The Knox Great Dane Baby

Halloween Pic :)

2010-11-20T12:54:00.003-05:00

Last year we bought Shelby a pumpkin costume. She was tiny when we bought it, but we knew she would grow into it before too long. Oh and she did! She is a chump now :) Punky and Lola have precious little Halloween tees that they just looove to wear! Ok, that was a joke. Lola absolutely hates any kind of doggie clothing. We love our sweet girls so much - don't know what we'd do without them!

Shelby Ann Knox – 1 Year, 3 months!

2010-10-15T16:54:00.001-04:00

Hello dear friends and family! I hope the past few months have been wonderful for you all. We have been busy with life and enjoying every minute of it. Shelby continues to grow and amaze us. She is such a smart pooch, always making us laugh. She is so sensitive and needy – it’s unbelievable really. Her and the little girls are staring to get along better. I would even say that her and Punky are friends. Punky licks Shelby on the nose, so I figure that is a dogs form of endearment. Lola even has her moments. We took the cutest Halloween pictures of all three of them, but they aren’t downloaded to this computer and I am too lazy to do it right now.

Shelby’s coat is absolutely beautiful – it shimmers

She’s getting so tall!

Shelbs would sunbathe all day long! She loves it! I can hardly get her to come inside sometimes.

Shelby is one year and three months. She went to the vet this morning and weighed 117 lbs. Great danes supposedly grow until 18 months so she might get a little bigger – we aren’t quite sure. She got updated on all her shots and is healthy as a horse. Speaking of horses, we went to the Locks this morning to run on the canal and three different people said, “You need a saddle for that thing.” Ugh, for some reason that drives me crazy. I think it is because Chan and I have a neighbor – Mrs. Betsy – that is so rude to Shelby every time we see her and she calls her a pony (in a totally negative way) so saying she needs a saddle fires me up a little. Mrs. Betsy has a brown poodle named Katy. Katy rules Betsy’s life – you can just tell. When you walk your dog(s), you are supposed to be the leader and you should NEVER pick your dog up to control it. By picking the dog you are teaching it to never learn how to handle the situation, whether it is people or other dogs or a squirrel. Well, Shelby loves dogs so much that she just wants to run up and say hey to everyone she sees. Typical of a one year old pup right? Not to mention Katie drags Mrs. Betsy everywhere, like a tractor pulling a plough. Well, Shelbs just wants to say hey to Katie (and Katie is really sweet by the way, just an out-of-control walker) but low and behold she is snatched up by Mrs. Betsy when we are still a football field length away and she makes sure to say, “Are you going to put her in the Kentucky Derby?” or “At least I have control of MY dog!” Who says stuff like this? We need to move to a more pet friendly neighborhood! Our across the street neighbor called animal control on Shelby’s best friend Izzy (the sweetest Boxer you have ever met) because she wasn’t on a leash! Really animal control? I do believe they have better things to worry about! Sorry I am ranting…

Oh here a two cute pics I just took with my phone…

Lola and Zeebie

Shelby was napping and woke up and covered her face with her paw for minutes… so precious, I know :) Look how deep her chest is!

Check back soon – I will update more often, PROMISE!!

xoxoxoxoxoxox

New Post! Y’all should be proud of me :)

2010-10-13T22:44:00.001-04:00

Shelb’s Halloween Costume!

Shelbaloni – now 1 yr. and 3 months!

Sweet face

Okay, I will reblog tomorrow – promise! I was just doing a trial run on my new computer… Stay tuned for updates VERY SOON!

OMG - It's been way, way too long! Shelby - 9.5 months old

2010-04-29T11:45:00.003-04:00

Well, our sweet precious baby is now 9.5 months old! Can you believe it? She has grown extremely fast right before our eyes. Shelby weighs around 110 and continues to amaze us with how smart and sensitive she is.

The other day, she was chewing on her rawhide and then started chewing on her bed and I caught her in the act and scolded her. She went and got in the corner of our bedroom and put her nose right up against the wall and would not move for 30 minutes! I have no idea where she learned this because we never make her stay in the corner (nor do we hardly ever have to discipline her). She was so sad so I finally had to go over there and tell her it was okay, that she was still our precious little "good" girl and that she didn't have to be so sad, just not to do it again. She didn't leave my side for the next hour. She sat by me in the bathroom putting my makeup on, followed me everywhere! It was so funny!

Danes are so sensitive and you don't really understand this until you have one. I had always heard about their sensitivity, but seriously they are so smart and loyal that they know when you are disappointed and they are pitiful!

