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
