When Puck and I were considering getting a pup, he started his research and campaign for a Great Dane. They don’t bark excessively nor do they have high-pitched voices. More importantly, they are pretty laid back, friendly and good with kids. Their major drawback is that their average life span is only around 8 years. Our Dane Shakti just turned 10 last November, and we couldn’t be happier with our gentle giant.

One of our friends told us of someone with a litter of Great Dane pups in Stillwater where we were living, and we headed over to check them out. At only 6-8 weeks old, the litter of around 8 pups had overrun the house, and the pups were around the size of beagles. Shakti’s mother was a Merle (mottled gray, not an AKC-certified color) and her two-hundred pound father a Harlequin (black and white). Unfortunately, neither had been well-trained, so they jumped on people and tore up furniture. Meeting untrained adult Danes definitely underscored the need to make sure ours was well-trained.

Shakti was an adorable and happy pup.

Her mother.

Her father.

Having read the Monks of New Skete book, we put the Great Dane pups through a personality test – lifting them in the air, rolling them on their backs, dropping keys behind them to make a lot of noise, etc., and we discovered that all the pups were immensely laid back. Instead of biting or fighting to get away, they tended to just patiently look around and grunt, and they showed very little interest in the keys. When they curled up to sleep, Puck enjoyed moving from one to the next and rubbing their bellies to hear them grunt in their sleep.

Shakti with a few of her siblings.

While we were able to resist immediately taking a puppy when we first saw them, it wasn’t but a day or two before we returned and selected (thanks to Puck!) the sweetest and most affectionate of the pups. Born November 6, 1999, we brought Shakti home with us for the first time in late December. Following the advice of the Monks of New Skete, we didn’t let her into the house until she had gone to the bathroom outside, which meant all three of us shivered outside for approximately 20 minutes while we waited for her to do her business. Admittedly, she looked a little confused and miserable, but as soon as she had gone to the bathroom, we whisked her up and carried her into our home and our lives.

Shakti and Mary cuddling.

Puck and Shakti playing.

Just My Body

Puck and I have been watching what we eat again since Thanksgiving and using our exercise bikes, trying to slim down a bit and be healthy, so I’ve been tracking not just my weight but my measurements as well. It will be interesting to continue to track them over the next nine months. It’s funny how suddenly your own body seems different to you, with your tummy becoming a focal point and your hand strays down to simply rest there. It’s partly protective, partly curious, partly awe. In fact, the very idea that the seeds of a little life are just starting to form, something smaller than a pea and fragile, is pretty miraculous.

It is both amazing and bizarre that another life will grow inside me until it can one day exist on its own. It is truly a new adventure that will take Puck, me and my body through all sorts of new experiences. Something completely new to me, though experienced by millions and millions of women across the planet and through history, an ancient rite of passage that is always a new and unique experience. So, it begins….

Two Pink Stripes

When Puck and I embarked on the new adventure that would lead us to parenthood, we were prepared for it to take us some time, and we weren’t adverse to the idea of having to “practice” before getting right. However, it was only in late November when we gave ourselves over to fate, and on New Year’s Eve, we decided to do a home pregnancy test…just in case. I read the instructions and pulled out the testing stick. However, before I left the stick on the counter for the requisite 3 minute wait, two pink stripes were already clearly visible. In a high-pitched voice, I called out, “Honey?” And Puck appeared already certain of what that call meant.

Those two stripes appeared mighty fast.

We stared at those two pink stripes, hugged each other (a little dazed) and decided to take Shakti out for a walk around the block. We would check the stick again upon our return, and then we’d call family with a surprise for their New Year’s Eve. A pleasant walk later, there were still two pink stripes. A quick photo or two and the calls began. One relative was surprised we were telling family so early. The answer: these are the same people I would want to talk to if something went wrong or if I had a question about something.

Is that nervous look from aiming the camera or is it the face of new father fear?

We decided to wait until further along in the first trimester to announce it to our friends, which is why I am writing this blog post knowing that I won’t actually post it for some time still. The news might still slip out, but for now, it’s a fairly private adventure. (I’ve discovered that I can password-protect posts, so here goes.)

Our Dane just turned 10 years old! WooHoo!
Over the years, Shakti has donned a number of disguises…

Swashbuckling Shakti (2003)

Rudolph's understudy (2002)

You cannot resist my powers! You will give me that candy you're eating! (2002)

Cowboy fan (2001?)

Shakti has often been called a horse, but this Halloween she cleverly disguised herself as a cow with the simple addition of an udder. While others all commented on what a patient cowdog she was to put up with her crazy owners, she loved all the attention. Children and adults came up to love on our darling Dane, and we heard exclamations of: “Holy cow!” and “Udderly cute.”

Our cowdog enjoying some attention.