Nova the gentle giant

By Grace Carter

Apr 3, 2024

**Great dane, greater fun:** Nova and Danielle Fox. Photo by Megan Fisher

At first glance, Nova may seem like your typical great dane, but spend a day with her and you’ll quickly realise she’s anything but.

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Yes, she’s enormous. But she’s super playful, active, cheeky, and loves running amuck.

Danielle Fox got Nova in December 2022, and it’s been a rollercoaster ever since.

“She acts like she’s about 10kg and not 70kg,” Miss Fox said.

“She’s still very much a puppy and loves to jump and play.”

**Big smile:** Nova loves to jump and have a play. Photo by Megan Fisher

Being the first great Dane Miss Fox has owned, she wasn’t sure what to expect with Nova.

“Because she’s such a big dog, I wasn’t expecting for her to be so keen on playing all the time,” she said.

“Hopefully when she gets a little bit older, she’ll chill out a little bit. But at the moment, she’s going through what they call the velociraptor stage.”

The velociraptor stage involves chewing, hyperactivity and excessive drooling.

But Nova is a very good, very obedient girl who has managed to pick up a few tricks when she wants to.

**Sitting pretty:** Nova’s equally playful and obedient. Photo by Megan Fisher

“If we’re trying to teach her a new trick or command or something, she picks it up almost instantly,” Miss Fox said.

“But sometimes she chooses not to listen, depending on how she’s feeling that day with her selected hearing.

“She’s probably the most intelligent dog I've ever had, but stubborn.”

**Ready, set, pounce:** Nova picks up tricks quickly. Photo by Megan Fisher

Of course, Nova has her favourite activities.

“She loves playing tug, she loves being chased, and having things she’s not supposed to,” she said.

“She found a roll of paper towel once, and she just knew she wasn’t allowed to have it, and she hid it.”

Miss Fox can only describe Nova as her “little house horse”.

“Great Danes are meant to be big couch potatoes, but she’s definitely a lot more playful and rambunctious. She’s also very affectionate and cuddly, but she loves to run around and play games and stuff in the garden,” she said.

“She loves to trample and eat bits of the garden. We’ve just accepted that we can’t really have a nice garden any more.

**Say cheese:** Nova’s grown out of her habit of eating grass from the garden. Photo by Megan Fisher

“When we first got her and she was just a baby, she used to come and bite grass and just run around with mouthfuls of grass, and that was like her favourite thing, because she knew it was a bit naughty.”

Nova eagerly greets new acquaintances with enthusiasm, often causing excessive drooling.

“She’s a people dog, she loves to be near you,” Miss Fox said.

“She loves attention. If we’re out walking her, she just wants everybody to give her a pat and say hi.”