Shelby still loves to go to the Locks and walk on the trails with her best friend Izzy. However, she got very sick a few weeks ago and had to have x-rays and very big shots of fluid put in her. They still aren't sure what it was, but we did start finding worms in her stool so we kinda think that was most of the problem. She lost about 10 lbs. and looked sooo skinny! We were very scared. She was so sick that she couldn't hold it and was going to the bathroom in the house and would run around in cirlces while she was going because it scared her so bad. Needless to say, Chan and I did a lot of gagging while cleaning up her watery poop! Ewwww!!!

We feed her a supplement called Ultra Oil from firstchoicenaturals.com. It makes her coat so shiny and silky! She feels like velvet.

We are so glad that we cropped her ears - it was months of hard work and very frustrating at times, but now that it is done we LOVE her look!

Her head is huge! Seriously, bigger than a human. We are really starting to see the European bloodline in her.

Right after a walk - she was worn out!

look how big that head is!

love, love, love her :)

Stay tuned for more updates! I promise I will start blogging about her more!!

Shelby's Spay - 5 months & 1 week

2009-12-06T14:34:00.002-05:00

So our little baby got spayed this week. It was a traumatic experience for all of us. We dropped her off at Acute Vet care on Thursday to have her surgery that morning. She spent the night at the vet so they could watch her and limit her movement as much as possible. I wondered why they kept saying the sooner she gets spayed, the better... just take a peek at the pics below. I guess all of the pressure from her weight makes the recovery process a little more difficult the bigger that the animal is. She bruised pretty bad and her belly is nice and swollen, but she is acting completely fine like she feels nothing. She is five months and one week tomorrow. She is getting bigger by the day - literally, and weighed 54 lbs. at the vet on Thurs. 12/3.

Chewing on her crate b/c she is mad...

we have to quarantine her for 7-10 days!

Is that even possible? She's going crazy!

Mmmm.. tastes good :)

Shelby's belly on 12/04

Ewww... poor thing

Chan doing his cage duty...

Where's Lola?

Thanksgiving with family in Hattiesburg - 19 wks. and counting

2009-11-27T11:43:00.007-05:00

Shelby had a great time at her grandpoppy and grandmammy's house for Thanksgiving. She got to play with many dogs - Daisy, Punky, Lola, Gabbie, and Tessie. We definitely had a house full! We got to run at the track, take lots of car rides, and she even got to sleep in the bed with momma and daddy. My mom thought she had a crate big enough for Shelby to sleep in, but she barely fit in there! It was funny! Shelby got a belly ache one night and had to go into seclusion and sleep by the washer and dryer. Please see the pics below taken over the past two weeks -

our beautiful baby...

shake~!

ahhh.. nothin' like a good stretch...

daddy bein' sweet - as usual :)

my bf (i had just spray tanned! i look like one of those old ladies that lives in FL and lays in the sun all day... it washed off tho, don't worry)

my two bfs in the whole world!

shelb's cousin - Tessie

shelb loved my parent's chair

her other cousin - Gabriella

Henrietta - the most obnoxious squeaker toy

die Henrietta, die!!!

pretty girl :) - those ears are looking good!

Christmas decor

wow, look how big she is getting - *tear*

i have a feeling that we will not go the whole month without losing a few branches

she will be 5 months on Monday.. crazy!

Shelby - from the last post until 17 weeks!!

2009-11-10T12:12:00.010-05:00

Okay, I am posting the longest blog in the history of blogs to catch everyone up on Shelby's growth! She is HUGE - around 45 lbs. She consistently gains 3 lbs. per week and gets her last round of puppy shots next week. I started the pictures from where I left off in the last blog, and as you scroll down you will see her grow! I will start posting every week as soon as I get my computer back - it's broken and has been for weeks.

Shelby is seriously the best dog ever - she is potty trained and only has accidents when her friends come over. Poor thing is going through her teething stage, so we have to make sure she has something to chew on at all times. She is obsessed with her bear (that you will see in several pics). She does what Chan and I call "the piano" on Mr. Bear where she paws it back and forth with her paws for hours. She doesn't tear it up nor is she rough with it. It's like she doesn't want to hurt it so she can keep it forever. Great danes are amazing with children, so we think that she is practicing for her future human brothers/sisters.

Shelby has been perfectly healthy and loves to sleep. We get up early in the mornings so she can eat and get the energy out of her before we go to work, but she just eats and passes out. Look at all the pics and let us know what you think!

Still training those ears!

Mom, give me the treat!

Trying to take some pics, but she is not havin' it...

I had to corner her in our room b/c she wouldn't let me take a pic of her! Terd :)

This is her training crate that she has almost outgrown...

