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Wednesday 22 April 2015

Great Dane

The Great Dane has been bred since the beginning of the 17th century in the courts of German nobility. The dogs were used for hunting bear, boar and deer at princely courts, with the favorites staying at night in the bedchambers of their lords.

In the 19th century, the dog was known as a "German boarhound" in English speaking lands. However, due to the increasing tensions between Germany and other countries, the dog later became referred to as a "Great Dane", after the grand danois in Buffon's Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière in 1755.

The Great Dane was given the nickname Apollo of the dogs because of its noble, statuesque appearance.


The 18th century poet Alexander Pope once said "histories are more full of the examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends". He had a Great Dane called Bounce.

During World War II, a Great Dane named Juliana defused a bomb by weeing on it. She earned a Blue Cross Medal.

In Germany the Great Dane breed of dog is called “Deutsche Dogge” (German mastiff).

The world record holder for tallest dog was a Great Dane called Zeus, who died September 2014, aged 5. He measured 7 feet 4 inches tall on his hind legs and 44 inches from paw to withers. Zeus ate a 30 pound bag of food every day and weighed 155 pounds.

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