I was at a crowded open flea market. Somemone was walking a great dane, it was amazing how everything stopped because people wanted to see this giant dog. I have to admit there is something majestic about that breed.

I was thinking of getting a GD at one time. However, I've been told by several owners that for all their size they're thick as pig s**t and totally useless as guard dogs, disregarding their obvious presence.

A breeder of Great Danes that was a long time friend who has since passed on would have argued your statement.
Her Danes would alert her to anyone that pulled into her driveway and I dared not get out of my truck to approach her home until she came out of the house. Once she said it was "OK"..I could get out, walk to her house and be "welcomed" by her dogs.

As nearly all dogs of the mastiftype, the great dane exist only as a showdog today, they are not breed for function like they once was. Recently I saw some pictures of great danes dating back to the 1870s, then it was called the german mastiff and was used for boarhunts and as guarddogs. Truly impressive dogs, awesome looking dogs weighting about 120-160 pounds but still agile and athletic. It´s something speciall with the mastifftype dogs, no dog in history had the courage and power that these dogs had when they was used as war and huntingdogs a long time ago. To bad that the mastiff dogs of today have lost their originall qualities. I guess this happens when this kind of dogs don´t have a function in our modern world.

I personally saw a great dane in Tel Aviv about 12 months ago that did great man work and had seen action in Judea and Samaria with the army. The dog had also been trainned in S&R and had actually worked in Turkey during the aftermath of a earthquake there several years ago where it saved a young girls life by locating her burried in a collapsed house. The dog was working there along with its handler as part of a IDF team sent by Israel to assit the Turks after the quake.
I seem to remember the owner telling me he imported the dog as a pup from Austria into Israel. He also stated that it is illegal to train Danes for Schutzhund in Austria and Germany. Does anyone else know about this?.
We have a bullmastiff dane cross at home which kills kangaroos with great ease and pleasure. Weve actually seen her crush kangaroos throats, her face is covered by scars from the other ones shes fought and killed. Weve tried to stop her killing them but its a waste of time. Danes are a popular cross with wolf hounds, grey hounds and various terriers in this country to produce boar, goat, kangaroo hunting dogs.
Despite the efforts of these wretched show breeders there still some of the mastiff breeds around that have a bit of fighting spirit and do more than just lay around and fart all day.