Norman is a Dane-mix. He is really good with children is really pretty calm in the house. He actually LOVES children…he seems drawn to them and bonds very quickly with kids. He is in a foster home with 5 other dogs and is great with all of them. Her also lives with a cat but from time to time likes to chase the cat…so a dog savvy cat that can stay out of his way would be fine. He doesn’t appear to be aggressive to the cat…just REALLY wants to play! He knows basic commands…is house trained and trustworthy out in the house without having to be crated. Although….if preferred…he is also crate trained and fine in a crate. He rides great in the car and loves to go for rides. Norman is a very affectionate boy and would make a great running or walking partner. He does need an owner that is confident and will make Norman that he doesn’t need to be in charge.

Josie is extremely gentle and very sweet! She is very shy when she meets new people we are working on building confidence in her foster home and she has come a long way in a short time. Josie is about a year old and was rescued from a high kill shelter so we dont know a lot about her past, but suspect she has not always been treated right by people. Although she is shy, so has absolutely NO aggressive tendencies and is not an alpha. She is very thin but eats hungrily, so we expect her to gain weight fairly quickly.

Josies foster home includes her foster mom, three children (ages 3, 5, and 17), another Great Dane, a lab mix, and two Chihuahuas. She is excellent with the whole household it just takes her a bit of time to get over her fear of new people.

Josie is a smart girl. She has very good house manners and does not chew anything or take anything off the counters or table, even though she could easily reach them if she wanted to. She stays close to her foster mom most of the time but can already be trusted unsupervised in the house. Her foster home has a doggie door and a fenced in backyard – she learned how to use the doggie door very quickly and lets herself in and out to go potty. We hesitate to say she is housebroken, because in a home without a doggie door she would need to learn how to let her people know she has to go outside. Josie has been spayed and is up to date on shots.

Josie would be a great fit for anyone who will continue to teach her that she can trust humans. Because of her sweet and gentle nature, she does very well with kids of every age and other dogs of all sizes (she has not been tested with cats yet because there are no cats in her foster home). Her fear of new people is the only flaw that can be noted, and that is the fault of PEOPLE and her past experiences with them. She flinches when a new person tries to pet her and keeps her tail between her legs when she is afraid. She is making strides with her confidence, and is finally learning that human hands can mean love and not just hurt.

Zuko is a 33 pound, 14 week old puppy, and our best guess is that he is either a Dane mix or Lab mix.  Whatever he is, you couldn’t ask for a sweeter puppy!  He is a very laid-back, yet playful boy who is always eager to please.  He is crate trained, and yes, already house trained.
He loves to go for walks and go for car rides.  This cutey also loves people, dogs and even small children and is very gentle with everyone.  Zuko doesn’t play-bite much at all, which is awesome for a puppy.  He loves to snuggle and give kisses.

Zuko has demodectic mange, and is currently being treated. You can see in his pictures that it has caused some hair loss, mostly on his head, but it will grow back very soon!  As soon as that clears and he is neutered, he will be ready for his forever home.  He is an awesome puppy that would be GREAT with a family with another dog or babies and small children.

Paisley is a 3 year old merle girl, and she’s a love! She is a very chill girl. She is great with children of all ages, even in chaos. Paisley is fine with all other dogs and came from a home with a small dog. Cats are an unknown. She loves walks with her foster fur sister and will do about anything to hop in the car for a ride. She is a little loud when someone knocks on the door, but she is all bark and no bite. She is house trained, crate trained and has basic manners but needs a little refresher course. She loves sitting at your feet when you watch TV and to have her ears scratched. Paisley will be a fantastic family dog or only child pet for her future furever home. She’s awesome!

Chesney is a 1 1/2 – 2 yr old female Dane. She was an owner surrender to us because they just didn’t have time for her anymore. She loves to play and is very sweet. She is shy at first meeting new people but warms up quickly. She seems to be more at ease with females but is fine with men after slow introductions. She is house and crate trained and good with other dogs and kids.

More info on her to come as we get to know this beauty better!

Handsome Kane is about a year and a half old and came to rescue because he was hit by a car and his previous owners didn’t want to mend his broken leg with surgery, so they told the vet he was taken to to either euthanize him or find him a new home. Since he’s been with Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love, he’s had the surgery he needed to repair his femur, and he’s healing beautifully. It’s been several weeks, and each vet check has looked great. Kane will be ready to go to his forever home very soon!

