Welcome to Handsome Dan's Blog!
VICKTORY DOG: Handsome Dan is one of the 22 dogs who came to Best Friends Animal Society from the estate of former NFL quarterback, Michael Vick after he was arrested and charged with "conspiracy to engage in dog fighting in violation of the animal welfare act."
In August 2009, our family completed the six month application process to foster-to-adopt Handsome Dan, and as of January 1, 2010 he became an official member of the family!
Read about it here: Handsome Dan Goes Home
Did you catch August 15th, 2010's Parade Magazine cover story
Can You Teach a Bad Dog New Tricks?
Here is Dan's update from the slideshow included with the story:
Michael Vick's Pit Bulls: Where Are They Now?
by Jim Gorant 
published: 08/15/2010
Handsome Dan, adopted
Handsome Dan was shy and fearful of people but not a barker. He would simply retreat and hide when approached. Once he settled down, he got along well with people, dogs, and cats. Adopted in December 2009 by a family with a young child, Dan bonded with the child immediately. At first, he seemed to be reliving the puppyhood he never had -- getting into things, jumping on the couch, etc. -- but he has since settled into a comfortable new life. Handsome Dan's family recently welcomed a new addition: a human baby. Initially nervous about the new creature, Handsome Dan now loves the baby.
Here's a great article on a Best Friends Vicktory Dog reunion!
Cherry and Handsome Dan Together Again
Handsome Dan on
National Geographic's DogTown
January 5, 2010
Another coat for Christmas! Poor Handsome seems to always be shivering so he needs lots of coats to keep him toasty warm in chilly New England!
November 14, 2009
Danimal Shows-Off the Latest Fall Styles!
This is the coat Dan wears when he is feeling sporty.
(Check out the fat belly!)
This is the coat Dan wears when he is feeling preppy!
October 15, 2009
Dansome Swims!
We are not sure what it was about this crisp fall day that inspried Dan to finally take the plunge, but we could not be happier to see him run and play in and around the pond with his friends!
September 11, 2009
Memo to Dansome -
The following items are not chew toys:
We are happy that Dan is comfortable enough to let his guard down to play and explore! He is acting more and more like one of the family everyday, puppy destructiveness and all. We can't complain... we heard rumor that one of his friends took down a new couch!
We have identified a food that actually interests Dansome. Scrambled eggs! So far so good for use in training. He will actuall try to climb over me to get to the eggs if they are still warm.
July 21, 2009
First Snuggle! Ocean was sleeping on the couch this morning and HD jumped up and squeezed right in.
He barked! It was a little half-hearted and under his breath but it was a bark. I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and startled him when I walked back into the bedroom and he made a ruff sound.
HD went on a hunger strike over the weekend. Having told concerned foster families "they will eat when they are ready... they won't starve." I was trying not to worry and take my own advice. I finally broke down and mixed some wet Wellness into his kibble on the third day. The bowl was empty in two minutes. I guess I better stock up on Wellness wet!
HD is walking on loose lead about 80% of the time, even with traffic and people and the noise of the city. He is still planting, but quickly recovers with a little reassurance and continues to walk. We are so proud of him. His learning and progress curve are consistantly steep!
(My appologies for the picture quality. With our camera now residing somewhere in Las Vegas, I have been using my blackberry camera.)
Favorite Spot in the Yard
Making New Friends
Being Brave in the Field (Friend Molly Rolling in Grass)
Chester, HD and Molly
July 11, 2009
Two exciting things to report!
Exciting thing #1:
We found HD's brother! Leo is a certified Pet Therapy dog in fostercare with Our Pack, Inc. I had a great phone conversation with Leo's foster mom. The boys have a lot in common, but their personalities are quite different.
Exciting thing #2:
HD has made a great connection and what I am calling his first real friend here in New England! Chester is a funny little NM adolescent spaniel/basset/golden X. (Pictured at right) The two met on Tuesday with great doggie manners but when I pulled up to Chester's house on Thursday, HD sat up in the car and seemed excited. I loaded Chester into the car and HD was WAGGING! We arrived at an enclosed baseball field and after the usual sniffing of the perimeter HD decided he would initiate play with Chester and the two spent an hour running (RUNNING!!!) bouncing, jumping, and chasing each other around like happy well-adjusted dogs. It was the first time I had seen HD actually run. Mark and I were beginning to think that his trotting was as fast as he went, possibly due to his bow-legged-ness. But Chester helped him prove us wrong.
