Camelot l (2000-2008). The greatest Great Dane I ever had! I got Camelot from a breeder in California in 2000. He was only 5 weeks old. He was quite a handful puppy to raise. Extremely active and playful. Everything had to be turned into a game. Camelot had the personality of 3 or more dogs. It was never a dull moment when Camelot was around. From he was a little puppy he loved to tear branches of trees, clean of all the smaller branches and twigs until he had a clean stick. Then it was time to play tug of war or fetch. All his life he maintained this fascination with sticks. All I had to say was :Go and find a stick” and he was off to a bush or small tree to break one off. Fortunately it never became an obsession, he would stop if I asked him to. Camelot had this amazing awareness of where I was at any time. He never run off or got lost. Every 8-12 seconds he would check on me. I timed this many times over the years. If I was not in his eyesight he would stop whatever he was doing and search for me. We played hide and seek often, it was hard since I had less than 10 seconds to hide. He always found me with 30 seconds. All his life Camelot had this ability to turn anything we did into a game. I have never had a more playful Dane and he never slowed down even as he got older. But if it went out of control he would stop immediately when I said “calm down”. I do not teach my Danes tricks, only basic commands to keep them safe. I do however look for things they enjoy and expand on those. I live and travel to places that I can safely keep my Danes off- leach. They spend 90% of their life off leach. On our walks I let them explore and investigate all the different smells their keen noses pick up. I believe this behavior is very important for them mentally and to satisfy their curiosity and need for exploring. This is their mental workout and helps them fulfill their daily need for mental stimulation. This combined with vigorous exercise lead to calm and balanced dogs Camelot has been to over 10 states with me. In my previous job I traveled and moved around every 3-6 months. Camelot never had a problem adjusting to this. He seem to thrive on exploring the new places and the surroundings we lived in. He was never left alone for more than 3 hours. If I had to apart from him longer I would find a kennel. Camelot loved spending time in kennels and doggy day cares so much that I let him do this 1-2 times a week even if I was at home. These kennels and doggy cares soon referred to these days as “Camelot Days” due to his size and playfulness he dominated the pack and got them all playing his many games. The staff at these places all said they never met a more friendly and playful goof ball of a Dane. Camelot is one of these dogs that anyone will fall in love with instantly. I still miss Camelot 1 tremendously, he was a huge part of my life over the 8 1/2 years he was alive. I often told people that he lived every day as it was his last day. He was such an inspiration for my book about living in the now. Camelot was fed RAW and natural foods his entire life. So when he was diagnose with cancer I was shocked. One day I noticed he was acting slower than normal and he did  not want to play. He was also drinking more water that he normally did. This was not a good sign so I brought him to the vet. A few hours later they asked me to come down and the news was terrible. He had developed a large tumor inside his chest, undetectable from the outside. This tumor has started bleeding and was filling his chest with blood. This would eventually restrict his lungs from being able to function. The vet told me that the only option was to put him down. I was in shock. My dear Camelot was dying and I could not do anything. This magnificent animal completely healthy otherwise was about to die. It was so hard to comprehend and understand. They brought Camelot into a visitor’s room so I could spend some time with him. He looked so sweet and calm and it was impossible to understand that he was just hours from passing away. As I was reading the paper to authorize the injection to put him down  I felt I was in a bad dream. As I picked up the pen to sign the documents I sensed this gently bump on my elbow. It was Camelot looking at me with bright eyes, tail swagging and a look that said “Hey..hold on..I’m not ready. Take me home please. I not ready to go” That was all I could think. Against the vets advice I took Camelot home and promised to bring him back if he got worse. Camelot lived another week. He gave me the best week of my life. Gave me time to prepare for his departure. This is the best gift he could have given me. We went to all his favorite places. He got to swim in the lake again. His absolute favorite thing to do. Camelot died peacefully in my arms a week later. His tumor once again started bleeding and this time it did not stop.  Words can’t describe how much I loved this wonderful happy dog. I will never forget you Camelot I, you will always be that one special dog. I miss you so much. At the lake for the last time. Camelot passed away 2 days later. Only 8 1/2 years old. No joint problems, strong heart, no teeth issues. His teeth was never cleaned once! They were all pearly white. Never had bad breath. His overall smell was so unique and pleasant, even when he got wet. I’m not kidding here, it always amazed me. Camelot stayed lean and fit at the same weight all his adult life 140lbs summer and 145lbs in the winter lbs. Raw diets has so many benefits. No stick to big for this guy Always looking for fun I can relax for a pose Winter was my favorite time Come and take my stick! I have recently learned that the creek that runs by my place has high contents of chemicals that can cause cancer. Camelot loved this creek and played in it and drank from it daily. If I had known. A documentation about 3 Great Danes on a raw food diet traveling across Northern America www.feed-raw.com All rights reserved Feed-Raw.com Camelot I