Dugan the Dog goes to the Doctor

Whoodathunk! Dugan has allergies. Over the last months we have noticed that Dugan would spend some of his spare time licking his front paws. More recently he started to chew between his toes, so something had to be done.

Dugan likes to go places, even to the Vets. Dugan goes to the Aberdeen Animal Hospital for his medical care, and all the staff know who Dugan is and they always give him a friendly greeting. The Vet said that allergies are common in dogs and typical symptoms are feet chewing, scratching, licking, rashes. The Doc gave Dugan a cortisone shot and said we should give him fish oil each day along with benadryl. This should relieve the itching sensations and allow him to heal the small sores between his toes.


Hey Master, maybe you had better heft me up on the examination table before the Doc comes in!


I hear friends out there!


Whats all this stuff?


Dugan gets off the scale, he lost a little weight due to summer heat.

Dugan the Dog is not a crotch sniffer!

Having a dog (especially a large one) means that you sometimes must endure the embarrassing and/or annoying things that dogs will do. Things like your dog drinking out of the toilette or sniffing peoples crotches. We hate it when Dugan sneaks into one of the bathrooms and drinks out of the toilette. He will come out of the bathroom drizzling toilette water off his beard onto everything. Yuk!

Dugan the Dog is a very affectionate dog. He likes to be petted, especially around his ears, eyes, and chin. He also likes his side rubbed while he leans up against you, and he likes you to reach down and squeeze his rear leg muscles while you exclaim: “you are a mighty hound, just feel those strong muscles!” He gets a real charge out of it.

Because Dugan loves getting his facial areas rubbed, and if you are next to him and he feels that you are not paying the kind of attention to him that such a fine dog deserves, he will take the initiative and rub his head against you! When he was a little younger and smaller, he would get a double rub by going between your legs so he was getting rubbed on both sides simultaneously (and at the same time too)! Now he is too big for that trick, so instead he will vigorously rub his face against you. If you have ever been around cows, it kind of reminds you of a calf trying to stimulate his mother’s milk by pushing his face and head against her udder. Anyway, it can be kind of embarrassing when he meets strangers because it appears that he his forcefully poking his face in their groin area, when his only interest is to get the obligatory face rub he feels he deserves. Unfortunately, when he ducks his head a little to bring it up for a rub, his head is at the same height as most peoples private zone.

So if you happen to come upon Dugan, do yourself a favor and save our family some embarrassment. Please, quickly give Dugan the attention he feels he deserves! It’s especially a lot less painful for the men folk!

Dugan takes a roll in the grass, reveling in the goodness of his doggy life.


Dugan tries pulling April with his tail.


Dugan with his favorite balls.

Dugan the Dog Plays

Dugan catches up with his "prey".


The soccer balls meets its maker.


Dugan chomps his snake.


"Tastes just like chicken!"


Dugan has a "little" spring in his step.


Dugan steals the ball from Master.


Dugan and his red "ball".


Dugan relaxes after murdering his soccer ball.


Dugan and his red "ball".


Be sure to check out the videos at the end of this post!

Dugan really likes to play, and he has many toys to play with. I think his favorite toy is a red playground ball that is not even a ball anymore because Dugan has punctured it with his teeth and has ripped chunks off of it. All that is left of it is a floppy scrap of red rubber. Dugan likes to bring this ball remnant to me and play a little tug-of-war game, and when I finally get it away from his vise grip jaws he likes me to tease him with it so he can leap up and try to grab it away from me. Then I throw it out across the yard and he runs and snatches it up on the run and brings it back for more. Sometimes Dugan will let me know when he thinks it is playtime by bringing this toy into the house and poking it firmly against me until I notice him and go outside with him. He likes his soccer ball a whole bunch too. He likes me to dribble it around the patio while he tries to steal it from me. He also likes me to throw or kick it across the yard, where he catches up with it while it is still rolling, and instead of grabbing it, he trips it up by running over the top of it (like he was chasing a rabbit or other small critter on the run, tripping it up). Then he likes to hold it down on the ground between his front legs, chest, and mouth, growling all the while. Then he likes me to poke the ball with my foot while he is holding it down and he makes an extra fierce growling. He will then let me pull it out of his grip (he is growling all the more) so I can throw or kick it again. Dugan has a lot of fun with a large diameter rope that hangs from a tree. He enjoys doing battle with it by whipping it around with his mouth while he makes leaps this way and that. I think he imagines he is locked in mortal combat with a giant snake. Its one toy he will play with by himself, but he enjoys it if someone joins in the battle and tugs on it with him. It makes you feel “little” if you are standing by him when he leaps up with the rope in his mouth and see him towering over you. He like Frisbee type toys too, although he never has taken to trying to catch them before they land. It's too hard for him to catch up with one in flight. He can run fast once he gets going but he is not quick to get off the blocks. He likes to run and pick it up and bring it back. He will carry it off and chew on it when he has had enough. We cannot leave any Frisbee out in the yard or he will destroy it in a short time. Dugan likes to play tug-of-war with just about anything. An amazing thing about Dugan is that he will not accidentally (or on purpose) bite you. During our rough playing his teeth may collide with some part of you like your hand or arm, but he never bites down! He has some way of sensing that his teeth are in contact with a human and not a toy, and will not clamp his jaw shut. That’s real nice! During play time, Dugan will reach a peak of excitement and drop whatever he is playing with and start running for the joy of it. He will run big circles around the yard and make close passes by you so you can just barely touch him and growl at him as he speeds by! It’s something to see.

Dugan the Dog had a birthday!

Dugan had a birthday on May 29 2008. He is now 2 years old. He has been a lot of fun in the last 22 months since he came to be at our house. He is a very fun and loving hound. Always so gentle unless I start playing rough with him, and then he is still very careful not to hurt. We hope that he will be with us a long time. It is typical of the giant breeds, that the expected life span is only 6 to 8 years. But remember that all dogs go to heaven, and when his time comes they will be saving him a front row seat. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Dugan Eats A Carrot Yum Yum!!!



Dugan Shakes Hands



Dugan Snuggles



Master, I Love You



Dugan says: "What do you mean I'm not a lap dog?"



Dugan says: "Nice to see you again"



Happy Birthday Dugan! You're a Mighty Fine Hound!