Poppy met some real Great Danes - Barn Owl Pub - 1.7.2012

 Being the only weekend day we will have off during our 2 weeks of holidays (split up for me by having to work 3 1/2 days to cover in branch and do the month end tomorrow) we decided to meet up today with Jean and Carole, 2 volunteers from Daneline who homechecked us about 8 weeks ago and with whom we have kept in touch and whom both wanted to meet our Poppy. We had originally planned to go for a walk together in 'Spud Woods', a nearby dog walkers paradise in Lymn, 10 mins from home and next to the Barn Owl pub.

 When Jean and Carole arrived they got the 'kids' out of the car, 2 yr old Dallas (named for any scifi geeks after the Captain of the Nostromo in Alien) and 5 yr old Sasha, whom Poppy ran over to see and immediately became submissive when she saw the size of them both! She soon began to play with Dallas, the pair of them bouncing at each other and her better nature came out, she wasnt intimidated or upset at all, just curious as to the size of Sasha and Dallas. As the weather looked a little 'chancey' it was decided to forgo the walk and retreat to the covered outdoor area for a glass or two of refreshment!

 Jean and Handsome Dallas!

 Sasha resting under the table!

 Yup, definitely under the table!

 Poppy and Dallas, sniffing and saying hello!

 Carole and Dallas

 Kisses,. Poppy has a new boyfriend!

 We had a really good afternoon, the dogs were all well behaved, meeting various other dogs who came to have a relax with their owners and all 3 dogs getting petted by anyone who saw them! Carole and Jean (who have many years of experience with Great Danes) were of the opinion that Poppy is a Great Dane cross Staffordshire Bull Terrier, her stature, some of her nature and the shape of parts of her head convinced them of this, although her paws, tail, ears and chest are all Dane. Given that she had a bite mark on her throat when we got her its possible she was bred for dog fighting, someone trying to breed a bigger version of a Staffy for the fighting ring, but didnt take into account the soft nature of both Danes and Staffies which has evidently come to the fore in Poppy!

 All in all Poppy is currently about 2/3rds the height of the 2 rescued Danies she met today, and about 1/2 the physical size, if she is a Dane Staffy cross, then I guess that makes her a Great Daffy! She has grown 4" and put on over 12lb in the 4 weeks we have had her, which is similar in growth to a 4 to 5 month old Great Dane, but about 3 to 4" shorter, so she could still grow another 4" to 6", or she could stay the size she is currently and just fill out a bit more! She is a lovely sweet natured and loving dog, perhaps not quite the full Great Dane we were looking for, and perhaps not quite so big (although she is still the largest dog on the field in a morning), but a definite character who has become a valued and much loved member of our family. I feel a big brother (or sister) for Poppy (a full rescued Great Dane) would be a great idea, giving a home to another dog who has need of a loving home and providing a playmate for Poppy, but Lee remains to be convinced as yet, but only time will tell!

 Once we got back from the pub (after a bite to eat), we took Poppy down to the field as the weather had brightened up a bit.......

As always, she enjoyed herself running around in Zoomies and bringing smiles to us both!