But mom, I have to sleep on my ears so they will never stand right!

Punky, Lola, Shelby, and cousin Daisy (this pic was impossible to take)

Look how long.. and how cute that belly is!!

Sweet Daisy-bug.. Shelby has worn her out

and it's time to play again!!! aarrrrggghhhh

ferocious

this pic cracks me up.. they play soo hard in case you can't tell

3 minutes later...

p-a-s-s-e-d OUT!

sweet daddy chan

3 month pics

October 9 - My bday with my babies!!

Shelby on the table checkin things out

Beauty Queen

gettin bigger...

her favorite... mr. bear

look how old her face looks already... Shelby's face, not mine

I can hardly pic her up anymore! *tear*

my babies - how can you resist those faces?!?!

Shelby insists on sleeping on Punky's bed!

what momma?!

hahahahaha.. hilarious!! The Punkmyster

Shelby's best friend - Izzy - they looooove each other!!!

Shelby fights from the ground. She automatically flops to the ground every single time!

Look at those sweet faces...

Punky and Lola's Halloween shirts.. Lola HATES when we dress her up!!

Punky LOVES it!

Shelby and Mr. Bear - passed out... again

our latest play date with Izzy... Shelby slept for 18 hours straight after this :)

having to hold her up...

THE END... look for more updates coming soon!!

Shelby @ 10 weeks.. and gettin' bigger!

2009-09-22T15:37:00.014-04:00

She is growing by the day and we absolutely LOVE HER TO DEATH!! She is getting such a cute little personality and we can't wait for her to develop into a precious young girl. She loves, loves, loves to eat and will go and wait by the kitchen counter and look up like she is saying, "Feed me, momma!" She is learning so fast and is really smart (when she wants to be)! She walks great on a leash and sleeps through the night. She passes out every night at 8:00 on the dot and you cannot wake her up if you tried! We seriously thought she was dead at one point!!

Look at the belly! Shelby's Feeder for when she grows a little bit... We took her stitches out and the cup off of her head last night! Her ears look so good! My baby... she won't be like this for long :(
Smilin'
Her teeth are the cutest thing you have ever seen.. They look like little arrows

Laura and Shelby Bells :)

Why did we buy this wonderful bed and huge crate? So she can sleep on the floor! Duh!

Shelby arrives HOME!!!

2009-09-12T15:07:00.011-04:00

We picked up Shelby yesterday and she is even more than I imagined she would be! She has the most beautiful face that can just melt you. She has the prettiest color coat and her ear crop looks amazing. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but she is more and we love her soo much!! Chan gets to babysit today while I am at work, something which he was kinda nervous about at first. Shelby was kinda antsy yesterday when we got her home, constantly pacing the house looking for all of her brothers and sisters. She did good in the cage and hardly cried at all through the night. We did have a little accident in the cage right after she woke up from a nap but all accidents at this point are to be expected. I have posted several pics that we took through the day. It was Chan's birthday and he was such a good sport b/c we drove 11+ hours on his birthday!! I owe you BIG my darling :) Free massages for life!

We got to meet Shelby's mom, dad, littermates, Niah (her full sister from another litter, she's around 1 year old) and several other full grown danes from Ann's line. They are absolutely beautiful and I think we were both a little overwhelmed. There were dogs everywhere and it was mass chaos! Shelby has a sister living in Aiken, just down the road, so we are going to try and get with them sometime so they can play. Keep checking back for updated pics to watch her grow!

Shelby with Daddy

Soooo stinkin' cute! Chewin' away...

What momma?

Blue eyes

She is such a dreamer! She ran in her sleep the whole ride home :)

Play an hour, sleep an hour, play an hour...

Shelbalini!!

Shelby @ 7 Weeks... Bigger by the Day!

2009-09-02T20:12:00.012-04:00

Shelby is turning into quite a beautiful little darling! She looks like a lazy one among the bunch, which Chandler is very excited about. :) I have a very hard-working lazy husband!! He loves to work but loves to sleep, so maybe Shelby will be the same way - love to play and love to sleep! Here are some 7 week group pics.. let us know what you think!

All 7 girls... Shelby is the second pup from the left in the next 3 pics

All 4 boys...

Group pic at 6 weeks... Shelby is the third one from the left

Shelby @ 7 weeks!! Ann is holding her ears up to give her the cropped look.

just chillin...

6 week pics!!!

2009-08-26T10:03:00.005-04:00

Our baby is growing up! We can't wait to pick her up in two weeks!

5 week pics!

