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 dog.” 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 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2 0 1 9 • AKC FAMILYDOG Me HEALTH IS UNIQUE TO EVERY BREED Your Great Dane is known for his patient devotion TV coverage of Bella and George showed Eve’s mom and signature tall stature. These details are how a service dog could help her child. the reason we tailor-made a diet enriched with precise energy in a kibble right-sized for his large jaw. To support his healthy digestion, She quickly contacted the organization we include highly digestible proteins and carbohydrates and a balance of fibers. Finn helps Eve that paired Bella and George, the nonprofit When you feed ROYAL CANIN® navigate stairs, which Service Dog Project (SDP), in Ipswich, Mas- GREAT DANE formula, you’ll see would not be possible him become his magnificent best. without him. Follow sachusetts (servicedogproject.org). the “Chronicles Find your breed’s unique formula of Eve and Finn” and download your first purchase at facebook.com/ Grand, Goofy, or Both? onegoodthing1. coupon at royalcanin.com/breed When Carlene White, 80, SDP found- er, first proposed the idea of using Great Over the years, Dahl says she often con- Danes, she was met with skepticism. The sidered a service dog, but none that she saw breed’s popular image, created in part by seemed right. cartoon characters like Brad Anderson’s Then, in early 2016, Dahl was watching TV Marmaduke, is of a sweet-tempered over- coverage of the AKC National Championship sized goof, perpetually knocking things and a “light bulb went off.” There was a cere- down with his basketball-star limbs and mony for the 2015 Awards for Canine Excel- platter paws. lence. The recipients in the service-dog catego- Don’t forget, “Ruh-Roh,” the ultimate ry were Bella Burton, 11, and George, a huge canine expression for “my bad,” was first Great Dane. Bella has Morquio syndrome, uttered by a Great Dane—Astro, the pet which impedes growth and impairs mobility. of a space-age family on early 60s cartoon “I saw the videos of them walking, and I said classic The Jetsons. The same voice actor to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, she walks like Eve,’ ” later introduced it to a new generation in Dahl recalls. Scooby-Doo. TOP LEFT: COURTESY DEBORAH DAHL; RIGHT: ©AKC 2/5 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2 0 1 9 • AKC FAMILYDOG © ROYAL CANIN® SAS 2018. All Rights Reserved. FD_ad_template_2017.indd 1 11/27/18 1:40 PM ROY22096 - AKC Publication Ads-Family Dog Jan_Feb - Great Dane.ind.indd 1 11/27/18 11:56 AM balanced and agile, with a courageous and enter a few dog shows. Dane Facts dependable temperament. “The dog show is a wonderful environment In the modern world, these qualities have to train puppies and socialize puppies with Origin: Despite the name, these dogs placed Great Danes among the people as well as other dogs,” she says. Ven- are not from Denmark, but from Germany. most popular canine compan- dors, spectators, noisy children, all kinds of Named For: The name is thought to ions—14th in the 2017 AKC breeds, and dog-savvy participants offer a ka- have come from an old French designation, breed rankings—despite the leidoscope of intense, but controlled, stimuli. Grand Danois, which means big Danish. challenges posed by living “The puppies receive a positive human They’ve also been called the German Mas- with a dog who is about the experience, every single time,” Neet says. tiff and German Boarhound. size of a pony. Good man- “This is very important for a Great Dane Famous Owners: Movie goddess Jayne ners are essential, says breeder puppy.” Mansfield, TV’s Batman Adam West Cynthia Neet, who bred and Danes are eager and eye-catching com- State of the Bark: The Great Dane was co-owns Zephyr, Best of Breed petitors in other dog sports—obedience, Engraving of Boarhounds from Sporting magazine, named Pennsylvania’s state dog in 1965. 1808. H.B. Chalon (painter); H.R. Cook (engraver) at the 2018 Westminster Kennel agility, and even barn hunt, which Club dog show. requires them to navigate through “Since Great Danes are so giant, tunnels and hay bales. Their White had been running an animal talent The dogs cost about $20,000 to train, it is even more important that sensitivity makes them agency for more than three decades when she but they are provided free of charge to they are well-trained,” she says. wonderful therapy decided to go in a new direction. Her father people who need and qualify for them. She recommends a minimum dogs and helps in had had Parkinson’s disease, and she had long SDP’s round-the-clock puppy cams (https:// of obedience classes that aim their service-dog FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG thought about applying her training skills to tinyurl.com/y87erbtr) allow outsiders to toward AKC Canine Good work. service-dog work. She became an accredited look in on how these budding helpers are Citizen titles. Neet also en- “Mobility member of Assistance Dogs International raised. courages her puppy buyers to issues are one and began building her program, consulting with an influential Great Dane breeder, Laura From the Heights Beauty and Brains: Kiaulenas, of BMW Kennels, to establish a In Germany, which is where they originated Baby Sarah is a Grand breeding line. (not Denmark as the name would imply), the Champion, but also has titles in rally, tricks, Since its founding in 2003, SDP has placed Great Dane’s main job was hunting savage and CGC. more than 165 Great Danes with children European boar and other large game, work and adults who have such mobility disorders requiring size, strength, and smarts. Fanciers as Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, multiple scle- developed a breed worthy of the nickname rosis, paralysis, Friedreich’s ataxia, and other the “Apollo of dogs,” huge (males should conditions that make it hard to get around. be 32 inches or more at the shoulder), but FAR LEFT: FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG; RIGHT: COURTESY CYNTHIA NEET; OPPOSITE: 3/5 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2 0 1 9 • AKC FAMILYDOG 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.