Colter

With all of the bustle and noise associated with an animal shelter, some dogs are easy to overlook. Colter isn't one of those dogs.

The first time I saw him, I was headed to the kitchen to fetch a bucket of water. Saying a brief "hello" to all of the dogs on the front row of kennels, I saw a lanky, black head pop up over the edge of one of the back kennels... and it kept rising... and rising. Colter stretched up to greet me, and looked like nothing so much as a large, black deer with floppy ears. We met more formally at feeding time, where I got to duck briefly into his kennel. He hopped around like an excited puppy, but settled down and sat for his dinner like a trooper. It wasn't hard to tell that he was quite a people-oriented dog, and I looked forward to being able to take him out and play once his waiting period was over (the shelter holds dogs for 3-6 days usually before they become adoptable, to give owners a chance to come in and claim a lost animal).

He's tall and lanky - no exaggeration, his nose pokes me in the chest when he stands up straight - but underfed, and quite thin for a Great Dane. We think he might have something else in him as well, perhaps Labrador Retriever (or moose). Colter isn't too crazy about playing fetch, but loves a good run, and a leisurely walk with a friend. That's a good thing, because it seems everyone at the shelter wants to take him out for a gambol.

I wouldn't recommend Colter for a family with small children, but not because he's bad-tempered. There isn't a mean bone in his body, and that's a lotta' body to be talking about. He is young, though, and doesn't always remember that some people aren't as well-equipped for an exuberant, frisky puppy jumping on them as other folks. Especially when that puppy is four feet tall. That noted, he's attentive and eager to please, and delightful to romp around with. It's a little weird watching him run and jump (there's so much of him, it looks like he's running in slow-motion), but if you've got a little patience and a high slobber-threshold, it would be hard to find a better pal than Colter. He works hard to put the "Great" in Great Dane.

UPDATE 9/5: Colter was adopted! :)



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