Great Danes are helping all kinds of people find their balance in life. By Mara Bovsun Lean ve Dahl is a pretty 10-year-old with a bright smile, but she has a condition—osteogenesis imperfecta or brittle bone disease—that made her feel uncomfort- able going out in public. eThat changed when Finnegan, Finn for short, came into her life in January 2017, says her mother, Deborah Dahl. Dahl says that Eve used to think that people were staring at her wheelchair. Now, Eve says that they are “looking at my cool .” That “cool dog” is a black and white Great Dane, who, at 155 pounds, is more than four times Eve’s weight. To outsiders, they may look like an odd couple, but they are a perfect fit. Finn is Eve’s balance buddy, a living, breathing, furry cane. With Finn by her side, Eve confidently takes swimming and dance les- sons, sells lemonade at a curbside stand, goes trick-or-treating, and participates in all kinds of activities that put the joy in childhood. He’s with her, always, waiting poolside to give her a kiss after a swim, to help her with rehabilitation after surgery, or to guide her when walking through a crowd. “I feel like he’s made me stronger, so I can do a lot more things,” on Eve told FD in a phone interview. Eve was about 6 months old when she was diagnosed with the condition. By her 10th birthday, her mother estimates she had expe- rienced roughly 100 bone breaks, although she admits she stopped counting at 75. Eve has also endured a dozen surgeries. TRACY CARPENTER, COURTESY DEBORAH DAHL 1/5 j a n u a r y / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 9 • a k c f a m i l y d o g Me 2 Dahl recalls. to myself,‘Ohmygosh, shewalkslikeEve,’” which impedesgrowthandimpairsmobility. Great Dane.BellahasMorquiosyndrome, ry wereBellaBurton,11,andGeorge,ahuge lence. Therecipientsintheservice-dogcatego mony forthe2015Awards forCanineExcel and a“lightbulbwentoff.”Therewascere coverage oftheAKCNationalChampionship seemed right. sidered aservicedog,butnonethatshesaw / “I saw the videos of them walking, and I said “I sawthevideosofthem walking,andIsaid Then, inearly2016,DahlwaswatchingTV Over theyears,Dahlsayssheoftencon 5

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- g o d y l i m a f - - - Scooby-Doo. later introduceditto anewgenerationin classic of aspace-agefamilyonearly60scartoon uttered byaGreatDane—Astro,thepet canine expressionfor“mybad,”wasfirst platter paws. down withhisbasketball-starlimbsand sized goof,perpetuallyknockingthings Marmaduke, isofasweet-temperedover cartoon characterslikeBradAnderson’s breed’s popularimage,createdinpartby Danes, shewasmetwithskepticism.The er, firstproposedtheideaofusingGreat Grand, Goofy,orBoth? sachusetts ( Service DogProject(SDP),inIpswich,Mas that pairedBellaandGeorge,thenonprofit how aservicedogcouldhelpherchild. TV coverageofBellaandGeorgeshowedEve’s mom Don’t forget,“Ruh-Roh,”theultimate When CarleneWhite,80,SDPfound She quicklycontactedtheorganization servicedogproject.org . Thesamevoiceactor ) . - - -

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11/27/18 11:56 AM 11/27/18 1:40 PM 3 conditions thatmake it hardtogetaround. rosis, paralysis,Friedreich’s ataxia, andother as Parkinson’s, cerebralpalsy, multiplescle and adultswhohavesuchmobilitydisorders more than165GreatDaneswithchildren breeding line. Kiaulenas, ofBMWKennels,toestablisha with aninfluentialGreatDanebreeder, Laura and beganbuildingherprogram,consulting member ofAssistanceDogsInternational service-dog work.Shebecameanaccredited thought aboutapplyinghertrainingskillsto had Parkinson’s disease,andshehadlong decided togoinanewdirection.Herfather agency formorethanthreedecadeswhenshe / Since its founding in 2003, SDP has placed Since itsfoundingin2003,SDPhasplaced White hadbeenrunningananimaltalent named Pennsylvania’snamed state in1965. dog Mansfield, TV’s Batman Adam West tiff andGermanBoarhound. theGermanMas called been also They’ve Grand Danois, have from come anoldFrench designation, are not butfrom from . , Dane Facts 5

