Why We Rescue

The animals that GDREP receives come from a variety of places. Many are picked up by our local animal control officers as strays and we then take them from the pound to ensure they find a loving home and avoid euthanasia. Many we find are running the streets, and while we place ads in the local paper for these, we seldom have an owner call to claim their pet. The majority of our adoptable animals are actually owner turn-ins for various reasons. Some dogs are the victims of divorces or family separations whereby the individual suddenly finds themselves in a situation where they cannot provide for the dog for whatever reason. The most common reason though that we see is that people buy these animals from what is known as
"backyard breeders" through newspaper ads, without having given much thought or without having done any research Great Danes as a breed beforehand. So, it's no wonder that we too often hear: "It got too big", or "It's too big to be acting like a puppy". When in all actuality, a Great Dane doesn't begin to mentally mature until around 2 years of age, therefore, when their 9 month old, 110 pound dog acts like a puppy, well......
Another common reason owners turn their Great Danes in to Rescues or abandon them at other places, is that they have put their cute little puppy outside to grow up by itself, giving it little or no training, and the puppy begins to display behaviors that are less than desirable.

       We believe overall that there is no such thing as a "bad" dog, just
uneducated or unwilling people that have not given the training and
attention a dog needs. We take these previously unwanted pets and place them into loving foster homes, provide them with medical treatment if necessary, get them spayed/neutered and up to date with vaccinations, work on their training, and work to try to find them wonderful fur-ever homes.

DON'T SHOP...ADOPT YOUR NEXT DOG!

       Here at Great Dane Rescue of El Paso, we strive to find the best
homes for these once unwanted dogs. We believe that a pet is a life-long commitment- meaning that you will commit to the pet you adopt from us for the rest of that pet's life. Irresponsible breeding has contributed to the national pet overpopulation, increased animal abandonment, and a conglomerate of problems for today's animal rescue groups.  Often times, the problem begins with that "backyard breeder". This is too frequently what happens. A well-intentioned person purchases a Great Dane puppy and thinks it's the best dog on Earth, and decides to get another, so they can breed them and make LOTS of wonderful little puppies - just like theirs. The problems with that are:
       1) Those cute little puppies are not going to live with them
forever. They are going to sell them to other people who may or may not properly care for and love that puppy.
       (Nationwide statistics show that only 1 in 4 puppies finds a great
home. Ever. The others wind up on the streets, abused, or being re-homed.)
       2) The person/s they sell the puppies to feels the same way they did about your puppy, and they decide to breed the puppy they bought from you. Now there are more puppies that may or may not be properly cared for and loved.
       (Nationwide statistics show that only 1 in 4 puppies finds a great
home. Ever. The others wind up on the streets, abused, or being re-homed.)
       3) An average litter of Great Dane puppies is 10-14. Let's do the
math here:      The person has bred their dogs and gotten 12 puppies.
       (Nationwide statistics show that only 1 in 4 puppies finds a great
home. Ever. The others wind up on the streets, abused, or being re-homed.)
       Out of the 3 puppies that they sold from their first litter that
went to "great homes", each of those have been bred and have produced an average of 12 puppies.
       (Nationwide statistics show that only 1 in 4 puppies finds a great
home. Ever. The others wind up on the streets, abused, or being re-homed.)
       There are now 36 puppies born from the initial breeding. But wait - that's only from 3 puppies that they sold to great homes. What happened to the other 9 to 11 puppies that you produced? (10x12=120)

Again...nationwide statistics show that only 1 in 4 puppies finds a great home. The others wind up on the streets, abused, or being re-homed
And the cycle keeps repeating itself. The result is unwanted dogs, increased euthanasia rates, and overpopulated rescues staffed by tired volunteers.

If you are considering breeding your Great Dane, or any other dog, please read this again, and know that we here at Great Dane Rescue of El Paso are seeing an average of 3 puppies come to us out of each litter of Great Danes that is advertised in the paper from the backyard breeders - within one year of age. Most of the time, we can find great homes for these puppies and dogs, but often times, when we get them, it's too late. The damage has been done.
The puppies are scared.
The puppies have been abused.
The puppies are sick.
The puppies die.
And we cry.
Where are you?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
It started with one breeder..