State Dog

The Great Dane became the official State dog of Pennsylvania in 1965. The Great Dane represents both the great hunting and industrial parts of Pennsylvania. Size, strength, beauty, intelligence, tolerance, courage, faithfulness and trustworthiness exemplify Pennsylvania and the Great Dane. There is a famous portrait of William Penn with his Great Dane in the Governor’s Reception Room in Harrisburg PA. The Great Dane breed came from England just like William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. The Great Dane is a large, short-haired dog. This majestic dog was bred 1,000’s of years ago to hunt large animals. These dogs are tall and can weight up to 120 pounds.