"Marmaduke" Joe Lederer, Twentieth Century Fox
The live-action movie tells the story of Marmaduke as an awkward teenager who has trouble fitting in when the family moves from the Midwest to Southern California. (One of the plot points naturally involves a surfing competition.) Actor Owen Wilson voices the dog and Lee Pace, Judy Greer and William H. Macy star as several of the humans.
Even though the original comic strip and the new movie show the trouble the big dog gets into, breeders and rescuers expect that the film will spark a huge interest in Great Danes. The concern is that while at first, people will adore these amazing animals, once the new owners realize how large the dogs can get and how expensive they can be, they'll dump the unwanted pets in shelters. Serious breeders also fear that opportunists with little knowledge of the dog will race to breed the next hot commodity.
The American Kennel Club and the Great Dane Club of America urge movie-goers "not to get star struck" by the breed and make an impulse purchase.
"Everything is bigger when you own a Great Dane," says Dave Miller, President of the Great Dane Club of America. "They eat a lot of food and take up a lot of space in your home and car," he adds. Families interested in adopting one of the dogs should spend time with several grown adult Great Danes "to make sure they understand how large the breed is," Miller says.
What else should you think about before getting your own Marmaduke?
Arlene Scarbrough, a longtime Great Dane breeder in Atlanta, recommends you consider that:
1) Great Danes generally weigh 150 to 200 pounds at adulthood.
2) At 6 months old, a Great Dane can knock you down the stairs if it jumps on you.
3) The dogs can be destructive. They'll chew on furniture, clothing and even sheet-rock. "We call them termites," Scarbrough says. If they aren't properly trained, she notes, "They can eat your house."
4) They consume two 40-pound bags of dog food per month.
5) The breed is prone to health problems that often require expensive surgeries.
6) Great Danes need constant companionship. Scarbrough recommends a second dog of the opposite sex if an adult is not at home with them.
7) Even when they're young, you can't leave a Great Dane puppy loose in the house and go to work, says Scarbrough. They will get into too much trouble. But puppies are also unhappy if you crate them. This puts new owners in a tough bind.
8) If the dog is accustomed to being in air-conditioning, he or she can be very susceptible to heat stroke. Scarborough notes that you can't leave the dog outside on a hot day for longer than it takes to go to the bathroom without risk.
9) Although the dogs are big, they aren't athletic. "They can't jog; it will tear up their hips," Scarbrough explains.
10) Finally, before you welcome a Great Dane into your family, contact a breeder or another Great Dane owner and get to know the breed to make sure it's right for you. "We don't mind people coming here and not buying," Scarbrough says. "If I get too many after the movie, I'll just set up an hourly tour."
David McCarthy, an Atlanta musician and long-time Great Dane owner, clearly adores the breed but agrees there are challenges. The dogs sleep on a queen-sized mattress in the master bedroom and he admits that they pretty much run the place.
"They let us stay in our house so long as we feed them," McCarthy says.
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great photo!
"Everything is bigger when you own a Great Dane," says Dave Miller, President of the Great Dane Club of America. "They eat a lot of food and take up a lot of space in your home and car," he adds. Families interested in adopting one of the dogs should spend time with several grown adult Great Danes "to make sure they understand how large the breed is," Miller says.My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He is eight years older than me, lol. We met online at agelesscupid.cooom a nice and free place for younger women and older men, or older women and younger men, to interact with each other. Maybe you wanna check out or tell your friends.
good, wise, sound advice.
i own 4 danes and have been a dane owner for 30 years and even though i think they are the best dog ever i do agree they arent the right dog for everyone.
they do require alot of attention , vet bills are sky high and if not trained proper you can have a out of control 150lb dog. not good.
I have an 8 year old female dane. When I got "Sunshine" at 6 weeks old, I thought how cute and adorable. She grew very quickly and I quickly learned about great danes. Sunshine ate shoes, belts, popped a whole in my waterbed, ate the cushions on my couch and much more. I thought "what have I gotten myself into?"
We went to obedience school and learned how to train each other. Now 8 years later I can proudly say that Sunshine is the best dog ever. My advice is to seek advice before getting a dog that will gain approx 9 pounds a month for the first 8 months of their life, require a lot of attention and double the cost of smaller dogs.
We own a great dane (Jazzy 175 lbs) and an English Mastiff (Judge 225 lbs). They are both the greatest dogs and fantastic with my three young daughters. They eat a ton of food and require lots of love and attention. Not the type of dog you leave alone all day and ignore.
