does having a dane make you insane? :)

[themelmom]

or OCD, or paranoid, or distrusting of vets, or a better person, or all of the above

I have only had Danes for 9 months now. I have read and studied A LOT... more than I did in college. This board is #1 on my favorites list. If I need to know anything I know where to find it.

So at first I thought "Dane people" were SO serious and anal. I never thought I would plan my life around a dog. I spend more time worrying about what my dogs eat and what their poo looks like than I do my kids. (Sad but almost true) Well it turns out I am that crazy Dane person. I caught myself telling a friend NOT to get a Dane today because I knew she would try to feed him Wal Mart food. I had a VET tell me just today how she feeds her dogs "good quality" food...Purina Dog Chow...and I cringed. She said she wanted a Dane but it would have to stay outside and I had to bite my tongue. I did say "they are not very good outside dogs". How do you tell people a Dane is not just a dog?
I said you know they have to have supplements and have a lot of digestive problems, health problems, and allergies if not completely pampered.
I can't image the thought of a Dane out in a yard by itself and/or eating Dog Chow.

[empm]

I can't stand the thought of a Dane living outside, either. However, they do eat Purina Dog Chow and do fine on it.

["The Boys" Mom]

NO we're not insane! Insane is all those people who go thru life without a dane to love!

[mpbrink]

i know i am dane crazy i worry more about my bailey then i do anything else he eats better then me no joke,

here is a good a story i am have to go out of town for a few days next month and i cant take Bailey with me so i asked around to see if any of my friends could let him stay with them... well after a few i don't knows and if i watch him he has to stay outside i made him a reservation at a pet hotel, where he gets a bed and a TV in his suite and all the toys they will let my bring him long story short i don't even trust my best friends to take care of my bailey he needs to be pampered not left outside in the cold or the heat

[LoMax]

I am one of THOSE people as well. I have had people come up to me and tell me that they own danes, but after a few questions I am always on the verge of calling animal control. They are AMAZING dogs. I just love the breed, like many here.

[Mom2Dori]

Hehe, me too Lori!!! It makes me want to cry sometimes when I hear how other people view Danes/treat them! LOL! And actually, a lot of times, it's not actually "that" bad...but I think that mine, and the Dane people I associate with make them top priority...and don't view them as just another dog...

I worry about mine 24/7...I know they say dogs add years to your life...but I have to wonder if my constant worrying about them is counter balancing that fact LOL!

[riley1234mom]

I agree - Danes are the best!! We've had cockers and labs - but nothing compares to our Riley.
I am paranoid though - I am even thinking about setting up a webcam so I can log in and check on her during my work day.

[Mom2Dori]

LOL, that's a cute idea!

Luckily, mine don't move during the day...they seriously are in the same spot from when I left, and they look alllllll sleepy...and not a thing is out of place!! LOL!!

[THCdanes]

I have to agree with everyone else on here! We have 5 Great Danes and every single one of them are spoiled rotten.
We have built a huge "doghouse" (literally the size of our master bedroom) in our backyard just for them. It has heat and a/c, tiled floors, futons for beds, fans, lighting, and a doggie door. All so that they could be comfortable when we are at work.
I will say that building this extra room has been wonderful! They absolutely love it. They go in there when we leave for work and they are still in there when we come home!
And leaving town for vacations is another story for us! We have a Pet Sitter that we pay really well who comes and cares for them. And let me tell you, our list and feeding schedule and how detailed it is, is insane! She laughs at us every time, because she has been doing it for years and knows how we do things, yet I still feel like I am leaving them for the first time. And you dont even want to know how many times a day we call to check in on them. LOL.
Danes are definitely not your typical 'dog'. And most people will never understand that until they have been owned by one!

[danelover8027]

Hi there, I am owned by my first dane (13 weeks old) and I quickly figured out, he owns me instead of me owning him. I take him everywhere I can. If he can't go somewhere with me and I am going to be gone for more than 2 hours I pay a tennager down the street to come sit with him so he can remain on his normal schedule.

