Britusa Great Danes

2010-09-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

We took the puppers out for walks down town Chattanooga. We all had a great time watching the people fawn all over the Danes, There are so many outside eateries to crowd through and loads of people to meet! We found a nice spot for photos... still working on the posing in a new spot, camera man, dogs and myself (as I hate having my pics taken) but after a few times I think we will get some great pics... I will share a few so ya'll can see how we improve...LOL

Thanks for checking out the happenings of our tribe!

Tobi

Thea

Phoebe

Tessa

Tobi and Thea in a large crowd...can you say yes they are both great danes, yes they come in that color and yes they have two different types of ears ... A 1000 TIMES... LOL It is one of my best times with these guys, talking to people about the Great Dane!!!

Tessa and Phoebe

She just wanted to take Tessa home with her!!!! LOL
Big hug good bye!!

Great Dane National 2009

2010-09-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

Rally

Obedience

Show pics

2010-09-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Cow Killer

2010-09-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Rossy found this cool looking wasp called the velvet ant or cow killer on the back deck. It's sting is sooo painful that it can kill a cow with one sting!!! Not a good friendly!

Mackenzie's new puppy Rossco P Coltrain

2010-09-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Rossy out for a walk!!!
Walking is for the birds!!!!
Who's idea was that anyways!?!?!?

Trip to the Aquarium...

2010-09-01T21:39:00.001-07:00

Outting to Chickamauga Battle Field

2010-09-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

The move South!

2010-09-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well we have packed up and headed south... no not for the winter, for life! It was an uneventful trip with the largest U-Haul truck loaded to the max and pulling the car! The passenger van well over loaded and pulling 12" trailer stuffed to the max! Eagle mountain LOOK OUT! All the hype about how horrible it would be ... nah it was a breeze....

The little rental house we took on to get our bearings in this new land is very cute and well set up for the Danes... We were just getting into our new area when we (as was the entire US) hit with a heat wave!!! It put an eight week halt on our outdoors adventures! But as the heat abades we have again emerged to find our footings... We have found the town we want to buy in and have started looking (moving again! we must be mad!) The Chattanooga band on the river bank Saturday nights, rivers, hikes, parks, aquarium, ....Loads to do and see!

It's a furball life

2009-03-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

It's a fur ball life at our home, from 6 Danes, 1 Chocolate Lab, 1 Sheltie, 3 Cats, Birds and then the critters it is never a dull moment, however when we have the time to just watch it is one of memories that we cherish....

Phoebe wonders "hey where has the sun gone?"

2009-03-23T17:15:00.001-07:00

Well it turned a little chilly here today, however with a little bribery with pop corn Phoebe stayed and posed for a while....

Phoebe stands 33" at the whithers and weighs 125lbs and will 1 year old on April 6Th..

Up, Up and Away.....

2009-03-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

One of Phoebe's favorite things to do in life is having one of her toys placed in a tree around 11 to 12' high, to where she will spring up and down till until she gets it, here are a few shots of her this morning.....

Phoebe nears one years of age

2009-03-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Phoebe is getting close to her 1st birthday on April the 6Th...

Bella Woo enjoying the new warmer season

2009-03-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Bella our oldest girl just loves being outside and lavishes in the new found warmth Spring is finally bringing to us......

Tobi

2009-03-20T12:36:00.001-07:00

Tobi's head taking an adult shape :-)

Thea

2009-03-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a Spring shot of our Thea studying a bird in the distance...

Phoebe & Monti "The Siblings"

2009-03-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

Even though they have the same parents, some repeat breeding's can throw totally different looking pups, however in this case, Monti has so many physical attributes that Phoebe has with the same loving tendencies to go with them....

Here is a few shots of them playing in the back yard together, the likeness is a joy for us....

Introducing Fall Hollow's Coat Of Arms V. Britusa

2009-03-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well here he is our "Monti"... Fall Hollow's Coat of Arms V. Britusa, what a great pup, his temperament is just amazing, we have never had a pup with such an amazing all round disposition... unlike Phoebe we decided to crop him, he has amazing angles and coloration to boot, bone structure of an elephant and the love of an angel.....

Spring Is Here....

2009-03-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

After a very cold and miserable winter we have ended up coming in to spring at long last, we had over 140" of snow tons of ice and wind chills of -40 degrees Fahrenheit..... We ended up getting a new member to our family; Monti came out of a repeat breeding and is to all purposes Phoebe's brother and he is just wonderful....

Phoebe now makes it into publishing

2008-11-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

Phoebe is now starting the fun packed road in to conformation, including the normal published picures, here is her first advertisement due to be shown shortly.....

