I tried to adopt a dog thru GG rescue. But b/c of a technicality (one side of our fence is 4' not 6', but we can't do anything about it b/c it's not our fence) we were on "conditional approval". After explaining our situation, I never heard back from them again.
However, I also know of several people who have rescued danes from them with no problems. I do know that the #1 reason for returned danes is b/c of protection issues, which I think would happen at any rescue, not just theirs. Danes were originally bred for war dogs and guard dogs. So they have to be properly trained and socialized or many tend to become over protective of their family/space. That is one of the only drawbacks to getting an adult dane rescue. You simply don't know what their previous owners did with them. And since they are so big, it is a much bigger problem if they are not well behaved.
I'm not saying don't get one. I'm just saying be aware of what to expect. I originally wanted to get an adult dane. I didn't want to deal with potty training and basic training in general. But since my husband was not as into big dogs as me, and for the sake of our other dog, I decided to get a puppy. I still wanted to get a rescue (which is why I was going to go thru GG..........th ey are the only rescue in So. Ca that has puppies), but that fell thru, so I started looking at breeders.
We're actually doing the opposite of you. You started small and are now going big. I have big, and I promised my husband our next dog would be small. Good luck with your searching and be sure to post pics when you get him/her.
Also, on GG. Tracy is very overwhelmed, as it is mainly her and her husband Burt who run the place, with close to 100 dogs at any given time. They do need help, and probably need to be a bit more organized, but overall, I think they are doing a great job. As for the complaints against them, I heard they were made by neighbors. They live kinda in the country, but their land only sits on I believe 5 acres, so I can imagine some neighbors might complain. They do charge alot for their dogs, but you have to keep in mind how much it costs to feed all of them, medicate them, and have home visits by a vet once or twice a week. I don't believe, though that they should require that you buy their food. That seems strange, even though their food looks very healthy.