Beautiful Merlot in May 2007 at age 5-1/2

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.

See Merlot with Uncle Fran in her foster home.

Turn-about is fair play! At our April 10, 2004 MAGDRL Meet & Greet in Catonsville, MD. Jupiter turned the tables on Merlot! And they call it Puppy Love...
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.

Despite her disability, you can see current photos of Merlot and her roommates in the "3-Pack" photo series.