Girlfriends

When Serena first arrived here she was scared of men and just generally scared. She warmed up quickly. When Della first arrived here she was scared of men and not too sure about other dogs, with the notable exception of Serena. I don't know if it's because they were both girls, both Danes, or both Dane girls, or just because they were kindred spirits, but they've been fast friends from the very beginning. When Della got closer to her birthing day she became progressively testier with other dogs and they kept their distance from her, but again, Serena was the notable exception. When Della had her puppies she kept even Serena away from them, but as they got older, Serena was the one who was allowed to come closest to them, and eventually was allowed in with them.

Della the Indomitable, Ally of Serena, Mother of the
Dozen Danes, Midnight Slayer of Rabbits,
Canine Mother of the Year. Her list of titles grows.

The two Danish girls have a close relationship and it's good for both of them. Danes have a different play style than the shepherds so the shepherds don't get body slammed or bowled over so much when the Danish girls play with each other.

Della is a force of nature. She's outgoing, headstrong, and independent. She's also fiercely protective, of her pups of course, but also of home and her friends. The other day I had the Danish girls out in the pasture along with the shepherds. Theo is a serious ball dog, always has been. I had to stop using tennis balls with him because Serena eats them, but he has made the switch to carrying a large red jolly ball. One of them has a rope that goes through it. Serena has never been interested in a ball, but she does like to play tug. Theo was holding the ball in his mouth while Serena pulled on the rope.

Della saw what was going on and watched them for a moment. I could see what was going through her mind. She didn't care about the ball herself, but if Serena wanted it, Della was going to make sure she got it. She ran over to the pair playing tug and sort of bumped into Theo, not enough to knock him down, but enough to make him lose his grip on the ball. Serena ran off with her prize and Della followed. Yeah, she may be a bit of a bully, but she's a good ally. The moral of the story is that it's better to have Della as a friend than as a foe.

This is a giant Dane crate, but it was intended for one Great
Dane, not two. Della thinks it's big enough for two.

Theo with the big red ball and rope.

Serena follows Theo, eyeing the rope.

Serena grabs the rope and engages in a game of
tug. Della sees the action, Max heads away.

Della doesn't want to play, but she does want to influence
the outcome of the game. Smart money is on Della's choice.

Della observes and sizes up the situation.

I didn't catch the moment it happened, but Della slammed
into Theo, causing him to drop the ball, which Serena claimed.

Don't feel bad for Theo. Sweet Serena soon
lost interest in the ball and Theo was able to
reclaim it.

This is why you need more than one Great Dane.

Crate sharing is Della's idea, but Serena
tolerates it.

Sleeping positions may vary, but these two are always together and almost always touching.