Moose was adopted from Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida in June 2007. He had been surrendered by his family of 5 1/2 years due to divorce and lots of frequent travel.
I have always been sure that Moose was a 'pure' lab in spite of being greeted by his Indian name "Ohmigod Heshuge' by everyone we meet. I got him from a rescue but he was surrendered by his original owner who got him from a breeder (Skeeter-Lou Labs in Katy TX) and he is AKC registered. Now that is not important to me in the least- I did not even realize he was registered until I got him home and looked through all the records his owner handed over. His registered name was Raven of The Oceans (Blech!).
I just wanted him to act and look like a lab and that he does... mostly. His inclination to retrieve is entirely lacking, otherwise he is friendly and wiggly to everyone he meets like all labs should be! I mention the AKC issue here because I have no idea what goes into that certification? How does the AKC verify this? Is it based only on the Breeder's word? Would the AKC know if his great great great grand mother had woken up one morning with a Great Dane and done the walk of shame back to her kennel unbeknownst to her breeders? If you know what sort of proof is req'd for this AKC reg please share in the comments!!
Moose's stats are: 110 lbs (down to the svelte end of his healthy weight for rehab at 105 lbs but he is not 'overweight' at all for his frame). Height at Whithers: 27", Length (chest to rump) 28", Neck 21". His coat is labbie in general but maybe a little shorter than I am used to seeing on other labs. Moose has a huge ridge on his head that I call his 'bumpkin' that is far more pronounced than I have seen on most labs. I have always known that Moose's stature was much larger than 'breed standard' but I just looked up this noggin issue and
the AKC says: "The skull may show some median line; the occipital bone is not conspicuous in mature dogs". I would say his bumpkin is very conspicuous! None of the pics I have really show it to its full extent but the one that was posted when he was in foster care kinda shows it. It looks like a cartoon lump on the head after getting an anvil dropped on it!
Now I chalked this up to just the variations in lab head type (field style english style etc) and maybe his bump is just bigger like everything else about him.
But then I saw this pic of a lovely black Great Dane named Bella over at Wally's SPCA Saturday and it totally reminded me of Moose's face! Moose's vet also said his head looked Dane like. Could my boy have a dash-o-dane? All of this wondering is just my natural urge to solve a mystery (I am a researcher after all) not because it matters if he is pure or not... he is pure Moose to me! Whatever he is, he is my best boy (even if he did eat my lunch off the counter today when I stepped outside for a minute )!
