Got to love the Universe!

I love dogs.
For many years I would claim to be a cat person until one faithful night years ago when I had this one particular dream. In the dream I dreamt that I was a sleep and that I was awaken by the sound of a dog barking. I sat up in bed (in the dream) and looked around. That is when I smelled the smoke. The A/C unit that was in the ceiling had caught on fire and the rafters and roof were burning. The dog had smelled the smoke and awoke me to alert me to the fire. I awoke in reality to a house that WAS NOT filled with smoke and WAS NOT on fire. YET left an awkward feeling in me. A few days later I made the decision (the universe actually planted more - GET A DOG evidence in my way but I don't want to cover ALL of that) and took the family to the Animal Shelter. After much research (what dogs are good with children) and lots of looking at the available dogs we adopted Jack, a Black Lab/Chow mix that is still with us to this day (Grey beard and all!)

Recently I have been missing an older dog I owned years ago named Charlie. Charlie was a beautiful and loving American Mastiff. Charlie was with us for a few months before he passed away. He was a rescued dog, it was a shock to come home and find him dead where he lay. It hurt deeply to bury him!

In my thoughts and desires to own another American Mastiff, I have also been contemplating getting a puppy. With a puppy I can raise him to my standards and commands. I normally prefer to rescue a dog, yet many of them are set in their ways and not impossible to teach - just difficult to teach.

Well, these thoughts have been feed into the universal stream for about 3 or 4 months now. I never placed an acceptance or denial on it and really was not paying it much attention except the fond memories of Charlie. During Christmas, my beloved wife shed a tear for Charlie as we walked through a Christmas tree lot. My wife who hand makes wreaths, would collect clippings from the tree lots, Charlie would walking into the room my wife was making wreaths in, collapse in to that pile of tree clippings and roll around in that evergreen smelling pile.

Perhaps it was the combination of the two memories....
Perhaps it was the universe setting are hearts up....
Perhaps it was...................

Today my wife is out walking around the neighborhoods with a friend of hers. She notices a puppy playing in a yard and thinks it is an American Mastiff. She walks over to pet it when the lady of the house steps out. She calls to the owner, complimenting her on what a beautiful puppy and asks what type pup it is. The owner answers that she doesn't know. It was abandoned two weeks or more ago in the street. They took it in and that it had needed to be bottle fed for awhile. Then came the question that floored my wife "Do you want him?"

It turns out that the man of the house didn't want another dog and this puppy was already the size of their "small poodles". So, she was looking for a new home for this little guy.

Any one want to take a quess what the wife did next? That is right - she called me, explained the situation.
After questioning her on coat color, ear design, paw size...I have determined without seeing it that it is either a American Mastiff mutt or pup. Why was it abandoned when it was so small that it still needed its mother is beyond me. The abandonment that it received was harsh and uncalled for. Yet this lucky little guy found a temporary home with someone who knew how to raise an infant pup. Perhaps he should be named "Damn Lucky."

Any one want to guess what came home with her that afternoon?

Got to love the Universe!

We decided to call him Daniel. Which when properly translated means "Damn Lucky!"

*** Daniel \Dan"i*el\, n. A Hebrew prophet distinguished for sagacity and ripeness of judgment in youth; hence, a sagacious and upright judge

UPDATE: 1/12/08 9:01 AM EST
Well, since I got home yesterday and got a good look at Daniel, I can honestly say it is difficult to judge what breeds he comes from. He is still a small puppy. He does have distinguished markings that belong to the Mastiff and marking the belong to the bull dogs. His nose is straight and he has not developed the jowles that expect from bull dogs so I wonder what else might he be mixed with. What ever he is mixed with, I am going to have to watch him grow to determine if he has Mastiff in him.
One thing is for certain, I can't get rid of him. He won the hearts of every one else. So, once again, he is "Damn Lucky!"
Knowing the Universe, he has Mastiff in him.