Nova

Nova was a Great Dane mix with the soul of a deer trapped inside a horse-sized body. She could hop, jump, leap, and launch herself into chaos with Olympic enthusiasm.

The gate was supposed to keep her out of the laundry room. Instead, it almost ended her life.

The setup for disaster

I thought I was being responsible. I put up a tall baby gate. Nova looked at it like it was a puzzle sent for her personal amusement.

One afternoon I left her alone for twenty minutes. That’s all. Twenty stupid minutes.

The moment everything went wrong

When I came home, she didn’t run to me. She limped. Slowly. Tail tucked. Eyes filled with confusion and pain.

When she turned sideways, I saw it: she had gotten halfway over the gate, front legs caught, back legs dangling… probably for a long time.

She cried when I touched her hip. I cried when I realized what she’d gone through alone.

The diagnosis

The vet confirmed soft tissue damage, a spinal strain, and bruising around her pelvis. They said she was lucky. Dogs have broken their backs in similar accidents.

I had no idea baby gates were a hazard for giant breeds. No one tells you that. They tell you about food, bloat, training… not the fact your Dane is tall enough to hang themselves on household obstacles.

My takeaways

• Never trust baby gates for Great Danes.
• Crate or close real doors.
• Danes are strong enough to get stuck in places smaller dogs can’t.
• “Dog-proofing” is not the same as “Dane-proofing.”

Nova healed… slowly.

But I’ll never forget the look she gave me, like she couldn’t understand why I didn’t protect her from that trap.