State oftheBark: Famous Owners: For: Named Origin:

y r a u n a j Despite the name, these dogs thename,these Despite / which means big Danish. whichmeansbigDanish. y r a u r b e f Thenameisthought to Movie goddess Jayne Jayne Movie goddess The Great Danewas

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g o d y l i m a f - - 1808. H.B.Chalon(painter);H.R.Cook(engraver) Engraving ofBoarhoundsfrom be 32 inches or more at the shoulder), but be 32inchesormoreat theshoulder),but the “Apolloofdogs,” huge(malesshould developed abreedworthy ofthenickname requiring size,strength,andsmarts.Fanciers European boarandotherlargegame,work Great Dane’s mainjobwashuntingsavage (not Denmarkasthenamewouldimply), From theHeights raised. look inonhowthesebuddinghelpersare tinyurl.com/y87erbtr SDP’s round-the-clockpuppycams( people whoneedandqualifyforthem. but theyareprovidedfreeofchargeto In Germany,In whichiswheretheyoriginated The dogscostabout$20,000totrain, Sporting ) allowoutsidersto magazine, https:// and CGC. has titlesinrally, tricks, Champion, butalso Baby SarahisaGrand Beauty andBrains: courages herpuppybuyersto Citizen titles.Neetalsoen toward AKCCanineGood of obedienceclassesthataim She recommendsaminimum they arewell-trained,”shesays. it isevenmoreimportantthat Club dogshow. at the2018Westminster Kennel co-owns Zephyr, BestofBreed Cynthia Neet,whobredand ners areessential,saysbreeder size ofapony. Goodman with adogwhoisaboutthe challenges posedbyliving breed rankings—despitethe ions—14th inthe2017AKC most popularcaninecompan placed GreatDanesamongthe dependable temperament. and balanced andagile,withacourageous “Since Great Danes are so giant, “Since GreatDanesaresogiant, In themodernworld,thesequalitieshave - - - breeds, anddog-savvyparticipantsofferaka dors, spectators,noisychildren,allkindsof people aswellotherdogs,”shesays.Ven to trainpuppiesandsocializewith enter afewdogshows. leidoscope ofintense,butcontrolled,stimuli. “The dog show is a wonderful environment “The dogshowisawonderfulenvironment experience, every single time,” Neet says. experience, everysingletime,”Neetsays. “This is very important for a Great Dane “This isveryimportantforaGreatDane puppy.” “The puppies receive a positive human “The puppiesreceiveapositivehuman petitors in other dog sports—obedience, petitors inotherdogsports—obedience, Danes areeagerandeye-catchingcom agility, andevenbarnhunt,which requires them to navigate through requires themtonavigatethrough tunnels and hay bales. Their tunnels andhaybales.Their sensitivity makes them sensitivity makesthem wonderful therapy wonderful therapy dogs and helps in dogs andhelpsin their service-dog their service-dog work. issues are one issues areone “Mobility “Mobility - - -

