Our dog died two and a half weeks ago and I'm still not ready to even try to replace him. But, I was wondering how I could get a Great Dane puppy that didn't cost an arm and a leg and get one that hasn't had it's tail bobbed or it's ears clipped...Can anybody help me out? Oh by the way...I LOVE REALLY BIG DOGS!

-- Harmony (harmonyfarm57@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002

Answers

Years ago I wanted an all natural Doberman ~ long ears, long tail. No luck. I wound up breeding one of my Dobie bitches! It was the only time I ever bred my dogs, but I got what I wanted. I kept 2 of the girls, clipped the tails of the rest of the litter and sold them.

You could make your request to a breeder for the next batch of pups. Perhaps if you request a 'pet' quality pup, it won't cost much.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 30, 2002.

Harmony, Great danes don't typically have their tails done but I imagine if they do it's because they would have a tendency to damage them hitting them on things when they wag. You might look into a great dane rescue. We are currently watching for a great dane for my 15 year old that loves them and looked into a rescue group. Good luck in your search. Gloria

-- gloria (mullinaxclan@webtv.net), March 30, 2002.

Harmony, If you pay full price for a quality, pet dane, that is just the first drop in the bucket. You will find that a mere pittance compared to what the care of the dog will run, over it's short lifetime. If I were a breeder of good, sound danes, I would hesitate selling you one. I'd have some hard questions for you about how you would care for it. It costs a breeder just as much to produce that Best In Show winner as it does to produce that "Not quite Champion" Puppy. So, they are not going to be cheap. I would be suspicious if I ran into someone selling danes for a cheap price. I would contact the AKC, get a list of approved breeders in your area, start contacting them and ask a lot of questions. You certainly CAN reserve a pup out of a litter of good pups by communicating your wishes to the breeder if you want a pup without the ear crop, and the breeder feels you are someone who is sincere about providing good and longlasting care for the pup. As mentioned above, danes are left with full tails. You would do well to educate yourself further on giant breeds also, and learn about the pittfalls and the special heath concerns that they have, they have some doozies, as well as a short life span! Die hard giant breed lovers consider them worth it though. So, save up your money and start planning for your pup, and have a good time. Research is a lot of fun. Good luck, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), March 30, 2002.

Harmony,

If you like really big dogs then take a look at Anatolians. They live 12-14 years, get up to 34 inches at the shoulder, can weigh as much as 160 pounds, laid back so they don't eat much, tails curl up so you don't get whipped in the legs with a happy dog , never have cropped ears..ok, well some idiots crop their eats but not in this country! (I hope), smart as a whip! (ok, I admit it, they are smarter then me), easy to train and are a working breed like the Great Dane.

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), March 30, 2002.

Harmony, just typed Great Dane Rescue in google and you'll find rescue groups in almost every state. I have no idea where you are, but I'm sure there's a rescue group close enough to contact.

And good for you to want to rescue a good dog for a pet. Also good for you for wanting to keep your pet natural (but DO spay or neuter if the rescue group doesn't do it before you take it, PLEASE). Pedigrees are fine and necessary if you want to run the show circuit, but for a homestead pet, you would be a blessing for a rescue dog.

My sympathies on the loss of your "big guy", hope you have plenty of pictures to go with your memories.

Please let us know what you find, ok?

-- Michaela (flhomestead@hotmail.com), March 30, 2002.

Also, don't forget petfinder.org - you can almost always find what you're looking for on there! We rescue folk make great use of that website. ;)

Regards, Sarah

-- Sarah Sanders (chilechile@hotmail.com), April 01, 2002.