In preparation for the release of the Marmaduke Movie; many of the reputable/quality Rescues and Breeders are bracing for the ‘impact’ that this movie is going to have. BHRR has been busy planning and preparing community awareness & educational material for the launch of this movie. Movie Theatres are being very strict about rules/policies in allowing reputable/quality Rescues/Breeders to be on hand to answer questions plus meet representations of the Great Dane Breed yet we are continuing to try and get a ‘foot’ in to use this movie as a great educational opportunity! BHRR is also in discussions with various Radio, Newspaper & TV Media at this time.
This blog has been created to share educational material and information to those that might be considering adding a Great Dane to their home. BHRR believes that Great Danes can be an incredible asset to home and community yet this is definitely not a Breed meant for everyone.
Great Danes drool, snore loudly, have gas, reach anything as high as eye level, and shed. This is a Giant Breed mouth that can cause GIANT Breed destruction!
Great Danes & Health:
• Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
• Cardiomyopathy and other heart conditions found in Giant Breed dogs
• VWD
• Wobblers
• Eye abnormalities (especially in predominately white dogs)
• Hearing abnormalities (especially in predominately white dogs)
• Sports and/or weight injuries like cruciate ligament tears
• Thyroid abnormalities
• Bloating and stomach torsion
• Happy tail injuries
Cost:
The average cost per year in owning a Giant Breed Dog is about $1,800 – $2,400 barring any emergencies. This cost is for food, dog beds, toys, treats, heartworm testing, heartworm, flea and intestinal deworming, vaccines, fecals, collars, leashes etc. Bloat surgery costs can be as high as $5,000; obstruction surgeries as high as $3,000; cruciate repair surgeries as high as $3,000 per leg etc.
BHRR recommends RESEARCH! RESEARCH! AND more RESEARCH before adopting a Great Dane or purchasing from a Breeder. Go to Dog Shows, talk to your local Great Dane Rescues and visit with as many people who have Great Danes as possible to have your questions answered. Get involved with your local GD Clubs and/or Rescues to learn more! BHRR hosts regular BHRR Mini Open Houses with our next one being planned at the end of June. Please email for more details if you would like to come out and visit with us, the Great Danes and many others that have already adopted or Volunteer for BHRR or are looking at doing so.
LifeSpan:
This is called the ‘heartbreak’ breed for a reason. The possible lifespan for a Great Dane based upon statistical documentation of the thousands that BHRR has assisted since its foundation back in 1996 in either bringing them into BHRR or helping other reputable / quality organizations or with owning our own is 10-12 years. We have had Danes pass away as young as 5.5 months, 3 years, 6 years, 7 or 8 or 9 years etc. and have had others live to almost 13. We have also had a friend have their wonderful Great Dane live to almost 15! With the benefits/knowledge of great nutrition, vetting, exercise and awareness of the needs of this very special breed of dog; we are seeing the breed that we love live better and longer lives.
KNOW Who You Are Adopting From:
Just as every Breeder is not reputable/quality and created equal, NOT every group that calls themselves a ‘rescue’ is either. Watch for ‘red’ flags and as much as you are answering their questions and going through their adoption application process; they should be answering yours. Are they fully vetting including administering vaccines, doing heartworm testing, putting the dog(s) on heartworm preventative, de-worming, treating for fleas, altering(unless there is a medical reason why not), micochipping, doing the necessary bw including Thyroid, X-rays if needed etc.? Do you get the opportunity to see the place plus meet/know the people from the rescue where your possible new adoptive addition is coming from? BHRR hosts regular Open Houses as it is SO important to us for people to see what we do, meet us and how we operate in addition to meeting the animals plus to meet others that are current Volunteers/Adopters of BHRR. Is the Rescue giving you full disclosure on all animals and giving you very detailed vet records plus are these animals formally temperament tested / evaluated, are they going through any obedience before adoption(one of the top reasons why dogs are sent to Rescue is due to lack of obedience, especially the Giants). Do they have reasonable adoption fees or are they charging exorbients amount of monies or are they giving away dogs for free? Charging a nominal adoption fee discourages disreputes from getting their hands on a dog to sell to labs or as ‘bait’ usage and the funds are re-invested back into the program to assist the next one in need. Do they take their Dogs back if an adoption does not work out? Do they reinforce their ‘contract’ if needed? Are they there as a 24/7 resource for as long as you have one of their dogs?
