Great Dane Clubs and Groups
Great Dane owners who love their pets are far from alone. There are many official clubs and Great Dane fan groups out there.
On Facebook, you can join the Great Dane Fan Club. The club, established in the United Kingdom, only has a few hundred members so far, so help get the word out.
The Great Dane Club of America has been around since the late 19th century. It organizes official Great Dane dog shows in addition to providing information about the breed and, of course, lots of Great Dane photos. If you want your Great Dane to compete on the national level against other breeds, enter him or her in one of the dog shows sponsored by the American Kennel Club instead.
There are also clubs on the state level, such as the Great Dane Club of California, which holds specialty shows as well as bringing breeders, owners, judges, and all other members of the Great Dane community together. Check for a Dane club in your state.
Great Danes Online is a Web community of Dane owners, who swap jokes and training tips. They publish a free newsletter and provide links to breeders of all major Dane types, like mantle, brindle, blue and fawn.
Another online discussion forum is the DOL Great Dane Forum, which provides a platform to talk about topics such as coat color and genetics, breeding and whelping, and general health and welfare. Bloat and torsion, a particular health issue with older Danes, has its own section.
If you want to get involved in rescuing Great Danes who have been abandoned, join MAGDRL, the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League. This nonprofit raises funds to help Danes, and matches its dogs up with good homes.
If meeting other Great Dane owners is what you're interested in, check out Meetup.com's list of the largest Great Dane Meetup Groups in the United States and Canada. Whether you live in Austin, Atlanta, Kansas, or Virginia, you and your Dane can get together for some socializing with like-minded folks and their dogs.
Great Dane owners in Portland, Oregon, should head on over to the Portland Great Dane Community website. You can learn about the best dog parks in the city, as well as scheduled meet-ups where Dane owners take over regular city parks with their giant hounds. There is also a discussion forum where you can discuss new dog toys on your wish list, or even talk about your other pets.