We are
also promoting a brand new website just for
owners of pet Great Danes. There is
information, puppies for sale, Great Dane
related items, art, just to name a few.
Click
here.
Hello there, and welcome to
Littlehorse Great Danes home on the web.
At the age of 12 I bought my first
"Dog World" magazine. In it I saw a photo ad for
harlequin Great Danes. I fell in love with them immediately.
It wasn't until I was in my 40's that I was able to pursue this dream
actively.
I used to
exclusively breed American based bloodlines. Due to
the many problems I encountered while breeding these lines
it became apparent that I needed to change the way I was
doing things. Fortunately for me another older and
wiser breeder took be under her wings and from that time on
we have been improving our bloodline and the health and
longevity of the breed.
We do not
place our puppies with breeders nor do we sell them for
show. Our goal is the breed healthy pets as family
members to select homes.
Feel free
to visit us often as I update frequently.
Thank you for stopping by.
Happy surfing.
Melody
& Johnny Rainwater and
the rest of Littlehorse.
The kids below belong to Pat Winch who
live in New York.
Think more than twice! "Rainwater
Rants!"
It is
sad but true that there are many
people out there that don't have
any business adopting animals.
They have no concept of the
effect of their actions have on
the life on a defenseless
animal. I for one cannot
fathom how someone can look in
the eyes of a dog and not see
that they have a true heart and
their soul belongs to their
families. I think dogs are
some of the most amazing animals
on earth and can tell the
difference between their
emotions better than I can most
people. Even a sick or
injured dog will show his love
for you if the only way he can
do it is by wagging the very tip
of his tail.
Please think
twice before you bring any
animal into your home. If
you don't know for a fact that
you can give this guy a good
forever home..."WALK AWAY".
Think of it in the human
perspective. If you had to
move would you leave one of your
children behind because you were
moving to a smaller place?
Would you throw your ageing
parent out because they were too
much trouble now that they can't
take care of themselves?
If your new boyfriend or
girlfriend didn't like your
child, would you find it a new
home? If your answer is
yes to any of the above
questions, get a pet rock and
leave the living, breathing,
feeling critters to those of us
who will put their needs right
up there with the rest of the
family.
Often I
get request for older dogs
because some breeders dump
their retirees when they are no
longer of breeding age, have
problems breeding or aren't what
they consider good producers.
I think that absolutely sucks!
First of all these
guys are not livestock. We
treat all of our dogs from
puppyhood to old age with the
same love and care. We do
not place our retired dogs.
They have more than earned a
loving home for the rest of
their lives. It would
break their hearts if I let them
go. If
you run across a breeder that
adheres to this practice I would
advise you to walk away because
their bottom line is not the
welfare of their dogs.
Another
thing that really pisses me off
is someone who intentionally
messes with the colors set forth
by the Great Dane Club of
America. Watch out for
those "so called breeders"
who advertise RARE COLORS.
For instance fawniquins,
brindlequins, chocolate or lilac
harlequins. Then they will
charge you a ton of money for
this mismarked dog because it is
unusual. If and when you
run across one of these wondrous
folks you might want to ask them
what their goal is when they
breed. Are they
researching their lines for
health and longevity? Do
they even know if there are any
problems? Do they really
care? A friend of mine called
one of the rainbow breeders once
and asked why they were doing
those cross color breedings and
the rainbow breeder's answer was
that she was just jealous
because she could get more money
for her rarely colored dogs than the breeder
that was doing it right could.
Now that's a telling statement.
Occasionally we get surprised
with colors in our litters that
should not be there. It
happens in harlequin breeding
especially when we use a
combination of parents that has
one certain dog in their
pedigrees in common. We
have had blue mantles, blue and
whites and sometimes blue
harlequins. I've seen the
rainbow breeders call them "rare
porcelain harlequins" can
squeeze the hell out of a buyer.
No they are not! They are
mismarks and "boo boos".
The first time one showed up in
a litter I almost fainted.
