[deeanna]

Hi,

If you are considering adding a Great Dane to your family after seeing the movie Marmaduke, please read my post on what it is like to own a Great Dane as part of your research.

***Link removed due to advertisment of pups for sale***

Thank you,
Deeanna

 

[Dog_Shrink]

That article is VERY incomplete and doesn't even come close to what it is like to owning a dane. If YOU wrote it I suggest you do MORE research before trying to educate the public (albeit this wasn't a horrid attempt but very repetitive and vague in it's content) Your article doesn't mention anything about HOD, DCM, wobblers syndrom or any of the other very common ailements that can afflict a Dane (oh and PS... you really DON'T want to walk a Dane puppy for hours on end. It should me more unrestricted play where the pup kind of sets the tone. Lots of walking and bouncy play at that young age can damage developing long bones and joints). Here is a MUCH better site for anyone wanting to know what the REAL skinny is like when owning a Dane.

http://www.greatdanelady.com/

OR I would suggest a book by a lady named Jill Swedlow called "The Great Dane, Model of Nobility". This book should be ANY Dane owner's bible.

 

[Entwine]

http://www.marmaduke-great-dane.com/

From a breeder in my area. She emailed this to everyone on her list a few weeks ago.

 

[deeanna]

Hi Dog_Shrink,

Thanks for your feedback. I've owned 4 Great Danes in my life and I've been trying to spread the word on forums etc. It is intentionally short and concise; its purpose is to quickly summarize some of the realities to some prospective Great Dane owners who might not do the proper research.

Your point about not walking a puppy too much would be more relevant to someone who has already bought a Great Dane pup and is looking for guidance on training.

I think we all have the same goal and I'm glad to see others put the word out!

 

[deeanna]

Hi Entwine,

I'm glad to see other people are trying to put the word out! This is the first time I've seen this article though; you should mention to the breeder that it doesn't show up in Google Search, I didn't see it in social media sites like facebook, twitter, Digg etc. and so their word is not being spread to the general public and those prospective casual Great Dane owners that need to read this.

God bless,
Deeanna

http://www.marmaduke-great-dane.com/

From a breeder in my area. She emailed this to everyone on her list a few weeks ago.

 

[hulkamaniac]

I just read the article and have a few issues with it. It seems like your target audience is those who have never owned a dog before or may have owned a dog once when they were a kid. They see the movie, they want a Dane. The article doesn't make a lot of strong arguments if that's your target audience. For example, from the perspective of someone with limited experience with dogs:

# Great Danes are A LOT of work!
# Great Danes are not suitable for first time dog owners.
# Great Danes cannot be left alone for more than a few hours.
# Great Danes are indoor dogs that need to feel included within the family

Why? I had a dog as a kid. He was easy. He lived in the backyard and we fed him. He was fine and not a lot of work. Why are Dane's different? Why are they not suitable for first time owners? How are they different from any other dog aside from size? Why can't they be left alone? We left our dog alone when we were kids and had no problems. Why are Dane's indoor dogs? I've seen them kept outside before. You then mention dog aggressive Danes. WTF? I've never heard of a Dane attacking anyone before. I know pit bulls are cold blooded killers. Maybe rottweilers, but never Danes. Again, I'm speaking from the perspective of someone with little to no knowledge of dogs.

Then you make several points that are very good - the extra food bill, slobbering, big dog can knock someone over, etc.... All very good points. This is the stuff you should lead with.

Then you throw in stuff that's just opinion and present it as fact. As a seasoned dog owner I know some of this is just flat out opinion. There is no "need" for pet insurance with a Dane or any other breed. Pet insurance is a crock IMHO regardless of the breed, but that's another topic. I've broken down the dollars and cents on this before on this forum and it just doesn't make sense financially in most cases.

In short, you should consider re-writing the article to flesh out some points and re-word or re-organize some others. You put your strongest points at the bottom when they really should be at the top.

 

[Willowy]

Even a well socialized Great Danes can get into fights with other dogs, and because of their large size they will always be blamed as the aggressor resulting in potential legal liabilities and lawsuits. Another reason for pet insurance

In the U.S., at least, pet insurance doesn't cover liability or lawsuits. Your homeowner's insurance covers stuff that happens on your property, and possibly away from home as well. But not pet insurance...that's just for health expenses, and, to be honest, most pet insurance companies don't cover a lot of that anyway. For instance, most of them exclude genetic conditions, such as hip dysplasia. Some won't cover bloat. Etc.

