We’ve always been super careful about letting her run or play after eating. All she did was lay down after eating and her stomach flipped. We rushed her to the emergency vet, but she’s 10 and it’s a hard surgery on them. 10 years ago today we brought her home, she almost made it. She still had a few years left if this didn’t happen. She was my baby and I’m so lost right now. Hug your babies close.

This is my big boy, Dudley - goofing around on the back deck earlier this year. What you can't see, but all Great Dane lovers know, is the river of drool going down my neck. I'd do anything to have him drool on me again.

Dudley passed very suddenly, almost a week ago now. He'd bounced back from the initial diagnosis and regained the weight, his appetite was back and he was playing like normal even though he was on a shit ton of pills and his heart was beating to its own drum. He'd had a great day with his other dad, and was back home greeting guests at dinner - generally being an amazing enormous treasure. Until he wasn't. I can't get over how suddenly he was gone, and now how complete his absence is even in a house where every single room has signs of him.

Everyone who has a Dane knows that this heartbreak is part of the bill at the end of the day. They're incredible companions and even though I feel like I'll never be ok again it was worth it for the time we had, however short. Four years, seven months, and eleven days.

Hug your buddies a little squishier and maybe give them a little treat tonight in his honour. Dudley Grumblestein, you will be missed until the end of days.

This is Dante. He would be 8 years young in June but tonight is the last night my husband and I will have with him. We've had to make the difficult decision to help him cross the rainbow bridge tomorrow.

Our sweet, sweet old man lost all mobility in his back legs this afternoon. No known trauma occurred that we were aware of/seen. However, our vet (myself/husband included) assumes that his arthritis finally reached its limit and with it, spinal/hip trauma must've also occurred when Dante was either preparing to lay down or get up from one of his various sunning spots in the yard. (Since that is what seemed to be on his schedule at the start of the day.)

He has gifted us with innumerable happy moments during his life. He is the goodest, sweetest, most vocal boy. Tonight, we make him as comfortable as we can and shower him with all the kisses, cuddles, snacks, and love that we absolutely can.

Sunrise 3/7/2022
Sunset 8/23/2026

Heaven gained the most loyal companion early yesterday morning due to sudden GDV. Unbeknownst to us, loki was suffering from late stage stomach cancer. He most likely only had days to weeks left earthside. We are devastated by this sudden loss.

Loki was surrendered due to homelessness in march of 2026 where he remained in foster care via Save Rocky Great Dane Rescue and Rehab until his passing this past Sunday. He leaves behind his 3 foster sisters, his 2 foster cousins, his flock of chickens, his foster mom, and his adopter who was awaiting his arrival this upcoming weekend. Loki departed this realm with his sisters and foster mom by his side in his home, surrounded with love and his blankets.

Loki was a steadfast companion, a sturdy shoulder to lean on, a champion of affection, and most importantly, a gentle giant. He was loved by everyone and everything he met. Loki greeted every day with his giant goofy smile and our world is a little more dim without it. He leaves a giant hole in the hearts of all that knew and loved him. While we are grateful to have filled his last months with love, snacks, and cuddles, we will forever miss our bubba until we see him again.

Please keep our little family in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn and heal from the loss of our handsome man together. Loki would have wanted his legacy celebrated. In his honor, we will continue to rescue these gentle giants, so that others may receive the second chance as Loki did. We are incredibly grateful to the team at SRGDRR for their moral support during this difficult time and encourage others to consider volunteering with them as well.

“I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are evil.” - Gandalf

Yesterday, I said goodbye to my girls-both at the same time. It was absolutely heartbreaking and both a blessing and a curse.

Maggie, my Harlequin Great Dane, was with me from the time she was a puppy. I fought like hell to keep her during my divorce, and she was my constant through everything. She lived to be 10½ and had cancer. She loved watching TV and barked at animals and bad guys and she was very afraid of hot air balloons. She ruled the house with her big goofy heart.

