Great Dane Dogs

It's a well-known fact that great dane dogs are amongst the biggest dogs on the planet. They come in a number of colors, ranging from a light tan to white with spots to the darkest black.

Although great dane dogs are very big and have a threatening bark to match their size, those who know them, understand that these dogs are big babies. In fact, great dane dogs have been said to be an ideal pet for those living in apartment building complexes because they require very little exercise and in fact prefer to remain sedate for much of their days.

My mother did a lot of research on great dane dogs and she chose to get one called a Harlequin Dane. These dogs are mostly white, but much of their coat is covered with black spots. Their ears and muzzles also tend to be mainly black. This unique appearance is most comparable to the markings of a dalmation, and this variety is not as common as the fawn colored great dane dogs, made popular by the cartoon strip, Marmaduke.

My mother purchased a gorgeous puppy from a local breeder and named her Babe. Babe rapidly became the centre of our family life. With one blue eye and her ears all taped up (a normal procedure after ear-docking) Babe looked like and acted like a clown. My mother purchased an old Lazy Boy rocker so that Babe could sit in the living room and watch television with the family. She was spoiled and treated like a princess - she would definitely be the envy of any other great dane dogs who were sent to their doghouses for the night, that's for sure!

Unfortunately, Babe wasn't a member of our family for very long. My parents had to go away one weekend. They decided to leave Babe with a nearby dog boarder. This particular kennel loved pets. Unfortunately they had very little experience with great dane dogs. During her stay, Babe became increasingly distraught, believing that she had been abandoned by her family. The kennel did little to calm her down and Babe ended up going from apprehensive to frantic, jumping against the bars of the enclosure and crying. When my parents eventually got home and went to pick her up they were heartbroken to find Babe in a very sorry state. After an emergency trip to the vet they found that in her angst Babe had twisted her stomach. Surgery would be unable to fix the trouble. Babe was going to die! The vet told my parents that this is a very familiar problem with great dane dogs. They have very delicate stomachs, and due to over breeding they have to be kept very calm to avoid this twisting of the stomach. My mother was absolutely heartbroken, but they had no alternative. They had to put poor old Babe out of her misery. My mother held Babe's big old head and she left this world. It was a truly tragic end and a very sad lesson to learn.

My mother mourned the loss of Babe for six long months. She felt terrible for that grand animal to meet such a sad end. My parents have thought about great dane dogs since then, even so, they've decided to downsize. They recently told me that the next dog they want to get is a miniature chihuahua. They loved Babe but no other great dane dogs can compare, and so she'll always be remembered warmly, but will never be replaced.