Great Dane Owners Seek Dogs’ History

They were two lost souls left wandering late last year on the often unforgiving streets of the San Fernando Valley, but they were not alone.

Abandoned by the world, Maxwell and Samson faced a grim fate until a kindhearted Granada Hills couple entered their lives.

“They were ready to put them to sleep the day we went there,” recalled Penny Brier, who rescued the two Great Danes from the West Valley Animal Shelter in Chatsworth with her husband, Sheldon.

The couple was mourning the death of their beloved Bogart when they visited the shelter seeking a companion for Jessica, their elderly Dane. Expecting one dog, they found two instead. “We couldn’t leave one behind,” Brier said.

The dogs might have lived happily ever after until a puzzling mystery developed. Both dogs bear numerous scars but don’t seem to have been abused. Perhaps worse, Samson appears to have hip problems while Maxwell suffers from digestive disorders.

What’s a pet owner to do? Go public.

In an effort to learn more about the dogs’ medical histories, the Briers are hoping to contact any prior owners--even anonymously. “I’m really curious to find out how old they are,” Penny Brier said, noting that most Great Danes don’t live past the tender age of 10.

Although they looked in vain for signs that the dogs were lost instead of abandoned, the Briers acknowledge that their search might turn up a former owner who wants them back. But like the proud parents they are, the couple vows to keep them. “The dogs give back to us more than we could ever give to them,” she said. “I wish more people were like them.”

Information may be sent to the Briers at 12021 Wilshire Blvd., P.O. Box 277, Los Angeles 90025.