Success Stories

Here are a few of the many happy Great Dane adoption stories from our adopters.  Happy families and happy Danes!

Dottie

For the last two years of my last Dane’s life, I had said that when I lost her I didn’t plan to get another dog – I wanted to travel more and have some freedom. Sadly she had to be euthanized on Thanksgiving Day, only 10 days after being diagnosed with a probable brain tumor after a seizure. I was devastated, but I stuck to my plan and took all of her toys, beds, etc to my parents’ house for their dog, and donated another huge load of stuff to the animal shelter.

Within 30 hours of losing her, I realized that I was going to be miserable without a dog and found myself filling out applications to every local Dane rescue. GDFRL contacted me right away (possibly because they could see “sucker” written across my forehead from two hours away :-)), and a few weeks later Dottie CrazyPants came home!

GDFRL does a fantastic job of fostering Danes in experienced home environments, matching them to the perfect home, and supporting their adopters through any issues. I love that in adopting Dottie, I gained a whole new family – everyone at GDFRL loves her to pieces and fusses over her when she comes to events, and we have been able to have play dates with her brothers, who were both adopted by people I would adore as friends even if they weren’t her extended family. And Dottie is just the best dog imaginable – she is a total character and a ham who loves putting on a show, gets depressed if she spends too many days at home without seeing the general public, loves to wear tutus, is a born therapy dog, and is generally the funniest dog I’ve ever known. I can’t imagine my life without her, and am very thankful to GDFRL for bringing her into my life!” – Lara K.

Check out Dottie’s Facebook page with almost 12k followers!
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Bailey

‘A wiggly butt and sloppy kisses make every day perfect.’ My favorite T-shirt saying since adding Miss Bailey to our household in August 2015.

We had been talking about adopting a rescue dog when we ran into Kristi walking a beautiful Great Dane while wearing a Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love shirt. She was wonderful about speaking to us about the breed and offering information about the rescue.

Our initial contact with Cinnamon brought us to the rescue Facebook page and website where we completed an application. We reviewed the pictures and bios of available dogs. We asked for a recommendation and were told to take a look at Bailey. There were pictures and updates on her personality and disposition from her foster. After letting Cinnamon know we were interested in Bailey, we scheduled a home visit with Tiffany.

Our home visit went well with Tiffany bringing her handsome fur boy  Toby . It was fun and informative to see how a Great Dane would fit and adapt to our home and surroundings. It reassured us that we would have plenty of room for a similar dog. She was a wealth of knowledge, shared a lot of information, and continues to be a great resource for us.

Our drive to Charlotte to pick up our girl was exciting. Couldn’t wait to have her join our family and hoping that the transition would not be difficult for her. We received a packet containing a lot of information about the adoption process. The contract we entered into protected Bailey in case anything were to happen and we were not able to keep her. We had been advised to limit visitors until she settled in and the rescue was very accommodating in agreeing to the time frame we needed.

Our initial time with Bailey went better than we expected. Her temperament was calm, and she was initially very hesitant about new experiences.  Patience and consistency changed her, and we found her making great strides in her confidence over the first few months.

Continued contact with other Great Dane owners and active members of the rescue have made Bailey’s adjustment to two new Moms wonderful. We are a family unit of “Three Old Broads” who couldn’t be happier. Bailey is continuing to grow and find her place and her voice. She is spoiled, and so are we. There is nothing better than coming home to a beautiful face in the doorway barking to let us know that she is still here.” – Linda T.

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Skye

Steve & I have been volunteering with GDFRL since 2011. While in the care of GDFRL, Skye’s mom Nora gave birth to ten surviving puppies.  As soon as we met her, we knew we were going to do great things together.

She came to live with us on May 14, 2014, and we started to train together pretty quickly. Training became one of Skye’s favorite things to do. She loved to learn new commands, but also loved to show off the commands she already knew. We started with basic, and moved up to more difficult commands. We did a lot of training outside the house at local pet-friendly stores and noticed how she just beamed with pride as she greeted new people.

Skye passed her Canine Good Citizen test, and then her Therapy Dog evaluation. Skye has been certified and titled through Therapy Dogs International since September 21, 2015. Since then, she has been visiting the local hospital once a week and a local nursing home once a month. Seeing a Great Dane walking in the halls commands attention, but her calm demeanor is what surprises everyone. When she walks into a room, everyone just light up. It’s obvious that the staff enjoys her visits just as much as the patients. She even gets special requests for visits through her Facebook page. Skye has been featured in magazines and on the local news.” – Tra M.

Check out Skye’s Facebook page!
Great Dane Rescue Therapy Dog Skye
Great Dane Rescue
Great Dane Rescue Dog - Threapy Dog
Great Dane Rescue Therapy Dog
Skye Certified Therapy Great Dane
Great Dane Rescue Dog on couch

Shanti

Four years ago, my family made the decision to adopt a Great Dane through GDFRL. We had a home inspection and an interview.  GDFRL made sure not only that our home was safe for a Great Dane, but also ensured that we did not have any misguided information or preconceived notions about the breed, and dogs in general. We were also provided with pages of information on the breed and the delicate nature of the Danes’ constitution.

