Despite its name, the Great Dane is not Danish in origin. It descends from mastiff-like dogs that were bred by German nobility to protect country estates and hunt wild boar.

When Danes are born, they are only one or two pounds, but after just six months they can weigh more than 100 lbs.

A Great Dane from the UK named Freddy holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's tallest dog. Described as a "gentle giant," this mammoth dog was a towering 7-foot-6 when he stood on his hind legs.

The Great Dane is known as Dogue Allemand in France, which translates as "German mastiff." (The French standard term for "dog" is chien--the term dogue is only used for dogs of the mastiff type.)

Just Nuisance was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane who between 1939 and 1944 served at HMS Afrikander, a Royal Navy shore establishment in Simon's Town, South Africa. He died in 1944 at the age of seven years and was buried with full military honors.

Great Danes were once thought to ward away ghosts and evil spirits, which makes Scooby the perfect companion for those meddling kids. However, production designer Iwao Takamoto designed Scooby with a sloping chin, spots, a long tail, a sloped back, and bow legs--all traits in direct opposition to those of a prize-winning purebred Great Dane.

The Great Dane was named the state dog of Pennsylvania in 1965 because it was introduced by early settlers in the state to be used as a hunting and working dog. It was chosen over the Beagle, which was also proposed around the same time.

In April 1941, incendiary bombs were being dropped across Britain as part of a German bombing campaign known as The Blitz. When one such bomb fell through the roof of a house where Juliana the Great Dane lived, she stood over the bomb and urinated on it, extinguishing the fire and preventing it from spreading. She was awarded a Blue Cross medal for her actions.

In addition Franklin D. Roosevelt's own pets, the White House was often the temporary home for the pets of his grown children. For example, Franklin Jr. left his Great Dane, named President, at the White House during the holiday season of 1937. The huge dog's visit prompted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to write in her journal: "I find that grandparents are very useful, not only to take over children when their parents feel the need of a change, but to give a home to the dogs which may be temporarily homeless."

Disney's The Ugly Dachshund (1966) tells the story of Brutus, a Great Dane who believes he is a dachshund.