Give Paw

I do not have small, dainty hands:  they are short and wide.  And Hannah's paw could nearly cover them.  She  had the biggest paws of any Airedale I've ever met.  She was not a particularly large 'dale -- maybe a little tall but comfortable at 58-60 pounds.  But her paws were huge!  I guess they matched her heart.

Early on I taught her "Give paw."  It didn't take her long to learn it.  She did it with great energy, almost like a paw slap instead of a gentle resting of her paw in mine.  She gave everyone in our family her paw but never anyone else.  Give paw was not a greeting for her, not like a handshake, but a show of trust.

Less than a year after she'd been in our home she'd settled in and felt completely comfortable lying on the couch with paws crossed.  I laughed out loud the first time I saw her like this.  And then felt grateful that she felt comfortable and safe enough to relax so completely.

She sometimes used her big paws to give paw slaps.  Ouch!  Those are part of another story.

Hannah never liked toe clips, though she endured them.  Her toenails grew incredibly fast.

During her last days her paws became swollen but never seemed painful to her -- thank goodness!

This is one of the last photos I took.... Wouldn't I love to hold Hannah's paw again!

--Nancy.
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