SHEBA - Great Dane Extraordinaire

A Brief History

The Great Dane breed as we know it today originated in Germany over 400 years ago. Historians believe the breed was developed by a cross between the Irish Wolfhound and the English Mastiff. Originally the breed was used to hunt large game in Germany and other parts of Europe.Today, as it continues to increase in popularity, the breed has evolved into a loyal companion dog and a reliable disability assistance dog. More on history.

Is That a Horse?

There is seldom a time when Sheba and I go out in public that someone doesn't exclaim, "Is that a horse?" or "Why don't you put a saddle on him and ride him?" These are not complimentary remarks. When it happens, I can almost hear Sheba thinking, "Do I look like a horse? Do I have a mane, a bushy tail or a bridle?" Do I 'neigh' like a horse? Once a policeman remarked, "We don't allow horses in the park." He wasn't smiling. I wasn't sure if I should leave or not. Of course we get lot's of complimentary remarks too.

According to official standards the female Dane should stand at least 28" at the shoulders and the male, 30". They can range in weight from 140 lbs. to 200 lbs. or more. Sheba stands 33". In her prime she maintained a weight of about 180 lbs., all flesh and muscle, with that girlish figure most females tend to have.

The point is, because of her size, we get attention and remarks wherever we go. Another frequent question asked when she was a pup...

Sheba just woke up. Now would be a good time for her to tell her story....In her own words.

Sheba, "come"...talk to the folks!

In the Beginning
OR
Choosing the Right Pup

I was whelped on February 19, 1998, way out in Nowhere, VA. Seven weeks later I was living in my forever home with my human Mom (hereafter referred to as just " Mom" ).

I came from a large litter.There were so many of us stumbling over each other, trying to be 'cute'. I wondered which one of us Mom would choose.

My dam was black, and my sire was harlequin. But I was neither color. I was what is known as merle. Well, Mom had never seen a merle Dane 'up close and personal' before, and she was quite impressed. There were three of us with this merle color. I noticed her attention being drawn to the three of us. I tried to lay back and be cool. The others were jumping and licking and yapping like crazy. It worked! Before I could say, "Jack Russell" I was in my forever new home with my forever new Mom.

Mom has her own system for choosing a pup. First, when she shops for a purebred pet, she never goes to professional breeders or pet shops. Instead, she looks for ads for pets bred by plain folks like herself who have at least one parent on the premises. When she visits the litter, she asks to see the parents first. This way she gets an idea of how the pet may turn out when it matures as far as size, temperment, etc.Then she asks to see the AKC papers for the parents to make sure the pet is purebred and that it can be registered with the AKC. She also likes to make sure that the litter has been seen by a vet and that there are no known health problems. The only thing left is to choose from the litter.

I'm So Lovable

We Great Danes are known for our gentle, affectionate temperament and whimsical, human-like personality. Mom says I'm the most 'sweetest-heartest' dog she ever had. I never try to mouth or lick the humans. But, I love to snuggle and be close. I use my head to lean in and get close or my paw to solicit affection from my human relatives and friends. I love all humans and fellow canines. I have never been aggressive toward any person, any other dog or any other type of pet.

Of course sometimes !*@&$! just happens because I am so big and people friendly. Sometimes I might misjudge where a person's foot is and this might happen. Or, I might be so happy to see someone that I inadvertently give them a tail-wagging slashing on the legs. Ooh, that smarts! But I always apologize when things like that happen. They can tell by my demeanor that I'm truly sorry and they quickly forgive me. Because...I'm just so lovable.

A Canine Genius

Great Danes are very intelligent dogs and not hard to train. Mom says I'm the smartest dog she ever trained. All of her dogs attended obedience school and I was no exception. I started at 8 weeks old. The first part of the class was social interaction. Then we had to line up for the serious stuff. I guess you know which part I liked best, being the social butterfly that I am. For a while I had some trouble making the transition from the first part to the second, but I caught on after a bit. It was here I learned all my basic commands and graduated with honors.

Mom paper trained all her puppys. This was a no brainer. I got that down in a few days. When I was a little older and able to go all night without needing relief, my potty paper got moved from its usual place all the way outside in the yard. At first I was a little confused. I couldn't find any paper when I needed to go. What was I to do? Mom kept a close eye on me and when I appeared to be looking for the paper, she would take me outside and, 'lo and behold, I would find my potty paper. After a few days of this, I started going to the door when I needed relief, because now I knew that's where the potty paper was. By the time I was four months old, I was completely potty trained with seldom an accident in the house. And believe me, you don't want your Great Dane to have potty accidents in the house!

As a pup, I never chewed up or destroyed anything. I played with and chewed my own toys. I was the only pup Mom ever had that didn't chew up anything, not even a flip-flop.

Mom was totally amazed at how quickly I learned. She only needed to show me something 3 or 4 times and I would have it down pat. Now she mostly talks to me in sentences. I usually figure out what she's telling me to do (or not to do). At times the sentences can be tricky, but I learned how to pick out the doggie words. For instance, she might say "Go lie down so you can eat your snack." The doggie words here are: 'down', 'eat' and 'snack'...three of my favorite words. Even now, in my senior years, I can still learn new things in a snap. That's because I always have been and still am such an extraordinary Great Dane.

Well, its been great talking to you folks. I'm going to return to my favorite postition now, which is...DOWN!

• Are you prepared to give up your bed, your sofa or any other big, soft piece of furniture in your house?
• Do you really want your dog to sit in your best friends lap. (Like a person)?
  
• Are you prepared to wipe slime from the walls, ceiling or anywhere else it could land from shaking that drooling mouth?
  
• Are you prepared to tell your friends and relatives, "NO, your toddler CAN NOT ride on his/her back?"
• Are you prepared to buy 50 lbs. or more of dog food every few weeks?
• Are you prepared to pay more for everything dog related because it has to be EXTRA LARGE size?
• Are you prepared to buy a SUV or mini-van?

If you have answered 'no' to all these questions, then you might want to reconsider picking up that Great Dane pup.