Meet Eleanor or Ellie for short! She is an unique mix of Great Dane and Blue Heeler with a few unknown breeds peppered in as well. Her Dad, Christian, was looking to adopt and saw her on a Facebook page for a herding dog rescue group. He drove five hours to meet the litter of pups and when he and Eleanor were immediately drawn to each other, he made the decision to adopt her. When brainstorming names for his new puppy, Christian kept coming back to Eleanor or “Ellie” for short. He realized that there was a subconscious reason for not being able to get the name Eleanor out of his head. 

At some point, he must have heard that his new puppy’s mom was named Ellie, too!  Ellie senior had given birth to a surprise litter of nine puppies only a few days after being rescued. Tragically, she had passed away a few days after the litter was born so the name Ellie ended up being a sweet tribute and forever bond between the dogs. A couple of weeks later, while evacuating from Hurricane Irma, Christian made a quick detour from his sister’s home in Atlanta to go pick up 10 week old Ellie and bring her to her new home! 

Eleanor was born deaf, but she still manages to communicate very well as she is an incredibly expressive dog and she conveys emotion better than most people. She is also very intelligent and she has learned that when she doesn’t want to pay attention to an instruction or request, she simply looks away and pretends not to know what is being asked of her. 

When it comes to playtime, Eleanor is an absolute toy destroyer, and of course she loves the ones that she can rip to shreds so her Dad is on an endless hunt for a fabric toy that she can’t destroy instantly. When she tires herself out, Eleanor is exceptional at making herself comfortable. She also observes and mimics her dad’s behavior and will typically be on the couch, sitting upright with her back against the cushions and legs splayed out, watching the TV right next to him. 

They say people and their dogs end up looking like each other; Ellie is taking that a step further by copying his mannerisms too!

 Christian says that “Eleanor is truly the best companion I could ask for. She’s the most affectionate, loyal dog I’ve ever had the privilege to spend time with. She’s incredibly goofy and endlessly sassy and has the biggest personality. I am so lucky to have her in my life! “