Something Like a Miracle...: Surrendering Roman

Today is such a hard day for me......
I've been crying since I woke up knowing that the inevitable is fast approaching.
Today is the day I'm giving up my sweet lovable dog Roman. We adopted Roman on 4/2/11, a mere two in a half weeks before my mom passed away. He was at a kill shelter when he was rescued by Great Dane Rescue of North Texas. When they picked him up they saw he wasn't a full-blood Great Dane but after looking at that face they couldn't leave him. He was malnourished, riddled with heart worm disease and only weighed about 60lbs. His ribs were showing and his coat was rough but he was so sweet. We went to meet him at his foster home and took him home that day. It took four heart worm treatments to rid him of the disease. They compare heartworm treatment to chemo for dogs so he was pretty out of it those first few months. He was weak and lethargic. I use to sit on the floor with his head in my lap and feed him eggs, sweet potatoes and rice. That was from April to October but by the end of 2011 he was heartworm free, healthy and weighed a little over a 100lbs. I spoiled him with natural dog food, special dog meals and treats that I would cook, dog toys, plush bed and lots of love. He also returned it with dog-hugs, crazy dramatic greetings when I returned home and by doing tricks we taught him. He was truly a ham.

For the last couple of months it's been getting really hard on me to take care of him. Getting him to the park or dog parks just wasn't happening because I was SO tired. Cleaning up his hair was getting taxing and his dog-smell even two days after a bath was unbearable. My husband wasn't much help when it came to holding up his end of the bargain, so i slowly started coming to the realization that it our time with Roman had to come to an end. I mulled it over for a couple of months and it was so hard. I cried about keeping him and cried about letting him go. It was a truly gut-wrenching decision. I spoke to my husband and he was trying to figure what changes we could make so we could keep him. However at the end of the day he finally realized he doesn't keep his promises concerning the dog and surrendering him would probably be best.

Danes are short-haired dogs and you'd think it meant no shedding but it's the opposite! Constant hair everywhere and I have OCD so I'm constantly cleaning! That's just something you can't do when your 7 months pregnant. Hell I can't even lotion my legs! I couldn't imagine having my newborn in a home where my tall dog could walk by the couch and shake dog hair all over her. Or that I wouldn't be able to put her toys or mat on the floor because there would always be dog hair on her things. It literally came down to me maintaining my sanity because Danes are NOT outside dogs. Even though I'm going to miss him like crazy I know he will be in a better home. He is going to live w/ one of the ladies from the Dane rescue and her personal Dane. So he'll have a play-mate and be in a loving home with someone who knows all about Danes and their needs.

I guess it turned out that we were not his "furever" home but we did literally nurse him back to health, shower him with love and gave him a good home for almost two years. I have to find solace in that. Now it's time for his next chapter and I hope his next family is even better and has more time and energy to give him everything he needs. I love you Roman and you'll always be in my heart and apart of my most fond memories.