However since we only sell our
puppies as pets and not for
breeding it really didn't matter
too much to anyone else but me.
Besides, I try to discourage
someone from buying a puppy
solely based on color.
Look for the puppy that best
fits in with your life style.
Questions?
Comments? Bring it!
I would
like to start a blog for
Littlehorse puppy owners but
have to wait until my grand
daughter can show me how.
I can build a webpage but I
don't blog or tweet.
hahaha
Off my
soap box for tonight. :-)
Melody Rainwater
May 29, 2010
Dear Melody & Mom and Dad,
Can you believe tomorrow will mark my 1 year
birthday? I wanted to wish all my “NCIS”
brothers and sisters a very special birthday. I
wanted to take this moment to let you know what
I have been up to this last year. My flight to
Tampa went smooth. My new family was so excited
to pick me up. The next day, I went to work at
The UPS Store where I have a fan club. I adore
children and people make a pit stop over here
out of there way when running errands just to
see me. When customers come in the store, I
impress them when I stand over the counter to
greet them. I enjoy going to work every day to
greet the customers, play with children and I
even have a few 4 legged friends who stop by to
say hi. One of my visitors came from you. He is
a harlequin named Killian from Brian & Jackie
Thayer. The owners of the restaurant next door
bring me chicken as a treat! I eat better than
my own parents (hehe). My new family has
followed all of your instructions
and I quickly learned where to go to the
bathroom; it only took me 5 days! When they
leave home, I have free run of the house though
I usually go with them to most places unless
they go out to dinner or a movie. I love my new
forever home. It is nice to have the bed and
couches all to myself when they go out. I have a
huge yard and a sandbox! I enjoy burying toys in
there for my new soon-to-be human baby brother
to find. My new family is expecting their first
child in July. I am going to be a great big
brother because I am a great Great Dane! Twice a
week (Wednesdays & Sundays), I go to a dog park
and I have to admit, I am the life of the party.
People are always complimenting how handsome I
am and I brag to everyone what a wonderful and
responsible breeder I came from. I have a
fantastic doctor who had a Great Dane himself
and was so impressed with my Welcome
Packet and Care
Instructions. He wishes all breeders
would be as responsible and informative as
Melody is. I am happy to report that I am strong
and healthy. I currently weigh 135lbs and I am
still filling my paws out. I have been neutered
and received all my shots. My owners make sure I
get my Heartguard every month. I absolutely love
Florida and their dog friendly beaches. As a
matter of fact, we are going to the dog beach
this Memorial Day weekend. I mostly lay around
at the store and at home unless we go to a park
or run errands. I get plenty of exercise as we
walk 4 times a day. This gives me a chance to
let other animals know I stopped by to say hello
and lets me stretch out my legs. I am going to
enroll in Pet Therapy classes this summer so I
can go to local hospitals and visit children who
don’t feel so well. My mommy hasn’t been
horseback riding in a while because she is going
to have a puppy of her own, but we still make
time to stop by the barn where she is a NAHRA
instructor and say hello to the horses. I help
out around the house too. I bring in groceries
and I carry the laundry in a basket. If my
people need hangers, I put them in my mouth and
run them to the laundry room. When we do yard
work, I carry an empty 45 gallon trash can in my
mouth and I pick up the branches and carry them
into the trash. Yeah, I am pulling my own
weight. I have a cat named Obi I play with and a
lot of neighborhood dogs that come to my home to
play in the yard with me. Life is good. I am
well socialized, well fed, well cared for and
well loved. My forever people are so grateful to
you for entrusting them with me and for allowing
them to adopt me. I help them laugh and love.
They are always telling me how lucky they are to
have me and they show it with kisses, hugs and
cuddles. At night, before we all go to bed, I
jump up on the bed with them and we watch our
crime dramas like CSI, NCIS and NCIS: L.A. {They
like the original NCIS better}. I roll on my
back and get my belly rubbed during the show.