FAR LEFT: FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG; RIGHT: COURTESY CYNTHIA NEET; OPPOSITE: FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG of the main reasons that people reach out for Great Danes” as service dogs, says Neet. Matchmaking “They are big and can handle the weight of Part of the process of getting an SDP Dane in- U.S. Air Force veteran Scott Aubin also saw the being leaned on.” volves volunteering at the 12-acre farm where the uncanny way the dogs make their choice. Like many For balance work, White says dogs need dogs are raised. This allows SDP staff to observe veterans, Aubin had both physical and emotional to be at least 45 percent of the height and 65 the applicant, and for the people to learn about life problems when he returned to civilian life. After a sui- percent of the weight of the person they will with such a huge animal. Sometimes the SDP staff cide attempt, he was sent to a retreat for help. There be assisting. can make the match, but often it’s a matter of canine he met a counselor who had a balance dog, Wicked, The height of Bella Burton’s George was intuition. Bella’s voice, movement, and posture made an SDP Dane. one of the first things that struck Dahl when most dogs shy away, says SDP master trainer Megan Aubin arranged to volunteer at the farm. During she saw the team on TV. In a flash, she under- Kokaras in a video on the organization. Bella and her one visit, a trainer asked him for some help with a stood why she never envisioned other breeds family volunteered for more than a year before dog, Dash, who was afraid of men. The trainer asked working for her child. one dog, George, accepted a treat Aubin to just talk around the dog to help her get used They were too short. from her, and they clicked. to a male voice. Eve needed something to help her stand Eve had a similar experience. He walked into the kennel where Dash was sitting upright, which neither smaller dogs nor con- She was offering the Danes in a corner alone, dropped a biscuit on the floor, ventional mobility aids could do. When she cookies; most took it and stepped into an adjoining room and sat on a couch. used a walker, for example, she would lean walked off. Then Finn A few moments later, Dash showed up at the door forward onto her elbows because of her weak started watching and fol- with the biscuit in her mouth and sauntered over to forearms. But with Finn, she rests her hand lowing her. It was soon where Aubin was seated. “She put her head on my on his back, using her stronger upper arms evident to everyone that shoulder and dropped the biscuit on my lap,” he says. Aubin and Dash for support. Finn’s height allows Eve to stand Finn had found his life’s “That was the moment that changed my life.” He now helps other veterans who are having trouble tall. work, says Dahl. With Dash’s help, Aubin pulled himself together. adjusting after their military service.

Never Alone The Great Dane’s imposing appearance is another giant asset. “Great Danes are so no- think twice before approaching me,” says horse she could find. “I feel like I don’t need my mom as much. ble (when not sitting on your lap) and majes- Neet, who has been showing and breeding Finn’s size gives Eve confidence to go out in I’m more comfortable without my mom be- tic. Very impressive,” says Neet. Danes since 2000. “A Great Dane on high the world. She’s so small that she could easily cause I know Finn will protect me,” Eve says. The breed’s size alone can be enough to alert is not welcoming.” be overlooked in a crowd. If someone jostled One incident drove home the change Finn deter a troublemaker. She got started in the breed when she went her by accident, she could fall and be serious- had made in the lives of the Dahl family. “I wanted a dog that when I walked alone college and had to downsize from her first ly injured. About a year ago, Eve’s sister was in a cheer-

on the beach at night, a bad person would love, horses. Danes were the closest thing to a No one can miss her with Finn by her side. leading competition. TOP LEFT: ©CYNOCLUB/GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT: COURTESY MARK AMIRAULT/SERVICE DOG PROJECT

4/5 j a n u a r y / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 9 • a k c f a m i l y d o g 5 says Dahl.“ShehadFinn.” she wasn’t worried,andIwasn’t worried,” daughter intoapanic.Butnotthistime. like thiswouldhavesetbothmotherand the flockofcheerleaders. arated. Dahlcouldnotseeherdaughteramid themselves inapackedhallwayandweresep become atopshowdog. From TinyAcorns:Thislittlepuppy, Zephyr, grewupto / “People had gotten between Eve and I, but “People hadgottenbetweenEveandI,but Before Evegotherservicedog,anincident At onepoint,Dahl,Eve,andFinnfound issues, sporting events, reputable breeders, issues, sportingevents,reputablebreeders, 5 (search “GreatDaneClub ofAmerica.”) ( and rescue. It also has a Facebook page and rescue.Italsohas aFacebookpage

gdca.org Visit TheGreatDaneClubofAmerica

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g o d y l i m a f - “harlequin” or“mantle.” striking black-and-white patternsknownas fawn (left),brindle(right),blue, black,and Great Danescomeinanarrayofcolors­ show dog. Zephyr, grewuptobecomeatop From TinyAcorns:Thislittlepuppy, —

COURTESY CYNTHIA NEET