Hey evfurybody,
I am super excited that the Marmaduke movie is coming out next month but am also worried that many Great Dane puppies will wind up turned into rescues after the adorable puppy stage wears off. You know that the same thing happened when 101 Dalmatians came out and when Paris Hilton fell in love with chihauhuas and the Taco Bell commercials came out. Every kid begged their parents for one without doing research about the breed or being prepared to care for them for their lives. With Great Danes, the trouble is tripled because we are GIANT dogs who need lots of love, food, attention and special
care. (Not to gross you out but you can see the size of my poop compared to a tennis ball!)As some of you may know, I came to my forever home through Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue (RMGDRI), based out of Denver, CO. RMGDRI is ramping up its DogSkool program to educate the public about Great Danes. History has proven that when a new movie is released featuring a certain breed of dog, spontaneous purchases of that breed increase. These spontaneous purchases often lead to a flood of unwanted dogs at shelters/rescues because the new owners did not do their research and were not prepared to care for their new four-legged family member.
According to Laura Rubin, President of the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue Inc., "We get many young Great Danes into rescue with the surrendering reason that they were purchased as cute little puppies and six months later have turned into 100 lb. untrained teenagers and the owners can't handle them."
The press release from RMGDRI continues, "DogSkool is the brainchild of RMGDRI with the purpose of portraying Great Danes in a realistic manner teaching people about the breed; their special needs; and what to expect when owning one. Great Danes are very affectionate dogs and are a joy to own, but new owners must be educated, responsible, and committed to their care before opening their home to one."
Please, help us get the word out that owning a Great Dane, or any dog for that matter, is a great responsibility that should not be taken lightly.
An amazing woman and her dog Harley are also driving across the country to raise funds and awareness of Great Danes. She has launched the "Get Harley on Ellen" campaign to again help educate the public about our majestic breed. Visit here to learn what you can do to help.
Knowing that education is only the first step to fight the proliferation of surrendered animals, please donate to RMGDRI (or any Great Dane rescue in your area) to help find Great Danes forever homes.
Big Dane leans and toots!
Love, Bru
I was born during the "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" phase (tho that's not why Girl picked me; she had done a lot of research) and I think there are still homeless chihuahuas recovering from that ad campaign. Girl & I think the best way to educate people about the responsibility of owning a Great Dane is post a picture of a Great Dane poop next to a "normal size dog" poop.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right Brutus, we remember turtles being flushed after the teenaged turtles and other animals when they are made famous! I hope everyone reads your blog and understands so you can enjoy the film without worrying!
ReplyDeleteOh I do hope dis helps all da Great danes Brutie !!people just don't think dat weez a life time investment !
ReplyDeleteGreat thinking, Brutus! Everytime I see the Marmaduke commercial I think of you! Now, everytime I see a tennis ball, I'll think of you, too! (your poo looks like a small roasted chicken, it's ginormous!)
ReplyDeleteGreat thinking. Our family didn't mind when my great grandma's Great Dane would knock over mom's little brother with his very strong happy tail wagging, LOL. Some people might not like it so much.
ReplyDeleteNice poop photo, too. You could definitely outpoop me.
I'm thinking that's a good idea for a future #pawpawty charity -- hope you nominate them next month! Very appropriate.
ReplyDeleteAnd your poop is bigger than my head...
U is da King of Doodie! UR poo is about as big as Spike! Dang dude - U big & I got noffin but lub 4 U broder! *SMOOOCH*
ReplyDeleteBrutie, thank you for writing this. You're the best (and not just at pooping).
ReplyDeleteGood post Brutus. I'm looking forward to the move but not the aftermath of homeless great danes 9 months to a year later. Will do what I can to educate people in our area.
ReplyDeleteWOW, you sure are a clevver doggie Brustus. Well done for finking ahead
ReplyDeleteGreat to get the word out ahead of time. and I love Busy Buttons comment :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you wrote about this. I'm going to share as much as I can. Your a GREAT great dane.
ReplyDeleteYes, I had thought the movie was going to be animated ... I was saddened to learn that it was going to use "live" dogs ... this will certainly cause a surge on the demand for Great Dane puppies. I do have one HUGE hope in this, however ... Marmaduke is a mischievous Great Dane (just slightly more trouble-causing than your typical Great Dane). I'm hoping the mischief angle of his character and personality will put off many people. In rescue, there are already too many Great Danes whose original owners found them suddenly TOO big (what were they expecting -- a Chihuahua-sized dog!), couldn't understand why they can't leave the dog alone 18 hours a day (don't they know that Great Danes require a LOT of emotional and physical commitment!), weren't able to afford ordinary veterinary expenses (Great Danes weigh more, so they need more heartworm medication and flea/tick preventative!), and so on.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting about this, Woofster Buddy!
