Samantha was sweet and full of life. She would wake up in the morning happy to be alive. She would prance down the hallway saying good morning to everyone. Later on when she slowed down I would pet her as she was still lying in her bed. She would curl her lips under and moan with pleasure, still happy as always.

She didn't have a mean bone in her body. If someone was to hurt her accidentally, like step on her foot, she would make an "ooof" sound. There was never any hostility. She had the sunniest disposition one could ever want. She was good with adults and kids, and other dogs and cats.

Samantha was game for anything going on. She walked the streets of town with her canine buddy and shared in the attention from adults and children. The first time we walked in the stream near our home, she wasn't sure she wanted to go. But when she saw my husband and her canine brother walking in front of her, she gamely proceeded on.

She would put her ears back and charge down the road when she was fired up. She loved it when her back was tickled and someone said "go,go,go". When she was happy, she hopped like a Lipizzaner horse.

She wasn't perfect though. For whatever reason, she liked to shred napkins. Then she would look around as if she couldn't figure out how the mess got there.

She also liked to play dumb. When she felt that she didn't understand what was wanted of her, she would hop around and would usually wind up on the couch. What a pip she was. We sure do miss her.

Adopting a senior dane can be one of the most rewarding things we can do for our seniors.
Harley was 7 years old when we fostered him. Poor Harley had very bad teeth. He was skinny and scared. We took care of his mouth and got him vetted. He gained weight and finally started to look healthy again.

By Harley's second day, he had already made himself at home. He was listed on the adoptable danes page for several weeks but we knew, in our hearts, that Harley was here to stay.

So we took him off the website and decided to adopt him. He just made himself so comfortable and content that we felt as though we didn't want to put any more stress on Harley.

Harley quickly made a routine for himself and the other dogs respected and accepted him. He was home and he knew it.

Seniors are great. All the puppiness is out of them, they are laid back and nothing seems phase them. They are gentle souls who just look for lots of love and a big couch.

Harley was gentle with everyone he met. We knew he was happy when he would walk around with a big stuffy bone in his mouth, just circling us waiting for one of us to lay with him.

On the down side, Harley was only with us for over a year. We were full of sadness when he left us. But, knowing that we gave Harley a wonderful home, took care of him and gave him lots of love during his last year felt very fullfilling. It is a fullfillment that can't be described.

We felt heartbroken when Harley left us, but we also felt happiness knowing that we rescued a senior--knowing that we gave him the best year of his life.

When Beau was brought to a shelter in southern NJ in December 2004, the staff informed his owner that if he were turned in, he would have to be euthanized because they were at full capacity. The owner went back outside with Beau to think it over just as a family arrived with the intention that day of adopting a kitten . Instead, the family took Beau home with them. While their initial intentions were good, with a small house and six children to care for, they were ill-prepared to cope with a giant dog. Beau was quickly banished to outside and was not given adequate food.

Months later, in another coincidence, the co-worker of a MAGDRL volunteer approached her and said, "You have Great Danes don't you? My neighbor has one they want to get rid of." This wonderful volunteer and her husband were able to contact the family and arrange for Beau to be surrendered to MAGDRL's care. They then transported him to his first foster family in northern NJ, wearing a special tag that they had made especially for him that said "Beau - we love you". This couple are Beau's guardian angels

Beau came into rescue 25 pounds underweight, his coat bleached brown from sun exposure, timid and withdrawn. The vet estimated his age as 8 years old. Today, he is a thriving 10 year old with glossy black fur, shiny eyes, and a sweet disposition - everyone is Beau's friend, two or four legged. Beau Montgomery is truly the perfect dog - loving and well behaved - and brings us joy each and every day. We are blessed to have him in our lives.

Here's a story... of a lovely lady.... who was bring up two very lonely humans. Both of them had fallen in love... with their foster... and couldn't let her go. OK enough of the old show tunes this is a story about a petit older girl who was deserate to change her spots so her humans would take her back into their home. She didn't mean to be a fawnequin dane honest. She was at the age of six and a half when she was placed into a kennel for six months because her brown spots never turned to black. The humans only bargained for a harlequin dog not this brown and white thing. The humans were promised that when she ages she should turn black. Well, the humans waited and waited and still Miss Dolly would not change to her true color.

