I've decided to add the Cartoon Alter Egos to the Friday Focus category.  Seems to be a better fit.  :-)
Today, I will start by re-posting the very first one, Denali.  Those of you that have read this one, please bear with us as others catch up.

Denali’s chosen alter ego is the bumble snow monster from the classic seasonal cartoon “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer”.  Besides the obvious fact that they are both white, they shared other similar qualities.  In the beginning of the cartoon, bumble was thought of as a fierce monster, and everyone was afraid of him.  In the end he turned out to be very friendly and helpful after everyone learned his true nature.

When Denali was a puppy, we thought he was very standoffish.  Not “mean” as the bumble was, but just didn’t seem to like people so much.  As time moved on, we realized that it wasn’t necessarily his nature, but rather it was us understanding what he was.  A very kind dog that simply took time to figure out.  Once I figured out exactly what he liked and didn’t like, he is much easier to get along with.  Example:  He really cannot stand leashes.  He feels trapped and out of control.  This is a very rare thing with dogs, but it is what it is.  I now carry him from the stalls to the play area and vice versa. 

So Denali get the comparison to the bumble snow monster from Rudolf.  Seems fitting!