For the Love of a Great Dane

May 30th, 2009

For those of you who have never had a Great Dane, or even met one for that matter, you know not what you are missing. Those of us who have Danes will probably never have another breed of dog. However, not everyone is fit to be a Great Dane person.

Yes, they are big and eat a lot and take up space, but they love you with every fiber of their being. They only live about 7-8 years on average, but they give 100% of their love to you during their short lives.

Their perosonalities are as different as humans and it is unlikely you will ever have two with the same personalities, unlike poodles and other little yappy dogs. They are intelligent as well and very easy to spoil.

Let me introduce you to my two Danes. They are both blue merle, small for the breed, and their ears are not cropped. Shadow is the oldest at five years. He seems to be like the oldest child in a family. He is more subdued, seems to be the more logical thinker and would rather snuggle with you than anything. He seems to be the more intelligent one.

Blue Merle Great Dane

Sassy is the youngest. She is three years old and still so full of puppy, it is hard to think of her as an adult dog. Like most of the youngest children in a family, she is full of spunk and spirit, and keeps life interesting. Don’t worry that you may forget play time as she will be happy to remind you with a rope toy tossed in your lap, or a tackle at the door.

I have had Danes growing up, so I knew what to expect. The more my wife met them, the more she fell in love. So, we got Shadow. Her first mistake was allowing the pup to lay in her lap, even though I warned her that she was developing habits that could have unintended consequences.

Now, Shadow is fully grown and still loves to lay in her lap – well, part of him, anyway. He will lay head and shoulders in her lap, while the rest of him crowds me off of our loveseat. Of course, Sassy was no different and she, too, loves to lay in her lap. Since it is sheer impossibility for them to be there at the same time, they must take turns. This does not sit well with Shadow.

One day, Sassy was laying in mommy’s lap, which displeased Shadow greatly since there was obviously not any room for him. The look on his face gave no doubt of his displeasure and you could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he formulated his plan. He went over to the basket of dog toys and found a rope toy, which is one of Sassy’s favorites. This got her attention.

I watched him as he tossed it into my lap. Now, Shadow does not usually do this, so I thought it was cool that he wanted to play. Sassy and Shadow both watched as I tossed the rope down the hall, however it was not Shadow who chased the rope. Shadow stepped back as Sassy raced off to fetch the rope. Shadow calmly climbed into mommy’s lap quite content. Sassy came back with the rope and took in the scene. Realizing she’d been had, she just dropped the rope and stared. This proves the old saying, “Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.”

I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. So, when I say Danes are intelligent, I do mean problem-solving intelligent.