Monday, March 28, 2011

Discovering Sammi's Ancestors

The little blue Plymouth Neon passed us - with a large dog in the front, head hanging out the window.  In the back was an elderly lady and another big dog.  We were out riding our 4 wheelers at Spotted Eagle, a recreation area outside of Miles City, MT.  Spotted Eagle has a lake, trails to ride, an open field, their is also a range for skeet shooting and bow and arrow target practice.

The Neon stopped a lady let out the dogs - one Great Dane and one Rottweiler.  We chuckled that this lady drove a little car and had two large dogs riding with her.  As we watched the Great Dane run, was watching a massive animal eat up the distance.  This dog had a very distinctive gait as he ran.

Dan and I looked at each other, then in unison said Sammi.  One of our dogs with an unknown blood-line.  After watching the Great Dane run we had discovered one part of her heritage.  Yes her gait and bark were indistinguishable from the Great Dane in front of us.

Sammi is a very petite girl by Great Dane standards.  She weighs 96 pounds and stands a mere 26 inches tall (toes to shoulder).  It is incredible to watch her run, the gait is hard to describe but once seen never forgotten.

Watching the Great Dane run fueled our curiosity to know more about her dog.  We went over to talk to the lady with the blue neon and 2 big dogs.  As we pulled up the dogs were back in the car, the Danes head hanging out the window.  The Rottweiler was in the back with the elderly lady.

We chuckled to ourselves that the dog got the front seat.  Boy were we surprised - one bucket seat had been removed from the front of the car.  The dog was sitting on the floor and still could hang is head out the window.

As we visited with the dog owner we learned that the other lady was her mother.  While visiting I noticed that the floor of the car was covered with " spray on bed liner."  They spray bed-liner (rubbery substance) into the back of pickups to keep it from getting all scratched up when hauling stuff.  The lady said she put it in to make cleaning the car easier.

We asked lots of questions about her Great Dane.  Comparing her answers to what we knew about Sammi.  We were now convinced that Sammi's antecedents came from that massive breed,

Walking away Dan teased the older lady, " Well I guess you know where you rate."

She smiled, shook her head and laughed, "yes, I know."  then she reached over and petted the Rottweiler.

We would occasionally spot the blue Neon around town.  The other day, Peggy, Dan's daughter saw the neon.  She told us that the lady now had two Great Danes riding shot gun with her.

12 comments:

  1. Now that lady loves her dogs. I have never heard of anyway retrofitting their car to quite that extreme!

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  2. Our Sammi looked positively small in comparison.

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  3. What a great Slice! I love stories about dogs and their very passionate owners. That keeps me from getting too romantic about puppies.
    Bonnie

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  4. If you go back through my posts I've written several other stories about Sammi and Baby. We also have Lady and Max. Lady is a chocolate Lab, Max is a Boxer Cross, Sammi we suspect is a Great Dane/Lab cross, Baby is a Black Lab. I think you would enjoy the posts.

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  5. Haha--I love the description of the lady and her two big dogs. What a great slice. I will have to check out your other dog posts!

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  6. How fun! You post is fun to read and it is cool that you had a chance to check this out! I also notice that you are first to put your slice on most days! Kudos to you! A job well done! Happy slicing! :)

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  7. I think it is because of the time differences. I usually put it on after the late evening news here just before going to bed. So I post what I wrote earlier in the day.

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  8. Your post left me with such a glorious visual - two Great Danes peeking out the window of a blue Neon zipping by...

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  9. I had 2 huskies and that was plenty of dog for me. I can't imagine having such large dogs in such a small car. What a smart lady though....love the revamping of the inside.

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  10. What a great story, about your dog, but also the connection with the other dogs & that blue neon. That is dedication for sure. My brother supports a pet sanctuary, finds homes for dogs, cats, etc., & has has many kinds of dogs through the years. Often he's had danes; people seem to give them up when they get too much to handle. I wonder if the gait you're talking about could be called 'lumbering'. I remember well his danes special kind of running. Your Sammi must be a great dog.

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  11. Wow, thanks for sharing the term "lumbering". It would fit. Sammi loves people.

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  12. Love dog stories. This one keeps my interest because of the small car, little ladies, and big dogs. I reads like a chapter in a story!

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