Luna arrived today. Luna is a special case: a stray picked up by Newport Animal Control and taken to their facility.  She is a Black Lab / Great Dane mix.  Small, as Great Danes go, but larger than the average dog and quite strong despite being scrawny from hunger.

Newport Animal Control is working out of a make-shift facility in an unused building downtown.  Their kennels are lightweight, free-standing affairs.  Not sturdy enough to hold Luna, who proved able to climb over the walls and/or pull the door until the latch bends and it opens.  The only kennel they had that could contain her was their “vicious dog cell” and that is in a part of the building that is not air conditioned.  In the late-June mid-day heat, it becomes far too hot for anything to stay in there long.  They needed another solution.  So the manager, Lisa, reached out to me: would I foster her for them?  We found a way to make that happen and I picked her up this morning.

Lee helped me load her up and she gave us no trouble.  When we arrived at Piney Mountain Foster Care she came out of the transport box in my truck and into the play yard, where she wandered around while on a leash and checked out the yard.  She walked well on a leash.

I put her in the kennel I’d prepared for her this morning.  This had been Blazes “room”.  I power washed everything then applied the daily dose of sanitizer.  I do scrub the floors with soapy water every day, hose it off, and apply sanitizer.  But the floors retain a layer of deep mud because of the broom finish and the fact that the dogs always come back in leaving muddy foot prints.  I power wash between occupants (or when it get s bad with a long-term resident)

Once she was in her room Blaze took her to task, “Why are you in my room?  That’s MY room!  Get out of MY room!”

She just took it for awhile, then got in his face (through the fencing) and replied, “I didn’t ASK to be in your room!  I don’t know why I’m here.  I don’t want to be in your room!  So just shut up about it”

And he did!

Luna has had several yard walks – still on a leash, I’m not at all sure she won’t try to go over the fence if I let her just run loose.  She has been testing and teasing her kennel trying to make a way out.  And when it’s time to go back to the kennel, she refuses.  Instead she heads for the house.  It’s possible she used to be a house dog.  I have to reinforce my command by picking her up and CARRYING her back to the kennel or she will just pull out of her collar and resume her course to the back door.  She is definitely a Great Dane!

But she is gentle, and calm, and easy to walk.  She seems to know some commands, just doesn’t always feel like obeying them.

Luna has arrived!

Go to Luna’s Summary Page.