Hello world! February 7, 2008

This is a first!! A paper and pencil kind of girl leaving the stone age! Well, here goes nothing…After raising and being raised with Great Danes for 36 years, I was fairly comfortable in my relationship with the breed. I have rescued Danes for the better part of 2 decades, but now it seems I need a Dane to rescue me. I’ve had symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue most of my life, and the past few years the problems have become debilitating.

 Last July, I couldn’t stand the empty house anymore, and started looking for a HEALTHY big boy to love again. And remembering Shabah, I knew my Dane would want to and could help me when I needed him. I sort of stumbled into the idea of a Great Dane for a service dog. But once the idea hit, it took off.

Some people discouraged me, saying Danes are short lived, prone to illness, and too big. Yeah, yeah…I’ve lived with Danes that had parvo, HOD, dysplaysia, bloat, Wobblers, arthritis, and Cushing’s disease. The genetic state of Danes these days is fairly dismal. But Danes are sensitive, loving, human oriented, and frighteningly smart as a breed. And they are BIG! Big enough to lean on without having to stoop, strong enough to pull me up steep inclines, and sturdy enough to haul around my college textbooks. And those big heads have big brains. One study found that Great Danes have the problem solving ability of a 7 year old human. I believe it, and then some, because I’ve seen it!

So the trick is finding a HEALTHY dane. American danes are getting smaller and finer, and sicker seems to be coming with it. I remember just 20 years ago, the average male was 180 pounds. Now you can find breeders bragging if their male is a flimsy 150 pounds. And to look at them, you can hardly tell the difference between a dog and a bitch. Not what I need. So I started looking towards Europe–they are substantially bigger, muscular, and longer lived. And even the bitches look like they could knock down a brick wall!

After much surfing, I found a kennel in Texas that breeds from imported Italian Danes. If the breeder gives permission, I’ll put her site link up. January 1st, the first litter came, and Jan 14th the second litter came. I’ve got 21 puppies to chose from! Come the end of March, I’ll have my little boy!

Check out the categories, but be patient, because I’ve just started figuring this blog business out!