I didn't have a camera, and since I was crying from happiness I would not have been able to get any good shots anyway. At that moment I was sure that HD was going to be OK, happy even, with us. I am grateful to Chester for helping HD forget, even just for an hour, to be scared and inspired him to just be a dog!
HD at the park with some friends
July 7, 2009
Doggie intros with Daylee (small beagle mix girl) and Peyton (Husky boy) went well this morning. Dan was asserting some dominance over Peyton and vocalizing a bit. They ended up chasing eachother around in the backyard, tails wagging.
Ummmm, wrong crate Dan!
We had the crate on the left side of the picture all set up for Dan with his blanket from Best Friends, new hot dog toy (courtsey of trainer Ann) and Utah license plate name tag... but Dan picked the smaller crate with the old torn up dog bed!
Here's our snuggle bug in his upstairs bed working on the "I'm so pathetic" look!
July 6, 2009
Tummy trouble!
We woke to a very stinky bedroom this morning. The change in food, weather and stress are getting to HD's stomach. He seems otherwise in good spirits and is awaiting the arrival of his trainer for his first official training session in his new home.
Picnic lunch at a fenced baseball field yesterday. HD ate some of his food from my hand, but spent most of the time at the end of his 30 foot lead in hopes of getting closer to the car. We stopped home to pick up Ocean and Story then hung out at a completely fenced baseball field where HD was as relaxed as we have seen him since his arrival. He trotted around a bit and sniffed the perimeter. We are wondering if his trott is as fast as he goes due to his bowed elbows since we have yet to see him run.
We sat out the fireworks safe under the covers in bed with the TV loud and AC running. HD was nervous, but not shaking and fell asleep soon after the booms stopped.
July 4, 2009
We walked to the car, no problem. Drove to the park which was much less crowded with only a couple of other dogs and their people. I had to pull him out of the car, but he was obviously trying to please me because he reluctantly came with me to the fence on the left side (I parked the car close to that side of the fence.) I put on the 30 ft lead and would walk to the end of it then squat down and after a couple of minutes he would come to me. Then I would praise and pet him for about 30 seconds, then repeat. By the time we made it to the back corner the other folks and dogs had left which I was happy about. We rounded the back corner and found a shady spot along the back fence where I spread out our blanket, attached the 30 ft lead to the metal fence post, and got out his water bowl and food. He relaxed after about 10 minutes and I fed him about ¾ of his food out of my hand and he drank water, peed and explored. As soon as the wind blew, or a car or bike passed he ran toward the car and strangled himself at the end of the lead. I didn’t get up, just verbally reassured him and he usually came back for affection. We spent about 30 minutes there, then another dog (small pug) arrived and his male owner. Handsome became more nervous, but not awful. We walked back toward my car, across the field this time rather than hugging the fence. I stopped every time he tried to bolt to the car and waited for him to loosen the leash. It took a while to get across the field but he made it, and seemed proud of himself. He promptly jumped into the back of the car.
Not sure why he chose the back, but I was glad he made the choice so I left him there for the ride.
We stopped off at Petco and he did much better than I expected. He didn’t like the automatic doors, or the shopping carts, or the slippery floor, but did explore a bit and found a nice meaty bone to take home. Lots of attention by other shopper which he ignored but didn’t shake or plant. He just slipped along on the floor keeping low, but walking on his own. On our way out he tried to bolt into the street (I had the leash so it wasn’t a problem) obviously trying to get back to the car.
Uneventful ride home and walk back to the house, working on loose leash walking. He is napping on the couch now, showing no interest in his new bone. (Ocean and Story noted that they would take it if he does not want it!)
I think it was a big day for him so we will hang at home for the rest of the day, except maybe another walk to the garden or drive if Mark wants to rent a movie later. Our awesome independent video store is dog friendly and quiet.