Becoming a Great Dane Owner
There are several routes to becoming the new owner of a large, lovable Great Dane.
The most humanitarian way to go is to adopt a Great Dane from a pet rescue organization. If you go to a shelter to pick out your Dane, you will want to spend some time with the dog before taking him home. Many Great Danes that end up in shelters have been abused or neglected, so their demeanor may veer toward the fearful and/or aggressive. Your new pet will most likely need some time to get to know you and your family before bonding inseparably with you, as most Great Danes do with their owners.
Investigate Great Dane Rescue, Inc., a nonprofit organization established in 1993 to help Great Danes find homes. The fee for an adoption application is $25. In order to adopt a Dane through this organization, you must live in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, or the Canadian province of Ontario. Mindful of the Great Dane's size in proportion to small children, the organization does not release dogs to families with children aged 8 or under. They will also want to speak to both your veterinarian and your landlord.
If you live in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or Iowa, try the Upper Midwest Great Dane Rescue. This is a fairly new organization, just founded in 2008. They are also a nonprofit, so you can donate to their cause if you decide that adopting a Dane is not right for you at the present time but you still want to help.
If your primary purpose for owning a Great Dane is to be able to show her off at dog shows, you may want to get a purebred Dane puppy from a reputable breeder instead. Of course, the price tag for this will be much higher. The Great Dane puppies advertised on TerrificPets.com range in cost from $700 for a three-month-old Great Dane Merle puppy to $2,700 for the offspring of two pedigree Danes: "German championess Usina-Kira von Schliesen and the Italian male Beowulf del Castello delle Rocche." You know these are some prestigious dogs when they each have more names than the average human.
The Great Dane Club of New England has a breeder referral program for any potential owners living in the New England area. Their phone number changes monthly, and calling the number will lead you to some recommended Great Dane breeders. Most breeders have a particular specialty, such as mantle or harlequin Danes.