Thank you for asking me to contribute to the Digest and to respond to the Breeder's Questionnaire. I appreciate the opportunity. My opinions are just that, my opinions, but they are based on an undying love of my breed, experience, a wonderful mentor, a lot of study, and the refusal to lower my standards. If any individual has the audacity to believe that I am having a "personal" go at them, think again, for no individual can destroy my breed without the help of many!!
Cheers, Deidre McRae.

When and why did you first become interested in the Great Dane?
I fell in love with Great Danes whilst in Europe during the early 1970's, and was so impressed with one particular dog lying on an old leather couch in an antique shop, that I promised myself, when I returned to Australia and was able, I would own one of those magnificent dogs. I was competing with horses in Europe at the time and it was not until 1978 that I started looking for a Great Dane in Australia. I bought my first Dane puppy at the beginning of 1979 and moved to the country. He was 6 weeks of age and I named him "Bogart", but he very quickly was known as "Aust. Ch. Myron Carl". He won Challenges and B.O.B. at Melbourne and other Royals, over 2000 Challenge points in total, heaps of Group and Show awards, (and in those days, Group 6 and 7 was one group), and was Dane of the Year 1982 - 1983, 1983 - 1984. I was thrown into the Winners Circle at the very beginning and I loved it. "Bogart" and I shared our lives together for almost 12 years! And I learnt very quickly that the dog world was far nastier than the horse world - if you had a winner!

How long before you decided to start breeding Great Danes?
10 years!!!! I showed 3 Great Danes before I chose the foundation bitch for my breeding programme. I watched the breed during all of that time and was dismayed at the problems that were continually occurring. Danes were dropping dead with Cardio, Bloat, unable to move due to Wobblers, OCD, etc. yet most were being bred from regardless. Coming from the horse world and the magnificent Warm Bloods in Europe in the 70's, I could not understand how this was allowed to happen to such a great dog. And the joke is - it still happens today!

I studied the breed endlessly and bought every book published and read and re-read them, over and over. I asked numerous questions, but people either did not, or could not, give me the answers. In hindsight, I realize now, that they simply did not understand the questions, let alone the answers. I started to study Genetics and that opened up another world for which I am still passionate. During this time I also made 5 trips to the U.S.A. and 2 to Scandinavia and one more to Europe. Unfortunately, too few in our breed are interested in the subject of Genetics in Australia, with the result that meaningful discussions and the sharing of actual knowledge does not take place often, (as opposed to rumour, innuendo and bitterness).

How long have you actually been breeding for?
My first litter was born in 1989, 11 years after my searching for, and 10 years after purchasing my first Great Dane. My foundation bitch was Aust. Ch. Merriwa Quiet Achiever and the sire was Aust. Ch. Airways Gremlin (Imp. Sweden). Both of these dogs were prolific winners and great specimens of the breed, but the difference, of course, was the recognition of dogs which were compatible! I drove to Qld. for my first mating as Steve and Lois Arrowsmith had imported the 2nd Airways dog into Australia. The first one was the magnificent Aust. Ch. Airways Adrian (Imp. Sweden), who arrived in Australia in the early 80's but unfortunately I did not have a suitable bitch at the time to be able to use Adrian.

Ulla Magnusson in Sweden became my mentor. It took many, many years for her to trust me enough to share her knowledge. She had bred magnificent Champions in the 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's and they were in Scandinavia, Europe, England, U.S.A. and eventually Australia. She had an absolute wealth of knowledge, yet very few people were privileged to spend time with this wonderful woman, let alone take lessons and learn. She took me under her wing and I will be forever grateful for all of her personal correspondence and the time I spent with her in her home. She did not suffer fools, saw through false praise, had no time for people who called themselves "breeders" just because they produced pups, and she was passionate about our breed - not just soundness in confirmation, but genetically sound as well. And I can say with pride, that I inherited those characteristics!!

It was almost another 5 years before my second litter. I went to Sweden for my second litter!! My first litter had produced 5 Champions, Specialty winners, Best In Show winners and Dane of the Year winners. So I had been in the Winners Circle consistently for nearly 15 YEARS before my 2nd litter!!!!!!!

