The No Named Dane
For over 45 years he has greeted and bewildered Orlando travelers. To the locals who tend to have a love-hate relationship with their infamous mouse, he is an ominous presence ready to pluck unsuspected tourists from their cars. To truckers, he is a sigh of relief at the end of a long journey. Yet for someone of such distinguished character, he remains nameless. Standing 20 feet high from his pedestal, he is the greatest of Great Danes. A nameless wonder with a tireless stance molded from fiberglass and chicken wire, he seems the proudest of pooches peering out onto the open road as the town's most notable watchdog. Bill Doerr conceived the monstrous mongrel in 1955. Doerr sold Diamond T and Great Dane trailers. Like other independent businessmen at the time, he knew success did not come to those who walked around with their tail between their legs. In an era when more and more Americans were taking to the road, nothing said legitimate business and grabbed a potential consumer's attention quite like a massive animal fetish by a front door. Although Doerr's business was bought out by the Great Dane franchise in 1971, the dog stayed on. "I think he just liked that kind of dog," comments Red, a resident roadside historian who has been with the company since its beginnings. The "a-doerr-ed" dog has definitely earned best of breed over the years. His larger-than-life presence caught the eye of Hollywood, which has given him a walk-on part (well, sort of) on the big screen and he has been the subject of numerous newspaper articles. But it's a dog's life, even if you are fiberglass. Fame has its costs and it is a short fall from grace. The no named Dane found this out the hard way when he was not equipped to weather the storm and ended up taking a nose-dive to the tar top below him. It was not the first of such tragic episodes. In 1998 the mighty dog was once again local front-page news. Upon returning to work, employees at Great Dane found his beaten body on the ground. All four legs had been broken off. According to police reports it was a hit and run. The incident set off a wave of emotions in the trucking community. Appalled by the actions of one of their own; they began feeling greatly lost. "We got a lot of calls when he was down. They would say things like where you at? I don't see your dog." It was a sobering time but time heals all wounds and after some intense reconstructive plastic surgery, the dog was back on his feet. The town's spirit was once again lifted as a crane put him back in his place. "Yeah, that dog is a landmark all right. Don't know why he never got a name." So-called progress has a way of paving over the past on America's roadside. Yesteryear's giants become silenced, decrepit and forgotten. The Great Dane stands as a monument to the heydays of the highway and if you think he is going to back down easy, you are probably barking up the wrong flagpole. Update 4/02 Unconfirmed reports say the Dane has been gone for a walk and the trailer business is up for sale.
Great Dane |
