Over the past 43 years, I've done it all; raised, showed, bred, trained,rehabilitated, educated, etc! but most of my 43 years have been spent rescueing and educating the public. I just placed my last rescue last friday. In one year alone, I took in, rehabbed and relocated 96 great danes!
Doing rescue has been more of an education in all the things that can go wrong and do. I've tried very hard to retire from doing rescue but my reputation preceeds me and those who have adopted from me (like the last one I placed) have been "repeat adoptors". I've handled all of my rescues as I did my own litters. (In 43 years, I only bred 5 litters).My veterinarian suggested I get my own veterinary degree and contacted the dean of Ohio State University to give me a tour and interview me. Unfortunately in my financial situation and with raising my own daughters, I had to give up my own college education.
Most of my danes lived to 12 or 13 - including many of my rescues. The family that just adopted "Twiggy" from me still have the 11.5 year old male rescue they adopted from me 6 years ago but recently lost their 8.5 year old to heart failure.
When I started doing rescue, I didn't charge an adoption fee. I still don't(although I do accept donations now). And I think that says a lot as I was a divorced mother of 3 children left to raise my children alone - I sent all 3 daughters to college, the first two graduated magna cum laude and cum laude with 5 year college degrees, the last daughter dropped out after 2 years, she never liked school - but we somehow managed to keep it together and help a world of Great Danes.
My years of rescue included monitoring "breeders" so when I lost the last of my own pups at 5 years to bone cancer, I called a breeder I had come to respect. I asked him if he had any brindle male pups. As luck would have it, that morning one of his bitches whelped a litter of 11 puppies. 10 fawn and 1 brindle.....ma le. I told him sight unseen I wanted that male brindle pup and I wanted him uncropped. (I had quit cropping my danes with my last litter - thanks to my first uncropped rescue). I picked the puppy up when he was old enough to leave and just recently lost him at 8.5 years. He grew up to be huge, healthy, happy, loveable and a beautiful representative of the breed. I took him to child care centers and nursing homes. His personality was overshadowed only by his size. He was very large boned and very tall and weighed 258 lbs - that's not a mistake - you read right. He was a bit overweight for his stature but even the vets felt he was in excellent health. "Morey" and I were inseparable to the day he died. He lives in my heart and my memories forever. I've had a large number of my own danes over the years but Morey stood out from all of them. And I didn't pay his breeder anywhere near $1000. (Price doesn't make the breeder) His breeder also rescues and we've known each other from the show rings for years.
I can't encourage anyone enough to share their love with a rescue dane. So many crossed my doorstep but left a part of themselves in my heart. I follow my rescues as I did my own puppies. And the reason I didn't/don't charge for my rescues is because I know how much a family can spend trying to save the dane they lost but somehow we always manage to find the money to care for them (after all, they're as much a part of the family) but can't afford to go out and buy from a "reputable breeder".
I have soooo many memories of all the love these dogs have given me over the years I incorporated my last name in my last two brindle male danes. Memo - lost to bone cancer at 5 years and Morey who passed away Feb.28th, 2005.
Best of luck and many happy "memoreys" to all you BigPaws lovers from Marilyn "Maggie" Morey and Dante's Rescue Division, N.Ridgeville, Ohio