My 2nd litter was from frozen semen that I imported from Sweden and in fact was the largest litter born at that time from imported semen - the grand total of 2 pups! Those two pups are the first Grand Champions in Victoria - the first male and the first female, are the ONLY Grand Champions from the original system, whereby points for Best of Breed (and points for all the dogs or bitches from the opposite sex were NOT counted), and their names were Australian Grand Champion Liebendane Baby Grand (A.I.) and Australian Grand Champion Liebendane Birth O Venus (A.I.).
They won every age group in Show at Specialties, from Minor Puppy to and including Best Exhibit, Royal Challenges in ever State entered and more All Breed Best In Show awards than any individual can claim! Not only that, their records will probably NEVER be broken! 1n 1994, "Birth O Venus" won Best Puppy In Show at Melbourne Royal, the only Great Dane to ever do so, and in 1999, her litter brother, "Baby Grand", at 6 years of age, won Best Exhibit In Show at Melbourne Royal, over an entry of nearly 7000 dogs, (this year there was less than 4000!!!), and although a previous Dane had won this elite event, Baby Grand is the only titled Dane and the only "Bred, Owned and Handled" Dane to be able to do so. That day was the best day of my life! I dedicated my win to Ulla Magnusson, who had passed away and the sad part was, that she never saw her teaching and wisdom come to fruition. It was Ulla who suggested the dog from whom I should import the semen. It was Ulla who arranged the breeder, owner, the Vet., transport, paperwork, etc. etc. for me. And the dog was the magnificent Multi Best In Show and Multi Best In Specialty Show winning, "International Swedish, and Norwegian Champion Grand Fawn's Hagbard". And it was Ulla who had a great deal to do with the breeding of that dog which is why he has never been reproduced!

So, 20 years after stepping into the ring with my first Great Dane, my dog and I won Best Exhibit In Show at the biggest Show in Australasia and the third biggest Show in the World (as advertised at the time), with a 6 year old Great Dane from my second litter!!!! And in those 20 years, I had also titled 19 Australian Champions, titled 2 Grand Champions, imported a puppy from Norway, had a second litter of 2, from "Hagbard's" frozen imported semen, and had titled the 1 puppy born from the imported dog, which was my 8th litter.

Why did you decide to breed specifically fawn dogs?
The first Dane that I saw was a fawn, the second was a brindle. The first litter that I viewed when looking to purchase a puppy was a black litter, but they looked mediocre to my untrained eye at the time. I knew myself well enough, from competing with horses, that I might become interested in showing a dog - but I also thought that dog exhibitors looked ridiculous with their antics in the ring - never guessing then, that I soon would see it as absolutely normal! The second litter that I viewed was also a black litter, but they were full of fox mange! It was after seeing several more litters that a cheeky fawn puppy hopped into my handbag, pulled out my packet of Kent cigarettes and proceeded to chew up my smokes! That was it! That was "Bogart". As a result, my interests were cemented into breeding fawns and later, brindles, and even to this day, I have no interest in introducing "coloureds" to my breeding programme! No, don't misquote me, it does not mean that I dislike "coloureds"!! In fact, the breeders who successfully breed a Harlequin, ought to be called martyrs, but I have not the strength nor the desire to suffer all the heart break.

Have you ever bred any other colour Dane?
Yes, brindles. I imported "Smooch", a brindle dog from Norway, as a puppy - Aust. Ch. Hotpoints Hidden Talent (Imp. Norway).

What is your prefix and how did you decide on it as your breed prefix?
LIEBENDANE. The Great Dane is the German National Dog and "Lieben" in German means "loyal, loving, affectionate". It is pronounced as in German - i.e. sounding like "leeben", not "lyben", the same as "Frieda" is written and is pronounced. Mind you, it was my 42nd choice!!!

What can you tell us about the critical genetic breeding of Danes (briefly)?
It is impossible to answer this question briefly! Genetics is a wonderful subject to study and I suggest that all breeders and handlers interested in this breed, start to read about the subject - no, not on the web - from authorities in the field who have published books. Dominant, Recessive, Lethal and what happens with each combination of these genes is a starter, for each characteristic of the dog! "Prepotent" ought to be understood also - then find the dogs that are!!!!!
In my opinion, you have to have the breed genetically sound on the inside before anything else, otherwise the breed will not survive -Danes are already living to less and less years of age. And who cares? Cardiomyopathy, in all of its genetic forms, Wobblers, Bloat, O.C.D., Un-united Anconeal Process, Monorchidism and Cryptorchidism, Hormonal imbalances and early sterility, to name a few, ought to be the first concern for the breed. Then the continual reproduction of genetic faults that you CAN see is another reason why the breed will continue to degenerate. And while so-called breeders and handlers alter these genetic faults with surgery and drugs (legal and/or illegal) so that their ego is satisfied in the Show Ring, then what hope is there?

When I used the imported dog, imported the frozen semen and then imported the puppy from Scandinavia, there was a Zero tolerance for H.D. The hip score HAD to be 0. Even that has now been relaxed, unfortunately, but thankfully AFTER the dogs that I chose to use!

