Le Grand Danois, chapter 9 (the end)

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 8 here.

The kennel was very nice. The puppies got to stay with Momma. There were nice warm blankets and they got all the food they could eat. People there were friendly, too. Lots of visitors came by and talked to them. Sometimes they even played with them.

"Oh, daddy, look at that puppy! She's so cute!" A little girl with blonde curls bounced up and down on her tippy toes, tugging on her father's coat.

The larger of the two puppies strutted around like a peacock for the man and his daughter.

"Do you want her, sweetheart?"
"Really?"
"I promised your mother I would bring home a pet."

The girl beamed at her father then turned to the prancing pup. "Would you like to come home with me and be my very best friend forever and ever?" She held out her hand to the dog and got some enthusiastic licks on her fingers. "I think she likes me," the little girl giggled.

Momma sighed as she watched the family take her proud daughter. The pup didn't even glance back in farewell. Ungrateful whelp. She turned to her son. Hopefully someone would want him, too. He was so quiet and shy...and scrawny. No matter how much he ate it didn't seem to affect him in the least. Where was all that food going? She whined and nuzzled her boy. He snuggled into her warmth and they both slept.

A few weeks later they were still there. Nobody wanted an old dog or a runt. Momma wondered if they would be allowed to stay even if they didn't get adopted. She hoped.

"I can't believe you're still here!" A middle-aged man with greying brown hair walked up to her cage. She recognized him from that night in the alley. He was the one who had brought them here. "I see your little girl got adopted. That's good, that's good. I'm going to keep tabs on you, black beauty. As soon as your boy gets adopted, I'm taking you home to my family. No offense to your son, but I just don't have the energy to train a puppy." He reached through and gave Momma a pat on the head. "Until then." He smiled down at her then walked away.

--- 

It was months later when a tall man with dark hair and deep blue eyes came to visit them. He knelt down and looked sadly at Momma. "Hey there, beauty," he said softly. "Sorry I haven't been to visit. I've been away."

Momma's little boy--who had finally grown to be quite large--walked over and stared at the man. There was something very familiar about him. When the stranger looked into his eyes he whimpered. It was their hero!

The man chuckled. "Is that you, ace? You sure have grown! You're bigger than your mother now." He held out his hand and the pup placed his paw on top. "It's good to see you again, too." He shook hands with the dog. "I have a young boy at home in need of a friend. I think you'll be the perfect candidate. I just need to go get the person in charge and I'll be back." He turned to Momma. "Don't worry, beauty, I know for a fact you're getting a home, too." With a smile, he walked away.

Momma rested her head on her son's neck. This was goodbye, but this time she was happy. She and her son would be with good people, true heroes.

The End.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 8

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 7 here.

Several more weeks had gone by and there were still two puppies left, one girl and one tiny boy. Momma hoped he wasn't sickly. He still walked on shaky legs and was so skinny. Maybe he was just a late bloomer.

They walked through the alleys as they always did at sunset, trying to avoid crowds and cars. Her little girl was proudly strutting in front of her, fearless as always, while her little boy stayed close to her back legs, often walking between them and getting knocked down.

A familiar sinister laugh came out of a nearby building. It was their old warehouse. How had she brought them back here again? She nosed her daughter to the side. "We need to get away from here, children!"

"Aw, puddin', look at the doggies!" a shrill female voice called out.

"Do you want one, cupcake? I'll get it for you!" The evil man was coming toward them!

Momma snarled at him, keeping her puppies behind her. He just snickered at her, while reaching out his blood-covered white gloved hands. She tried to usher her babies away, but the man was too fast. He threw his arms around her, throwing her to the ground. Her pups barked loudly, trying to scare the man away.

Suddenly, a big black shape swooped down and knocked the bad man away.

The tiny male puppy stared in awe, while his sister kept barking at everyone. A large man in a black cape loomed up out of the darkness. The villain ran off with his girlfriend, laughing maniacally all the way.

"Are you alright, beauty?" He pet Momma, who was standing up and shaking herself off. She nuzzled the strange man's black gloved hand. "We need to get you and your family off the street." 

Sirens blared in the distance, coming closer. Soon police cars surrounded them. One plain clothes officer came up to the caped man. "What happened?"

"You're a little late. Would you do me a favor and see that these dogs get taken to a kennel?" 