Ray6955 -- @DaneRay
Ya know, I think Bru's poo is bigger than Blind Maximus! MOL! but surely Max smells much better ;0) xo
ReplyDeletePoo dat size is not to be trifled with. We must spread da words for dis awareness campaign.
ReplyDeleteYou are so rite, Brutus. We cringe efurry time a movie comes out featuring a breed because it means doom and gloom for that breed. My mom had a great dane way afore me from a shelter. Her cage tag sayed "Got too big." The name does not even clue peeples in as to wot they woz getting themselves into. And this dog woz skin and bones coz they only feeded her 1 can of foods a day. That is not even enuff for me! Mom says to tell you that your poop pikshur brings back fond memories of her beloved Gina, RIP.
ReplyDeleteOh Brutus! This sort of thing makes me sick. Thank goodness there are doggies like you to take a stand and create awareness. Mom works with AC PAW and they will not let black cats be adopted around Halloween. It's the same sort of thing. They would adopt them out and a few weeks later they would be returned. It's hard to believe that people can be so cruel. Good luck with the Dane awareness! You're the coolest.
ReplyDeleteI will help get the word out! There are also so many rabbits and ducks that get abandoned after Easter.
ReplyDeleteToo true.
ReplyDeleteHow have I not met you earlier my dane brother. Good Morning, my name is Major, Im excited find a new Dane friend!
That's a great post Brutie! Thank you for spreading the word BEFORE the movie comes out!!! Smoooooooooooch!
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame that every time something comes out that makes a certain kind of animal popular, they end up being mistreated in this way. I hope your post will make a lot of humans think - carefully.
ReplyDeleteHoly SuperPoo! The dung beetles would love you - we'll send them over to tackle that giant pooburger!
ReplyDeleteWith more smart dane's like you educating da peeps hopefully they will think before buying and if they do want a big doggie like you, they will rescue.
xoxoxox Raven, Thor and Rio
RIP Brutus! <3 Much love to your family
ReplyDeleteHi Dudest!
ReplyDeleteIt's me again, Tammy the Marketing Coordinator at The Uncommon Dog. We just finished another informative info-graphic that I thought you might be interested in. It's titled "How Dogs Became Our Best Friends!".
If you love dogs, like we do, then you'll love this story. Recent scientific breakthroughs have increased our understanding about how dogs have come to play such an integral part of our daily lives. This fun and engaging info-graphic tells that story in a way that we hope makes it accessible and interesting to everyone.
If you would like to share this info-graphic with your readers, please feel free to do so. You can find the info-graphic here: http://www.theuncommondog.com/how-dogs-became-our-best-friends.aspx Again, all we ask in return is that you link back to TheUncommonDog.com, in some way, from your post.
Also, definitely let me know if you do decide to post it because we'd be happy to spread the word again about the blog post by linking to it from our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages.
If you'd like your e-mail removed from our mailing list, please let us know.
Big Tail Wag!
Tammy Sexton
Marketing Coordinato
Hi Dudest!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tammy. I'm leaving you this comment on your blog because I could not find another way to contact you. I hope this is Ok.
I thought you might be interested in our latest infographic "8 Tips To Keep Your Dog Safe and Stress-Free this Halloween". You can view it at Flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/106131018@N08/10406281936/. FYI (in case you're not familiar) Flickr.com is owned by Yahoo!. It's a very safe site and won't hurt your computer. To download the infographic right click on it and Flickr will show you some options.
If you like this infographic and want to share it with your readers, please feel free to do so. The only thing that we ask in return is that you link back to TheUncommonDog dot com in some way from your post.
As a way of showing our appreciation to those who choose to share the infographic, I'd be happy to spread the word about the blog post by linking to it from our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages. Just let me know that you posted it and send me the link.
If you'd like to be removed from our contact list, please let me know.
Big Tail Wag!
Tammy Sexton
Marketing Coordinator
Tammy at TheUncommonDog dot com
Hi Dudest!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tammy. I hope you don't mind me commenting on your blog. I just wasn't sure how else to reach you. I sincerely apologize if this comes across as spam, that is not the intent. With Christmas just around the corner, I thought you might be interested in our latest infographic "Are You A Doggie for Christmas Kind of Mom?". You can view it at Flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/106131018@N08/11241972855/ (Preview) . FYI (in case you're not familiar) Flickr.com is owned by Yahoo!. It's a very safe site and won't hurt your computer. To download the infographic right click on it and Flickr will show you some options.
If you like this infographic and want to share it with your readers, please feel free to do so. The only thing that we ask in return is that you link back to TheUncommonDog dot com in some way from your post.
As a way of showing our appreciation to those who choose to share the infographic, I'd be happy to spread the word about the blog post by linking to it from our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages. Just let me know that you posted it and send me the link.
If you'd like to be removed from our contact list, please let me know.
Happy Holidays!
Tammy Sexton
Marketing Coordinator
Tammy at TheUncommonDog dot com