 

[hulkamaniac]

In the U.S., at least, pet insurance doesn't cover liability or lawsuits. Your homeowner's insurance covers stuff that happens on your property, and possibly away from home as well. But not pet insurance...that's just for health expenses, and, to be honest, most pet insurance companies don't cover a lot of that anyway. For instance, most of them exclude genetic conditions, such as hip dysplasia. Some won't cover bloat. Etc.

Also, it's questionable that they would cover damages your dog does to another dog.

 

[Willowy]

Also, it's questionable that they would cover damages your dog does to another dog.

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. Maybe if you get a rider? But generally I think that's the owner's responsiblity, not something for insurance.

 

[deeanna]

Hi hulkamanaic, Willowy,

Thanks for your points. I guess we will just agree to disagree.

However Hulkamaniac -- I wholly disagree with your points about dog insurance with respect to Great Danes. If you can find one official Great Dane rescue association and have them post here; I'd love to be in touch with them. I can name you a slew of GD rescue organisations off the top of my head that make Pet Insurance compulsory for adopters. One of the reasons is because when an owner is faced with a $6000 bill(like myself for a still fair aged GD 5 years old), someone wouldn't make the wrong choice and choose to have the dog put down.

I must say that as a new member of the forum, one thing that is a bit disappointing is how it became more about the literary skills of the article then the dogs themselves. We've been trying to put this out all over the world and this is the only place it has received such a negative response. I hope we can focus on the Great Dane's, the movie Marmaduke, and educating the general public! But this it is nice that this is an active community and together we can all make a difference


Thanks for your feedback and hope everyone had a great weekend,
Deeanna

 

[PetersGirl]

Deeanna, thank you for your concern about the Great Danes! As a matter of fact, when 101 Dalmatians (the real-life one, not the original) came out, the demand for the breed skyrocketed; yet so did the Dalmatian population in shelters. Families expected to be bringing home a kind, well behaved dog when in fact Dals can be hyper and even aggressive. Plus, they are known to sprint down the street as soon as you open the door! I apologize for your poor experience on the forum, I think everyone was just expressing their own opinions. I hope you find it more enjoyable down the road Thank you for your insight!

EDIT: Dog_Shrink, dont you think you were a bit harsh? Obviously Deeanna has had experience with the breed, if you have an opinion try saying it with a little less attitude. My goodness...

 

[hulkamaniac]

However Hulkamaniac -- I wholly disagree with your points about dog insurance with respect to Great Danes. If you can find one official Great Dane rescue association and have them post here; I'd love to be in touch with them. I can name you a slew of GD rescue organisations off the top of my head that make Pet Insurance compulsory for adopters. One of the reasons is because when an owner is faced with a $6000 bill(like myself for a still fair aged GD 5 years old), someone wouldn't make the wrong choice and choose to have the dog put down.

If you want to discuss pet insurance, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you. Just start another thread and I'll be happy to break down the costs and why it doesn't make sense in most cases.

I must say that as a new member of the forum, one thing that is a bit disappointing is how it became more about the literary skills of the article then the dogs themselves. We've been trying to put this out all over the world and this is the only place it has received such a negative response. I hope we can focus on the Great Dane's, the movie Marmaduke, and educating the general public! But this it is nice that this is an active community and together we can all make a difference

It's about literary skills because you are trying to communicate a message. When you're trying to communicate a message the skills of the communicator are of utmost importance. Bush got blasted all the time because he was an extremely poor communicator. Obama gets praised because he is an excellent communicator. Regardless of who's message you believe in, Obama is by far the better communicator and because he is, more people pay attention to what he has to say. You message may be the best in the world, but if you can't/don't communicate it well, no one will pay any attention.

 

[Xeph]

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with hulk.

As an aspiring writer myself, my job is to communicate my message as clearly as possible, and unfortunately your article is a hodge podge of vague statements and "facts" that are just opinions.

 

[hulkamaniac]

I don't want to scare the OP off entirely from ever posting here again. I do think there is some valuable information in the article, but it just needs re-formatted/re-written to present it better. Danes do drool, they do shed, they do eat a lot and they can easily knock over a toddler or an elderly person. This is valid information that a lot of new dog owners won't even think about, yet it's buried in the article when it really should be at the top.

Re-writing the article and presenting the facts first and the opinions as just opinions (albeit strong ones) would make for a much stronger article and would thus convey your message better.