We brought our Shanti home on New Years Day 2014.  She was shy and fearful. She also had some health issues, as most rescue dogs do. Anytime I have ever reached out to GDFRL, Cinnamon specifically, she has replied promptly and has even at times, sent me in another direction for assistance. I have also been fortunate enough to have Shanti’s “foster mom’ Emily to call upon if need be. She has also always been available for questions, offering great advice for different small issues.

We are currently getting ready to expand our dog family again, and I will definitely be going through GDFRL. This is an honest, caring rescue, and I would recommend them to any looking for a Dane.” – Michelle B.

Ollie

A year after losing our beloved dog of 11 years, we decided we were ready to open our home to another dog. I’d always loved the Great Dane breed and knew the breed would be a good fit for us. My husband didn’t know a lot about the breed and thought I was a bit crazy for wanting such a big dog 😊.

One evening, the topic of rescuing a dog came up with one of his coworkers. They shared that they’d rescued a Great Dane from GDFRL – I couldn’t have planned it better! Shortly after, I reached out to GDFRL, and the rest is history.

We’ve now adopted two Danes through GDRFL. As all dogs are in foster care, GDFRL is able to assess the dog for successful long-term placement. When looking to adopt our current Dane, Cinnamon considered a couple of options for us but recommended Ollie as she thought he’d be a great fit for us. We’ve had Ollie for almost four months now, and he has stolen our hearts. He is the sweetest boy and wants nothing else but to be loved! He’s a typical Dane – which means he thinks he’s a lap dog and leans into anyone with an extra hand to pet him. With any rescue dog, patience and time are important. Ollie had clearly never been taught any manners prior to rescue – but after only a few training classes and consistent work, he’s one of the best-trained dogs at the dog park! We are so very thankful to Cinnamon and all the volunteers at GDFRL who work tirelessly to ensure that each dog is given a second chance to be loved!!” – Tracy C.

Wilma

I became familiar with Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love long before I adopted my first rescue Dane. I had always known of their work and how successful they were in matching the perfect Danes and families. So when we devastatingly lost our 8 yr old male Dane and our deaf, white 7 yr old female Dane within two weeks of each other, there was no question of where we’d turn in our search for another addition to our family – GDFRL! Cinnamon knew of our losses and that we were considering another Dane. I filled out the papers “just in case” and then put it out of my mind.

It wasn’t long until I got an email saying they had a white, deaf female. l let it go. Then a few days later I got another email containing a picture of the deaf Dane running with pure, joyful abandonment – I was hooked! We met and brought Wilma home a week or two later, and she was the perfect addition to our family. GDFRL is extremely skilled at matching families and Danes …resulting in wonderful success stories!” – Phyl A.

For the last two years of my last Dane’s life, I had said that when I lost her I didn’t plan to get another dog – I wanted to travel more and have some freedom. Sadly she had to be euthanized on Thanksgiving Day, only 10 days after being diagnosed with a probable brain tumor after a seizure. I was devastated, but I stuck to my plan and took all of her toys, beds, etc to my parents’ house for their dog, and donated another huge load of stuff to the animal shelter.

Within 30 hours of losing her, I realized that I was going to be miserable without a dog and found myself filling out applications to every local Dane rescue. GDFRL contacted me right away (possibly because they could see “sucker” written across my forehead from two hours away :-)), and a few weeks later Dottie CrazyPants came home!

GDFRL does a fantastic job of fostering Danes in experienced home environments, matching them to the perfect home, and supporting their adopters through any issues. I love that in adopting Dottie, I gained a whole new family – everyone at GDFRL loves her to pieces and fusses over her when she comes to events, and we have been able to have play dates with her brothers, who were both adopted by people I would adore as friends even if they weren’t her extended family. And Dottie is just the best dog imaginable – she is a total character and a ham who loves putting on a show, gets depressed if she spends too many days at home without seeing the general public, loves to wear tutus, is a born therapy dog, and is generally the funniest dog I’ve ever known. I can’t imagine my life without her, and am very thankful to GDFRL for bringing her into my life!” – Lara K.

Check out Dottie’s Facebook page with almost 12k followers!

‘A wiggly butt and sloppy kisses make every day perfect.’ My favorite T-shirt saying since adding Miss Bailey to our household in August 2015.

We had been talking about adopting a rescue dog when we ran into Kristi walking a beautiful Great Dane while wearing a Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love shirt. She was wonderful about speaking to us about the breed and offering information about the rescue.

Our initial contact with Cinnamon brought us to the rescue Facebook page and website where we completed an application. We reviewed the pictures and bios of available dogs. We asked for a recommendation and were told to take a look at Bailey. There were pictures and updates on her personality and disposition from her foster. After letting Cinnamon know we were interested in Bailey, we scheduled a home visit with Tiffany.

Our home visit went well with Tiffany bringing her handsome fur boy  Toby . It was fun and informative to see how a Great Dane would fit and adapt to our home and surroundings. It reassured us that we would have plenty of room for a similar dog. She was a wealth of knowledge, shared a lot of information, and continues to be a great resource for us.