After the show, I jump down onto my own bed (to
be honest with you I think mine is better than
theirs) and sleep by their side. I am enclosing
some photos so you can see how good I turned out
as if there was any doubt.
Love,
Sir Ivan von Littlehorse a.k.a. La Grenouille {Froggy}
CANINES TO VISIT
LIBRARY MUSTANG NEWS Edition:Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What has four legs, is taller than a desk and loves for children to read
to him? The answer is Denzel the Great Dane.
Kids can sign up to read to Denzel at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Mustang. The
dog will also visit July 11 and July 25. Pre-registration is required by calling 376-2226. A German shepherd named Grizzly will also visit.
The reading program is sponsored by Paws for Friendship of Oklahoma.
Both Grizz and Denzel are certified therapy
pets. “This program is very beneficial for reluctant
and struggling readers,” Youth Services Librarian Michalena McMahill said. “Children will enjoy
interacting with the dogs while building confidence
in their reading skills.”
We have 3 Hospice patients we visit every
week, go to the library every other Saturday, assisted living
center every 3 weeks and numerous other events. Tomorrow a huge
parade. He is a shinning example of your breeding program. CAROL
KACHING! The Hoax of the Animal Radicals Movement Dr. Al Grossman
Before buying a puppy please consider calling a rescue
organization or visit a shelter. Give the gift of life.
Why We Don't
Show Our Dogs.
For many years
Littlehorse has come under fire from some because we
don't feel the need to show our dogs. For one
thing our dogs are only made available to select
homes as family members. We don't want anyone
breeding them and don't care to see them in the
conformation ring. Now if someone wants to
show in obedience and or agility that would be
great. We encourage that because not only will
you bond with your dog, you have the pride of
accomplishment.
We have had
several of our owners do obedience, agility and many
of our puppies have been made into successful
therapy dogs. One of our dogs was able warn
his owner when she was going to have a seizure so
she could get in a safe position where she wasn't
hurt when it happened. To me it doesn't get
much better than that.
In my opinion,
the three most important things about Great Danes or
dogs are not highlighted in the conformation ring.
These three things are: Health,
Temperament, and Intelligence.
Inthe past, I have shown in the
Conformation ring,and found it lacking for me
personally. I am not knocking the conformation
ring or people who choose to show. I've made many
good friends that do show and more power to them and
may they win many points and trophies. The rewards
I find are that I can
make a family happy by providing the healthiest,
friendliest and smartest new family member that will
give them many years of companionship and joy.
"We have happy
puppies.";<)
Our new phone number
is 210-626-DANE (3263).
We breed harlequins, mantles and related
colors from
Scarbrough Fair and
European bloodlines. Only the best make
it into our breeding program. To visit our dogs go to the links page
with their photos.
www.littlehorsedanes.com/dogs.htm
Dogs require lots of time and
attention. Behavior problems, housebreaking
problems, poor socialization, destructiveness,
boredom, obsessive behaviors like tail and light
chasing, excessive barking, self-mutilation,
excessive licking, choking on toys left in the crate
all day, digging, yard escaping, fear, shyness, lack
of exercise, insufficient play and mental
stimulation are only a few of the challenges which
arise when people don’t have time for their dogs.
Excessive crating, locking a dog in a room or tying
it out all day, free- feeding the dog or installing
a doggy door so the dog can fend for itself will
make things worse. Not to mention lack of time and
attention for training and veterinary needs. A dog
is not a goldfish. A dog is a pack animal with
clearly defined social and developmental needs.
Don’t get a dog unless you have time for a dog.
Have a great day!
OUR PUPS HAVE AN AVERAGE LIFE
SPAN OF
TEN TO THIRTEEN YEARS
WE GUARANTEE GENERAL HEALTH
WE GUARANTEE AGAINST HIP DYSPLASIA FOR LIFE
WE GUARANTEE AGAINST ENLARGED HEARTS FOR SEVEN YEARS.
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