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| Princeton on his 9th birthday |
I’m happy to report that our Princeton is now nine years old -- quite old for a Great Dane.
He has slowed down a lot and the fur on his face is all turning white, but he is still happy and fun-loving. I try to cherish every day that he is still with us.
The usual lifespan predicted for a Great Dane is six to eight years, so he has already lived a long life for his breed. He even outlived his wonderful champion show-dog littermate, Shabrea’s Greatest Hits Cash’n the Ring of Fire, who died not long after their ninth birthday. I was so sad when I heard that Cash had “gone to the Rainbow Bridge,” but his family loved him to the end.
Princeton used to have a streak of black fur like a permanent tear-drop under his right eye. It made him look like he was crying or his eye was watering. But now it is almost all white, as if all his tears have been wiped away by a lifetime of good care and good times.
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| Princeton, age 9, still alert to dogs outside our fence |
3 comments:
Hi. My Great Dane "Leroy is 12 years old in September. His back legs are getting weaker and he sometimes can't stand up on them for too long. However, he has a great appetite and he is happy to try and spin round on a penny, he follows me everywhere but like him i am getting older so we dont wonder very far. The only problem is that he has started to toilet in the house during the early hours of the morning. He eats twice a day between 11-12 and 5-6 and has treats as often as I will give them to him. Do you have any tips on how to stop him messing in the house.
Hi don't know if my last post was published. I have a happy 11 year old Great Dane who has started to use the house as his toilet during the early hours of the night. He does not do this during the day. Can you offer any suggestions as to how I can stop this happening when we are asleep. He feeds twice a day between 11-12 and 5-6 o'clock and has a good appetite. His back legs are beginning to give way but other than this he is very happy and playful and still tries to spin round on a penny.
Thanks for contacting me about Leroy. My first idea is to be sure to take him outside to "do his business" as late as possible, right before you go to bed, so he won't have to "hold it" so long. Is it possible to leave open the door to your yard or install a doggy door so he can go out freely in the night? You might always want to experiment with feeding his second meal later.
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