What our parents say about their Littlehorse puppies.
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I have had 4 of Melody's Danes, and still have 3
(having lost my harl male at 16 months due to
multiple toxic spider bites). I can not say enough
good things about Melody and her Danes.
"What
are your puppies/dogs like in temperament and
health? Have you ever had an aggression issues?"
My dogs are wonderful and outgoing except for my
oldest and this was definitely NOT a result of
Melody's breeding. I am not Zhann's original owner,
Zhann was a puppy that Melody took back from the
original owner when Melody found out how this woman
was treating Zhann - she left her out on the back
concrete porch with no dog house or anything. Zhann
developed hygromas on her knees (same as fluid on
your elbow) and the woman's vet put drains in them.
Well...Melody took her away from this woman, brought
her home, and proceeded to get her back to being a
well-loved puppy. Zhann was 6 months old then. When
Zhann was 8 months old Melody decided to try to find
a permanent loving home for Zhann - I saw her photo
on the internet and fell head-over-heels in love. I
have to tell you that when I contacted Melody she
did not do the 40 questions - it was more like
400!<g> She kept me on the phone for hours a couple
of times. When she let me know she approved of me I
drove over the very next weekend and picked her up.
Unfortunately we had only had her in the new
neighborhood for less than a week when some people
down the street with an aggressive dog let their dog
get out and it attacked Zhann twice in a few days.
After that she has understandably decided that
strange dogs are evil. I might also mention that
Zhann is an alpha female and all of our other danes
from Melody have been purchased with that in mind.
Meaning that Melody would not let us have another
dominant puppy (esp. female) as that would just be
asking for a world of heartache and chaos.
Now that I have gone on & on about my oldest baby
let me say again that ALL my other Danes are
wonderful and outgoing (as Zhann was before getting
attacked). I should also mention that Zhann is ONLY
dog aggressive - she LOVES children and if she sees
a toddler during our walks she will lay down and
crawl to that child as not to scare the baby. <g>
She is also wonderful with all the other dogs in my
household all of whom started off as puppies in my
home. (I also do animal rescue here in LA and
occasionally foster puppies in my home.)
As for health - they are all healthy. If only I
could say the same about my basset who costs me a
fortune in vet bills every month!
"How
old are your Danes?"
Zhann is 5.5 yrs old, Zoe is 4.5 yrs. old and
George is 2.5 yrs old.
"How
did you feel about shipping the puppies?"
I didn't have mine shipped. Even though it is a 12
hour drive for me I so enjoyed my first visit with
Melody when we got Zhann that I have chosen to drive
to see her.
"What
were you looking for in a puppy, and do you think
that Melody matched each puppy with your
family/needs? Again, this is assuming that you did
not meet the puppies beforehand.
No, we did not meet any of our puppies beforehand as
Melody has a closed kennel. Parvo is rampant in
Texas and she does all she can to prevent anyone
from accidentally bringing it into her kennel.
When we got Zoe we were looking primarily for a
playmate for Zhann, but also a puppy that my
daughter could claim as her own (she was 11 then).
We called Melody, who was planning on a breeding
soon, and discussed what our wants were. She advised
us that while she did want us to make some picks
from the pictures she sent us that ultimately she
would make the decision as to which puppy would fit
the bill for our needs. Zoe was perfect! And, no Zoe
was not our only choice - I had actually chosen
another female out of that litter and my daughter
had picked out Zoe. After a couple of weeks Melody
said she felt like my pick was too dominant and Zoe
was submissive enough for our needs. She was right.
When we got Zarr - I just plainly fell in love!
Contacted Melody again and she approved Zarr for our
home. He slept in the bed with me every night and
was my big ole boy who danced with me on occasion.
It almost killed me when we lost him.
Side note about Melody - even though his passing had
nothing whatsoever to do with her or her lines she
knew how much I loved my babies and told me that
whenever I was ready she would let have another
puppy. She didn't charge me another penny for
George.
When we got George he turned out to be a HUGE love
bug - his favorite activity is to clean your face
repeatedly while you rub his ears. LOL
"Are you pleased overall with your puppies?"
A resounding YES!
Are pleased with any support you may have required
or received from Melody?"
Melody has always been there to answer any questions
I have had - and let me tell you that I had some
real stupid questions at first. She was always
patient, didn't make fun of me, and walked me
through any problems I thought I had.
"If you had an American bred Dane before, what
differences can you tell me about your Littlehorse
Danes?"
I have never owned any other Danes than mine, but I
have rescued American Danes and they are much
smaller and from what I have heard from other
rescues and from breeders American Danes usually
have shorter life spans and have more health issues.
BTW, I should tell you that after all these years I
feel as if Melody and I are friends and I have
called on her for many reasons. We live in Slidell,
a heavily hit Katrina area, and when we evacuated
and were told that our city was closed Melody
offered us a place to stay. When we found we could
come back, but my daughter's school would not be
opening yet she offered a place for my daughter so
she wouldn't lose a year of school. Someone who was
just a "dog breeder" would not be concerned with
their puppies' families' welfare, in my opinion.
I know I have written a lot, but I can not say
enough good things about Melody. LOL
What can I say - I Love Melody and her Danes!
Debra Santalucito
"If I wanted to hear the pitter-patter of little
feet, I'd put shoes on my dogs."
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