Archive for the ‘great dane’ Category
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Breed profiles American Staffordshire terrier (pitbull) Petit basset griffon Vendeen (PBGV)
People always ask if my mutt is part great dane. I was at a dog show in Fargo last weekend and saw black great danes that looked exactly like a large version of my mutt, and now I’m convinced he is part dane. It explains his smooth, shiny coat and long legs. If you haven’t been over to Chelsea Our Dane, check it out. Chelsea is a black great dane who looks almost identical to Ace. Although klutz is probably a more accurate description, I always hear danes referred to as gentle giants. And these dogs really are sweethearts. They are big dogs with big hearts. The AKC recognizes the great dane in the following colors: brindle, black-masked fawn, blue (solid gray), black, harlequin (white with random black patches) or mantle (black with white collar, muzzle, chest and tail tip), although there are other color combinations such as the blue merle like my friend’s dog, Piper. Great danes were used in the fourteenth century to hunt big game in Germany, according to the Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds by D. Caroline Coile. They are anywhere from 110-180 pounds. Advantages to owning a great dane: 1. Great danes have a very mellow personality. They don’t need a ton of exercise. 2. They are generally gentle around kids and other animals. 3. No one is going to mess with you and your 150-pound, huge-ass dog. 4. Their short coats are very easy to maintain. They shed, but they don’t require much brushing. 5. Great danes are beautiful dogs, tall and sleek, and always causing heads to turn. Disadvantages to owning a great dane: 1. Um, their size. You have to think twice about everything with a dane, from how you are going to fit it in your vehicle, your house, how much food it will eat, the big kennel you will need, etc. Many landlords will not allow a giant breed. 2. They draw unwanted attention. Everyone on the street has to comment on how big your dog is. Everyone wants to touch it. And then there are also kids and adults who are scared of such a big dog. 3. Although danes are not high-energy dogs, they require extra training just because of their power. In my opinion, they are not the smartest breed or the easiest to train. 4. Great danes rarely live past 8 years old. 5. Health issues common with the great dane include gastic torsion, heart failure and bone caner, according to Coile. Through knowing Piper and reading about other danes like Chelsea and Winston, I am beginning to become more of a fan of this breed, especially if there’s a possibility my mutt has some dane in him. What do you think? Is Ace part dane or not? If you would like to write a profile of your favorite breed, send me an email at Lindsay@thatmutt.com. I’d be happy to feature any breed! Click here to see all the breed profiles that have been done. (Image from commons.wikimedia.org)
A 2000 report by Vet Med today listed the kinds of dogs involved in dog-bite related fatalities in the United States between 1979 and 1998. The following is the list of dog breeds responsible for the most deaths between those years. The breed listed means that was the dominant breed of the dog, but it could have been a mixed-breed. To me, that is the largest problem with statistics. Studies can list dogs as a certain breed just because someone decided that’s what the dog most resembled. Take note that third on the list is simply “mixed breed,” where the dog was not identified in any other way. My mutt would fall into this category, making him third on the list for most dangerous kinds of dogs. Pit bull: 118 Other breeds were listed, including a Westie and a Cocker spaniel. I couldn’t believe a Westie actually killed someone, but a large percentage of dog-bite fatalities were children. For example, the Vet Med study reported 70% of all people killed by dogs in 1997-1998 were children. Click here for the full study. Dogbitelaw.com also tracks statistics on dog bites. According to this site, there were 32 fatal dog attacks in the United States in 2007. Click here for the full list of fatal dog attacks for that year. The majority of these attacks were also pit bulls and rottweilers. However, the site reminds readers that the breed of dog is often misstated in the reports, especially when pit bulls are concerned. Keep in mind that a pit bull is not really a breed of dog, but a name used to refer to certain breeds such as the American pit bull terrier (also known as the American Staffordshire terrier) and the Staffordshire bull terrier. The term pit bull also refers to dogs mixed with these breeds or dogs with similar traits. Someone writing a police report could easily identify a boxer, a lab/mastiff mix or an American bulldog as a pit bull and it wouldn’t be questioned. So, like with any statistics, it’s important to keep in mind where they are coming from and what’s really true. Legislators who want to ban certain breeds use statistics like these to back up their arguments that certain breeds are dangerous. I’m not convinced these statistics really prove anything. What do you think? |
With all the hype about dangerous dogs and banning certain breeds, I decided to look closer at some statistics. I was curious as to which breeds were responsible for the most dog-bite related deaths. All the statistics I came across said roughly the same story: pit bulls and rottweilers are the most “dangerous” breeds, resulting in the highest number of fatal attacks.