Fall Stacking

2008-10-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well Jax and Shirley had fun today stacking the pups, it was only 40 degrees outside so everyone's teeth was chattering....

The Pups Are a Growing!

2008-10-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have had time enough to post, Both Tess and Phoebe are growing like weeds, they seem to be settling down to living at the new home too...

We have been trying to deal with moving home, going to the Nationals, which ended up being for a day instead of the week we had intended on it being, however good friends were met and new ones made.

It was wonderful meeting up with a dear friend Jan from Parthenon's Kennel, where our Athena came from. Here are a few pics of the pups as they have grown over the last few months....

Hectic Days

2008-08-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well the days seem to be passing and we just keep seemingly falling behind on all our want to do lists, Both Phoebe and Tess are just growing at a rate comparible with each other.... Haven't had too much time to be able to take pictures, however here are some from a few weeks back...

Athena is now a year old too

2008-07-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Thea...

Happy Birthday Tobi

2008-07-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Tobias has now turned one year's old today....

****

Britusa's Contessa V DeWitt's Court

2008-07-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Tess came home to us today, she is 11 weeks old on Monday and is very talkative, loves playing with Phoebe & tries to manipulate Tobi, Thea & Bella.....

Carla Rotunda from DeWitt's Court brought Tess to us in an amazing 3 day marathon, our sincere thanks goes to Carla, Tess is just a wonderful Natural Blue and brings to our home love and grace.... We have a fantastic pup & have gained a true friend from North Carolina...

Carla (DeWitt's Court) & Jackie lining the pups up.

(front to back) Thea, Sallie, Norma-Jean & Tobi

Tess & Phoebe at the watering hole...

Tess thinking "The frogs mine"...

Jax with newcomer Tess & Phoebe....

(from left to right) Tobi, Sallie (Dewitt), Phoebe, Norma-Jean (DeWitt), Thea & Tess

Independence Dane Day

2008-07-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Tobias lights up the sky.....

4Th of July 2008.......

2008-07-04T09:09:00.001-07:00

Phoebe is getting a sister her own age!

2008-07-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

Ssssh.... It's meant to be a secret......

Phoebe 12 Weeks Old

2008-07-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here ya go Janie.....

Thea starts to fill out as she comes up to 1 years old

2008-06-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Thea starts to take on a beautiful look as she gets ready to turn 1 year old

Phoebe The Leopard

2008-06-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

Fawn Great Danes Make Good Leopards Too....Don't Ya Know!

Tobi

2008-06-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

Thought I would just post this wonderful picture we have of our Tobi....

Britusa's Boarding Kennel Resort Begins....

2008-06-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation, planning & designing, the boarding kennel/resort finally begins; it is going to take months & months of dedication, hard work & I am sure much soul searching, hopefully we can have all the outside completed before the first snows in Fall. We are not to sure how long the entire project will take, all we do know is it will be an interesting venture.....

To learn more about the project go to

http://www.britusagreatdanes.com/Boarding%20Kennel%20Project.html

Father's Day Sun Tanning!

2008-06-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

What else is there to do on a wonderful sunny Father's Day..... Kick back & Relax

Thea, above & below......

Tobi, below.....

Abeygail & Bella, below......

Bella, Thea & Phoebe, below.....

Tobi, Bella & Thea, below......

Natural or cropped

2008-06-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

We were going to have Phoebe cropped, well that was the intention, after much deliberation we decided to keep her natural; this picture confirms my choice, so many Danes sadly are lost whilst having their ears cropped.

So why do we do it? Well mainly for vanity... in the USA it is thought to be the norm...... showing a natural is much harder than a cropped, with probably only 10% being natural..... In Europe cropping is banned, maybe eventually in the USA it will be the same one day, then and only then will judging be a more balanced art.....

Britusa's Phoebe hits a home run

2008-06-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Phoebe has settled in at home just wonderfully, she is only a fraction of the size to the rest of our Dane family, yet all ready thinks she is the boss of the crates..... she has warmed the hearts of all of us and our dearest of friends..

Thea & Tobi

2008-06-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Another head shot of our Tobi

2008-06-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

A weekend to remember

2008-06-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend was very memorable, it started with driving through the night amongst dreadful storms down through Indiana; they came to an end when we finally made it through Kentucky, we arrived around 6 am in Tennessee, Rob and Bel were there to greet us and by 10 am Phoebe was in my arms..... "Wow" she is a beauty, so much more than we could ever imagined.