[jeanetteva]

Me too, my friends point out that I am "insane" with my Danes. My dogs absolutely eat better than I do, I never put in as much effort in food for me as I do for my dogs.
I watch their poop, their behavior to see if anything is out of the ordinary all the time.
Granted i have had a lot of health issues with my youngest boy, Johnny, he is so spoiled that it is unbelivable, he has me running around at every whim, he barks when he wants a toy, he barks when he goes into the bathroom to drink from the faucet, when he wants to go out and when he wants me to sit next to him while he is chewing a bone on the floor.
My son always acuses me of loving the dogs more then him...LOL......sometimes I wonder???!
I would never spend the kind of money on myself that I spend on my dogs, for toys, vitamins, coats, boots, cars...etc.
When people ask me where I got him and what it is like to have a dane I always down play it and say that it is very difficult and expensive and unless you live in a very large house with a football field as a yard and you dont have to work then maybe you could have one.
When i got my 2 danes that I have now, I understood that my days of going on vacation was over and i am ok with that, i could not enjoy myself being away and knowing that somebody was not taking care of them as they are used to.
My house looks like a barn yard in between cleanings, with toys and blankets and towels that constantly have to be washed from them eating their bones, of course they are rawfeed with the finest meats, my husband owns a restaurant and get all the meats wholesale.
My social life is very limited since I dont want my dogs to be home alone, or I dont want to be somewhere without them, that is the hardest thing for my friends to get used to but they are now more or less accepting it.
My husband who never wanted to have dogs to begin with is just as crazy about them and sleeps with both of them in his bed, I have moved into my own bedroom so both dogs can fit in his bed, they always come into my bed in the morning to snuzzle with me.
when I read of someone on DOL who keeps their Danes outside or in a cage for many hours without anyone checking on them or taking them out for a break...my blood boils.
it makes me feel somewhat "normal' when I hear others on DOL that act like me and my husband.
What is more Interesting, is that as a married couple, there is very little "room'' or alonetime for any intimacy...if you know what i mean....if you dare to close the door, they will stand outside and bark like 2 maniacs, not very romantic at all. This is probarbly not normal.....or is it???
Yes, Danes make you insane!!!
Jeanette

[Pauline301]

We're insane/anal here. Everything revolves around our dane. Ever since the first one. When did he eat last, can he play now, is he acting funny, etc. on and on. Would never go on a vacation where we couldn't take him. I just don't trust anyone to watch him. Although there is one person on the west coast that raises,shows danes and boards, so her I would leave him with. But mostly we camp in our RV, so he goes too with the cat. And can relate with sleeping arrangements. Rocky and the cat sleeps with me and Dave sleeps alone. Works out cause Dave snores like a freight train.

[hbkdiesel]

We are insane as well. I have 3 danes and usually work nights so they sleep with the husband at night and me during the day. Were we go they go. Vacations have taken a back seat or they can only be a day long so family can come and take care of them for the day. My co-workers all ask how my kids are and fur kids are after every weekend, and just expect that i will bring them in to visit at least once a month. Mine feel abused when left outside for more than 20 minutes, without one of us outside with them. I always want to leave nasty letters in mailboxes when I see a dog chained outside. (so far I haven't done this)

[Devil Dog]

When my first Dane "Connie" was about 10 months old a man visiting my neighbor called over the fence, asking about her. The questions were all the standard ones I now ask when I see a Dane..where did you get her, who's the breeder, what's the pedigree, why a Dane??

At the time I thought what a nut. Then he said something that has stayed with me all these years later..If you keep her till she's a year old you will never own another breed of dog. And guess what?? Exactly 40 years {and counting} later he was exactly right.

Dee


ETA..Not insane, just know a good thing when you see it.

[Emily]

We're insane. No matter what people say, Danes are different from any other dog. I trust my in-laws to keep them when we go on vacation, and they do a great job! They usually come over and stay with them and I never worry about my pups. However, our conversations always ends up going to "...what do you think pups are doing now? and do you think they miss us like we miss them?!" (We don't have any human children). Danes make you crazy about them.

And yes, I get miffed when people tell me about their dane, who lives outside, and eats purina dog chow....I'd like to get their address and go pick up that sweetie!

I never thought I could love an animal as much as I do. A question my husband and I have mulled over:

If your dane fell overboard and a stranger fell overboard in the middle of the ocean and you had to pick one to save, who would you choose?

EE