They hid her away in a cage as though she were undesirable and then left her there until the nice humans from the Great Dane Rescue stepped in.

Then one day when Dolly was almost Seven years old a call was made and arrangements were considered on how to move such a pretty dane from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. The orders were finished and a new home was found for Miss Dolly. Miss Dolly started to grow inside as she found love and happiness she probably never experienced before. Miss Dolly was diagnosed with severe seperation anxiety. Dolly also had reflux as well as other ailments that developed during the year she was at her foster home.

Three times she was almost adopted and three times she decided it was better to stay with the first humans that showered her with love. Her foster parents contemplated on just who would ever adopt an eight year old dane that cost a hundred dollars a month to medically maintain. The foster parents already had two other Danes why would they want me Dolly thought. However: Seceretly for months the foster mom stopped sending in the receipts to see if she could keep me One day.....Dolly was with her foster family and the parents knelt down by her and the mommy cried. Thats it Dolly thought I am out of here like all the other foster dogs. I will have to start all over again. Who will remember my pills Dolly thought. Who will make sure I don't hurt myself, was racing through Dolly's mind. Then the humans said something that wasn't expect. You are all ours Dolly....You are home to stay. We will be the lucky people that will adopt a Dane that costs so much to keep healthy. Dolly changed that day. She might not admit it to you or me but she changed. Her official Name is Miss Dolly Doodles. Doodles because she became a puppy again. She plays longer, stays awake more then the other two siblings and she has happy feet now.

"Pop Pop" George came to MAGDRL in May 2005 when his family fell upon hard financial times. After the NJ Chapter evaluated George and MAGDRL agreed to take him into our program, Mary Cini posted to the list for a foster home for George. I had been waiting quite some time for a second foster match for Molly, Sam and I so that we could ensure Sam would be receptive to other fosters before adopting him. I know that sounds sort of odd, but Sam had already been with us for almost a year-and-a-half and we wanted to adopt him, but at the same time hated the thought of shutting down another foster home because they are so desperately needed. I'm sure you know or can imagine how difficult it is to manage several dogs with one set of hands when the situation is volatile between dogs.

As soon as I saw Mary's post which included George's story and picture, I just knew he belonged at our place. Sheila Marshall and I must have been on the same wave length that day, because we e-mailed each other at almost exactly the same time asking the other if we thought George was a good fit. We agreed, I told Kathie to send "Pop Pop George" on down and within a few hours Mary started making arrangements to transport him from Northern NJ to DE.

George's first stop was at Mary's house as an overnight guest. Mary e-mailed me first thing to tell me how sweet and wonderful and DIRTY George was. George's next stop was Jennifer Hughes' house for another overnight stay and Jennifer had nothing but glowing reports about George also. I met Jennifer at the PA Welcome Center one Saturday evening and that's when George's DE adventure began.

Pop Pop arrived at my house a dirty bag of bones with the saddest and most confused look on his face. It really was heart-wrenching and I could only try to imagine how he felt after spending most of his nine years in one place with a family who loved and took good care of him until they could no longer afford to do so. I'm sure part of his confusion was due to the fact that my house was his fourth stop in as many days, but most of it was probably the result of just not understanding what was happening to him.

George was most certainly a lost soul who kept to himself. When he would look at me, he didn't even so much as wag his tail. After a fairly uneventful introduction to my crew, I fed George and we settled in for the night with him sleeping on a blanket on the floor right next to my bed.

After a few days of being crated while I was at work, it was pretty evident that that George wasn't an out-of-control ball of fire, so I decided to baby gate him in my office where Molly's bed was that George took an instant liking to and took over. What used to be my office became "George's Room".

The former owners reported that George would only eat 1-2 cups of food per day, but Mary and I both fed him 3 cups at a time and he ate every morsel of it ravenously and looked for more! At only 112lbs, the poor boy was hungry and very skinny. His ribs were so prominent that petting him was like playing a xylophone and he would flinch every time you touched him.

George also needed a good bath. His ears were filthy, his teeth needed a good cleaning and he had a skin tag on the inside of his leg that looked like rotten grape hanging that needed to be removed. He was also already being treated for a nasty abscess on his hip. George's next two stops were trips to the vet to get his booster shot and to take care of the aforementioned issues. Although his blood panel came back just fine, the vet was apprehensive about putting George under because of his age. Would you believe they were able to clean his teeth, cut his thick nails, remove the skin tag and staple the wound shut with only a local? George never even flinched during all of these procedures! The vet's office called me that afternoon at work to report that George was okay and made it a point to tell me just how wonderful and nice George was and how much the staff all loved him!