You make a good point relevant to most if not all large breed dogs. We rescue Newfoundlands and also have a St. Bernard. They eat a lot (compared to smaller dogs). They don't live as long as smaller dogs and seem to be prone to health problems. Meds, including flea and tick prevention, cost more (dosing is by weight). The can make really big messes and it's not uncommon at our house to have "Newf" drool stuck on the wall as high up as 8 or 9 feet.
With all of that, they are gentle giants. Most are good with kids and as lovable as they can be. They are great dogs (all of them) but be forewarned.
I had a wonderful English Mastiff, Samson, whom I adopted from Rescue when he was 8 yrs old. Although he was already considered "elderly", he devoted himself to protecting me for the rest of his life. What a blessed companion! Yes he cost me a LOT of money -- mostly for vet bills & medication (which is based on the weight of the dog). I considered him my addiction & had few other indulgences! He ate about as much as a Labrador & was low-energy in the house. Loved the couch & the bed. And he did know how big he was & was careful around the house; I don't think he ever broke anything. He got the very best dog food I could afford. As a result he lived to be 12 yrs old. I still miss him every day & he died in Sept 06. But the breed is a LOT to deal with. I would love to have another Mastiff, but at 62 I don't feel up to contending with the size, weight or cost of a dog that large again. They are truly gentle giants, but you MUST think carefully about getting a giant breed.
I am the proud owner of a Great Dane. One thing that was not mentioned it that they generally have very short life spand. They are considered serior at 5 years old. Caesar just turned 11. His parents(also mine) both lived to 12. This is the equivalent of 120 for us. They are wonderful pets but are very time consuming. If you care for them properly they can liver longer. I feed mine 3 small meals daily. This reduces the chance of bloat, a disease to which they are prone. They are not outside dogs. They are part of the family and expect to be treated as such. At one point we had 2 humans and 3 danes on the bed. The dogs were 175, 195 and 235 lbs. All of this being said I wouldn't own another type of dog. They are great with kids.
How sad but true that another movie that humanizes our wonderful canine friends will now start another fashion-glut in the dog breed world. And I will guarantee that the author is correct stating these gentle giants will be filling up shelters within the next year because stupid people do not do thier homework before buying the dog-flavor of the month.
I have been the proud owner of 1 purebred and 2 mixed-Danes. Wonderful dogs with personality-plus! I will probably never own a different breed! But its true that everything is bigger when you own a Dane- the food bills, the vet bills (which can be enormous), and the clean up can be quite massive! One thing the author did not state is that that the larger breeds have shorter life spans than smaller dogs, even though that is now improving with better breeding and technology. But I was heart broken when my 8 year old purebred was diagnosed with brain cancer. Also, I sustained several black eyes, split lips and two broken ribs from dogs either conking me with thier big head, or jumping on me. Ouch! But I would not change a thing, Danes are the best! RIP Lexy, Moot and Scooby! I miss all you girls :(
I just recently lost my dane at a near age of 13. He was the best dog in the world, and my fiancee and I are looking to get one for our own family soon. They are absolutely wonderful, as long as you train them and keep them like family and not just a "pet". They need people, and as long as you give them love they'll return just as much. Amazing dogs they really are. I can't wait to see this movie, I've loved the comic strip for years.
Megs
we have owned 2 great danes and both have been very destructive. bigger dogs cause bigger destruction. while some smaller dogs will eat a corner of your high heel, danes will completely chew up both. I have lost uggs, sofa cushions, numerous items of clothing, and towels to both my danes. in the first year of owning our dane, she destroyed 5 of her beds. neither liked to be alone long too. they are companion dogs and thrive on owners. not really for attention but just to be there. if you get one, make sure someone is around. trian them young and keep them friendly. they are generally very friendly dogs but an uneducated owner can turn that into something ugly. im surprised adoption isnt mentioned more and that buying a dane is. many need to be adopted. on the east coast there is Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL). thats where we got our second and we couldnt have made a better decision.
I'm a fan of the cartoon. After seeing the previews of the movie, I have decided that paying to see it would be a waste of time and money. Might have been viewable if they hadn't made the animals talk.
Yes, I like the cartoon too, it isn't anything like the movie from what I've seen except there is a Great Dane named Marmaduke. BTW, how many movies/ TV shows have been made about "not fitting in" when moving to Southern California? Of all the ways they could have made this movie, it sounds like 91020 meets Disney.