Our drive to Charlotte to pick up our girl was exciting. Couldn’t wait to have her join our family and hoping that the transition would not be difficult for her. We received a packet containing a lot of information about the adoption process. The contract we entered into protected Bailey in case anything were to happen and we were not able to keep her. We had been advised to limit visitors until she settled in and the rescue was very accommodating in agreeing to the time frame we needed.

Our initial time with Bailey went better than we expected. Her temperament was calm, and she was initially very hesitant about new experiences.  Patience and consistency changed her, and we found her making great strides in her confidence over the first few months.

Continued contact with other Great Dane owners and active members of the rescue have made Bailey’s adjustment to two new Moms wonderful. We are a family unit of “Three Old Broads” who couldn’t be happier. Bailey is continuing to grow and find her place and her voice. She is spoiled, and so are we. There is nothing better than coming home to a beautiful face in the doorway barking to let us know that she is still here.” – Linda T.

Great Dane Rescue Therapy Dog

Steve & I have been volunteering with GDFRL since 2011. While in the care of GDFRL, Skye’s mom Nora gave birth to ten surviving puppies.  As soon as we met her, we knew we were going to do great things together.

She came to live with us on May 14, 2014, and we started to train together pretty quickly. Training became one of Skye’s favorite things to do. She loved to learn new commands, but also loved to show off the commands she already knew. We started with basic, and moved up to more difficult commands. We did a lot of training outside the house at local pet-friendly stores and noticed how she just beamed with pride as she greeted new people.

Skye passed her Canine Good Citizen test, and then her Therapy Dog evaluation. Skye has been certified and titled through Therapy Dogs International since September 21, 2015. Since then, she has been visiting the local hospital once a week and a local nursing home once a month. Seeing a Great Dane walking in the halls commands attention, but her calm demeanor is what surprises everyone. When she walks into a room, everyone just light up. It’s obvious that the staff enjoys her visits just as much as the patients. She even gets special requests for visits through her Facebook page. Skye has been featured in magazines and on the local news.” – Tra M.

Four years ago, my family made the decision to adopt a Great Dane through GDFRL. We had a home inspection and an interview.  GDFRL made sure not only that our home was safe for a Great Dane, but also ensured that we did not have any misguided information or preconceived notions about the breed, and dogs in general. We were also provided with pages of information on the breed and the delicate nature of the Danes’ constitution.

We brought our Shanti home on New Years Day 2014.  She was shy and fearful. She also had some health issues, as most rescue dogs do. Anytime I have ever reached out to GDFRL, Cinnamon specifically, she has replied promptly and has even at times, sent me in another direction for assistance. I have also been fortunate enough to have Shanti’s “foster mom’ Emily to call upon if need be. She has also always been available for questions, offering great advice for different small issues.

We are currently getting ready to expand our dog family again, and I will definitely be going through GDFRL. This is an honest, caring rescue, and I would recommend them to any looking for a Dane.” – Michelle B.

A year after losing our beloved dog of 11 years, we decided we were ready to open our home to another dog. I’d always loved the Great Dane breed and knew the breed would be a good fit for us. My husband didn’t know a lot about the breed and thought I was a bit crazy for wanting such a big dog 😊.

One evening, the topic of rescuing a dog came up with one of his coworkers. They shared that they’d rescued a Great Dane from GDFRL – I couldn’t have planned it better! Shortly after, I reached out to GDFRL, and the rest is history.

We’ve now adopted two Danes through GDRFL. As all dogs are in foster care, GDFRL is able to assess the dog for successful long-term placement. When looking to adopt our current Dane, Cinnamon considered a couple of options for us but recommended Ollie as she thought he’d be a great fit for us. We’ve had Ollie for almost four months now, and he has stolen our hearts. He is the sweetest boy and wants nothing else but to be loved! He’s a typical Dane – which means he thinks he’s a lap dog and leans into anyone with an extra hand to pet him. With any rescue dog, patience and time are important. Ollie had clearly never been taught any manners prior to rescue – but after only a few training classes and consistent work, he’s one of the best-trained dogs at the dog park! We are so very thankful to Cinnamon and all the volunteers at GDFRL who work tirelessly to ensure that each dog is given a second chance to be loved!” – Tracy C.

I became familiar with Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love long before I adopted my first rescue Dane. I had always known of their work and how successful they were in matching the perfect Danes and families. So when we devastatingly lost our 8 yr old male Dane and our deaf, white 7 yr old female Dane within two weeks of each other, there was no question of where we’d turn in our search for another addition to our family – GDFRL! Cinnamon knew of our losses and that we were considering another Dane. I filled out the papers “just in case” and then put it out of my mind.

It wasn’t long until I got an email saying they had a white, deaf female. l let it go. Then a few days later I got another email containing a picture of the deaf Dane running with pure, joyful abandonment – I was hooked! We met and brought Wilma home a week or two later, and she was the perfect addition to our family. GDFRL is extremely skilled at matching families and Danes …resulting in wonderful success stories!” – Phyl A.