2009-08-18T10:01:00.007-04:00

Shelby turned 5 weeks old yesterday and Ann (the breeder) posted her updated pics! You have to go look at her siblings - http://www.nightmagicpride.com/09julylitter.htm - they are all absolutely precious!

This breed is an American/European cross. European danes have larger heads and are generally more muscular with a thicker coat. Americans have a more slender face and their build leans more toward the greyhound rather than the mastiff. They have a shorter coat and a tighter head/face.

Shelby has a beautiful head and gorgeous blue eyes. The newest items we have bought for her include a (very) large food tray, nail clippers & file, a brush, and training treats. We will definitely be picking her up on Friday, Sept. 11th, and although it is quite a haul (4-5 hours one way!), we cannot wait to see her and bring her back to her forever home.

Sitting up nice and tall

Can't decide if she looks innocent or guilty :)

Our precious baby!

Sweet girl

People think we are crazy getting a large dog when I am just starting back to work and we are always traveling to see our families, but we beg to differ! We have always wanted (ok, not always, but for a long time!) a great dane and have always talked about it. There is never a perfect time to do anything (have kids, for example) and when I found this breeder in South Georgia, I knew that we had to have one of her puppies asap. What are we going to do when we have to travel? Make it work! What are we going to do when we are at work? Make it work! My schedule has me working some weekends which is good because I will be at home with her on some weekdays and Chan will be loving on her all weekend. We will continue to live our wonderful lives, but we will have Shelby to tag along on our adventures!

Shelby @ 4 weeks!!

2009-08-12T17:34:00.006-04:00

Our sweet Shelby turned 4 weeks old on Monday! Here are some updated pics from the breeder's website - Night Magic Pride Danes in South Georgia. We are still planning to pick her up on Sept. 11th or 12th and we cannot wait! We will continue to post her growth on here for everyone to see how big and beautiful she gets... :)

Pretty blue eyes :)

Look how shiny her coat is!

Playful!

Big head!

We received our Blackwatch feeding program from First Choice Naturals the other day and have made a feeding schedule. She is going to grow so fast, so we have to ensure that her diet is perfectly balanced. We will give her probiotics, nzymes, omega oils, msm, and colostrum.

Baby Pics!! 3 Weeks Old

2009-08-06T19:04:00.009-04:00

I had to post some of the most current pics of the litter. There are 11 puppies altogether, 7 females and 4 males. We do not know which pup will be ours yet! The only difference is that some have a little white on their chests and some don't. They are precious and will melt your heart! Please read below and help us solve our dilemma - crop or not?!?! We decided on cropping, but I saw a precious dane at PetSmart with natural ears and it was so cute... Tell us what you think...

Okay, so tell me what you think... crop or no crop....

Cropped Ears...

(Yes, all of these are "puppies" from the same parents as Shelby! Beautiful!)

or.....

Natural Ears

so... what do you think? Please let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me at laurarknox@gmail.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

Bedding, the Ear Kit & Food

2009-08-01T10:51:00.010-04:00

We received Shelby's bed yesterday from http://www.mammothoutlet.com/ and it is perfect! It is a camel color micro-suede fabric and is stuffed to the max for the ultimate orthopedic comfort. Shelby will sleep on the bed at night in our room when she is trained (which we are hoping will not take too too long).

Look at the picture below and it looks like a normal little dog bed, right? Well, take a look below that and you will see my 6'2" husband laying in the bed with Punky and you will see how HUGE it really is!

and the hubby in the bed.....

I have been doing a lot of research about ear cropping and we have decided that we are going to get her ears cropped before we pick her up from the breeder. I know that ear cropping is a lot of hard work and takes time, but I have fully prepared myself for it and am ready to take it on. I love the look of a cropped dane and know that we are making the right decision. I put her "ear kit" together so we will be ready to re-tape her ears when her wrapping comes off. It consists of Medicated Body Powder, porous cloth tape, Heavy-duty electrical zip ties, and Breathe Right strips (for a little later down the road when they only need a little support). I put an order in for the Torbot Bonding Cement and the Adhesive Remover, and it should arrive in a week or so.

I found a great authorized distributor of Premium, Natural, Holistic and Organic pet food in Appling, Georgia, that delivers anywhere in Columbia County for free. It is called Dog Gone Cute - http://www.doggonecute.net/index.html and I called and talked to the owner and will be ordering all of our dog food from there. She was very helpful and will deliver it to our house AND most importantly, it is cheaper than PetSmart and Petco! We will keep Punky and Lola on Royal Canin and Shelby will be fed Precise along with the Blackwatch Feed Program. I decided it is better to prevent than treat illness, so we will do anything in our power to prevent Shelby from ever getting sick! We are going to look at options for elevated dog bowls today, but we might end up having to order one.