So, we now have more Entropion and Ectropion being hidden in our breed due to surgery, plus major faults in characteristics and confirmation in our breed being seen so often that many think they are "normal" or "correct". Round eyes and therefore the incorrect head shape; light eyes and that glare and harsh expression; the absolute incorrect neck to wither placement, (I can not believe how few people even know what that means, yet it is crucial in the entire front assembly) with the resultant front being wrong

and the inability for the dog to move with ease, or at all! Then there are the 'no fronts', straight fronts, 'gothic arches', 'no depth of chest' etc. that continually reproduce themselves. "Once the front has gone, it's gone forever", a wise sage told me, and it is so true! And it is becoming the norm too, because people get used to seeing these chronic problems. Add the number of slab-sided dogs around now - even 5-10 years ago, most Danes had good spring of rib! How common is it to see excessively long Danes and the short front legs? It is being perpetuated over and over - and the "shortness in long bone" is being ignored, yet dominant genetically. So at the end of it, who cares about the croup, set-on of tail and whether it's gay, Afghan, or "just pleased to see you, darling"????

Where do you see the breed now?
Generally, in a pretty average place! There are only a few genuine breeders who really have the wellbeing of the breed at heart. It seems common that if you have a dog or bitch, then it must be bred, regardless. And if you dare suggest to the beloved owner, handler or breeder that "their" dog is reproducing and/or carrying Cardiomyopathy or any other hidden genetic defect, then you are accused of "hurting their feelings". Never mind about all the poor suckers who purchase their beloved puppy and go through the heart break of loss! Not enough people really care about the breed, instead they only care about their beloved 'Fido' and how he is the only perfect dog ever bred! (Ducking for cover now!!!) Hence the secrecy, untruths and hidden agendas that permeates, rather than the intelligent, unemotional and sharing of fact.

Where do you see the breed going?
Down hill, especially whilst there are no qualifications or study required to become a "breeder". Too often, when you do try to help people, they "turn" or use your assistance in a negative manner, and being from this country, losers can always rely on the tall-poppy syndrome. Then there is the ease of "buying off the Net", with no knowledge of the truth about the family tree. Pretty picture, nice emails, lovely people, reasonable price, seems to equal, more lethal genes being introduced!! Hello! Pipe dreams end in green dreams!

Where would you like to see the breed going?
Remove 'money, commercialism, and business' from the equation, make breeders keep all the progeny or give away as desexed only and you would eliminate all the backyarders, puppy mills, and those who continually breed genetically unsound dogs! In other words, if people could only breed for dogs that they had to keep, or have desexed and given away, how the quality of the breed would improve!!! Unfortunately, methinks this will not happen in my lifetime.
Also, I believe that people should have to serve an apprenticeship for a decade or so, with a reputable person who will take responsibility for the intended "breeder" and their name, as a breeder and mentor is on the line also! Hmmmm, that would stop a few more in their tracks, and save the perpetual flow of below average dogs finding their way to the gullible here and overseas! And D.N.A. profiling should be compulsory for EVERY aspect of the dog!! This will eventually happen I believe, but I doubt that I will still be around, unfortunately. It would stop the untruths, secrets, "It is not my dog" emotional rubbish, and it would allow breeders to select dogs who only carry genetically sound genes, (if there are any dogs left in our breed that do)!

In the meantime, what can be done?
Don't waste time trying to "breed out" problems, simply don't breed with those dogs. It is that simple!
Read the standard, learn the standard and understand the standard; go to Anatomy lectures run by the V.C.A. for all breeds and learn about dogs; buy books on Anatomy and the breed and read these until you really understand what they are saying; build a library of books instead of wasting so much time bad-mouthing people on private emails and yet being "ever so lovely" on public ones; learn about Nutrition - correct balanced nutrition from the experts in nutrition, rather than listen to those who have no idea, have had problems, or those who repeat old wives tales and have not progressed with the scientific studies, (no, not from all the unqualified "experts" on the Net). Finally, learn about proper Management and the appropriate environment suitable for this majestic breed.

What is the best thing about loving a Great Dane?
A Great Dane loving you back a thousand times more, regardless of your colour, breeding, beauty or temperament, because that is what Great Danes do! My Great Danes have never once let me down, but many times I feel that I have let them down. They have always been there for me - through the death of my partner in 1984 and the deaths and endless funerals of my family - they were there for me as I had to cope with the loss of everyone who I had trusted and loved, and they were with me as I buried each of my aged horses too. My Danes licked the tears as they rolled down my cheeks, smooched under my arms and hands to comfort me, sat starring at me and willed me to "mend" my broken heart and were always full of joy and happiness when I simply looked into their eyes. They waited with patience for me to heal after 2 Hip Replacements and encouraged me to walk and run again, and they have loved and cared for me throughout my Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiation and continuing daily Chemo drugs due to Cancer. No person could do half of what my Danes have done for me and as a result they are my reason for surviving! And that is the best thing about loving a Great Dane.