Ravenwood Ranch

Ravenwood Ranch

Where Quality Counts

Ravenwood Ranch
Canine Companions

Thistledo Luca Brasi

Nickname

"Luke"

Breed

Boxer Cross

Birthdate

April 1, 2000

Sex

Neutered Male

Colour

White, tan saddle, one
blue eye.

Coat

Smooth.

Height

23 inches

Weight

65 pounds

Breeder

Rescue

Activities

Bouncing along with
the quad, mousing,
laying in the sunshine,
helping with chores.
Luke's AAC Stats

Luke's Story:

We had always had a family dog when I was growing up. When I moved into residence for my first
year of university I was without a dog for the first time in my life. It was very hard! During summer
break I set about finding a puppy to be 'my' dog. I searched and searched but couldn't find the perfect
match. In May 2000 I heard of a litter of farm puppies that were looking for homes. There were seven
pups in the accidental litter and the owners would soon be moving. If they couldn't find homes before
the move the remaining puppies would be shot.

I drove out to the farm to meet the pups. The first dogs to greet me were a brindle boxer bitch (the
mother) and a funny looking fawn and white pup with one blue eye. He was a squirming, wiggling cutie.
The dogs were living in a hollow under the barn and the other remaining pup wouldn't come out as he
was very scared. I suppose you could say that Luke chose me! He was definitely very unique and
original looking. I'm oftened asked what breed he is as he looks similar to a pittie. I always tell people his
mom was a brindle boxer and his dad was sneaky.

Luke made himself at home right away. I started taking him to puppy obedience that summer and his
docile nature really shone through. In the fall I had to head back to school and I began the difficult task
of finding a place to live with a big goofy dog. It was very difficult and I found that pet owners are
faced with a lot of difficulty when trying to find rental accomodations.

I found a wonderful room and board situation about 40 minutes outside of Saskatoon. It was a long
drive to school every morning but Luke had acres and acres of room to run, play and grow so it was
worth it. He learned the ropes of country living and set a new record of tangling with a porcupine on 18
different occasions in the 8 months we lived there. By the end of the year I was well versed in quill
removal. He accompanied me on horse back rides and chased squirrels. It was a doggy dream home!
When Luke was about 1 year old I found out about a fun dog sport called agility. We signed up for the
Beginner class and had a lot of fun! The only downside was the Luke was pretty mellow about the
whole thing. He'd take a break midway through the weavepoles to roll on his back, or lay down in the
tunnel for a snooze.

In May 2002 Luke was playing in the horse pasture while I filled the water trough. All of a sudden I
heard Luke yelp and come running over the hill on three legs. The paw on his hind leg was dangling at a
weird angle. I was terribly upset about my poor Luke! I quickly loaded him into the truck and my
brother drove us to the vet. The leg was xrayed and shown to be broken in 4 places. It was set
immediately and we hoped for the best.

A few weeks later the cast had to be removed as the dressing and skin underneath was wet. The splint
had to be changed regularly to prevent skin infection. This resulted in the bone not setting properly.
Luke's foot now has a bit of a lump on the outside, and he doesn't bear weight evenly. He is ok for
getting around and playing, but any type of exertion or jumping makes him sore. As a result Luke was
'retired' from regular agility.

I began to take Luke to physiotherapy to help with his leg. His improvement was very encouraging. In
2004 he began competing in agility again. He now competes in NADAC Tunnellers as there are no
jumps or contact equipment. He LOVES his time in the ring and races through the tunnels like a wild
man. In agility you need 3 clear qualifying runs to title and move up to the next level. It only took Luke 3
runs to get his novice title! He's a wonder dog!

Luke is the sweet, gentle giant of the family. He is incredibly quiet, laid back and easy going. He takes
orders from the bossy little dogs. People can't believe that the big, scary looking 'pitbull' type dog is
really the biggest baby of the family. His kind and gentle nature has made him many friends. He was also
approved to do therapy visits for seniors and special care patients. Luke is an easy dog to live with and a
joy to have around.

<----Handsome Luke, 4 years old.

Luke in his first Sask winter
Age 1

Luke in all his glory, 4 years old.

Baby Luke

Two young pups!