I have for a long time wanted a fawn, I have seen many, yet only a few grabbed my attention, Phoebe seems to have all the points and looks I wished for...... We spent Saturday night in Columbus and started our trip home around 5 am Sunday morning. Around lunch time we met up with our good friends Phil & Jane in Indiana after passing through some incredible flooding. After a wonderful lunch and some puppy posing we made for home, we eventually pulled in our driveway around 8 PM...... It was a long drive, everyone was tired, yet the memories will last a life time...

Here is a group shot of all the guys hanging out at Fall Hollow; from left to right (front row), Tobi, Thea, Bella, (back row) Moonbeam, Merci & Ditto...

Phoebe Playing with her brother

2008-06-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

This picture shows Phoebe and her black brother Hoss....

You Either Got or You Don't!

2008-05-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

You Either Got or You Don't! Thea has it, she is starting to take on the look from her father BISS CH Longo's Miller Time AOM & Her Grandmother, BIS BISS Longo's Alana Fontana AOM HOF. She is just the ticket dressed in black.....

Tobi is nearly 1 yrs old...

2008-05-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

It is coming up a year now since we have had Tobi with us, his birthday comes early in July; when we will probably be at the International show in Lexington KY for his celebration, his b'day is the day before our Thea's 1st Birthday Too...

Britusa's As You Like It V Fall Hollow

2008-05-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

"Phoebe"

Well Phoebe has now turned 7 weeks old; we are going to bring her home finally this weekend from Tennessee when she turns 8 weeks, after all these days of waiting the time is approaching to bring her in to the fold.... She is the perfect addition to our already growing family.

Michigan Blossoms

2008-05-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

On the last day of the Apple Blossom show; Jackie put an RN on our Isabella (Harlequin) and Mackenzie took another 1st with Thea (Britusa's Athena V Parthenon CGC, 10 months old). All in all it was a wonderful show, we met old friends, made new and had success all round......

The Apple Blossom Show

2008-05-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well so far it has been a wonderful weekend. Our dear friends from Tennessee came up on Thursday with more arriving on the Friday from Indiana. It was just a delight to have 7 beautiful Danes romping around; 4 Blues, 1 Black, 1 Brindle and 1 Harlequin. Rob & Bel brought with them Merci, Moonbeam & Ditto whilst Phil & Jane arrived with Summer, then throw in Thea, Tobi & Bella, multiple chidren and a few other critters, what a recipe.

Mackenzie was Junior Handling on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, she recieved a 2nd, 3rd, and 1st place with Thea.... In time she will be binging them home in droves!

Chris Our Pup at 6 weeks!

2008-05-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Monteral Danes - Down Under!

2008-05-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

There Must be something happening with the Moon, here is yet another one of our friends with yet another beautiful cluster of fantastic pups..... If you want to get in touch with either Monteral Great Danes or Grateful Danes simply go the quick links...

Congratulations To Grateful Danes

2008-05-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well done Maya! Grateful Danes are now the proud parents of 7 new pups, 4 girls and 3 boys, we wish you all many congratulations on your wonderful success..

Owlwatch's Baur takes Best In Match first time out!

2008-05-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

Baur, a ten month old fawn male puppy, brother to our Glen who is now in Sweden went to a puppy match this evening, and took Best in Match his very first time in a show ring.

Baur takes Best In Match first time out!

English Great Dane Adoption

2008-05-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

.........for the strong paternal instincts of the Great Dane, who is as protective of her as he is his puppies.
Staff at the Secret World Animal Rescue Centre in Highbridge, Somerset, have been caring for Cindy since she was found close to death when she was days old.

This is a remarkable story and very typical of the Great Dane breed. For the complete story go to the Telegraph.co.uk

Inherited Vanity Continued

2008-05-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

I believe health issues are result of centuries of dog breeding. They are the result of at best ignorance or at worse "trade-offs", if you will, that people have made to obtain what they desire.

DCM for years was referred to as "sudden death". Only recently (the last few decades) have accurate diagnoses "called a duck, a duck". It is still only theory as to the genetic passing of DCM and best guessing is still utilized today to attempt to clear up lines that breeders have inadvertantly introduced DCM into. Modern medicine is currently working on identifying the genetic marker signifying that a dane is infected/carrier for DCM.

Cancer is the number one killer of danes as a whole. The problem is we have no real idea how it is passed to even begin to eliminate it. Of course there are gains being made for curing cancer, but we don't even have it figured out for humans yet.

I also applaud those that health test with the understanding it is a tool and does not guarantee results. Those that think it is the end all, be all are fooling themselves, in my opion. Two OFA excellent danes can and have produced dysplastic while two fairs have produced excellent. A dog may pass its CERF testing and its offspring have cataracts.

