[Mari]

Here are piccies of my new little girl (she's the harlequin on the right in the first pic)! I've been waiting over 18 months for this little girl! She's about 24 hours old in the pics. I get to pick her up in mid October when I go down to Tennessee for our National Great Dane Specialty show. This is a niece to my Mantle boy and if all goes well in a couple of years, we will be doing a very exciting line breeding! I just love harlequin Great Dane pups with their little pink noses. Remind me of piglets! lol

UPDATED PICS:

My baby at 6 days (she just turned 1 week today! ) I'm so stoked!

Whole litter at 6 days (my baby is the spotty on the left (the bigger spotty on the right is the only other harle, a brother)

Mom of babies Ch DaVinci's Leather and Lace CGC (full litter sister to my Mantle show boy, Erik):

I haven't had a chance to get any pics of my other Danes on here, but I have a piccie of Dad to my new girl:

I'll try to get some other pics of my guys soon, I promise!

**AND MORE UPDATED PICS!

And.........our eyes are open now! Sept 15th..we're 3 weeks old! It really does go by sooo fast, even though I thought it was going to be forever until I could bring her home!!

Evie at 2 weeks

Evie at 3 weeks sitting cute-looks like she's smiling to me!

and stacked (as well as a 3 week old pup will stack yet! )

 

[SarahC]

they really are something,congratulations.

 

[Rowangate]

I bet you can't wait till October Hope your breeding plans are a success.

 

[Mari]

Thanks Sarah and Rowangate! No, I can't wait till Octoober! lol I really just can't wait to meet her in person! I am hoping to try to make a trip down to her breeder's before that, but it's at least a 10-12 hour drive, so I might not be able to before then.

 

[Hellan]

awwww how adorable !! congratulations,i bet october can't come soon enough.

 

[julieszoo]

Aww, so cute Will she have a show career before you breed her?

 

[Mari]

Thank you everyone!
Yes, Julie, I am hoping for a successful show career in conformation before breeding! Obviously barring any major fault in the future that pops up (regarding showing and breeding). I also health test for hips, elbows, heart, eyes, and thyroid before breeding. Her mom is an AKC Champion and her dad is pointed and working on his championship. I
can't wait! I have already bought her white show leads and collars and her 'everyday' puppy collar and leash and a coat for the winter! :lol: She won't be spoiled at all! :roll: Just like my 5 others..... lol

 

[julieszoo]

You have 5 danes! Where are the pics - LOL!!

 

[Velvet_Meece]

I agree! pictures please :mrgreen:

 

[Mari]

Hmmm...thought I had pics on my laptop, but I guess I don't. I'm a bad dog Mom! I will get some and post soon!

 

[Mari]

Actually, a quick way to show you some of my Dane kids......

Here's a link from Erik's (my Mantle show boy) breeder's site.

http://www.geocities.com/davincidanes/erikpage.html

It's his page so all of the dogs on it are mine except for his sister (Lacee-Mom to my new puppy! ) at the bottom right with him when they were 7 1/2 months. The harlequin, boy, Loki (my baby) with Erik is on the top of our stairs, their fave place to 'lookout'. lol And the 3 Danes in the front window are in our living room watching Shawn while he's snowblowing. lol They thought it was quite interesting!

I'll update with more when I can get them, but this is a start!

 

[SarahC]

They are fabulous.I bet you know of the striking dogs on the Lady Ga Ga videos.She's not my cup of tea but the dogs are very nice.

 

[Rowangate]

wonderful photo's, they must keep you very busy.

 

[SarahY]

Eric is a very handsome boy

Sarah xxx

 

[julieszoo]

They are stunning dogs I just wish your breed standards in the US did not call for cropped ears

 

[Mari]

Thank you everyone. Sarah, I am familiar with the vidoes. It's Dolce Danes that they are using. I was very excited to see them as Harlequins are usually the last Dane color you see anywhere when you actually see them. It's usually the Fawns.

Alas, Julie, they do need to be cropped to do well in the ring here. It is now legal to show natural-eared, but as with most things, there are politics. And we already have the deck stacked against us in the ring most of the time with the spotted guys, anyway!

They do keep me very busy. I love them, though! They are my 'velcro dogs'. They are attached to me wherever I go. I try and use the bathroon or take a shower and I have them lined up out the door! :lol: It's a competition to see who can get the closest to Mom. Whether it be lying next to the tub or.....popping in the shower with me! :lol: It makes for a nice surprise! My Harlequin boy, Loki, is notorious for that. Would shower with me every time if I let him! Silly boy! :roll:

I must say, though, that even though these guys are big babies and good with kids, most of the lot are certified Therapy Dogs, and all, that they are protective. Shawn works 70-80 hours a week most weeks. I never feel unsafe home alone!

I also am involved in rescue. 2 of the Danes in my house right now are fosters. Julie, you will be happy to know that I do not crop these guys like some, as there is not need.

 

[SarahC]

forgive my ignorance here but is harlequin genetically the same/similar to merle.I've always had some interest as I particularly like blue eyed dogs and am therefore attracted to these colours.I've had a blue eyed french bulldog(a fault)and would love another but suppose I will never come across one.Also don't you have merle mice over there :mrgreen:and I wonder if these might produce mice with blue eyes and :mrgreen:

 

[SarahC]

I have pondered some more whilst doing the domestic drudgery.We have harlequin rabbits which to me look similar to brindle mice,I wonder what the significance of colour names are.Is it the physical appearance or genetic :?:

 

[julieszoo]

Just imagining trying to share a shower with one of more of your guys Mari, would have to be a huuuuge shower

It is interesting the way colours are named, there are merle rats in the US, the merle dog colour looks most like mismarked roan cavies here, and a lot of rabbit colours have blue eyes. I bet it would be a nightmare standardising colour names against their genetics!

 

[Mari]

Sarah, Merle and Harlequin are hand in hand in Danes. Harls (Mm), carry only one copy of the Merle gene and Merles (MM), carry two. Harlequin litters almost always consist of Harls, Merles, Mantles, Blacks, and mismarks thereof. It's always a crapshoot, but I think it's exciting. You never know what you're going to get. It's like Christmas Morning when the littler whelps and they're coming out...."Oh, harl bitch! Next is Mantle dog!" It's tough, but rewarding!

I'm honestly not sure where the name 'harlequin' originated for this color in Danes. I am familiar with the fact that there are Harlequin rabbits, etc. Not sure where/why this comes into play? That's an interesting question and I have thought about it before, as well.

OMG, Julie! I couldn't imagine having to do that! That said, it would make the breeding world a much simpler one, no?

ETA: an interesting tidbit: all genetic harlequins have at least 1 small patch of merle on them somewhere. Sometimes that's the only way to tell what some mismarks are.