ANKERS GREAT DANESA lifelong love for Gentle Giants
For us, dogs have never simply been pets. They are family, companions, personalities, bed-stealers and a very big part of our home.
From Saint Bernards to Great Danes
Our love for dogs goes back a long way. My wife and I both finished school in 1998, and that same year our journey with giant breeds began with beautiful Saint Bernards.
Over the years we bred many successful Saint Bernard puppies and were privileged to see them go to loving homes all over South Africa. Those dogs taught us what it means to live with a true gentle giant — the size, the character, the loyalty and the incredible bond they form with their family.
In 2019 we lost our last Saint Bernard. It was the end of a very special chapter in our lives, and for a while our home felt much too quiet.
Then came Lucy
In 2022 we decided it was time to open our home to another gentle giant — and that decision changed everything.
Lucy — our first Great Dane
We bought our first Great Dane puppy, Lucy, a beautiful black girl, from Aunty Hellen. From the moment she arrived we were hooked. What nobody really tells you is just how quickly these giants creep into your heart.
Thanos joins the family
Later that year we welcomed our first male, Thanos, a handsome mantle Great Dane. He brought his own personality, his own habits and, like every Dane, quickly decided who his person was.
Katara completes the Dane family
In 2023 we brought home Katara, our harlequin Great Dane. By then we knew there was no turning back. Each of our Danes has a completely different personality, and each seems to have chosen their own favourite human in the house.
Yes — they really are house dogs
People sometimes find it hard to believe, but our Great Danes live inside with us. They sleep on their own beds, and every now and then they decide that our beds look even better.
They can be the most relaxed, peaceful dogs in the world one minute — and complete destroyers the next. That is part of living with a Dane. They are huge, funny, sensitive, stubborn, loving and endlessly entertaining.
Our home is their home. We would not have it any other way.
Why training matters
One thing we learned very quickly is that puppy training is incredibly valuable with a Great Dane. They grow so fast and become so strong that it is much easier to teach good manners while they are still small enough to manage comfortably.
Basic obedience, leash manners, calm greetings and learning to listen around distractions make life better for both the dog and the family.
We strongly encourage new Great Dane owners to start training early and keep it positive, calm and consistent.
Our pack
Different personalities. Different favourites. One very full house.
Lucy
Black Great Dane
Our first Great Dane and the girl who started this new chapter for us in 2022.
Thanos
Mantle Great Dane
Our first male. Big personality, big presence and very much part of the family.
Katara
Harlequin Great Dane
Joined us in 2023 and added another completely unique Dane personality to the household.
Jessie
The real boss
My wife's Miniature Pinscher × Dachshund cross — our baby and, despite being the smallest dog in the house, unquestionably the king of it.
“We thought we were getting giant dogs. What we actually got were giant personalities that became part of our family.”
We will never look back. Ankers Great Danes is built around our love for these dogs and the hope that every puppy we raise gets the same opportunity to become a much-loved member of someone else's family.