I hate to use use the term "fad" but especially the new crop of dane breeders are going after health like it is a fad. It is the thing to do, it is hip and trendy. In this case it is a good thing, do not get me wrong. Established breeders are health testing regularly now who may not have done so in the past. It is the nature of an american dog breeding community, especially danes, where peer pressure reigns supreme.

A century ago it was aggressive temperament that was the thing to fix. I will mention that, for the most part, the temperaments have been corrected to that of a loving, even doting, companion animal. It gives hope to this recent focus on correcting health issues.

Rob Dickens, Fall Hollow Great Danes

Our Pup is 5 Weeks Old

2008-05-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Inherited Vanity

2008-05-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Inherited Vanity

This article is in no way intended to offend or critique another person’s belief.

There is no doubt in my mind there are hundreds of people out there, worldwide to whom they would give up everything for their beloved Danes.

Yet the questions that keep coming to my mind are regarding, DCM, Cancer with intent frequencies, bloat and so much more, are they due to our present day vanities, or are they a product of past generations, decades or centuries ago?

Are we all just now becoming self aware truly about our Dane’s health toiling like crazy to rebuild the damage created by many years of incorrect wellbeing or have the problems always been there, is it due to modern science we are becoming alerted to the inherent dangers, has the internet, cell phone caused a shrinking in the world where upon knowledge is becoming more readily available finally to most?

Since the beginning of time, humans and their egos have tried to genetically create art, either for their own personal choices or for financial gain. We bred then re-bred, with a lets try this & let’s try that attitude, albeit with good intentions. Have we caused the damage to the Great Dane?

I for one applaud all those whom are vigorous on their health testing: understanding, in my opinion is a step in the right direction, because if we do not have researched lines with longevity and limited illness traces, how can we then with conviction pair up and breed. Do we breed too closely? Would it matter if we cross bred if all the testing was done and proved clear? Would we be better freezing produce at 2 years old from a stud and not use it until they were at least 5 years with proven medical records?

So many questions, with so many personal opinions, what would be considered correct?

I watch and play with my pups no matter how big they are, I think about human set standards of the breed and wonder, what does it really matter if they are a champion at this or at that or have created many champions in one arena or another if I am going to possibly lose them at a young age due DCM etc.

I truly do not think one person has all the answers, I know I do not, yet I wonder as a large collective of like minded people with an acute set of morals and principals shouldn’t we be able to a least have a pop at it?

There's something in the water

2008-05-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

There are many Great Danes in the world, however once in a while special breedings that are well thought out; giving strict attention to health, longevity and stature come about, Grateful Danes down in Georgia is just one of these rare cases. The pedigree is complete and accountable, the trick will be to actually get your hands on one. The pups are due to come on or around the 17th of May and with so many qualities screening will be severe, however if you are lucky you might just be a part of history in the making...

"Maya"

Int'l CH Xouxou vom Hause Wagner

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM),

2008-05-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Whilst we are on the path of health related issues, I want to bring to the attention of anyone reading this, that there is a group based around all issues relating to DCM.

In their own words "We are here to support those dealing with DCM. We are here to support the researchers striving to locate the genetic markers and mode of inheritance. We are here to discuss strategies for reducing the impact DCM has on our beloved breed."

So please, if you have a Great Dane or know someone who does; click on the link and be a part of a vital movement for the betterment of the breed... Thank-you

Parvo Virus Learn all you can

2008-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

This is a brief exert from AVMA.Org

Q:What is canine parvovirus type 2c?
A:Canine parvovirus type 2c is a variant, or strain, of canine parvovirus. It was first detected in Italy in 2000, and has also been reported in Western Europe, Asia, and South America. Outbreaks of canine parvovirus associated with CPV-2c in the United States were confirmed in 2006 and 2007.

Click on this link for full information; http://www.avma.org/animal_health/canine_parvovirus_faq.asp

Puppy News

2008-05-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hot off the paw press from Tennessee! Our new baby is coming on just beautifully, here you can see her at 4 weeks old, what a delight........

Web designers!

2008-05-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

Britusa Great Danes will be unveiling a new website in a week or so, In order to keep up with everyday issues we passed the torch to Fall Hollow Design . They specialize in all web creations; however their specialty is for the Dane enthusiast/breeder & stud alike.

They have created and published to many to list; so please feel free to visit their site and delight in their art Fall Hollow Design ;you will be given professional attention from design to finish, what makes the difference is they listen and do not rush you.

A Growing Family

2008-05-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

As Of June 1st we will be expanding our family, Phoebe will be joining us from Centerville Tennessee. She came from the perfect match between BISS Am/Can CH Cheshire's Tailor Made V. Longo X Intl Natl CH Wolke's Crowning Glory CGC

Phoebe