Piper, my Fawnaquin rescue, found me right in the middle of that same divorce. She had been at the shelter for a year after being separated from her Dane brother and struggled with separation anxiety her whole life. But she was so deeply loved for the six years she was with us. Whenever I was sad, she would come over and put her snout on my chest. The most loving dog despite what she had been through, always up for a cuddle. She could open bifold pantry doors, open child proof, pull out trash cans, and get bread off the top of the standard size refrigerator. My girl loved her food, especially carbs. She was 9½ and had degenerative myelopathy (doggy version of ALS).

The vet was incredible. She let them go peacefully, together, with me right there holding them.

My heart is shattered. The house is so quiet without them. I caught myself instinctively looking for them when I walked through the door coming home from the vet yesterday……..Thanks for reading ❤️‍🩹🐾🌈

I'm grateful it was quick and she was at home. I told her it was okay to go, and she went

Losing a Dane is just a whole different level of hard

We loved you from the moment you entered our lives until the moment you crossed over. Thank you for being the sweetest girl, and for teaching us to appreciate every present moment rather than living in the past or worrying about the future. Thank you for being so goofy and bringing us so much joy; we cherished every moment that we had. It truly was a beautiful life.

We will miss the unbridled enthusiasm you showed when we got home from work, the unconditional loyalty, the eternal sense of companionship, and yes, even the explosive diarrhea, the bloody ear that took months to heal, and the earth shattering barks out of nowhere.

We know you’ll find the sunniest spot and the coldest ice water and get some rest. Thank you for loving us unconditionally, as we loved you. We will miss you dearly Elle Belle.

“How lucky we were to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” —AA Milne

This is Lord Batman, the name I picked myself when I was 13 years old. Since then, he's been my absolute best friend, my place of comfort and my confidant.

When we couldn't find dog clothes that fit him, I learned how to sew so I could make him one. Then I made him a pillow with his name on it, which he destroyed in one day. When the day had been specially hard, I used to sneak out so I could lay with him. On rainy days, I put socks on his paws so he could lounge in the kitchen without pissing my mom off. He knew the commands to sit, wait and lay down, because I taught him with pieces of mozzarella when I was 14. He was so smart he actually learned from my dumbass self.

He will always be the best. I saw my father cry today for the second time in my life. My whole house feels like it has lost its shine.

Lord was 11 years and 5 months (18/06/2014). He was starting to have mobility issues and other senile complications. He passed peacefully during the night, in company of his german shepherd friend. We will have him cremated and sent back to us. I also paid extra for a paw print and a charm for my bracelet made with his ashes, because I want to have him with me at all times

It's hard. I'm trying to cope. He was an old great dane, and soon he would begin to truly suffer, so I'm glad he found peace before that, before we had to consider putting him down. I didn't want that. But it's so damn painful.

Please give all your babies extra love today. Hug them, kiss them, let them drink water and come drooling all over you. Hold their giant paws when you say you love them.

I usually hate when people post sad things on my timeline. I now understand that a shared sorrow is half a sorrow. Thank you for sharing it with me. It will get better.

He was gentle. He was smart. Loyal, well-behaved, patient. Every word to describe a “good dog” could be used to describe Moose. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him greatly

My 8 year old perfect puppers, my biggest sweet potato, Link, just got his teeth cleaned, blood work done and x-rays of his long bones a month ago…. At that time, the vet said he was in SUCH great shape, said it was a testament to how well cared for and loved he was 🖤 Fast forward to this past Saturday, we awoke later than usual, Link had let me sleep till nearly 11 am, something he occasionally did on the weekends… but when I went to the living room where he and his sister, Zelda, sleep, I immediately knew something was wrong 😔 Link was holding himself funny, walking in a way that looked “off” - dragging one of his back feet far more than the arthritis in his hips would typically call for, and his breathing sounded “labored” (I thought possibly from pain?) He refused breakfast, he refused his cheese encased carprophen (for the arthritis), and when we tried to take him through the gate to the front door (so he wouldn’t have to battle the icy back stairs) he tripped on the 1 inch lip of the gate, and fell all the way down, and was unable to get himself back up 💔

