With the recent popularity in Giant George, the World’s Tallest Dog, and the movie Marmaduke, Great Danes are becoming a more desirable and recognized dog breed. Being the owner of a Great Dane, Maimai, I feel that she is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. She is so sweet and yes I get a lot of attention when I take her out.
There are just a few points us Great Dane owners are tired of, cliche jokes. We hear the same joke over and over and over again and people think that joke is unique (yes I could have put in many more overs because of how many times we all hear certain things). By the time most people have told me a joke, I’ve probably already heard that joke at least 100 times before.
So without further ado, here is a countdown of the top 5 things us Great Dane owners are tired of hearing.
5. “You must have a real hard time keeping up with all her ‘duty'”
Yes I wanted to keep this one clean. Of course when you own a big dog she leaves large piles in the yard. But please we just don’t need to hear about having to pick them up when we are away from the house. Of course if someone offers to come and pick them up for us then they can crack all the fecal matter jokes they want.
4. “You must own a very large house or property”
As a matter of fact we do have a good size home. Does that conclude that we can’t have a Great Dane if we have an apartment? Not at all. Great Danes are Great dogs to have around no matter how large or small the house is. Granted you should have a yard and or places very nearby for the necessary things and of course walk your Great Dane but they can actually be great apartment dogs. They love being around people. My in-laws own a Great Dane in a relatively small house of only about 1,000 square feet. What is necessary is that you love the dog, give it plenty of attention, and have all the proper areas that the dog will need. Great Danes in the end will lounge around for most of the time that you are not home and then be right next to you the rest of the time. Large they are but the house does not need to be, just your bed needs to be large. We always have our Great Dane in our bed in the morning no matter what we do.
3. “You must go bankrupt feeding that thing”
For starters Great Danes don’t eat as much as most people think. If you look closely at a Great Dane, a majority of their height is leg. If you were to look strictly at their main body, it’s not that much bigger than that of your average Lab or German Shepard. Unlike Labs or German Shepards, Great Danes are not very active and are couch potatoes. When they do run around it is for a little while and then it is nap time. Maimai spends plenty of her time sleeping. I don’t know who sleeps more, her or the cat. Just to get her to go outside and play a game of ball feels like I have to pry her out of bed with the Jaws of Life. The fact that they are not as big as they seem and being very inactive most of the time gives them a pretty small appetite for a dog this large. Maimai is free fed kibble daily and she is given one can of wet. On any given day she will consume 8 cups of kibble and 1 can of wet. Compared to a Lab or German Shepard, that’s not much more. So yes, Great Danes eat a lot, but not the ridiculous amount some people think they eat.
2. “That little thing must be an appetizer for it”
I hear that every time I’m walking Maimai and a small dog such as a Chihuahua or a Yorkie comes our way. That quote makes me mad because it makes Great Danes sound vicious when they are anything but. Great Danes are the called the “Gentle Giants” for a reason. Maimai works as a Therapy Dog. Great Danes can make great therapy dogs because of their size and tranquility. Aside from a Great Dane I also have a Chihuahua mix, Bella, and a cat, Midnight. Maimai has never harmed either pet and actually enjoys playing with both of them. Maimai is very careful to not step on either one of them. When it comes to aggression, Bella is easily 10 times more vicious than Maimai. Great Danes were originally bred to protect the hunter when hunting wild boar and be guard dogs but all that aggression has since been bred out of the breed. Yes those little dogs are only a mouthful for a Great Dane but the last thing on their mind when seeing a small dog is a snack. They just want to play.
1. “I could put a saddle on that thing”
WE ARE ALL SICK OF THE HORSE JOKES. Great Danes are big and roughly the size of a small horse but this joke has gotten old, fast. I have heard this joke so many times that if I had a dollar for every horse joke, my mortgage would be paid off by now and I’ve only had my house for 2 years and Maimai for a year. Next item you consider cracking this joke with another Great Dane owner, please remember that your joke is not unique and that we’ve probably already heard that joke at least a hundred times before. And cow jokes for Harlequin Great Danes are not any better.
