Caesar - 4 1/2 year old (DOB 8/24/03) mantle marked merle with cropped and standing ears. He is a very big boy, at 36"-37" at the shoulder and almost 180 lbs. He came to rescue because his family had a baby who is now 18 months old and they were afraid he would knock him over. Caesar is a very sweet boy, just loves attention and pets of any kind, and will even walk up to you and put his head in your chest for a hug. He rides great in a car and really loves his car rides. His back end droops some when standing still for too long, and he will be evaluated by a Neurologist to rule out possible Wobbler's. Caesar is still very playful, and loves a good game of tug a war, and will release the toy on command. He does know some basic commands and walks great on a leash. He is currently living with 2 children ages 10 and 2 and does wonderfully with them. He has not knocked the toddler over and side steps him quite nicely. He is also living with another female Dane and 2 cats. He has never encountered cats before and is quite comical when one comes around. He completely freezes and won't move. He figures if he doesn't move the cat won't see him. Caesar is a big love bug, who wants nothing more than to cuddle up with you and have you pet him forever. Because of his size, he should go to a home with older children, as not all children are as Dane savvy and might take offense to any "hip checks" that might happen. Caesar came to rescue May 2008
Update 7/12/08 - Caesar was moved out of the foster home with the small kids because when his back end hurts, he didn’t appreciate them all over him. So we have decided to not allow him to go to a home with children younger than 12. We have also found out that he can’t do stairs. So he will need to find a home with no stairs or only a few to go in and out. He is doing really good in his new foster home. He is living with a Ridgeback and 2 cats and has done well with the many dogs they have watch for other people. He is very interested in one of their cats. The cat grew up with a Dane so she is comfortable with large dogs and seems to like Caesar - until he pokes a bit too forcefully with that giant muzzle. Then it's a hiss and a smack, Caesar backs off and she goes on about her business. A match made in heaven. Caesar had diarrhea and hookworms, but that is cleared up now. Even with everything that's going on with him, his foster says he is so sweet and playful. The more settled in he is there, the more his personality comes out and he's can be quite a goof as well. They are really enjoying having him in their home. He had a seizure and that has worried us, so he saw a neurologist, but has not had another one. So we aren’t sure what caused it, but are keeping an eye out in case he has another one. He is getting x-rays to see if we can find out more about his hind end problems. We are also going to add acupuncture to his treatment to see if he will respond to that. He did have one treatment and the foster felt like he was doing better afterwards. Caesar continues to be a sweet boy and hopefully we can find out more soon to help him.
Update 8/4/08 - Caesar has had three acupuncture treatments and has been on a Chinese herbal medication for a few days. We are also doing some physical therapy at home to strengthen his rear end and encourage him to pick up his hind feet. He seems to be a good candidate for Gold Bead Implants which is being investigated further. We see definite improvement in several ways, he lifts up his head more often, stands longer before his rear sinks down, and does a full body doggie shake head to tail. Until last week I'd not seen him do a full shake. He's also more energetic and assertive - translate as testing limits. He is discovering a whole new world at counter height. His biggest score so far is a pound cake. Foster Mom caught him muzzle deep in crumbs and used it as a learning opportunity. Smart boy that he is, he figured the trash can must be fair game - Mom and Dad didn't even want that stuff anymore. That has required a bit more creativity on Mom's part to convince him otherwise, but we're getting there. More than anything Caesar wants to please and being the typical sensitive Dane it doesn't take much to let him know you're unhappy with him. He's catching on to the boundaries pretty quick. Part of his physical therapy involves lots of sitting and standing repeats so he's buffing up on basic obedience as well. To keep him busy and entertained during down time a Kong with treats will last an hour or so. He is definitely a dog that needs a structured environment. Left to his own devices, he could get into mischief. Caesar doesn't like wood or tile floors and can't do stairs - he will not do more than four or five steps. He has not been to the basement or the second floor since he arrived at his foster home. We have also discovered that he doesn't like elevators either - unfortunate combination. He will need to go to a home that can accommodate these issues. While he and Squeaky the cat are great friends, Rocky the other cat in the house isn't too sure. Caesar tries to interact with her like he does Squeak, but she's having none of it. Caesar will do fine in a home with a confident cat, but not the timid sort."
