Woof woof Wednesday: meet Apollo

Meet Apollo, a lick-happy Harlequin Great Dane who has a penchant for curling up to a cozy snuggle and lounging around the house. Apollo’s mom is Heather Muir, Beauty Director at Real Simple Magazine.

Heather and her fiancé, Dave visited a breeder in Connecticut who had 15 Great Danes living in her house. At 8-months old, Apollo was one of the only older dogs that didn’t growl at Heather, so they decided he was the one.

Although Apollo is far from lap dog size, he loves to lounge on the grey Lovesac in Heather and Dave's living room for most of the day. He also lays on their white rug in front of the fireplace (where he chews his bones), sleeps in their bed (under the covers), and stands on the picnic table in their backyard to keep watch (ha!).

When Apollo gets excited to see Heather and Dave, his teeth make a chattering noise. Whenever Heather and Dave sit on their couch to watch TV, Apollo always lays across Heather's lap. Come bedtime, the leggy pooch never fails to find his way to the bed and nudges the sheets for Heather and Dave to lift them up so he can nestle to the bottom of the bed. He also does this nipping thing to Dave (only him). The nipping is called "de-fleaing"—something dogs to do other dogs in their pack to clean them!

Apollo is quite the foodie. He’s always up for a bite of Whole Foods natural peanut butter, sweet potatoes, and the occasional BBQ leftovers (mac 'n cheese and pulled pork). But he’s on a mostly raw chicken (it’s good for him!) diet.