Great Danes. Rachel Cawley
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there is a record of a Great Dane in the United States back in 1857. That year a dog named Prince, listed as a Great Dane, was shipped from New York to England. How Prince got to America … or why he was shipped to England is not known.
Amazing Grade One of the founding sisters of Three Dog Bakery, Gracie was born November 11,1989, and was deaf, as well as blind in one eye. Gracie, a natural-eared Merlequin Great Dane, was executive vice president of eating for the bakery. (See the color chart for more details on Merlequins.) Gracie even has a book about her life story. A foundation named after her offers financial assistance to licensed groups that focus on rescuing dogs. Gracie passed away on January 21,1999.
Just Nuisance Born in 1937, a natural-eared mask-less Fawn Great Dane, Just Nuisance was a therapy dog in every sense of the word. Purchased by Benjamin Chaney, Just Nuisance ended up in Simon’s Town, South Africa. There he became known to sailors of the Royal Navy. He followed the sailors around town. He even went onto their ships, where he was frequently in the way—which is how he gained his name. When he was threatened with destruction for riding on Africa’s train systems, the sailors got Just Nuisance enlisted in the Royal Navy on August 25,1939. Just Nuisance received the same benefits as other sailors, including a bed and hat. As part of his life in the Navy, he would stop fights and help drunken sailors find their way back to base. Just Nuisance was buried in April 1944 with full military honors. A statue of him was erected at Jubilee Square in Simon’s Town overlooking the bay off the Cape of Good Hope. On April 1, 2000, a Just Nuisance Commemoration Day Parade was held through Simon’s Town’s main street. The parade has become an annual event.
Damien from the University of Albany In 1965 the University of Albany changed its mascot from Pierre the Pedguin to a Great Dane. (A Pedguin was an imaginary animal from the merged words of penguin and pedogogy for the team’s name, the Pedagogues.) The breed was chosen via a contest in which students submitted ideas. The winning student said she suggested a Great Dane because of their sheer size, weight, strength, courage, speed, character, and stamina. The mascot was nicknamed Damien. In 2004 the school added another Great Dane mascot, a puppy named Lil D. Both Damien and Lil D are erect-eared Fawn Great Danes. A larger-than-life Great Dane bronze statue is on display in the lobby of the university’s Recreation and Convocation Center, a gift from the class of 1999.
Marmaduke Brad Anderson’s comic panel about the adventures of a Great Dane began in October 1954. Marmaduke belongs to the Winslow family and frequently creates chaos for them and their neighbors. The newspaper panels have been reprinted in comic books and paperback collections. In the 1980s, the character starred in a Saturday morning TV series. Anderson acquired a Great Dane bitch in the 1990s and named her Marmaladee (pronounced marma-lady). Christine Anderson, his daughter, had a Great Dane of her own named Marmaduchess. In 2010 a feature film was based on the popular character.
FYI: Creat Danes of the Rich or Famous
• Otto Von Bismarck—The famed German politician (credited with unifying Germany in the seventeenth century) had numerous Great Danes. Bismarck’s dogs included Sultan, Rebecca, Flora, Freia, and Tyras. A statue of Bismarck and Tyras can be found in Rudelsburg.
• Jim Carey—This film star had a black-and-white Great Dane named George, acquired in 2000.
• Chubby Checker—Rock-and-roll legend.
• Fabio—A famous model and actor, Fabio had Apache, Thor, and Geronimo.
• June Foray—The renowned voice actress (Rocky the flying squirrel, Granny in WB cartoons, and more) owned several Great Danes.
• William S. Hart—This early film star had several Great Danes in later years. His home, now a national park, has a canine cemetery with tombstones for his pets, including Hamlet and Gall, both Harlequin Great Danes. Hart’s home and estate is open for public tours where one can visit his dog’s gravestones. There are rumors of workers seeing ghosts of his dogs in the home.
• Harold Lloyd—One of the great comics of silent films had Prince.
• Greg Louganis—The Olympic Gold Medal diver has bred and owned Harlequin Great Danes.
• Tom Mix—One of the earliest cowboy stars, Mix had Duke, who appeared to be a Merle with white markings. He starred with Mix in more than a dozen films.
• Alexander Pope—This English poet (1688–1744) owned Bounce, a Great Dane who reportedly saved Pope’s life by attacking a knife-wielding assailant. Bounce was also the subject of a poem by poet John Gay, and one of Bounce’s pups ended up with the Prince of Wales.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt—The U.S. president had a Great Dane named President.
• Dean Torrance—Half of rock-and-roll’s Jan & Dean, Dean owned Bogie, a Great Dane mix, when he was younger.
• Andy Warhol—This iconic artist of the 1960s owned a taxidermied Harlequin Great Dane named Cecil. It was named for (reportedly) former owner, Cecil B. DeMille. Cecil was a model for Warhol, and is on display at the Andy Warhol museum.
Great Dane Trailers Not an official Great Dane, nonetheless, Great Dane Trailers may be the most frequently seen Great Dane in the United States. The well-recognized logo of a stately standing cropped Great Dane is seen on the mud flaps of many trucks on America’s highways. In the 1930s, Steel Products Co. hired a respected trailer designer who referred to his trailers as “Great Danes.” He was familiar with the breed as work animals known for their strength and stamina. The name stuck, and by 1958, the Steel Production Company changed its name to Great Dane Trailers Inc. At their base in Georgia, a larger-than-life Harlequin statue has stood outside their office for more than 16 years.
MACH Morgan “Danger” Powers This black-and-white natural-eared bitch has more than a dozen titles in areas ranging from agility to flyball. In 2004, she became the first Great Dane to achieve the ultimate agility title, Masters Agility Championship (MACH). Morgan was born in 1999. In 2003, she appeared on two television competitions. Morgan was Miss Colorado for Fox’s “Miss Dog Beauty Pageant,” and she was part of the winning team in Purina’s Incredible Dog Challenge Outdoor Adventure. The latter event had the biggest (Morgan) and smallest dog entered on one team—the Mountain West Altidogs. At 10 years of age, Morgan has headed toward a Rally Novice title. Morgan has also been nominated to the Flyball Hall of Fame. She retired after the 2009 Great Dane Club of America National Specialty Agility Trials. (For more information on Morgan, check out her website at www.deaspeedwaggin.com/dogs/morgan.)
Diamonds Are a Dane’s Best Friend?
Evalyn Walsh McLean, an owner of the famed Hope diamond in the early 1900s, reportedly would let her Great Dane, Mike, wear the diamond on walks around town!
Great Danes on Screens Large and Small
Because of their size, Great Danes have been a popular addition to movies, appearing in nearly 100 feature films. Their ability to be goofy or intimidating makes them perfect for laughs or terror. They have shared the big screen with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, such as W.C. Fields, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Bette Davis, Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, Rock Hudson, Jack Lemmon, Spencer Tracy, Jackie Gleason, Mel Gibson, Freddie Prinze Jr., Leslie Nielson, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Uma Thurman, and more. Here is a small selection of movie titles you may wish to look for.
• Teddy at the Throttle (1917). Keystone Teddy, a lightly marked Brindle Great Dane, is featured in the title of this film that co-stars