Dane DispatchNov2017

Dane Dispatch – Marinda Havenga
I fell in love with Great Danes as a child. I always wanted one
and knew exactly where in the small towns I lived in the Danes
were, and would alter my bicycle route to school accordingly.
My first "almost Dane" was a black Dane x Bull Mastiff x Dane.
He looked a lot like a Dane.
I finally got my first registered Dane, a mantle merle girl from
Anna van Heerden, when my son was a baby and that was that. Shortly after that
my blues from Hazel Allsop and Gillian Webb followed, with the dream of breeding
blues. I had a kennel registered and all was set, the blues just had to mature and
be screened. But then life happened, circumstances changed and I no longer had
the means to breed properly. So I settled for keeping Danes and learning about
them.
Over the 18 years that passed since my first mantle merle girl, I studied Danes, their
colour genetics and breeding practices; a breeder at heart, but not in practice. I
kept in close contact with my mentor, Shannon McKay, and kept the love of the
Dane alive. Currently I live in Centurion with my husband, two kids, 5 dogs and four
cats. Three of the dogs are Danes, two Saxony girls and a Von Haewijon boy.
Committee Member -
Michelle Geldenhuys
My involvement in Great Danes started 9 years ago when I
acquired a Harlequin boy called Max. Since then our family
has grown and Max and I now share our home with three
fawn Great Danes; Merlot, Madison and Mae West as well
as a French Bulldog called Margot.
I am actively involved in Breed Shows and was fortunate
enough to be able to breed my first litter during July 2016.
I am very excited about the future of our noble breed.
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