Hi, my name is MaryFran Cini, I am the President of the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League.  I would like to share with you some of the reasons why you might consider adopting a Great Dane Rescue as opposed to purchasing a puppy from a breeder. There are many good reasons why choosing one over the other may be the right decision for you, but I hope you consider all your options and what is best for you and your new Great Dane before making that decision.

There are reasons why you might choose to rescue, and being a rescue person, I can tell you there are a lot of them!  First and foremost, you give an orphaned animal a home.  We see so many wonderful animals given up for no fault of their own.  People make poor decisions and add a Dane without thinking it thru, or they may get divorced and neither can take the Dane, or they may have a baby and decide the big dog must go, so many reasons, some very sad, some just mind boggling.  And currently with the financial state of the economy, some people just can’t afford to keep and care for them anymore so they give them up.  They come from all sorts of homes and in various conditions. It’s our job as a rescue to evaluate them, to give them temporary housing in a loving home where we really find out the most about them. We vet them, rehabilitate when necessary, heal when necessary and work on manners and housebreaking if needed.  We then have a good idea of what kind of home they would do best in.  Our adopters will have the opportunity to interview the foster home all about the Dane they are considering and the foster homes will in turn, interview the adopter to make sure the Dane is going to the right family.  So by choosing to rescue, you may end up with a Dane that is perfect for you.  Not necessarily perfect, but perfect for you.  And there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a dog that came from bad circumstances, blossom in a loving home.

The first reason why some people may think to rescue is cost.  I want to caution anyone who has that concern that adding a Great Dane to your household at any age is still a financial consideration.  Just well veterinary maintenance costs including yearly exams, vaccinations, heartworm preventatives, flea and tick preventatives, (not to mention an occasional upset tummy or ear infection that may come along), will cost approximately $700 and up per year.  Feeding costs are more, medications are calculated by weight and can be costly, they need the biggest accessories ie. Dog beds, crates, collars, bowls and food stands.  Talk to any Great Dane owner, whether they started with a puppy or an adult, they are an expense.  But I will qualify all that with the initial cost to rescue (the adoption fee) is considerably less than what you would pay a breeder for a puppy, so if that is the only comparison we are making, yes, you can save some money there.

So if you’ve made the decision to add a Great Dane to your family, I hope you have thought it through, done your research and are prepared for whatever may happen once you have a Great Dane.  And I hope you have considered rescue to see if it may be the right choice for you.  If you are not sure, you can always contact us and speak to one of our volunteers to get all of your questions answered.  Together, we can help you make the right choice for you.  And once you have your Great Dane, whether from a rescue or a breeder, I hope you might consider volunteering with us.  All of our volunteers have one thing in common; we love the breed and want to help them.  Our volunteers do so many things, to name a few:  foster orphans, transport them, evaluate potential adoptive homes, phone interviews, attend events where we educate the public and promote our breed  fundraiser.  You can see more about the New Jersey Chapter for Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue here at our local website:  www.magdrl-nj.com or our organization wide website: www.magdrl.org

Also, please feel free to attend one of the Northern New Jersey Great Dane Club membership meetings to speak directly to Great Dane owners.  The club always welcomes guests!