see the puppies and maybe hold one or two for a few minutes. I mean climb into the birthing box (or whatever you call it) and lay in there with these puppies and their mother for hours. At the time, I didn’t know which puppy I would end up with, or even if I would get a puppy from this litter. My Mom had gone with me and literally we spent half the day sitting in the “litter box” with Cindy, Hallie and these 7 baked-potato sized 6-day old puppies. With 2 girls (Pink & Purple) and 5 boys (Baby Blue, Royal Blue, Red, Yellow and Green), they wore collars of different colors to tell them apart. The yellow collared boy would ultimately be my little Captain!
Hallie (Captain’s Mom)
Ray (Captain’s Dad)
Group Picture at 6 days old…note the beer bottles…literally, we sat and played with puppies all day!
Litter feeding at 6 days old…yes, that’s Captain in front, being cleaned by Hallie
Captain at 6 days old
I drove back down to Cindy’s two weeks later (pups were 20 days old) and played with them again all day!
Captain already picked me out and started chewing on my pant-leg while we played.
Here Captain and Jackson (I think) were eyeing Hallie for their next meal.
After a meal, Captain came back to my lap to rest and win me over.
Even though you can only see 6 puppy heads, I was actually holding all 7 here (count the bodies).
Captain already had begun to march to the beat of a different drummer
At 5 weeks, I made another trip. By now, the litter was getting much bigger…seriously, only 5 weeks old!
Captain lost his collar, but that’s him.
At 11 weeks, I made yet another trip to Columbia, SC…this time to pick up Captain and bring him home with me.
Captain was ready to go!
Hallie was finally able to relax on the couch without puppies jumping all over her.
After the 4+ hour drive back to Raleigh, Captain hit the ground running, literally. No sooner than we could get home, it started to snow and Captain was ready to play!
Captain at his new home.
Captain on the couch, finally relaxing.
He explored the snow outside
We were pooped from all the running around.
Captain grew… (Feb 20th)
And grew… (March 10th)
And grew… (March 20th)
And grew… (April 6th)
On April 29th, he gave Uncle Rob a hug for his birthday!
Did I mention he kept growing? This was May 10th, barely 5 months old.
No matter how big he got, he still thought he was a lap dog!
He was almost embarrassed to be SO big!
At six month old (June 6th), Captain truly looked like a show dog.
Captain went everywhere with me. This was in Greensboro visiting Big Mike and Rose. He was giving good-bye hugs, but realized I wasn't leaving him.
Somehow, he thought he actually fit in this recliner.
He often came to work with me in the old days when dogs were allowed at work. He laid outside of my office door showing off, knowing that someone would come pet him.
He came for the trick-or-treating fun at Halloween.
He didn't dress up, but he definitely wanted to eat the hot dog (Gretel). Gretel is the reason that dogs are no longer allowed at work!
He went to Winston for Christmas where Uncle Marc gave him a SciQuest (SQST) sweater to keep warm.
He tried to get a kiss from Lindsey under the mistletoe.
He ran in the snow a few days after Christmas (also in Winston).
And generally just showed off every chance he got!
He went on the whitewater rafting trip in the WV mountains with me.
He wanted to drive everywhere!
In September 2005, he bloated and scared me to death. They shaved him big-time for the surgery.
He had the scars (and staples to prove it).
In no time, he recovered well and was out running around again.
He was still mischievous and loved to chew and tear things up.
Sometimes it was just more damage than others. I still have no idea why I had a box full of SciQuest bags in the garage, but Captain made quick work of them when he found them.
As Captain aged, he began to relax a little more and really just wanted a comfy couch to lay on.
Or a sunny day to lay around in the yard outside.
It's too bright in here...turn out the lights!
Melissa brought two dogs into the marriage, so Captain had to learn to share his couch...
And sometimes even his bed...
He never really understood that he couldn't share the crate.
He loved to be rubbed, even if it was with a shedding glove.
He wasn't the best athlete, but he loved to watch Champion play with the ball. Captain just chased Champion around and bit at his tail.
And finally a few of my favorite pictures of Captain from over the years...
Rest in peace Big Dog. You will be missed!
