I'd have thought that with time Thoughts of her would leave my head I was wrong, and I find Just one thing makes me forget.... Red, Red Wine <UB40,1983>

Merlot! She was born on September 6, 2001.  She was purchased by sweethearts who later parted.  The man married someone else and Merlot went to live with them. The new wife hated her and said she was vicious, so the man turned her in at an animal shelter.  On the day before she was scheduled for euthanasia, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL) rescued Merlot.

I fell in love with Merlot from the moment I first met her in her MAGDRL foster home in December, 2003 . She was the sweetest Dane girl I'd ever met, but there were two approved adopters in line ahead of me.

A month later, the two adopters passed on her because she walked with a limp. And on January 9, 2004, this sweet girl with the "Flying Nun" ears joined our family .  

We were told she had hip dysplasia, but Dr. Steven Wolchinsky at Rocky Gorge Vet diagnosed a torn cruciate ligament.  Merlot had corrective TPLO surgery on April 20. 2004, and over the next 12 weeks she slowly recuperated. By July, 2004 she had healed completely. 

Today Merlot is a cheerful, sweet girl who never met a living thing that she didn't love! And every weekend she works at MAGDRL events to help other orphans in need.

  Merlot wishes everyone Happy Holidays 2004!
See Merlot a year after we adopted her -- healthy, happy, and gorgeous!
She was at a National Geographic photo shoot on April 17, 2005.
Merlot welcomed her new little sister Savannah on May 13, 2006.
Merlot bloated on July 24, 2006.  Read about this awful experience here.
....then go to the Lapro-Pexy page to read about the surgery that prevents bloat's deadly torsion.

This is Merlot on August 19, 2006 a month after she bloated. Savannah and Jupiter are with her.

Merlot and friends wish you a Happy HoliDanes 2006!
Merlot attended MAGDRL events every month until September 2006 when she retired due to the onset of degenerative myelopathy.  Although her mobility is declining, she is not in pain. We are researching solutions and hope to have her with us for many more years.  
The girlie had her first acupuncture session at Veterinary Holistic Care on May 2, 2008.

Although for the past year traditional veterinary medicine, acupuncture and holistic mediation made Merlot's degenerative myelopathy, spondylosis, and orthostatic tremors tolerable, there was no cure for the ravages of her disabilities.  In July 2009, she could no longer handle stairs and began falling down on level  ground. Even sadder, she could no longer stand for more than a few minutes.  It was time. 

On July 21, 2009 the sweetest Dane I have ever known left for Rainbow Bridge.  I held her in my arms as she closed her eyes, and I promised her that she will remain in my heart forever. Until we meet again, my sweet Merlie Girlie.

Those we love remain with us,
for love itself lives on.
And cherished memories never fade,
because a loved one's gone.
Those we love can never be,
more than a thought apart.
For as long as there is memory,
they'll live on in the heart.
-- unknown --