goodness gracious thats a big dog

 Ack! theres a dog show on right now!?  What the heck am I doing at my computer...!

I've recently found out how much I really love Danes.  Yeah, they are huge (some are just gargantuan LOL) but they can be truly lovely dogs.  I hadn't had much exposure to them, but my trainer has 3 and they're lovely.  One of the highlights of going to class is seeing them. 

 oh I LOVE them but I sure would like to see the stats on that dog - the commentators mentioned something to to the ilk of - "i know that the Irish wolfhound is considered the largest dog but I don't think they've seen this particular great dane"  He was stunningly gorgeous but seriously I would imagine 38" at the withers was likely. 

I am constantly working on DH as I would love to adopt one  

kpwlee

I am constantly working on DH as I would love to adopt one  

One?  It doesn't work that way, you always have to have a mnimum of two otherwise the longing feeling stays with you. 

kpwlee

I am constantly working on DH as I would love to adopt one  

I am RIGHT THERE with you.  There's a 1 year old female dane in a rescue not far from me, and I am completely smitten by her.  She sounds like the PERFECT dog for us, but our house is fairly small and DH is wigging out about the size.   

DPU

One?  It doesn't work that way, you always have to have a mnimum of two otherwise the longing feeling stays with you. 

well one plus Bugs at least makes 1.5???

here's the link to the dogs - it doesn't do the dane justice as on the TV you could really see how tall he was

working dogs 

one of my favorite websites - Kate look at your own risk 

DPU there is one for you on there - scroll to the bottom and you will see names - select Dixie! 

Man that is a BIG dane!

I really, really shouldn't have looked at that second link LOL.  No matter how hard I try, I am beginning to suspect that I will never get over my love and adoration of giant breeds.   

although Bugsy isn't near a normal male dane size he is a pretty big dog at a lean 105lbs  ( here he is playing with a 90lb lab - scroll through as I added some pics later on) and I am SOLD on very large dogs.  We have some changes ahead and once settled in I am really going to push to adopt a dane or another dane mix.  Bugsy could really use a full time buddy and we could really use another outlet for his energy

I contacted MAGRL in the past and they make no exception for "out of their region adoption". 

Daisy, Dixie, Apollo, Anne, Merlin, and Titan can come here.  Great Danes are very popular in large Metro area.  In the Chicago area, I hardly see Great Danes rescues for adoption.  Mixes are even more rare.  Essie, the only GD mix I fostered went so fast after her rehab and we had so many family to choose from.

Wow, that IS a big dog.  Gorgeous, too!  When my dad was a kid, my grandparents bred their female Great Dane, and she had a little of about 4 puppies (I don't quite remember).  I believe my dad told me that one of them died and they sold two of the others, so they were left with the mother (Tasha) and a male puppy (Major).  As Major grew up, my dad would ride on his back.  My grandpa would take Major in a car to an empty parking lot.  Once they got there, my grandpa would have the dog on the outside of the car, hold his leash out the window, and then drive around.  That's how Major got his exercise!  In case you are wondering whatever happened to Tasha, they sold her and also sold Major later on.

He's big, but I swear that I took care of a Dane that boarded with us that was bigger.  This dog could literally lick my face just by raising his head a little.  I realize I am a tad on the short side (5'3"-5'4", depending on where I'm measured...lol!), but I was amazed!  I wanted to measure him so badly, but we were so busy that day that I didn't have time, and the next time I worked he'd already gone home.  I'm hoping that he comes back so I can measure him...lol!  It was a good thing that he was well trained, because I know he outweighed me and could've easily dragged me all over the yard when I walked him.

grrr. They are NOT supposed to be that big. Breeding for excessive size and nothing but looks is ruining the breed. They are supposed to be 28 to 30 inches at the shoulder, 120 pounds, and be very athletic, high prey drive hunting/working dogs.

From the Dane breed standard on the kennel club website: (emphasis added by me)

The male should appear more massive throughout than the bitch, with larger frame and heavier bone. In the ratio between length and height, the Great Dane should be square. In bitches, a somewhat longer body is permissible, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Coarseness or lack of substance are equally undesirable. The male shall not be less than 30 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that he be 32 inches or more, providing he is well proportioned to his height. The female shall not be less than 28 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that she be 30 inches or more, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Danes under minimum height must be disqualified.
 

The *minimum* weight I could find for breed standard was 120 lbs for a male. 

Is this incorrect, then?  I couldn't find anywhere that said 28-30 inches is standard and they shouldn't be over that. 

ETA:  I am genuinely curious.  It's a breed I would seriously consider owning and like to be as educated as possible. 
 

 For the doginfo site:

Height: Dogs 30-34 inches (76-86 cm.) Bitches 28-32 inches (71-81 cm.)        Weight: Dogs 120-200 pounds (54-90 kg.) Bitches 100-130 pounds (45-59 kg.)
Dogs of even larger size are more prized.

My Petro (male) stands 34" while the Weather Girls stand at 33".  Their weights vary but at 120lbs they would defiitely appear thin.  130 to 150 is ideal from my eye point of view.  Blizzard maxed at 185 in her prime.

There is a breeder in Michigan that works toward elonging the neck to make them look taller/bigger.  Its noticeable.