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I always found that if you talked about health in the breed it was met with much negativity. A feeling of ‘well what can you do about it?’ Or comments like, ‘Who is going to tell anyone what their Danes died of? They won’t be able to sell puppies if it is bad!’ Another very common remark, ‘if they die young they will say it is bloat!’ I looked at what the Breed clubs and Breed Council were doing and I felt there was very little information coming down to the members if anything. Health kind of reared its head occasionally but apart from the LUPA project, nothing seemed to be ongoing or productive.

After losing my Danes I began to think about what I wanted from the breed in terms of health and commitment to improve the health of Great Danes. I came up with the idea of an informal group of Great Dane owners who were breeders, exhibitors, those involved in rescue organisations and pet owners. The health of Great Danes affects nearly everyone who owns a Great Dane. There are many breeders and owners who have a wealth of experience with health problems in Danes and it would be such a brilliant idea if they could share their knowledge with those of us with less experience.

The Group could be a platform for dialogue and ideas and who knows where it could take us. At the very least it would be a Group who could turn around health surveys for the Breed Council very quickly on the internet. No more anonymity when filling out health questionnaires. At the very best we could help to start new health projects to find solutions for health problems in Great Danes. So with this tall order in mind I have created this Group and website with the help of like minded friends. It’s not my Group it’s for everyone with an interest in Great Danes and their health. Hopefully some of you will make contributions but I am hoping all of you will learn something that will affect the wellbeing of the Great Dane.

We need to hear from you please take some time to give us your views.