George quickly settled into our routine during the first few weeks and started to hang with the group more. He would even approach me for head rubs and wag his tail a little when I'd call him Pop Pop George. He continued to make great progress physically and just seemed so grateful to have a full belly and a soft place on which to sleep.

It's been over two months since Pop Pop's arrival and he isn't the same dog. He's filled out nicely and gets so excited when I come home, or we go for a walk or R-I-D-E, and especially when it's time to eat! He even feels it's necessary to wake up the entire house when he feels it's meal time!
George has a twinkle in his eye now and has become quite the tail wagger
and loves to bury his head in your lap for head rubs!

George also does what I call the Pop Pop Shuffle. He gets so excited about the littlest things that he dances back and forth on his two front feet when I'm sure inside he's doing 360s while jumping many feet up in the air! Would you believe George has also never made an attempt to get up on any of the furniture, which is almost unheard of! George is definitely part of the pack now and loves to follow me and lay right under my feet wherever I am...especially when he's taking his many naps in between doing his shuffle. Pop Pop is usually pulling up the rear of the line for going out or coming into the house. If he's lagging too far behind, my two will now look back at George as if to ask, "are you coming?" when they think I'm not looking.

In case you can't tell, I just love George! I wish I could keep him, but I also have to be realistic...financially and space-wise since I have a relatively small home. Not to mention my pet sitter (my Mother and their "Mom Mom") would shoot me if she had to watch more than three Danes at a time! But I can tell you this...whomever decides to open their heart and home to this distinguished senior will not regret it. He is the most loving, easy-going and appreciative foster I have had the pleasure of sharing my home with. I am just amazed at all that George has given my crew and me when he asked for so little in return. It has truly been a great pleasure having him stay with us and reinforcing some life's basic lessons and learnings.

Thank you to MAGDRL for opening up your hearts and doors to allow this older gentleman the chance to live out his twilight years in the manner that he deserves!

10/11/05 - Pop Pop George has been with us almost five months now and he has certainly come a long way...both physically and "emotionally". George has settled in quite nicely and makes himself right at home. He has blended right in with our family and routine, is always a respectful gentleman and is truly a pleasure to have around. I never thought my 9YO foster would be my M&G dog, but George LOVES to go to Petco, Petsmart and other local events. One thing I've had to get used to carrying to events is a drool towel for George as he is quite the drooler after he drinks or when it's hot outside.

George gets along with absolutely everything and easily wins over the hearts of everyone he meets. Even my Molly (who turns 8 today!) has taken a shine to George and encourages him to "keep up with the class"!

11/2/05 - In case you're all wondering why Pop Pop George suddenly disappeared from the web site, it's because he has decided to take up permament residence at Kelley's DE Home for Senior Danes...LOL

While there was recent adoption interest in George, I just couldn't bear to see his world turned upside down again after seeing his state when he came into Rescue versus where he is today...especially at over 9YO.

So George will live out his twilight years in DE and will continue to be a fixture at our local events, as long as he is willing and able.

2/6/ - On February 2, 2006, I had to make the heart-wrenching decision to help Pop Pop George cross the bridge on Thursday evening. I was able to spend some time petting him, rubbing his ears, and telling how much he was loved and would be missed before I let him go. I asked him to go find and be with Miss Molly as he passed away peacefully at my side.

Even though George was only with us for a short 9 months, he truly was part of our family...it was as if he had been with us his entire life.

He had a way of touching the hearts and lives of everyone he met.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. I would also like to thank MAGDRL for taking George into Rescue and allowing me the opportunity to know, care for and love such a wonderful creature.

It seems like just yesterday that we saw his picture on the MAGDRL website. We were still waiting for our home evaluation and were panicked that he'd get adopted before we could get to him. But less than a week later, we drove down to Dale, Smokey's foster mom, to meet the best dog in the world.

Here he is with AJ the very first night we got him.

Smokey is Derek's first dog. They were best buddies, and there was never a question in my mind as to who Smokey loved more! :)

Smokey and the kids would stand at the door for hours, calling and waving and woofing at everyone who came past.

