The Story of BB the Great Dane

Told ya BB is our skinny Minnie!

I knew I had to get a new post up, but there wasn’t anything much fun or pleasant for BB in this week’s activities to talk about. He’s been riding in the car, but had to stay there while Mom, Kenai, and I went inside the restaurant or shopping in the mall. But he was out in the sunshine and fresh air, having his puppy self a change of scenery.

My joy at last weekend being the last weekend with my 2 year old neice in the house was premature: guess who’s downstairs making noise and demanding stuff. My hopefulness about Mom changing her attitude was also premature. Guess who’s crabbing at the boy for his noise about the noise maker.

Oh, I think Mom’s trying, but the two of them are strung out on nerves. Another promise that this is the last weekend my brother and his daughter will be here has found itself in the “believe it when I see it” category. Of course, BB can’t understand about the future, so he’s stuck with the absurdity happening now.

How do dogs keep their loving and hopeful nature without having something in the future to look forward to?

♣

One thing about not cropping BB’s ears is how very expressive he is with them. Between his eyes and his ears, you can tell exactly what he’s feeling. I’d say thinking too, but he’s so crazy hyper can’t take it that he isn’t thinking. He’s running on adrenaline and instinct right now. Superficial obedience commands and words he knows aren’t sinking in. If I want to talk to Beebs I have to do it with body language and energy, ie doggie talk.

He is remarkably expressive with those ears though. The direction of the crinkles he has in them, if they’re standing up or drooping, even how fast or slow they move has a story to tell. In the pic above, he hears my niece in the kitchen, hence, the crinkles and laying against his head. He doesn’t want any part of going inside!

When I’m clipping his toenails (yuk, me no like!), he has this way of folding them straight down the middle with the front and back edges sticking up like a stiff napkin that won’t stay flat. Anything really unpleasant will cause the wrinkly ears to fold back on his neck. If it’s play time, the back of the ear (called a bell) is up high on his head and the ear faces forward.

Nervousness shows in how fast his ears are twitching to hear sounds while situated lower on his head. Usually the boy head is on a swivel too, but sometimes he just sits there moving his ears around. Run time is when the Dodo bird ears happen, flapping around like he’s trying to take off!

Then there is the I’m-in-trouble ear thing, where they droop and hang low like wilted spinach. When he’s playing keep away, the feet are scurrying, the lips are flapping, and his ears are facing backwards like some charging elephant–that’s really funny to watch. That’s called “elephant puppy” around here.

Mom and I both like the look of cropped ears on Danes, some Danes anyway. Kenai would not look like the noble spirited, striking young man he is with natural ears. But BB would look like the soft and silly boy he is with cropped ears. His natural ears suit him perfectly, as smushy and expressive as any other part of him.