In 1967 Steve and I were married. Steve got a wife and 3 Siamese cats. Within 6 months Steve wanted a dog. Since I was already teaching and he was still working on his degree, I offered to buy him a dog for his birthday. I only requested that it not be a small dog. Steve started searching the paper for a white shepherd. After a couple of weeks of no ads for white shepherds, he saw a black Great Dane on campus and changed his search. I can still remember arriving home from school and his excitement about finding his dog. A Great Dane ---- and my comment "Is it big?" We went that evening, checkbook in hand, to see about a puppy.

The stud dog immediately leaned into me holding me against the side of the trailer. The breeder walked by saying, "I see Duke likes you" and kept right on walking. Steve in the meantime had picked out his puppy.

He was named Baron. Steve took Baron to obedience and they became the best of friends.

A couple of months later I called the breeder and told her I wanted my own Dane, but I wanted a blue bitch.

Shortly after that I brought home my Misty Blue. We owner handled in some shows and people wanted to buy Baron, but there was no way Steve would have let him go.

Baron died at 18 months from kidney failure, Steve was so devastated he has never let himself get that attached to a Dane since. I however, was totally hooked.

We bought another black male, Gabriel, and Kennel Kappadane began. I have owned Danes of all 5 colors (before Mantle) but had no success in their breeding. Both harl bitches x-rayed dysplasic and our fawn bitch (Steve wanted to try a fawn) had a litter of one puppy. My only success' have come from my blues and black.

I find great pleasure in being able to look at the pedigrees of the dogs I have now and be able to trace Kappadane back to my original Misty Blue. I have had many special Danes in the last 30 plus years and I remember each with a tear in my eye.

I did it the hard way, starting with puppy mill puppies and each generation breeding to better and better dogs until I can say these are "my Kappadanes." I don't recommend others to take 30 years to breed their first champion, but I wouldn't have done it any other way.