He really is a wonderful, sweet Dane! Check back for updates!

Lobo is a playful Dane mix puppy, and she’s ready for her forever home! She came to rescue along with her mother and her six sisters when they were just seven weeks old and very emaciated. Now, she’s 4.5 months old, spayed, healthy as can be, and beautiful on top of it!

Cleopatra and her brother came into rescue together. In their prior home, they had been starved and were both severely emaciated. Cleo has quickly gained weight and is now feeling much better!!! She currently lives with three adult male Great Danes, a female Lab mix, and a cat. She is finally learning how to be a dog and is starting to enjoy play time!! Cleo has very quickly learned that toys are a lot of fun and has shown no issues with sharing. She is still somewhat shy in new environments, but we are working on this, and she is improving tremendously. She’s ready for adoption!

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Theo is a 18 month old male Dane. He came to us as an owner surrender. While in his foster home he has made friends with all the other dogs and loves to play. He adores squeaker toys and has a stuffed bunny he carries around the house with him. He is amazingly house-trained. He will knock on the sliding glass doors with his paw when he wants to go out and if he is in the bedroom he will knock the door handle with his nose until you let him out. He is completely nondestructive in the house when left alone nor does he destroy his toys. He walks well on leash and loves to ride in the car and will lay his head on your shoulder to snuggle.

His foster mom is working on his socialization by taking him different places each week. He warms up to women very fast but can be a little weary of men until he meets them and is comfortable. Bikes and skateboards still scare him and he will bark, but we are working on that too. He is a wonderful boy who is just a little rough around the edges, but making progress already!

Theo is currently being treated for an infection of his spine and vertebral discs called discospondylitis. We expect great results with that. Check out our Medical Fund page for more detailed info and to follow his progress!

Harriet is a sassy lover looking for a forever home. She is getting acclimated to noises in the house and in the back yard. She does very well with crating. In fact really likes it. She does like to sit on the couch or on your bed if watching tv or a movie. She loves to run in the backyard. She also loves squeaky toys and toy ropes. Once you start petting her behind her ears, on her neck and down her back she might give you love bites so you will not stop!! She has no problem letting you know what she wants whether eating or going outside. She loves to play with other dogs and likes to sniff the neighbor’s cat thru the fence. She is still getting used to people so it takes her awhile to come up to you. Once she senses your love for her she tries to get it at all costs! She is a wonderful young lady and would make your home much brighter with love and joy.

Consider Ms. Harriet for adoption. Her love will change you!!

It’s almost time! Ella’s puppies are almost ready for adoption! They will be old enough to be spayed in April and then will be able to be adopted to a forever home. They are Great Dane mixes and just as cute as can be!

A note from Hope:

Hi I’m Hope. I’m growing & playing well with my foster siblings 3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 skin kids. We have a great time. Everyone loves me and I dont know a stranger. I love riding in the car and going to Pets Mart, Home Depot and to work with my foster mom. I do enjoy my quiet time hanging out in my crate but really love to play outside and run in the grass. I also get very excited when my foster dad rides his bicycle and I chase along behind him. Did I mention how smart I am? At my very young age I am housebroken. Yep, thats right. No accidents in my crate or my foster house for quite some time.

I am also pretty cute. I am a soft fawn color with distinct speckled markings on my face. And my tail has a nice white tip just to add some flare.

I am a super sweet and sassy young lady looking for a forever home. Even if I am not the right fit for you please tell your friends about me. I know there is someone special out there waiting for me.

Willow is about 2 years old and is deaf and a bit vision impaired. She first arrived into her foster home feeling timid and nervous, and in the short time she’s been there, she is doing fantastic! She has made great strides in the time we have had her.  Initially, she was extremely shy and lacked self confidence.  She has gotten to the point where she is confident enough to approach people.

Willow is doing well on a leash.  She is walked daily.  We are currently starting to learn some hand signs since she is hearing impaired.  This has been a little difficult because she does appear to have limited vision too.  At this time we are focusing on “sit”.  Willow is doing great with the other dogs in our house as well as with the ones she has been meeting when going out.

As noted from the start she is amazing with the two boys under the age of 6.  She loves to cuddle on the couch with the 6 year old.  She is VERY much a leaner so be prepared to love on her and be leaned on.