KNOW Who You Are Buying From:
Reputable/ Quality Breeders vs. Backyard Breeders
*Remember that the purchase price of your Great Dane is the LEAST that you shall pay over the lifetime of owning a Great Dane
Reputable/Quality Show Breeders breed for what I term the pillars of breeding and those pillars of the Great Dane Standard that include – Longevity, Health(do health testing), Temperament and Conformation. Reputable/Quality Show Breeders breed to not only preserve the Great Dane standard yet they are constantly working hard at improving their own lines. They will stand by their dogs, be a resource 24/7 and take any of their dogs back should a home not be able to keep them. They are also actively involved in various GD Clubs plus GD Rescue. I like to see Great Danes with titles at both end of a dogs name PLUS remember that even though you might not be looking at showing a Great Dane; the majority of puppies born to reputable/quality show breeders are not going to be show dogs(too much white for example, mismark colour – There are only 6 recognized show colours for Great Danes) BUT have been bred for temperament, longevity, health and conformation.
Thinking About A Pet Store Puppy? – When you buy from a Pet Store; you support the misery for these animals by the bybers/brokers.
RED FLAGS:
•Breeders who advertise on craigslist or Kijiji or in papers – Many Reputable/quality Breeders DO NOT even have to advertise
•Breeders who use words like ‘From Champion Lines’ – Parents should be Champion titled or working towards their Champion titles under a reputable registry such as the American Kennel Club or Canadian Kennel Club and/or title in performance such as Rally or Obedience and/or titles like CGN(Canine Good Neighbour) or CGC(Canine Good Citizen) and TDI(Therapy Dog International).
•Breeders who cannot produce a 5 or even 7 generation pedigree when asked
•Breeders who do not show their dogs in any discipline
•Breeders who say ‘we had a really nice dog’ or ‘we wanted our kids to experience the micracle of birth’ so we bred
•Breeders who sell or breed unpapered dogs – PUREBRED dogs are required to be registered
•Breeders who do not do any health testing such as on eyes, heart, thyroid, hips etc. before breeding
•Breeders who do not want you to visit with them or their dogs
•Breeders who do not have a contract
•Breeders who have zero health guarantees on puppies/dogs sold from their Kennels
•Breeders who do not require all pet/companion pups to be altered
•Breeders who say that some colours are ‘rare’ and promote the puppies as such
•Breeders who breed a dog before the age of 2(hips cannot even be certified until the age of 2)
•Breeders who breed their bitch every heat cycle
•Breeders who indiscrimanately breed outside of the GDCA Colour Code – Yes, years ago, it was acceptable to bring in a Blue or Fawn to improve head/bone/substance in a Harlequin line etc. yet this type of breeding was to be done ONLY be highly reputable/quality knowledgeable/experienced Breeders. Reputable/Quality Breeders can still have a Fawn or Blue marked pup show up in their lines for if they breed with another dog who has the same ‘recessive’ fawn or blue gene; it can produce mismark puppies such as Porcelains or Fawnequins etc. These same Breeders also do not ‘promote’ these mismarks as ‘rare’
•Breeders who do not stand by their dogs and take them back should their puppy owners not be able to keep them for any reason
•Cannot provide references
Top Reasons Why Great Danes Come Into Rescue:
•Did not train their Great Dane – now they are almost a year old or 18 months old or almost 2 etc. and they jump, pull, chew, nip, bark, dig, are not housebroken and the home can no longer ‘man’ handle them
•Did not properly socialise their puppy
•Did not properly research and now they realise how much it costs to feed, vet and properly care for/train a Great Dane
•Are having a baby and 1) have no time for the Great Dane 2) worried that the dog might hurt the baby – Dogs & Kids can be great together yet never leave them unsupervised!
•Great Dane gets injured or sick and home did not prepare for such an emegency and cannot afford the bills
•The Great Dane began to grow and grow and grow and the home did not ‘realise’ how big a Great Dane could be
REALITY:
Visit the BHRR Reality Page of why BHRR is here. Two photos also posted below.
BHRR’s Albert – Victim of a Puppymill & BHRR’s Parker – Victim of a BYBER AND an irresponsible owner