Very few things could get Smokey excited. The vacuum was one of them. He became a brave warrior who would stop at nothing to kill the machine that threatened his home.

He was so good with the kids, the perfect first dog for them. He let them do anything they wanted and never complained or even tried to get away.

He liked to wrestle, but not so much that he broke a sweat.

There are very few pictures of me and my boy together. I'm usually the photographer!

The only other thing that could get Smokey insane and snapping was the hose. These are some of my favorite pictures of him and my son.

Ava Grace was always especially fond of Smokey and loved to give him hugs and kisses.

Here, Smokey reciprocates...

He probably didn't want to be used as a pillow, but getting up required too much energy.

Same here. Even on his best days, Smokey was not what you'd call "energetic".

He was the most tolerant dog in the WORLD and would let us do anything to him.

All Danes think they're lap dogs. Smokey was no exception.

He was always wonderful with our fosters and welcomed them all into our home.

Here he is with his lady love, Georgia. Now they can be together and she can beat him up once again. :)

Hanging out with the kids....

I think Derek was in there somewhere.

I adopted my first Great Dane from MAGDRL in November of 2005 - a terribly mistreated and frightened black dane called Fischer who was about 5 years old. It turned out that Fischer had a slight, though stable, case of wobblers. So, I was very careful to only foster dogs that were older, or ill, and would not knock him over or hurt him in any way.

After my foster dogs had been adopted, I talked to my coordinator about Roxy, an 11 year fawn Dane that was be given to Rescue because her owners just didn't want her. Evidently, they just were waiting for her to die, and she wouldn't oblige them.

Roxy walked in - took one look at Fischer, and beat him up. Although she quickly backed off when I told her to, Fischer knew exactly where he would stand from now on. Although Roxy has not picked any more fights, there is something about Fischer - he is so submissive that almost all dogs want to give him a quick thrashing.

She was a beautiful, feminine little girl, with soft, dark brown eyes. She was badly underweight, as very old dogs tend to be, with very bad hips, that were misshapen and very painful, and a urinary tract infection that refused to be beaten, as it does to this day.

She was a little standoffish and very confused at being removed from the only family she ever knew. She showed no aggression towards people and was obviously starved for affection. She walks up to you and gently places her head in your lap for hugs and pets.

I took her to the Vet, which terrorized her. We worked out a plan of medication and exercise to strengthen her hips and at least keep the UTI under control. When she came to us, she had a difficult time with stairs and could not get on the couch, even when coaxed. I could tell that she had not been allowed on the furniture in her previous home, but I felt sorry for her on the floor when Fischer was stretched out on the couch so comfortably. So, I would lift her up, and my husband would roll his eyes.

Now, 9 months later, Roxy is a changed dog. She runs up and down the stairs all day and loves to go for a walk.

Although her bursts of energy are short lived, she has 3 or 4 a day, and routinely smacks Fischer around and beats him with any toy he tries to play with. Her hips are stable now, and she has gained weight. Her UTI stays pretty much in control on maintenance medication and the Rimadyl for her hips works wonderfully. She eats like a horse, and would kill for cookies. She hops up on the couch without problems.

As with other female great danes, she likes to watch Fischer, until he is soundly sleeping. Then she sneaks over and smacks him in the head as hard as she can. Then she prances, with a self satisfied look of glee on her face, and gets back on the couch for a well deserved nap.

This is what Roxy gives me. Gentle love and tiny little kisses. A dog that is housetrained completely and never eats my couch. She extends her affection to any friend who may come her way. She is one of the most endearing animals it has been my fortune to meet. She requires almost nothing, but is willing to give everything. She listens to what you want and responds happily. She is heartbroken if she feels she had displeased you in any way.

I would strongly encourage anyone to take an older dog. You will get so much more than you give. And especially for those of us over 40, it is an easy, lovely road to travel. Let's not allow these wonderful dogs stay in kennels and foster care any longer than necessary. When you give them a forever home, believe me, they will pay you back 10 fold.

Reese was our first foster. All we knew about her beforehand was that she was a 7 year old merle who lived with the same family her entire life. They were both elderly; one ended up in a nursing home and the other was terminally ill and in the hospital. As a result, Reese was without a home or anyone to care for her. Thankfully, the couple's son who was living in FL contacted MAGDRL. Because there were no family members or friends in the area to care for Reese, she ended up living at her Vet's office for several weeks. And so began Reese's transformation from orphan to our little "Sweet Pea".