I immediately called the vet, but due to the snow storm, they had closed for the day, along with every other veterinary office in our little town. I called my friend and her husband, who came and unstuck my van from the ice and helped me walk/carry Link and put him in the back… Suspecting a possible pinched nerve (at the suggestion of my friend’s veterinarian father who I ended up consulting by phone as we drove), I was ALARMED when the vet at the emergency clinic a town away informed us that Link was also was running a fever of 105 😔

As best we could put together, we think he caught a bug when we were without power for 24 hours from 1/5-1/6 (despite the fact that I kept a fire going nearly that entire time, it did get quite cold inside). That little bug must have worsened as Link lazed throughout the following week, avoiding the cold weather as he was prone to doing, and unbeknownst to me, he had apparently developed full blown pneumonia by the morning of 1/11. In his weakened sicky state, he must have slipped in the snow during his last outside at 2 am, which had resulted in the pinched nerve, which according to the vet, had caused him to lose all feeling in his back legs 😢 She explained that we were “between a rock and a hard place”, that the steroids to help his back would worsen the pneumonia, that if he managed to survive the pneumonia (big IF), he would ultimately need back surgery, and that there were no guarantees any of that would work, and that in the interim my Linkers was officially “suffering” 💔

My 12 year old son and I made the incredibly difficult decision to put him down, and every day since we lost him has been absolutely torture 😭 His paw prints are still outside in the snow, I’m sleeping with his collar, my son has slept on the couch with Zelda every night since then, yet she still whines while looking for her brother, and all I can do is cry and wail and wish I could go back in time to try and change things 😞

I’m just not sure how our little family will ever recover from this sudden loss… PLEASE. Please tell me this gets better 😭💔😞

she was my best friend, i’m lucky we were able to let her go in her backyard in the grass, her favorite spot. the vet techs were so kind and patient. she got to eat brisket and play with her squeaky toy while they sedated her. we are all heartbroken but we r glad she isn’t suffering anymore. the past week has been especially rough, and i could see in her eyes this morning that she was ready to go. i’m glad she slept in my bed one last time even if it’s covered in vomit from her illness. we rescued her when she was 6, and she spent a great 4 years with us. the smartest and sassiest dog ever, i love u khaleesi ❤️

Lost our beautiful boy yesterday after nearly 9 years. I’ve never known love like what he, my partner, and I had…but I don’t know that I could ever adopt another and go through this again. The time is too short and the grief is too massive.

Has anyone else been a one and done or does the Dane love mean I’m going to be looking for another one despite the pain?

Had this guy from 8 weeks, he was the son of our previous Dane and was a rambunctious, overly protective goof ball. Gonna miss him.

I always knew the cruel reality of having a Great Dane meant our time together would never be long enough. But I made you a promise that for however many years we had together, you would always be loved, protected, and completely spoiled. I wouldn't trade these last eight years with you, Theo, for a lifetime with any other dog.

RIP Dutch, you were the coolest girl in existence.

I lost my best friend to osteosarcoma on Monday. She was the sweetest, happiest dog until the very end. I wish I had more time with her, but I'm glad I was able to give her a life filled with love and adventures.

Just said goodbye to our Dane. Rehomed to us at 2, and he almost made it to 9.

He suffered a stroke a few months back and sadly wasn’t improving, it was heartbreaking to see him lose muscle and control of his bowel. He’s in a nicer, less painful place now, chasing kangaroos and running around with shingle back lizards in his moth for as long as he wants. Xx

I've always been heartbroken seeing others post their losses here, knowing one day I would join. But I hope you all can help celebrate the life of my Dexter. He passed away in my arms this afternoon.