She loves to be scratched under her chin, and is a very sweet and girl! Due to her hearing and vision impairments, she’ll need to be adopted by a family who has another dog to be her buddy. She does depend on some cues from the other two dogs she lives with in her foster home.

Willow is a wonderful Dane looking for her forever home!!!!

Hi, my name is Jax! I was surrendered by a family that couldn’t take care of me and had been keeping me outside, and I would sometimes get out of the fence because I was hungry and lonely. Well, that is because I wanted to be inside with my people! Danes are like that you know! GDFRL gladly took me in and will find me a great home!

The vet guesses that I’m about 6 years old, but who’s counting? On good days I still feel like a spring chicken. Unfortunately for me, my doctor thinks that I may have a fairly mild case of Wobblers that is causing some instability in my back end. But that doesn’t stop me from playing and getting around the house just fine as long as I have carpet or rugs or good traction. I’m great with other dogs and with everyone person I’ve met, including children! I love when they give me hugs!! I should tell you two more things: I am a really laid back kind of guy and that I am one handsome snuggle-bug. I have learned how to live inside, and I’m doing great! I’m good in the car and on the leash and all I want is to be loved.

I love people so much that I can get a bit nervous when they aren’t around, so my ideal family would be with someone who is home more often than not. There is more time for snuggling that way, you know. Unless, of course, you want to take me with you on your lunch or coffee date; I love hanging out at Starbucks’ outdoor seating with my friends. It’s our family routine and has become one of my favorite things!

Check me out enjoying a day on the beach in this video:

Here’s Jacki, the sweetest thing you will ever meet in your life. Jacki is a laid back kind of a girl that has regular outbursts of zoomies. All you have to do is stomp your foot in her direction a few times and off she goes! Jacki gets along with everything on the planet; big, small, hairy or otherwise.

She is perfectly house trained (as long as you don’t mind her on your couch and as long as there isnt anything tasty on the counter). She is also crate trained, though, if you feel the need. She has to greet everyone wherever she goes and walks great on a leash. She has what I call an itchy face: she likes to bury her head in your lap and have you scratch her ears and smoosh her squishy face.

When she first came her there were small tiffs over the water bowl and toys but since we showed her who is the pack leader she has been a perfect angel. Jacki is 7 and technically a senior, but no one has told her that. She has a lot of love in her and would make a great addition to any home.

Check out this video clip!

Luna is a wonderful girl about 6 years old. We don’t believe she knows how old she is as she has kept up with a 6 month old Dane that she has been in foster care with. Luna loves nothing more than snoozing on the couch. She is known for curling up with one of my kiddos, 2 and 5 years old, and laying her head on their chests. She does fantastic with children and other dogs. She is great in the house and great riding in the car. Luna is an all around Great Dane!

Eli is an amazing Dane mix. Eli does great in his crate and will go in without coaxing. He walks well on a leash. Eli is very well socialized and gets along with the dogs at the dog park. He will walk away from any conflict. Eli does great with children at the dog park and at outings. Eli can have a lot of energy and the more active a family is, the better. The most endearing part of Eli is his heart and his loving spirit. He follows us all around the house and “checks” on us all the time. He is very loyal and always seems to be a happy dog. His tail does not stop wagging. Eli is quite the character and has a great personality.

Jackson is special needs Dane. He has wobblers disease and hip dysplasia, and will need ongoing medical care for the rest of his life.  Wobblers disease is a spinal condition that affects the ability to walk and get around normally.  In Jackson’s case, we do not know if it is congenital or a result of past traumas.

Please don’t stop reading — you can still help even if you can’t adopt.

Jackson’s family couldn’t care for him, and he had a hard time with stairs and would fall and trip down them. They live in a three story house and had had him since he was a small puppy.  We aren’t sure if his Wobblers disease contributed to the falls or is a result of the falls.

He is one of the sweetest Danes we have ever met. Jackson has been going for acupuncture treatments and has gotten such a good report from the vet that he doesn’t have to go back unless his condition deteriorates. This makes us happy!  We will care for Jackson until someone very special adopts him or until we can no longer keep him comfortable with a good quality of life. There is not much we can do for his knees and hips. A dog with Wobblers is already unstable on their feet and doing surgery on either just would not be fair to him and his recuperation time would be extremely difficult. We have put him on high quality grain free food and joint supplements along with weekly Adequan injections.