 

[wvasko]

I'm not gonna argue pros and cons of article.

I must say that as a new member of the forum, one thing that is a bit disappointing is how it became more about the literary skills of the article then the dogs themselves. We've been trying to put this out all over the world and this is the only place it has received such a negative response. I hope we can focus on the Great Dane's, the movie Marmaduke, and educating the general public! But this it is nice that this is an active community and together we can all make a difference

We have seen the effects of 101 Dalmatians, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Marley, and now the Marmaduke. If it shakes people up more power to the article.

 

[Dog_Shrink]

EDIT: Dog_Shrink, dont you think you were a bit harsh? Obviously Deeanna has had experience with the breed, if you have an opinion try saying it with a little less attitude. My goodness...

Personally I don't think it was harsh. It was a direct and factual critique of her published material that is trying to EDUCATE people on owning Danes. I certainly couldn't garner from her writings that she had much Dane experience, IF any, from what she had written. The average non-dog owning person could have written that with 3 minutes of google searching and have included MORE information that what she had. Ya see I DO write for our local paper about all things dog, I DO educate at seminars at elementary schools during bite prevention week (it's in May for those that don't know), and I do GREATLY appreciate when others try to spresd the word about responsible dog ownership BUT when doing it, it is pointless if you DON'T include ALL the relevant points, and often ends with people like me needing to re-educate those who read some off the cuff blurb on the net about a specific breed. More Danes suffer from DCM, HOD and Wobblers than do Bloat and actually Danes are in the top 5 breeds on the national bite registeries.

I'm sorry if it came off as harsh, but if people are offering to EDUCATE then they should be willing to change their material when proven inaccurate or inadequate. There should have been links (That actually work when you click them insted of going to an error) to other, more complete info. There should have been links to great dane rescues (since she can name a slew off the top of her head, and BTW ANY rescue that required me to get insurance to qualify to adopt one of their animals, well no one is going to tell me how to care for my animals. If I decide AGAINST bloat surgery (or any surgery for that matter) it certainly won't be because I can't afford it. There's A LOT more to consider than money when deciding on pursuing medical care.), There should have been links to info on how to pick a reputable breeder/rescues, and there is NONE of that. If you truly want to educate the public, then you actually need to inform them of OPTIONS... not just blurb resons why a certain breed may not be right for them. I am a HUGE supporter of the right breed for the right deed philosophy and also even offer an educational program on how to find the right breed for you, so I take Breed Consulting and public education VERY seriously and I'm sorry but this just fell way short. Like Hulk said... you can have the best thing to tell people but if you suck at telling it who's gonna listen? I get hired because I AM direct, educated, to the point and employ almost a scare tactic type of attitude when educating people on breed profiles. Sorry (again) but I'm of the "do it right or don't do it at all" school of thought.

Oh and PS... I have YET to meet a Dane that couldn't stay at hoe by itself for more than a few hours so that is a complete falsehood. If she meant a Dane that is CRATED shouldn't be alone for more than a few hours, then she should have said that. Not to mention the stuff she stated about bloat is also greatly exaggerated and inaccurate as well and YES this is coming from a Dane owner who's DAne bloated TWICE and OMG lived thru both with out surgery.

 

[Robrowe]

Why dont we try constructive criticism with offerings of additions instead of first person obliteration. Everyone has something to offer and no one knows it all.

I found the blog an informative read even if it wasnt a book with every little detail outlined in perfect perspective.
My opinion is it serves its purpose, making one think before jumping on the band wagon even if it doesnt account for every nut and bolt on the wagon.

 

[hulkamaniac]

If you look at my post, I did offer ideas on how to re-write/re-word the article to make it stronger or more persuasive. The OP basically dismissed me saying that how the article is written isn't really important.

 

[wvasko]

Why dont we try constructive criticism with offerings of additions instead of first person obliteration. Everyone has something to offer and no one knows it all.

I found the blog an informative read even if it wasnt a book with every little detail outlined in perfect perspective.
My opinion is it serves its purpose, making one think before jumping on the band wagon even if it doesnt account for every nut and bolt on the wagon.

Agreed, cause after reading it I did not want a Great Dane. Of course I did not want one before, but if I had, it destroyed the notion.

 

[VeronicaScott]

I own a great dane and she is a better dog than my lab. The only thing about the article that made sense is that they aren't good to leave a lone for a long period of time but then again that could be any dog. I think people should just think before getting an animal its a big job.