Take a look at my two other babies, Punky & Lola. They are so excited about becoming big sisters and they can't wait to show Shelby the ropes. Don't hate on their names - we had a blast coming up with Punky's name!! :)

Lady Lola Bell

Punky Hotbeli Dingledorf

Preparation for Shelby!

2009-07-30T16:10:00.006-04:00

I am so excited about our new baby Shelby... we have unofficially decided on this as her name! I was busy putting her crate together today and let me tell you - it was not an easy task. I put the whole thing together and was so proud of myself. So I went to open the door and it wouldn't open! I had to take the whole thing apart and flip the side because it was upside down... stupid!! So, I put the crate back together and am once again so proud of myself. I look behind me and the pan is propped up against the coffee table! I didn't put the blasted pan in!! So, once again, I had to take the thing apart to put the pan in.. ugh! But I finally finished and it looks amazing.

I bought a white down comforter with shams and it all fills the crate perfectly. I want our scent to be on all of her bedding so she will not stress during her crate training. I posted some pics below - look how big her crate is! It comes up to my chest... Chan and I could sleep in it no problem! I have also been picking up some items - leash, collar, bowls, wash clothes, shampoo, toys, etc. - along the way so we don't have to get everything at once.

I am prepared for my baby girl and cannot wait for her to join our family on September 11th or 12th!! I have read sooo many articles and studies and feel very prepared, but I know I won't be fully prepared until she gets here. We know that she will be a huge part of our lives and we hope and pray that she is always healthy and happy!

2009-07-22T21:56:00.000-04:00

Chandler likes Shelby, Miley, and Trixie!!! At least we are narrowing it down :)

More thoughts on our future baby...

2009-07-22T11:51:00.003-04:00

I am thinking about feeding our pup, yet to be named, either Wellness, Natural Balance, or Blue Buffalo. Also, I want to do the Blackwatch feeding program recommended on the Great Dane Lady's website. I am scared to death of bloat and really want to do everything I possibly can to prevent any ailments, especially something as serious as bloat. I cannot wait for updated pictures to be posted of our little baby! I think about her all of the time and cannot wait for her to join us in our home. I have done extensive, extensive research on raising a Great Dane and I feel more prepared each day. I feel like I am going to have a child!

My husband and I have been talking about future travel plans and if we want to get a pet sitter to come to our house or if we should board. We really think that getting a pet sitter would be the best bet for our dogs in order to reduce stress. We are just nervous about letting a stranger into our house like that. If anyone knows any reliable pet sitters in the Augusta, GA (Evans) area, please let us know so we can start a relationship asap!

Also, another concern for me is the best time to spay. I have read a lot about spaying early to prevent breast cancer. The other area of thought is to let them go through one heat cycle in order to keep a balance of hormones. It is very important not to spay during or for two months after their cycle, etc. but I am not sure what to do. Also, I am not sure if I could handle a puppy that large going through a heat cycle in the house! We all know those doggie diapers don't stay on! Hmmm, what to do...

We should be picking her up on September 11th or 12th, 2009! Oh, and her ears will be cropped when we pick her up.

Let me know what name you like:
Blitz
Cameo
Trixie
Indigo
Izzy
Ella
Ellie
Dolce
Xena
Queeny
Sugar
Sophia
Roxy
Darcy
Mia
Zanie
Sally
Cali
Flower
Bella
Miley
Stella
Carly
Bailey
Shelby
Layla
Lucy

My new blog!

2009-07-19T12:36:00.004-04:00

Hello all! I am starting a blog about our puppy that we will bringing into our home in September. I really want to chart her growth, post pics, and just let everyone watch her become a beautiful, regal great dane.

A great dane has been a dream of mine as long as I can remember. I have always had small dogs but never had the chance/time/room for a giant breed. I love the lines of the dane, the beautiful steel blue coat (we are getting a blue), the muscular yet sleek appearance, and the loyal/gentle personality of this "gentle giant". I am absolutely a huge dog lover and really want to know all that I possibly can about all breeds, the great dane in particular. My husband and I also have two chihuahuas - Punky & Lola, who are 2.5 and 4 years old, respectively.

I cannot wait to bring our baby home, which will probably be the second week in September. She was born on July 13th, 2009 to Jake and Gypsy out of Night Magic Pride Danes in Georgia. Watch her first few weeks at http://www.nightmagicpride.com/09julylitter.htm. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for names!