November 4, 2002 – The Great Dane Club of America (GDCA) states there are six acceptable coats in the Great Dane: fawn, brindle, black, blue, harlequin and mantle. A surprising new color, initially thought to be a phenotype variant of the brindle, was recently discovered on a remote tropical island off the coast of Madagascar. Upon further study, it was determined that this rare coat type breeds true and might therefore be considered a legitimate new color pattern for the breed.

The Great Dane fancy is in an uproar over this news. First to protest were the harlequin breeders. They feel strongly that harlequins should be the only spotty bodies. The brindle breeders also complained, saying they should have the only jungle-cat pattern. Performance enthusiasts are, by contrast, embracing the color. They feel the cheetah Dane should perform exceedingly well in agility trials – although it is not expected to do well in obedience. Clearly, this controversy will not end any time soon. It's anyone's guess when – or even if – the Cheetah Dane will brought to the United States. Stay tuned.

(Note: Cheetah Dane t-shirts and sweatshirts are now available at www.dogware.com.)


On the road again...
I've been back from the GDCA National Specialty for only two weeks, and I find myself preparing for more travel. I'm leaving this Saturday for a short trip to Germany by way of France. My initial plan was to simply accompany my husband on a week-long business trip to Hamburg. I then learned that the Euro Dog 2002 Show is being held in Paris. This is a HUGE show with over 11,000 entries from all over Europe. Thanks to Air France, I was able to juggle my flight and arrange a two day stopover. I am bringing along my camera, of course, in hopes of getting lots of shots of European-style Danes. Anyone reading this who will be exhibiting at the show, please drop me a line. Maybe we can get together.