The caped man looked down and caught the eyes of the tiniest one. The puppy was still captivated, but managed to whimper softly. "Don't worry, ace. You'll be safe now." Then the man left and the dogs were ushered into the back of a police van.
--

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 9.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 7

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 6 here.

Momma had been wandering the streets with her pups for a week. Each night they huddled in doorways or cardboard boxes or under cars. So far only one of the babies had been adopted, but Momma kept searching for likely candidates.

A commotion brought one of the puppies to the edge of their alleyway in front of her. She tried to hold her little girl back, but she was too curious.

A young woman with red hair covered with flowers was running--or rather stumbling--toward them. She tripped and fell into a puddle, crying out. The woman glanced back over her shoulder in fear, but there was nobody following her. Was she crazy?

The puppy whimpered, obviously wanting to go help. The woman heard the sound and gasped, looking up at them.

"Who are you? What do you want? Stay away!"

The little black pup ventured forward and whined.

"Oh! You're just a baby! You wouldn't hurt me, would you? But I might hurt you. I'm dangerous, you see. My skin is toxic to most people." She held out her pale shaky hand, staring at it sadly. The puppy sniffed at it, tilted her head and then licked her fingers. Both the woman and Momma held their breath, but nothing happened. They sighed in relief.

"You're not allergic to me!" She picked up the tiny dog and cuddled her close. She looked into Momma's eyes and with an unspoken agreement she took the baby with her.

This adoption was just as hard as the last one, but she was happy her little girl would have a home. She turned back to her four remaining puppies and led them down the alley to find a comfortable place to bed down for the night.
--

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 8 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 6

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 5, here

The sun was just setting over the city. It was the best time to venture through the alleys. Momma kept glancing back to make sure her pups were following. They were still too young to survive on their own.

A loud hiss made her turn back around and stop short. Her puppies bumped into her and stumbled back like a row of dominoes. 

"We don't want any trouble with you, cat," Momma stated calmly.

"Don't worry about my little goddess," a female voice crooned. "She's just very protective of me." A woman in a tight black outfit stepped forward out of the dark doorway. She smiled at Momma and her pups. "I'm not much of a dog person, but you have the most adorable little ones. You should be very proud."

Momma breathed a sigh of relief, realizing this woman was not going to cause them harm. Suddenly one of her babies trotted forward to sniff at the skinny Siamese, who looked shocked. And when the puppy licked her she shrieked and jumped behind the woman in black. She chuckled and picked up her cat. With her other hand she scooped up the tiny dog. "You are a brave one, aren't you." She held the pup out to check its gender. "I think you and my precious will get along just fine. She likes men."

Momma whimpered.

"If that's alright with your mother." She lifted an eyebrow. 

Momma nodded. It was what she had wanted--homes for her babies--and the woman seemed nice enough. She wasn't sure about the evil-looking cat, though. Her boy reached out to the feline and when she licked the puppy's paw, Momma knew all would be well. She gave the woman a grateful nuzzle then continued on down the alley with her brood. When she turned back for a final look they had disappeared.

Well, that was one less to worry about. She just hadn't expected the feeling of deep loss that overcame her. Hopefully it would get easier to let the rest of her children go. 
--

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 7 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 5

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 4, here

It had been two weeks and the puppies were now walking around and playing. It was time to move on. Their warehouse had been visited a few more times by the evildoers. Momma did not want her babies to be around that unsavory element. 

There had to be a place they could go to get away. She remembered once seeing a big house that sat alone in a park-like area. Maybe she could take them there. It was so peaceful. It was so green. It was so far away. How could she make her puppies travel for miles and miles on their tiny little legs. No, she would have to find them homes here in the city. She took a deep breath and stood. 

"Now children, you will need to stay close to me. It is a very dangerous place, this city."

"What's a city?"
"What's danger us?"
"Are we gonna come back?"

Her children asked their questions, talking over each other. She did her best to answer them.

"The city is where we are, where this building is. There are a lot of other buildings outside very close together, with cars that move quickly between them. Cars can run over you and hurt you. And that's what dangerous is. Now we need to leave."

She lined up her pups like a mini military brigade. She nodded once in salute before turning around to lead them out into the world.
--

Read chapter 6 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 4

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter  3 here.

Sunlight came shining down through the upper windows. Momma lifted her face into the beam of warmth. It was morning at last. All was quiet, and thankfully the henchmen had cleaned up the place before they left. The smell of blood had been making her ill, knowing the source. 

