About Us
"We started this program because we fell in love with a breed that deserved better than what we kept seeing."
Alvis Great Danes is a small preservation breeding program based in Basile, Louisiana. We are not a commercial kennel. We do not produce puppies on a schedule or to meet demand. We are a family that has spent years studying the Great Dane — its history, its health challenges, its breed standard — and building a program we believe in.
The Great Dane is a breed with a shortened lifespan, elevated rates of bloat and cardiomyopathy, and a history of structural compromise in the name of exaggeration. None of that is inevitable. It is the cumulative result of breeding decisions made without sufficient care. We are trying to be part of the solution — one litter at a time.
Our dogs live in our home. They sleep on our furniture, travel with us, and are part of every aspect of our daily life. That is the only way we know how to raise a Great Dane — and the only kind of home we will place one in.
Our Story
How We Got Here
The Beginning
Our first Great Dane joined the family not as a breeding prospect, but as a companion. That dog — Evelyn, a Black & Tan female of exceptional temperament — changed the way we understood the breed and set the standard against which we have measured every dog since. She still lives in our home today.
Building the Foundation
After years of research, mentorship from established breeders, and careful evaluation of bloodlines, we began assembling our foundation dogs. Each was selected for health, structure, and temperament — in that order.
First Litter
Our first planned litter was the result of two years of preparation. Every puppy was placed with a vetted family. We stayed in contact with all of them. Several of those families are still part of our community today.
Today
Alvis Great Danes is a small, intentional program based in Basile, Louisiana. We produce one to two litters per year, maintain a selective wait list, and offer stud service to outside females who meet our health standards. The work continues.
What Guides Us
What We Believe
The Breed Comes First
Every decision we make — which dogs to add to the program, which pairings to pursue, which families to place puppies with — is evaluated against one question: does this serve the long-term health and integrity of the Great Dane? Our preferences and convenience come second.
Honesty Over Sales
We will tell you when we do not have the right puppy for your family. We will tell you when a pairing did not go as planned. We will share health results that are less than ideal. We would rather lose a sale than place a dog in the wrong home or mislead a family about what they are getting.
Relationships, Not Transactions
We stay in contact with every family we place a puppy with. We want to know how the dogs are doing — at six months, at two years, at eight years. These dogs are our responsibility for their entire lives, and we take that seriously.
Continuous Improvement
We study pedigrees, attend seminars, consult with veterinary specialists, and evaluate our own dogs critically. We are not trying to preserve the status quo — we are trying to produce Great Danes that are healthier and sounder than the generation before them.
Based in Basile, Louisiana
Our dogs are raised in a home environment in Basile, Louisiana, with access to space, socialization, and the kind of daily life that produces confident, well-adjusted Great Danes. Puppies are whelped in our home, handled from birth, and exposed to a wide range of sounds, surfaces, and experiences before they go home with their families.
We welcome visits from prospective families. Meeting our dogs in person — seeing how they live, how they interact, and how they carry themselves — is the best way to understand what we are building. We encourage it.
We work with families throughout Louisiana and beyond. Distance is not a barrier to a good conversation — reach out and we will take it from there.
"The goal is not to produce the most Great Danes. It is to produce Great Danes that live longer, healthier, and more fully than the ones that came before."
We'd Love to Hear From You
Whether you are interested in a puppy, considering stud service, or simply want to learn more about the program — we welcome the conversation. There is no pressure and no commitment involved in reaching out.