A few comments about the facts in this article:
The size range must be for males, because females can be quite a bit smaller at 100-150 pounds. The amount of food must be for more than one Dane, or else it is very cheap food with a lot of fillers. My Great Dane (120 lb female) ate a 40 lb bag of quality food per month. (Great Danes actually consume less food per pound of weight than more active smaller dogs.) And I contest the statement that they are not athletic dogs. I know people who "jog" their Great Danes to get them fit for showing.
A few warnings the article missed: The Great Dane's "gentle giant" reputation is only partly true. They are still very large and can accidentally hurt small children. As puppies and young dogs, they have just as much energy as other puppies. If you expect a dog that lays around and does nothing all day, you might be surprised to find out that Great Danes can be quite spirited (as their breed standard describes them). It may take years before a Great Dane settles down into the laid back monster dog that people tend to expect. And please, please, no matter what you've heard about Great Danes, don't make this gargantuan canine live in a tiny apartment! It is very hard for these big dogs to navigate in small spaces.
Lastly, if you are prepared to own a giant dog, please consider the many rescued Great Danes that need homes!
We rescued our GD 2 yrs ago. We are on our way right now to a GD rescue picnic where there will be about 100 rescued Danes. We cannot figure out why the people gave her away. We got her when she was 2 and she is very well behaved and just a lot of fun. We have 2 other dogs, a rescued GreyHound and a mutt. They all get along great. As far as food goes we use 2 40lb bags a month for all 3 dogs and none of them are starving. Our Dane weighs 113 lbs and the resuce called her a super model as she is tall and slender. She has plenty of energy but loves to just be with you. Yes, she thinks she's a lap dog.
When to see the move last night at our local drive in and brought our 17 month 115 pound Dane with us. Most people could not believe the size of her, though the kids of all ages were petting her most parents stated that there is no way they could have one, mostly because of her size. We have change a lot around to have her, We when from a small home with a small lot of lawn to a 80 acre farm, She has her own 12x12 bedroom with cage door a queen bed when I don’t take her to work with me, got rid of the eco car for a full-size conversion van for her to ride with us, Yes the dogs cost a lot to feed and take care of, but there are a lot more expenses involved than that.
By taking her to the movie, and letting parents and kids see one up close, you may have saved a few from the fate that the writer talks about. I hope the responsible breeders out there get extra cautious. Back when the 101 Dalmatian movie came out, I was a breeder of show dal's. I limited the breeding that year, and was very cautious of the people who bought puppies and offered a buy back at 60% if it didn't work out to a few. Got one pup back.
Danes are wonderful dogs or can be. I rescue and I had one male who was a Merle and he was awful. Didnt like kids, didnt like other dogs and was very stubborn. I rescued him at 2 had him for almost 2 years before I found the perfect family who could handle him. He was lovable with me and I adored him but I had other dogs and he wouldnt let any other fosters come into the home. I dont know what happened to him but my thoughts are he was abused. When I rescued him he was skin and bones, bloody ears and heartworm positive. He was not taken care of. He hated being crated and was fearful of loud noises. You have to watch where you get them and from what kind of situation. They can and are destructive, my doors are totally ruined, my walls and Im still finding slobber from over 3 months ago. I have 3 other Danes who are so sweet and wouldnt hurt a fly so they are not all the same. Love the breed just hate the breeders! Never "buy" a dog of any breed from a flea market. In Texas they have them and its horrible. Know what your getting if you get a "good deal" on one. I hope the "responsible" breeders, if there are any out there, realize they shouldnt sell their Danes to just anyone. That is why when some adopts a dog the rescue organization checks them out to be sure the dog fits their family. Anyway I hope they do! If you can afford it they are great. I love all mine and love the breed but there are bad ones out there you just have to be very careful. No animal is a "throw away" they all need forever homes. If you move they have to go with you, its like having a child you wouldnt leave behind. So many are euthanized, yes pure breed dogs its so sad. Someone at one time loved them but decided they didnt want them anymore. Adopt before you buy so others dont die!
I am the proud owner of 4 Great Danes (2 brothers thata re 9, a female that is 5, and my rescue thaty is now 2) and they are the best breed that I have ever owned, and I have plenty of breeds =o) However, they can be quick learners, but you have to be willing to take that time and train your Great Dane. It will turn out to be the best reward for you as a Great Dane owner. I always have people asking me about them and how tp care for them, so don't be shy to ask someone who has raised them. And people must also realize that a Great Dane does have the life span as smaller dogs. They are known as the "Heartbreak Breed"