Momma needed to get her puppies away from this place, but they were still too small and helpless. She should not have come to this creepy warehouse to whelp, but it was the only building she knew of that had a secret entrance. And nobody would find their hiding place. It was behind a bunch of large crates with only a tiny opening between them. 

Hopefully they could enjoy some peace and quiet for a while.

She felt tiny pushes against her belly. The babies were hungry. She watched as they all squirmed and rooted around for her nipples. As they latched on she sighed and lay her head back down. For now she was content. It was her job to make sure her babies felt the same.
--

Read chapter 5 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 3

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter  2 here.

A loud crash woke Momma. She immediately looked to her pups to make sure they were okay. They were whimpering softly and sniffing the air. 

Humans were here. 

She stood up on shaky legs and nosed her babies into a group, so they could warm each other, then went to investigate.

Maniacal laughter reached her ears, making her freeze. She knew that sound. She remembered it very well. This madman liked to torture his victims, usually with knives and razors. She had been unlucky enough to witness this more than once. 

She sneaked a peek around a large crate, in order to see what was happening. A heavily made up woman in skin tight clothing rubbed her body against a creepy looking villain, but he wasn't interested.  He smiled devilishly and signaled to his three henchman. 

Two of the goons turned to their unsuspecting partner. They grabbed the startled man by his arms and dragged him to a chair in front of their boss.

Momma turned away, not wanting to watch the horror. She went back to her pups, knowing the humans wouldn't notice them. She curled her body around her brood and hummed softly to them, trying to block out the man's screams. 

--
This sure got dark fast! Sorry.
--

Read chapter 4 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 2

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 1 here.

Momma lay down with all her pups. They were still blind and too tiny to walk on their own, so she hoped nobody would find her hiding spot in the abandoned warehouse. The layers of newspaper and cardboard she had gathered the week before kept them all fairly warm on the hard concrete floor. 

She glanced down at her babies. They were all sleeping now, having filled their bellies on milk. She hoped they would stay asleep for awhile, since she needed to get her own strength back. She knew it wouldn't be long before unsavory elements would creep into their haven. This part of town saw more than its share of dirty dealings. It was how she had gotten herself into this situation in the first place. She had been passing by when she was attacked by a big menacing guard dog. The men with him thought it was funny when he had pounced on her and grabbed her neck in his jaws. When he was finished with her she watched him strut away, so proud of himself, his humans praising him for his prowess.

Oh well, what's done was done and now she had six little ones to protect. She knew she would have to find them good homes before the dog catcher caught up with them. But that was a worry for tomorrow. She sighed and lay down her head for a much needed nap.

Read chapter 3

Le Grand Danois Haiku

Here is a haiku to go with my story, Le Grand Danois

Little black wet nose
sniffing for his first breakfast
finds a tasty teat

Le Grand Danois, chapter 1

Here is my new story about a Great dane puppy. I am freewriting and then editing. Hope you enjoy it.

He was warm and snugly, floating weightless on a sea of relaxation. Every now and then he would feel a nudge from something next to him, but it wasn't enough to shake his calm. He was just drifting off to sleep again when suddenly he was shoved downward, his head bouncing against something squishy. Then he was being squeezed, being sucked headfirst into a small tunnel. Slowly his whole body was gently crushed and released, crushed and released. 

He was falling fast. Plop! The landing was not hard, but not exactly soft. He tried to get back to his floating sensation, but it just wouldn't come. Wriggling around, he felt his cocoon break open and cold enveloped him. Then something big and rough was rubbing against him over and over, nudging him to a warmer, softer cushion. He couldn't see anything, but he smelled something good and his tummy rumbled. He knew it was food, whatever food was. He nosed a nubbin and had the urge to latch on and suckle. Mm, it was yummy. 

"That's my good puppy."

Momma! She was his momma and he was a good puppy. Peace washed over him again.

Read chapter 2 here.

Le Grand Danois

Le Grand Danois is french for Great Dane, which is known as the gentle giant. I found this out when doing some research for a story.

I love dogs. They are such beautiful creatures with their furry faces and sad eyes. When I see one I always smile. I may not want to go up and pet them, but I can admire them from afar. To those of you who feel the need to run up and cuddle every dog you see, be sure to check with their human guardian first. You never know if that sweet puppy has PTSD or an aversion to men with beards or children with blonde hair.

Safe petting.

No barking or biting.

Read chapter 1 of Le Grand Danois.