A word from Jackson (June 9): My vet said I can start reducing one of my herbal supplements and come completely off of it! That means I’m only taking one herbal supplement! Wow!! If you’ve come out to meet me then you know I’m feeling good because I am always on my feet ready to greet the next person who comes by with some talking and some loving! I just get so excited to meet new people! Sometime, if my foster mom isn’t close enough to the person I want to see, I get down on the ground and do a sort of spider-crawl to try and get near them!! I think people think it’s very funny! I love ALL dogs and I even like the cat at my foster house-although I don’t think she likes when I bark at her to try and get her to play with me! Kids are awesome too and as long as I can have some space on the couch, I am set! I’ve got some amazing tricks! I’m very stealthy at sneaking food if you leave it too close to the front of the counter (hello people, I’m a Great Dane-push the food to the back of the counter) and I LOVE to drink out of people’s cups! I’ve also figured out that if I stand in front of you while you are watching TV, you are bound to scoot over and make room for me on the couch!! Now I don’t know about you, but I think those tricks are better than the typical sit and down (which I can do too!)

If you can’t adopt Jackson or a Dane with special needs, please consider a donation. No amount is too small to help Jackson or other Danes in need. You can donate on his bio on our Medical Fund page, our shelter page on Petfinder, or mail a check. All donations are tax deductible — and — GREATLY APPRECIATED!

MORE INFO:
Did you know poor breeding (back yard breeding) can contribute to hip dysplasia. We also know his owners fed him puppy food with too much protein content which caused his growth plates to close too soon and caused abnormalities in his knees. Great Dane puppies should eat adult dog food!

Jackson has his own Facebook page!  “Like” him on Facebook to join his page: Friends of Jackson the Great Dane

Miya has spent two weeks with a professional trainer learning basic obedience. She’s super smart and eager to please!

Miss Miya is a 2 year old dane/pointer mix.  Miya is high energy dog that would be well suited with an active couple or single. She would be awesome to take on runs or hikes and just needs to be kept active. She will do best in a home without small children or elders, and one without other dogs in the home.

Miya was removed from her littermates too early and never learned good social skills with other dogs. We’re working on that and she has shown great improvement! But supervision and socialization are important to continue her progress.

She loves to play with her tennis balls and squeaky toys and you can sit on the couch and watch your favorite show, while tossing a ball off the couch for Miya, and you’ll both be very happy! Miya is perfectly house and crate trained – she goes in and sleeps in her crate at night with the door open – even with a very comfy couch in the same room.  She responds well to verbal correction, and is eager to please.  She might need some refreshers on her training after adoption and will need a family that is willing to do that with her.  Her trainer is offering a 35% discount on this if she happens to be adopted by a local family.  Please see the video below by her trainer, Lena Skov!

Last fall, Miya tore both of her anterior cruciate ligaments. Since then, she’s had TTA surgeries to repair her knees. She is healing well, but had been struggling with some pain and favoring her left rear leg. She started hydrotherapy a few weeks ago and has made tremendous improvement over the past week – the spring is back in her rear – which is good and bad. It’s great to see her happy again, but she still shouldn’t be jumping around so much yet. Miya LOVES water and LOVES her hydrotherapy sessions. When she sees the hydrotherapy tank she will drag the vet tech across the room and jump on the treadmill – whether they’re ready for her or not. Miya’s dream forever family would have a swimming pool or lake where she would be able to swim every day – yep, she’s a water dane!

With all of the handling and people Miya has met over the past 6 mths., she has really made great strides in meeting new people. As her knees heal more completely, we will increase working more on her socialization with other dogs. Miss Miya will also be having refresher courses on all that she had learned from Lena Skov, the trainer, last summer. She still knows sit and down, but has gotten a bit jumpy since she’s been feeling better – but wouldn’t we all if we’d been on crate rest for months?!

Miya does already have arthritis forming in her knees, even at only 3 years of age, so she will need to be on a quality joint supplement for the rest of her life. She also has some fears about being in pain and being hurt when moved, so she has gotten a bit snappy since her surgeries. Her foster mom is cautious when she reacts like this, and hopeful that with more pain-free days, Miya will get over this fear over the coming months. All this has been quite an ordeal for her, but she’s a good girl with lots of potential.

Miss Miya has been waiting for her forever home. We hope you will give her the life she deserves!

Miya’s adoption fee is $200.

Training services were volunteered by Lena Skov at Understanding Our Dogs.

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