Great Danes are giant dogs and there are some issues that come with this kind of animal. A healthy adult will eat three to five pounds of food a day depending on weight. Vet bills are significantly more for a giant breed than even a large breed dog (although with good diet, there is much less frequency in the need to go to a vet). Great Danes don't have life spans that match a normal sized dog either - eight years is not uncommon and saying good by is never easy.

And if you do some research it won't take you long to find a Great Dane Rescue in your area. Too often, people who don't do research go out and get a Dane because they're so beautiful but as soon as they realize how big their cute little puppy is getting, or how much food he's eating, or how important it is to provide dog obedience training, or any number of other things, well, they decide maybe a Dane wasn't such a good idea and they get rid of them. And of course, in almost all cases there's absolutely nothing wrong with the dog - just the owners who "saw that doggie in the window" but weren't prepared to take the responsibility of being a dog owner.

Seems like a lot of issues to deal with if you let a Dane into your life. Why would you? Well, why wouldn't you? Our Great Danes have enriched our lives and while there have been times when I've had to go take ten deep breaths, the joy our Danes have brought into our family can't even be measured. (And anyway, my teenage kids have made me leave the room to take some deep breaths far more often then our Danes!)

The Great Dane is a unique dog. There just isn't another breed quite like it in terms of size and look. The description you hear most often is regal, majestic, the Apollo of dogs. I guarantee when you walk with your Great Dane you will be the center of attention. You can't go down the street or walk into your local dog park without someone saying "Oh my God that is a gorgeous dog-it is a dog isn't it?" Where we live, drive through coffee outlets are quite popular. When we pull up, the entire staff comes over to the drive thru window to say hi to our Dane.

I noticed about a year ago that my son seemed to be paying a fair bit of attention in making sure our Danes were getting regular walks. Turns out, he was using the dog to impress the girls at school and he was successful! My daughter has also used one of our Great Danes for the same type of thing! No question the cool factor in having a Dane in the family is unique!

Of course, the cool factor shouldn't be the reason you invite a Dane into your life. It isn't just that our dogs are big and beautiful and regal. They're also about the most loyal breed we've ever had. Our Danes love every member of the family.

They show affection constantly and although they sometimes forget their own strength, they are very gentle animals. Even so, their bearing, size and deep bark make them pretty good guard animals.
They can be a bit stubborn, but as long as dog obedience training is provided, they are very well behaved. It doesn't take much effort to groom them and they don't need a bunch of exercise either - a 25 minute walk every day is enough.

Our Danes are full members of our family and we continue to be amazed at how graceful they are one minute and how ridiculous they look the next (sometimes they'll forget they're actually walking and try scratching their bellies while continuing to move forward!) We never get tired of watching them, playing with them, living with them. They are amazing animals and we couldn't imagine life without them.