Have you ever loved a dog?

If you have, you know it is a very sweet, powerful kind of love. & What a privilege to be loved right back.

Dogs teach us lessons in patience, loyalty, gratitude and joy. To enjoy the small things in life, drink lots of water, and soak up the sun any second you can.

Hank was a master of these lessons.

Hank would be turning 11 this April. He’s an Aries just like his Momma, which explains a lot. How does a decade go by so fast, I don’t know.

I was just 23 when we got Hank. Just a baby raising a baby. We got him from Facebook Marketplace and the woman selling the Danes for $200 each said it was a freak scenario where her friends Dane got her Dane pregnant by accident. Hanks mom was just 1.5 yrs old and passed away shortly after her large litter was born. We got Hank at 6 weeks old and I fed him goats milk for two weeks. He was so tiny 🐾 & the best $200 I’ve ever spent.

We brought Hank home to meet his brother Clyde, our 4 year old Mastiff. They were two peas in a pod.

They grew up together & were such great buds. Our protectors.

Clyde passed in 2022 and Hank stayed by his side the whole time. </3

Hanker, like most Danes and dogs in general, was my little (big) velcro dog. He stuck to me like glue, and it was then that I realized why some dogs are named ‘Shadow’. Everywhere I was, he was. I would let out a big sigh, and Hank would let out a big sigh. We were connected.

Hank thought he was a lap dog. All gentle 173 pounds of him would plop on your lap, or stand, and he truly didn’t realize how big he was. I know this isn’t good behavior, but I really loved his giant cuddles.

With his attachment issues came separation anxiety. We tried crate training, but he would manage to bust out of his crate despite many efforts and adjustments. One time, when we left for the grocery store for a mere 30 minutes, he ate an entire couch. Something switched in me that day, not an ounce of anger over the couch - I could see that it was something bigger. That dogs have anxiety too, and that they are far more complex than to just be obedient to their humans. I wrote Hank a letter to let him know some things.

When we moved in 2021 Hanks anxiety got much better. I’m unsure if this was him maturing with age, or what. We built our home with humans and animals in mind. The entire home is mostly ADA, with no stairs in sight and an all slab home. I don’t believe Hank would have made it this long without the accessibility we created.

Hank loved fresh water, so fresh that he would only drink out of the sink faucet or water spigot outside.

Hank loved it here. He loved sitting out back and soaking up the sun, watching the horses and German Shepards across the way. When he wasn’t outside, you could find him in the office catching some sun rays, on the sofa snuggling, or in bed snoozing.

Hank hasn’t been doing great since June 2022, a month after Clyde’s passing, when he had a bad bout of thrombocytopenia (low platelets). We almost lost him and it was a long recovery. I sat in the vets office with him for 6 hours while he got an infusion because oh boy Hank could not leave mom’s side at the vet.

I had just quit the hospital and was able to work from home with him, which I was so extremely grateful for. The boy is resilient, and so so strong. He slowly recovered and got back to his normal self.

On May 6th, 2024 we found a black Great Dane roaming a farm road near the house. (Her story comes at a later time) No one was looking for her; no chip, no action on the local FB pages. The vet believed she was dumped after having a litter and said it’s more common than we would think.

Hank welcomed her (now named Lady) sweetly and gently and I believe Lady brought some more life to Hank’s senior age.

I then had two Danes that followed me every where I went.

But Hanks Velcro inevitably started to wear and he wished to stay in bed more and more rather than be at my feet, or outside, in the garden, or in the office. He eventually stopped drinking from the sink faucet, his neck became too weak. His tumors grew so large it was affecting his mobility and his appetite decreased. He stayed in bed more than out. I’d be in the garden outside and he’d track me from inside. I’d always give him a wave and his ears would perk.

Hank is just two months short of 11 years old. We’ve been through so much life in our years together. He was with us through marriage, birthdays, holidays, college graduation, career pivots, deaths of beloveds, and many adventures together. I’m forever grateful for him and all the joy he brought to our lives. It was his time to transition from this earthly space to another. 🌈 We helped him ease into the other side from home Feb 10, 2025. He got to have a plate full of ham, his favorite. & he passed peacefully in bed in his favorite spot with his favorite stuffy, grinchy, just under his chin where he always kept him. We are absolutely heartbroken, and our lives will never be the same. I imagine this grief will linger with me for a long, long time. But it’s also a different kind of grief. A deep, raw sorrow softened by the overwhelming love that came before it. Because when a dog loves you, they love you fully, without condition or hesitation. And that love doesn’t disappear when they do. It lingers in the routines they left behind, in the fur you still find on your clothes, in the way your heart still knows they were one of the best parts of your life. The pain of losing them is proof of how much they meant, how much they gave, how deeply they are missed. And while it never fully goes away, neither does their love. It stays, wrapped around you, just like it always was.

I know Clyde will be giving him quite the greeting. & Lady will inevitably shatter my heart into a million pieces just like Hank and Clyde have. But it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Rest easy big guy. Give the mailman some hell up there. I love you so much.