A few years ago, while working at Meinhardt, Susie Cahill met a black Great Dane puppy and fell in love. Shortly after she got one for herself and Lusso (whose name means luxury in Italian), was welcomed into the family.
The little brother Cahills three girls always wanted, Lusso is now the unofficial CEO of Cahills South Granville store, Lusso Verde (see STORY).
At 3-years old, Lusso weighs 185 pounds but still believes himself to be a lap dog.
When he was a puppy, he had thick legs that he would eventually grow into to become tall, slender and strong like a typical Great Dane.
Although the breed was originally used for hunting boars, Lusso has a much more laid back life. He spends most of his time in a sunny nook at the front of the store sleeping the day away. And, as a true Vancouverite, he loves the sun, and hates the rain.
Although their size is quite imposing, Great Danes are known for their friendly disposition. They are loving towards their family and, with proper training, are excellent with children.
Lusso loves his family and is most comfortable when he can see them. He may occasionally bark to protect them, but is generally quite docile. When happy, wagging his tail two, maybe three times, can be interpreted as ecstatic joy.
Great Danes stress easily and Lusso hates fire alarms, arguing and fireworks hell shake and shiver at loud noises.
Great Danes have very small hearts for their body size so they typically dont require much exercise. Care must especially be taken when they are puppies to not over-work them. Unlike a husky or border collie, they are quite content with a relatively short walk everyday, or a couple laps at the dog park. Then, its home for a good long nap.
Lusso loves to nap.
With such a slow metabolism, Great Danes require less food per pound of dog than small breeds.
Lusso eats Blue Buffalo dog food, but for a special treat, Cahill cooks him an egg in olive oil a fine Italian olive oil, that is.
