The ones I've met have been precious. Funny thing, all 4 experiences were due to my adventures in real estate: 1. I went to another agent's Christmas party on a dark rainy December night, way out in the country. There are no streetlights in the country, so it gets very very dark anyway. Add December, rain, & a starting time after dark, & honey, it's dark out there. I found the house, got out of the car, "felt" my way toward the house...& 2 big invisible somethings came up & sniffed me. I could feel their body warmth & their warm breath, but I couldn't tell exactly where or what they were. Calves? wrong time of year, & usually calves stick close to their mothers. & calves don't approach quietly. So I started talking, & one of them got close enough for me to touch, which is when I discovered that they were black Great Danes. I worked my way awkwardly through the black night to the door, accompanied by my more graceful entourage. When I knocked on the door, the host was astonished to see me. "Nobody else came to the door", he said, "they all sat in their cars & honked until I came out & got them. They were scared of the dogs." 2. Once when I made an appointment to show a house, the listing agent's instructions included "Sherlock the dog is friendly. He may be inside or outside." all of which I forgot of course... until the buyers & I had been all through the house & I opened the back door & came face to face with a big friendly blue merle Great Dane looking me right in the eye! 3. A seller had a "house dog", 6 month old Dane named Dino, named after the Flintstones' pet. The entrance hall or foyer was a long, narrow, deep affair, very nice for grandfather clocks & such, & it also had some really impressive acoustics: Every time I rang the doorbell, Dino would galumph into the foyer & woof at me, & the front door, the walls, & the windows would reverberate! 4. A builder & his wife had always had 2 miniature or toy poodles (can't remember the difference). When their current pair started getting older, they would begin to dread the inevitable heartbreak, so they would get 2 puppies, & they'd have 4 dogs for several years, until the oldsters passed on. When I had to deliver papers to them one week-end, the wife asked me to come after lunch on Saturday, as she was going to be away that morning, picking up 2 new puppies. I was met by the 2 elderly poodles...& 2, as you say, huge Great Dane puppies. I looked at the wife, a petite older lady, maybe 5'2" or 5'3", perhaps 100 lbs sopping wet, in astonishment. She said, "Sylvia, I know I'm crazy, but I don't care. I've always wanted Great Danes, & I'm 65 years old, & I decided that today's the day." The Danes, even at, what, 10 or 12 weeks, were already bigger than the arthritic little poodles! & they were *puppies*, gangling, clumsy, impulsive, but she had already taught them, that first day, that they must be careful around the old guys. They were all lovely dogs, gentle, goofy, endearing, lots of personality, lots of love to offer. They brightened their owners' lives, & it still makes me smile to remember them.

A dozen! They 'think' that she's finished, but will be keeping an eye out on her. She was predicted to have a large litter. For those who haven't watched SDP, the tending of the puppies is quite a group effort. These littles will have 24/7 human care for weeks....or should I say, the mothers will have round the clock human assistance. The SDP is a non profit organization that 1) breeds and trains Great Danes to serve as service dogs for children and adults with mobility problems or other issues that a large, calm, and gentle dog can help with. The dogs are donated. Any dogs that aren't suitable as service dogs are given the designation Perfect Pet, and sent to live happily in a forever home, quite often with one of many volunteers who work there. HERE'S the latest roster

dogs living in deplorable conditions, many with very bad health issues, nasty kennels, dogs covered in feces with urine burns all over their bodies. the ONLY good thing i can say is that i didn't see any that were obviously starving. hopefully, the court case will be dealt with quickly and good homes can be found for these poor dogs. this is why i so often get into some pretty intense arguments with people who don't know the difference between a backyard breeder and reputable breeder. **sigh**

tjkeen, I've never had one but have known several. My first encounter was with my brother's Brittany. I think he named her after a favorite Playboy Bunny, lol. Danes really want to be lap dogs, I learned. Brittany's version meant that her four feet stayed on the floor, but she would plant her behind in your lap! I've learned so much about these particular service dogs by being able to watch them on camera from birth to seeing them matched with a recipient. Many of the recipients are good about sending pictures, videos, and diaries over the years for us all to see. Raven, are you sure that they don't do matches in your part of the country? I thought that as long as a potential recipient could travel for a lengthy visit, on-site training with the dog, and can come back for tweaking training, then a dog can be donated happily. I may be wrong about that.