Groveland Twp.-Anita Dunne’s home is a former barn.
From the outside, the shape is recognizable. On the inside, there are wood walls and a high ceiling. No hay, just all the comforts of home? carpet, furniture, paintings. But when Dunne opens a bedroom door, animals that seem large enough to be related to horses come bounding out.
Three massive Great Danes’Alice, Easy and Pinky? live with Dunne. She owns several more that don’t live with her.
‘You can only keep so many on your bed,? she says, smiling. ‘They’re big. You can’t keep them all.?
Instead, Dunne co-owns Dundane Kennels with her friend Suzanne Jedynak and they breed Great Danes. She then makes the dogs champions in the show ring. Dunne also judges Great Danes.
Her love for the breed began in 1961 when Dunne, a native of England, was visiting Ireland with her husband. She saw a friend’s Great Dane and decided she wanted one. They bought a five-month-old Great Dane and brought the dog home on a ship.
While she was growing up, her father had always had Labrador Retrievers he showed. Dunne never showed her first Great Dane, but bought another as a show dog, made her a champion and bred her. It led to more than 40 years of showing and judging the breed.
To become a champion, a Great Dane must have 15 points, acquired by placing well in dog shows. As a judge and breeder of the dogs, Dunne looks for the dog’s standard? a nice top line (profile line from the neck to backside), a good head, and good croup (where the tail begins’it should be high).
To prepare dogs for the show ring, they are taken to confirmation class, where both the handler and dog are taught how to show’the proper gait, how to stand, how to move and how to stack (owner placement of the dog for optimum showing). Confirmation class also socializes the dog with other dogs. It is not an ‘obedience? class, Dunne says. She never teaches her dogs the ‘sit? command as that is not what a handler wants the dog to do in the ring, but they are taught ring manners and to not jump on the judge.
Dunne says her dogs are well-mannered. They appear so, not jumping on visitors, but nuzzling hands so they will be petted and laying on the floor at Dunne’s feet. She says they are spoiled.
Dunne feeds them ground chicken and turkey and pureed fruits and vegetables. They get about four cups of food per day and she makes most of it and freezes it. ‘We have more food for the dogs in the freezer than for us,? she laughs.
She notes that the breed is sweet and good with children despite their size. The size of Great Danes leads to their one downfall.
‘The unfortunate thing about Great Danes is they don’t live very long because they’re so big,? said Dunne, who adds that her dogs over the years have been healthy for the most part and some have even lived to be 10 or 12 years old.
Dunne and Jedynak breed Great Danes for about one litter per year. Puppies are sold for at least $1,000 per pup. She only breeds fawns and brindles, which refers to coat colors, because there is a better chance of getting good dogs, rather than breeding ‘harlequins? (multi-color Great Danes) for example. It disturbs her to see puppy mills and breeders who aren’t careful.
‘I hate the fact that there are so many people trying to make money breeding bad dogs irresponsibly,? she said. ‘Try to get a good breeder who has been doing it for a long time and belongs to a club. Good breeders will guarantee their dogs.?
Dunne says she’s not in it for the money, as she spends more money than she makes. She was a judge at the Great Dane Club of America Specialty Dog Show in Texas in October and recently returned from St. Louis, where one of her male Great Danes was being shown. She will travel to New Orleans this month to judge a show. She has judged in England and all over the United States and will go to New Zealand to judge a show in June. She also plans to go to India to judge, possibly next year. She has been to the Crufts Dog Show in England, which she described as ‘huge, incredible? with over 22,000 dogs. She has also been to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, but says she no longer shows dogs there because it is too crowded and too difficult, especially with big dogs.
‘They have to be crated,? she said. ‘It’s too much hassle and too political. Occasionally I go to watch. It’s fun.?
Over 40 years, Dunne and her dogs have done a lot of winning, she says. Currently, 13 of her dogs are being shown.
‘Showing and judging is part of my life,? Dunne says. ‘They’re such good company. It’s another world out of what you do everyday.?
For more information on Dundane Kennels, call (248) 627-2224 or visit their website at www.dundanekennels.com.