A Wife's Little White Lie Turns into a Giant Surprise for Her Husband (Videos)

(N.Morgan)  As any dog owner can tell you, it was love at first sight for the new furry family member.

But for this wife, getting the new puppy into the house would require a little subterfuge, since the house was small and her husband was not interested in a large dog.

So she announced the new member of the family was a terrier, cute as could be, and into their home he came. It was only a ‘white lie’ so her husband would have time to love him as much as she did already, but she knew they would soon be found out, because her beloved Yogi Bear would not be small for long since he was actually a Great Dane.

Meet Yogi Bear or Bear, as his family and friends call him. When Yogi was a pup, he was the tiny thing you see before you. Sue told her husband that they would be taking a “terrier” home. Since Robert wasn’t keen on having a big dog in the house, this would be just fine.

Fast forward nine years and what the Markhams have isn’t a little terrier, he’s really a much bigger breed. Yogi is a full-sized Boston Great Dane! These dogs are considerably larger than a Jack Russell terrier — much, much larger.

The picture below may appear to be photoshopped, but it isn’t: Yogi is one of the largest dogs in the UK!

To put this in perspective, a standing Yogi measures, from nose to tail, nearly 7 feet long, and wolfs down a whopping $175 dollars worth of food per month.

Yogi usually relaxes on his own two-seater couch and eats a hearty breakfast – scrambled eggs and sausage in addition to his regular dog food.

Despite his protective nature and massive size, it turns out he is nothing but a gentle giant.

“Last winter, an old female cat we call Toffee started coming in the house for warmth. She must have been about 10 years old, so quite old, like Yogi. We thought he wouldn’t be a fan, but instead he welcomed her onto his sofa and they often curl up and sleep together.”

Despite telling a little white lie, Robert wasn’t upset about Sue’s doggy motivated deception. He fell in love with Yogi early on and is overjoyed he’s a beloved member of their family.

So who is this lovely large breed dog, besides the model for the famous cartoon dog Scooby-Doo?

The Great Dane is one of the tallest dog breeds, developed in Germany for wild boar hunting. The record holder for the world’s tallest dog (according to Guinness World Records) is listed as a black Great Dane named Zeus, who measured 111.8 cm (44.0 in) from paw to shoulder. Zeus sadly died in September 2014 at the age of five.

The large size of the Great Dane, a short-haired breed, gives it a dignified, regal appearance, and the well-formed muscular body shows off the animal’s strength. They have great balance, helping them to never appear clumsy when in motion. They are born with down flopping ears, and the cropped ears (standing points) is achieved through surgery and implants.

Tall they may stand, but their friendly nature is as large as they are. Great Danes often display their affection to others, especially their owners. An acquired nickname for these large dogs is largest ‘lapdog’, because they strongly prefer to be sitting on or leaning against their owners whenever they can.

They tend to get along with all those they meet, including other dogs, non canine pets and humans they are familiar with. Be sure to socialize them from an early age, so the can become comfortable in new environments and situations. Their gentle nature makes the Great Dane great around children, needing only a little extra training of both parties.

There are a number of different coat colorations for the Great Dane.

Fawn and brindle

Fawn: The base body color is yellow gold with a black mask, where the black definitely appears on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears.

Brindle: The base body color is fawn, with the black an allover effect in a chevron stripe pattern, sometimes referred to as a stripe pattern.

Harlequin and black

Black: The base body color is a solid glossy black, with no other color or marking showing

Harlequin: The base body color is pure white, with black and torn patches irregularly and well distributed over the entire body; a pure white neck is preferred. The black patches should never be large enough to give the appearance of a blanket, nor so small as to give a stippled or dappled effect. Two other harlequin colorations include a few grey patches thrown among the mass of black patches, and where there are single black hairs showing throughout the white base body color, giving the Great Dane a salt and pepper look or what is sometimes called a dirty look.

Blue: The base body color is a pure steel blue, solid without any other color or marking showing.

Grey merle or blue merle (Grautiger): The base body color is grey, as the name suggests, with a wide mix of other shades and marking patterns.

Mantle: The base body color is a distinctive mix of black and white, with a solid black blanket extending over the body, covering the back and sides; the skull is black with a white muzzle, and can have a white blaze; look for a white collar along with a white chest, and areas of white on the forelegs and hind legs; finish with a white tip on an all black tail. This is the type of Great Dane who was the star of this article, and they are also call Boston Great Danes in some countries because of the similar coloration and pattern which is seen on the much smaller Boston Terrier.

There are still other color combinations which occur in Great Danes, all lovely and all loving just like any Great Dane, only not on the books as AKC approved colors.

There are many adoption organizations across the country who specialize in Great Danes, click Here to see list.

References:

SBoone

http://scribol.com/environment/animals-environment/couple-took-home-tiny-puppy-then-realized-wasnt-what-seemed/

http://honesttopaws.com/giant-terrier/

http://www.inspiremore.com/puppy-turns-giant-great-dane/

http://www.akc.org/content/entertainment/articles/tiny-puppy-meets-great-dane/?utm_source=akc.org&utm_medium=content-page&utm_campaign=right-side-bar-blueconic&utm_content=algo-1

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