Meet Our own deaf
Dane  Ambassador
Tug
Update 9/29/07
Tug had to be put to sleep this weekend. He had some sort of bowel problems that culminated in his bloating. It was the strangest bloat case we or the vet had ever encountered. We really miss his presence around here. He was definitely a powerful personality and a strong "force" in our home. Last year we nicknamed him BedBug because of his preference to sleep in in the mornings, and the way he loved to lounge in bed all day if given half a chance. He was devoted to us and loved us as much as any dog has ever loved anyone, and we will miss his happy, quirky personality and his constant antics. He never got very good with strangers, and he remained socially inept with other dogs until the day he died, but he did build strong bonds with some dogs, even if they were semi dysfunctional.

We miss you lots BedBug.

Adopted !

  • Gender- Neutered male
  • Age/DOB - 9/2/01
  • Height  at the shoulder - ~33-34"
  • Weight - 121
  • Spayed/Neutered -Yes
  • Taken in on  - 2/27/04
  • Available as of - Now
  • Housebroken - yes
  • Obedience trained - Yes very well
  • Good with other dogs - mostly
    •
    • with cats - maybe
    • with kids - maybe
    • with the elderly - maybe
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  • Temperament - Tends to be very assertive, has a guard dog or personal protection dog mentality. Sweet and submissive to family, but very threatening and assertive with anyone else, Well trained and obedient. More like a German Shepherd than a Dane.

  • Comments
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Tug is a beautiful fawn neutered male. He is AKC registered, has had his dew claws removed and his ears cropped. He has lived with the same family all his life. He is very timid and does not deal well with strangers. We will be working with him and evaluating him over the next few weeks. He is UTD on all his shots and is microchipped. Despite his timidity, he has adapted well to being moved into a home full of Danes and he has not snapped at or gotten aggressive with either me or my wife. In fact he is very sweet and loving when he can screw up the courage to let us pet him.

Well, Tug's been with us for a few days now. He is really starting to come out of his shell. He such a sweet, affectionate dog. He is still not good with strangers, and probably never will be all that good with them. But he is going to make someone a wonderful pet. He is so well trained, and so obedient. And he just wants someone to love him and be there for him. He is fine with all the dogs here, including all the males. He is a bit inept socially with the other dogs. He frequently tries to get them to play but doesn't quite know how to go about it. He tends to come on a bit strong and this discourages the others from playing, but he is slowly learning. The only other dog in his life before this was an older Dachshund, so a house full of Danes is something totally new for him. He is a good protector and excellent watchdog, but he is not going to be good outdoors. Like most Danes, he is a housepuppy. Overall, despite his timidity, he is a great dog. And once he decides you are okay and starts to bond with you, he is going to be a super companion. He is not an aggressive or dangerous dog in any way, however he will need an owner who understands he is not the sort of dog you just let strangers come up to, or let the local neighbor kids play with unsupervised. More for his emotional well being than for the safety of the strangers or kids, however he will scare the pants off some people. Tug needs an owner with lots of Dane experience and some familiarity with "aggressive" dogs. Tug is definitely not a set and forget kind of dog, as so many Danes are. OTOH with his family he is the typical Dane, devoted, loving and very affectionate. He likes to stay near you, preferring to be in the same room with you, but he isn't your typical velcro dog. He doesn't need constant petting, he just wants to keep you in sight. He will happily lay on "his" bed at the other side of the room and not bother you. But if you leave the room, he will be right there with you.

He has beautiful light colored eyes, almost a fawn color. I know this is not the preferred color, but they are truly striking. He is a very handsome dog.

Update - Tug was adopted back in December but has come back to us. Not for any problem with him. His owners had some personal family problems and had to foster their own grandson. No way CSD was going to place a 2 yr old in a house with Tug, so they had to surrender him. They were absolutely devastated by this.  We have also had two other placements fail within less than 24 hours because the people either were not honest with us about their needs, or about their abilities.

While Tug is not really aggressive, few people will be able to tell the difference between his behaviors and real aggression, and if handled incorrectly he can be dangerous. He must be treated as an aggressive and dangerous dog when around anyone he sees as a stranger (just because you see them as a friend or family member does not mean he does). This is as much for his own protection as anything else. We will continue to work with Tug on this, but bottom line is anyone considering Tug must be prepared to own what amounts essentially to a dangerous dog. Not that he is dangerous to his "family" (or really to anyone so far) but he is not good with strangers and must be handled as dangerous when strangers or guests are around. He is not the sort of dog people can just walk up to and pet, so you must always be on guard. He is not a dog you could ever take to PetSmart. If you are not prepared to own a dangerous dog, if you do not have the skills and experience to handle a dog that can lunge or charge someone suddenly, Tug is not the dog for you. While Tug was raised in a home with a bunch of kids and generally is good with kids, he has had some problems with some kids. if Tug senses fear, he will react with dominating, and even aggressive behaviors. It is vital that the initial introduction to a child be handled correctly and that Tug be made to understand that the child is a family member to be protected, not defended against. If you can deal with these issues (and we will discuss these in depth with you so you know exactly what his issues are and what we have seen and learned about him) and do not have a home with people coming and going all the time, Tug will reward you with a level of love and devotion seldom seen. He is as sweet and loving a dog with his "family" as you could ever ask for. He will protect you, your home, and your vehicle and is an extremely well behaved, obedient dog.

We will require that any and all persons and pets that will regularly be in the house, come to meet with us and Tug here before we will even consider placement. We have tried to be as fair and accurate as we could about Tug in the past, and people have not seemed to listen to us, so we are going to have to handle this as if Tug were a killer, which is simply not true. But it is not fair to Tug to get bounced around because of someone's inability to listen and be honest about their skills and home situation. Bottom line is we would keep Tug in an instant if we were not running a rescue. He is a wonderful dog. But he is not your typical Dane.

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





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There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness.

You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." - Jim Willis



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