Reese first entered our lives near the end of June of '07. We volunteered to complete the final leg of her transport and were looking forward to giving her a safe haven while she waited for her forever home. Naïve as we were, we imagined Reese being spoiled and pampered by the folks at her Vet's office, after all, they had known her for 7 years.Well what a shock to find a trembling, scared little girl, still in the back of the MAGDRL volunteer's truck (because the Vet hadn't provided a

leash?!)and her paws covered with feces because she had relieved herself during the brief transport. Because the folks who picked her up called and told us she came without a leash, we brought one along.We got her out of the truck so we could clean her up a bit and give her an opportunity to relieve herself; to our surprise, she could barely walk because her nails were so long?! Our visions of a pampered and spoiled orphan were quickly dismissed.

Although she had already bonded with the volunteer who picked her up at the Vet's office, Reese jumped into our vehicle with no hesitation and seemed to enjoy the ride to our home.

Looking back, Reese probably knew instantly that she was home for good, but we were just trying to make her feel comfortable and safe while she waited to be adopted. We immediately washed her paws and then introduced her to our boy Otis who really wanted her to play with him, but she was having none of it; he was too big and too rambunctious

During her first week with us Brian took her to our vet's office and this is when they really bonded; Reese ended up on his lap during her evaluation and officially became 'Daddy's Girl'. From that point on, Reese would follow Brian everywhere and

demonstrated how happy and sweet she really was…despite her age and losing the only family she knew for the first 7 years of her life. She always got so excited when we arrived home. She would literally jump up and down, bouncing on her hind legs, not the behavior we expected from a senior Dane. Because she was a foster, we crated Reese whenever we were not home and had no problems. Before we knew it, a couple of months had passed, and unfortunately, there was little interest from anyone wanting to adopt her…as is often the case with older Danes.

We spoke about adopting her, but felt she'd be happier in a home without a pushy, playful Dane brother and two curious orange tabbies, with owners who didn't work full time and would be home with her all day and in a home that would offer a quieter and more peaceful environment.

It was almost September and because we had a vacation to The Outer Banks coming up, we were worried that we'd have to leave her behind, since we aren't allowed to travel with fosters.We did have a Dane-sitter arranged, but the thought of going away for a week without her was painful. After much thought and discussion we decided to adopt Reese and permanently make her our own. Because she was such a pleasure to have around, it was not a difficult decision.

Once she became ours we were happy that we had a vacation planned and that she'd be joining us. However, about a week and half before our vacation she suddenly decided she did not want to be in her crate anymore and managed to break out shortly after we left for work. In the process, she managed to cut her leg and ended up with a gaping wound that became infected by the time we arrived home later that afternoon. It was immediately obvious that something was wrong when she did not greet us in her usual manner with excitement and jumping. She was rushed to the vet and ended up having surgery to mend the wound and drain inserted to help clear the infection. To our surprise, 'old' Reese recovered quickly and upon arriving home acted like nothing was wrong, even though she had stitches and a huge Soft E Collar (an alternative to an Elizabethian collar) on so she couldn't disturb the wound and stitches.

Although her injuries didn't seem to upset her at all, she was quite unhappy when we had to confine her to one room during the first few days because of the drain. Happily, Reese still managed to make it to The Outer banks and was quite content (huge collar and all) during the 11-hour ride in the car.

It's obvious that Reese 'ruled the roost' in her original home and was probably spoiled rotten (as she should be) and was used to getting her own way. She did need to be taught some basic manners, and how to walk on a leash, but accepted those commands with ease.

We haven't been able to convince her that the living room is not her personal Ivory Tower, and poor Otis just watches her with a confused look on his face when she hoists herself up on the couch, but we still have hope.

We never imagined how active a 7-year old Dane could be. Reese loves to run round her yard and our 3-year Dane, Otis, has a tough time trying to keep up when she entices him into chasing her. It is a true pleasure having Reese in our home. She always greets us enthusiastically and is quick to give you kisses and leans. Because she is such a sweet girl, we have nicknamed her our "sweet pea" and can't imagine life without her.