Meet Our own deaf
Dane  Ambassador
Duke

Adopted  7/17/03!
  • Gender- Male
  • Age - 18 months
  • DOB - 09/19/01
  • Height  at the shoulder - 34"
  • Weight - 99 lb
  • Spayed/Neutered - Yes
  • Taken in on  - 03/26/03
  • Available as of - Unknown
  • Housebroken - Yes
  • Obedience trained - Some
  • Good with other dogs - Yes
    •
    • with cats - Unknown
    • with kids - Yes
    • with the elderly - Yes
      •
  • Temperament - excellent, very loving and friendly a sweet dog but is currently very sick and we do not yet know why
  • Comments
    •
Unlike our other rescues, Duke can hear just fine. But he does have some significant health problems. He has some training, though even basic things like sit or down are difficult for him physically. He has had two homes in his 18 months and his last owners loved him a lot. They just weren't able to care for a dog as sick as he is. He is very underweight right now, I'd say 30-40 lb. under his best weight maybe. He is very affectionate.

He is so sick right now that any assessment of his temperament would be pointless. However he is getting along fine with the other dogs we have. He does tend to guard resources, especially me. He has some symptoms that seemed to point to wobblers, but he also has other things going on so we do not think a wobblers diagnosis alone is correct at this point. We have gotten some blood work done and he has an elevated globulin level which may point to either cancer or some sort of infection. But other tests seem to rule out the cancer. Duke has responded well to the new diet he is on and is putting on weight like gang busters. We are taking applications on Duke now.

He will also need surgery on his eyes to correct his entropion. We have some one who has sponsored the entropion surgery, so we are going to be having that surgery done in the next couple weeks, which will help make his life a whole lot nicer. However he desperately needs a sponsor or angel to help with his other medical expenses, such as the treatment for his wobblers. We are planning on trying the gold bead implant treatment. That has been very successful in treating wobblers dogs all over the country and is far less costly than the neurosurgery. It will cost between $800 and $1000 for this treatment. If you can help with his medical expenses, or would like to be his sponsor, please send him an email and let him know.

We have started a fund for his wobblers treatment.
To donate by check, make the check payable to DDRI and mail the check to:
Duke's Gold Bead Fund
2375 5th St
Springfield, OR 97477-2204
Please note on the check that it is for Duke's Gold Bead Fund.
To donate on-line to Duke's Gold Bead Fund, click on the donation button below.



Update 5/24/03 - Duke had his entropion surgery two days ago and he is doing great!! You can actually see his beautiful light amber eyes now. They are really a very striking color. It is very hard to describe, my wife called them green, but they're not really. What they are though is simply beautiful. He is so much happier now, he has much more confidence and is clearly doing much better now that he can see and his eyes aren't bothering him all the time. The vet did a great job there is almost no swelling at all and you can barely see the staples. He hid the incisions at the outer margins of the "mascara" around each eye so there won't be any visible scars. I can't tell you how much better Duke looks and feels now. No words can express our gratitude to Teri for her very generous donation that paid for this surgery. Duke has been steadily gaining weight, and now weighs just over 112 lb., up from 99 lb. when we first got him. He looks so much better and stronger. We do not let him play with the other dogs because his neck is so sensitive, but he still tries all the time. He is so adorable chasing the other dogs trying to keep up. He can not turn or stop as fast as they so he never quite gets caught up and the most he can ever do is briefly grab the end of someone's tail. All the other dogs seem to understand he is not up to them and they pretty much play on as if he wasn't chomping at their tails. If they ever do begin to play with him though, we have to immediately step in and put a stop to it for fear of them hurting his neck. The one exception is the puppy Tillie, we let her play with Duke because she is not big enough to hurt him and he really needs to play with someone, not only for his sanity, but also to help him build back up his strength. They just love to play together, Tillie feels safe when playing with him, that he won't trample her (she is way more mobile than he is), and he clearly feels safer playing with her. Despite their size and age differences, they are a great match right now. I will post some new photos of Duke in a few days. Thanks to everyone who is trying to help us raise the money for Duke's Gold Bead Fund, and to everyone who has called or emailed to ask how he is doing. 
To find out how to make a general donation to  a specific dog, or be a general sponsor for a specific dog, go here.

Click here to fill out an application to adopt any of the DDRI dogs.
We will post additional photos of Duke as time goes by, so check back often.
And if you have any questions about Duke or any of our dogs, email us or call us at 541-746-0863













The following photos were taken after Duke's entropion surgery. You can still see the staples in some of the photos.











<Before Surgery
No He isn't asleep. He kept
his eyes closed like this most
of the time when we first got
him beacuse they were so raw
and painful.
After Surgery>
What a difference! Just look at those
beautiful eyes, now that you can see them.


Video Clip
click on images to see full sized version
Loyalty
You can't buy loyalty, they say.
I bought it though, the other day.
You cant buy friendships, tried and true.
Well just the same, I bought that too.
I made my bid and on the spot
Brought love and faith and a whole job lot
Of happiness, so all in all
The purchase price was pretty small.
I bought a single trusting heart,
That gave devotion from the start
If you think these things are
Not for sale,
Buy a brown-eyed puppy with a wagging tail

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