Great Danes Good Or Bad

Great Danes are more than just sophisticated, beautiful dogs. They are gentle, loving and kind. Breeders may see these dogs as a pay check, but people across the world who have had the privelage of being a Great Dane’s best friend disagree. As a matter of fact, anybody who has owned a pet of any kind would say that looks do not matter in the slightest. Whether a dog has AKC-desired markings or not, each owner finds their pet to be the most adorable thing on the planet. Why is it acceptable for people to continually breed defected dogs in the hope that one out of seven will turn out correct? Although touched with a bit of sarcasm, Christopher Landauer has the answer: “Apparently there’s an unwritten rule that you can violate the Code
of Ethics as long as it’s for aesthetic reasons.” I would not trade my dog for the world and I am thankful for him every day, but what about his sister that was born partially blind? I strongly believe that having a “correctly” marked dog is not worth the risk that two or three puppies will be blind, deaf, or dead. We would never intentionally plan for a human to be born blind or deaf. The same standard needs to be set for our animals. Double harlequin breeding is cruel and not as uncommon as one may think. “The frightening thing is that this doesn’t appear to be a rare or even questioned practice within the breeding elite. Rather it seems to be routine, accepted, [and] approved” (Landauer). Let’s step out of denial and start loving our pets the same way that they love us.