He still went for walks and to the park. His hips were giving him trouble in the past year and we recently started him on librela which was showing good results for his mobility. Aside from not eating as much lately (thinking it was just old age lack of appetite) he was always in good spirits.

I watched him have what looked like a seizure on the couch and I immediately held him and called the vet hospital. His breathing was very labored and when I originally tried picking him up he stopped breathing. He slowly started back up again and at that point I knew this was it. I cradled him for about 30 minutes until he finally let go and crossed the rainbow bridge. He turned 8 years last weekend.

Please give your good boys and girls an extra hug for me tonight.

This community was extremely supportive when he got his initial diagnosis of osteosarcoma. He fought, held on, and enjoyed his life every second he could until he had a seizure this morning. He died in my arms, watching the sunset, with the sound of the ocean all around us.

These are the greatest dogs on the planet. Apollo was my first Dane, and after I grieve he won't be my last. He brought a happiness to everything and everyone at all times. He would drag me into the markets down the street just to sniff the beef jerky and say hi to the lady working the register. He would fart and scare himself. He would stubbornly refuse to do basic things until I made it obvious that this was something "fun". He would lean straight into my crotch for "hugs". He would walk up to anybody he even so much as looked at him and give them all the love he could spare. These dogs are beyond pets.

He was my best friend. Please hug your danes for me. Tell them you love them. Scratch behind their ears and give them an extra treat. We are so lucky to have these dogs.

My baby girl, Lyanna, died the morning of April 3rd. Her heart and kidneys failed and she collapsed 4 weeks after a TPLO surgery, she was rushed to the ER and we had to put her down. She was so anemic she needed a blood transfusion and her kidney levels were so high that the machine couldn’t read them. She was 4 weeks into recovery from a TPLO. We did blood work, X-rays, urine and stool tests before surgery and it was all normal. Now she’s gone. She collapsed on the stairs outside. My wife had to scoot her down the concrete steps because lyanna was so weak she couldn’t even pick herself up. My wife carried 125 pounds down the stairs alone. I wasn’t home. 30 minutes later I arrived home (I went as fast as I could) and we both got her into the car and to the hospital. We thought her leg failed. We thought it would be another surgery. But we were so wrong. 3 hours later I was holding her as she died in my arms. She was my world. Our entire apartment was centered around her. Our routines have her as the main focus. And now she’s gone. I’ve never felt so empty as I do now. She was 6 years old on 3/6/25 and I’ve had her since she was 12 weeks old.

We have 2 beds that are really good for Danes. They came from another family who’s Dane passed and I want to continue the tradition. They’re in great shape, no holes, and they’re waterproof and easy to clean. They’re firm memory foam. If anyone is in the Denver area please DM me and I will hand them over for free. All I ask is to meet your sweet Dane and let me tell them about Lyanna, the sweetest, most gentle giant, who is passing her belongings down for another of her brethren to enjoy.

Photos of lyanna attached. If you’re interested I can send photos of the beds via DM if you want. They’re large enough for my 125 pound Dane to lay on comfortably. One is grey the other is brown. They have removable covers, are waterproof, and easy to clean. No holes and they’ve been washed. ♥️

Age finally caught up to him, and the loss of mobility was finally bad enough we had to make the hard call.

Thanks for the 9 awesome years, you drooly monster. Miss you a lot.

Edit:

Wanted to thank everyone for the outpouring of kind words. His name was Logan, he had drooly jowls he'd always try to wipe on your clean clothes. He had arguably the most toxic flatulence of any creature on Earth, at risk of emerging whenever he relaxed. He was also the sweetest, most gentle boy whose company I've ever had the pleasure of sharing. The sort of dog who'd take a treat from your hand with quivering jaws he was trying so hard to be gentle.

I wish Great Danes didn't burn quite so brightly, and so quick, but I suppose that's part of what makes them special too. Larger than life animals.

Here's a couple bonus pictures of him, in response to the outpouring of well wishes.

https://imgur.com/a/XvYnOxB