Dog group rescues Gentle Giants

Gentle Giants Rescue photo

We’ve been thinking about adopting a Great Dane from Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoption, a huge dog rescue operation in southern California.

They specialize in Giant breeds, especially Danes. In a surprising Hollywood twist, it’s run by Burt Ward, the actor who played Robin in the Batman TV series of the 1960s.

Their website features a delightful video that Dillon and I have watched many times. The best part is when “the herd” comes out to meet PBS reporter Huell Howser. He’s surrounded by dozens of huge, friendly dogs -- Danes, St. Bernards, Mastiffs, Great Pyranees, Newfoundlands, Borzois, in every shape and color. For me, it’s like an image of what heaven must be like. Click here to watch the video -- it’s a must-see.

Whenever I use Petfinder.com to look for Great Danes, almost all of the nearby ones are at Gentle Giants.

Some aspects of Gentle Giants are making us hesitate. Their fees are almost as high as buying a new Dane puppy. They have a lot more complicated rules than most dog adoption places and breeders.

There’s a whole big website called GentleGiantsNews.com that is “dedicated to discovering and exposing the truth about Gentle Giants Rescue.” Their testimonials from adopters are truly awful and the Wards sued them for defamation. I certainly don’t believe everything I read on the Net, but it does make me wonder why somebody set up such a site.

We might go check out Gentle Giants in person. Meeting “the herd” alone would be worth the trip. And we might find a new Gentle Giant to fill our hearts.

Waiting list for a dog

We’re on the waiting list for a dog! She’s a friendly, intelligent, calm black Labrador Retriever whose expression glows with a steady stream of love. She’s a wise old lady at age 9. Her muzzle is starting to go grey, but she still seems full of life compared to what I’m used to with Winston.

She was a stray picked up by the humane society, and if nobody claims her in four days, we’re at the top of the waiting list to adopt her.

Dillon and I went to our pre-adoption interview, and the counselor quickly matched us up with the Lab. We were drawn to the loving look on her face as she wagged her tail and gently kissed us through the fence. We were especially impressed at how she watched each person who walked by, paying special attention to the staff people. She had obviously identified the staff, even though she had been there less than a day. She was far and away the best dog there for us.

People kept telling me that when I found the right dog, I would “know.” I doubted this, since I’ve been looking at hundreds of dogs in local shelters lately, and never felt that kind of connection. But today I did.

Well, we had imagined getting a male dog, and also a younger one. However, I did ask Winston’s spirit to help us find the right dog. I should have known that he would choose a black female. That was definitely his favorite “type” throughout his whole life.

I think that an older dog will be easier for me to handle with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I feel a sense of peace about choosing this loving Lab.

We do know that it still may not work out. Later in the day I applied at a Labrador Retriever rescue group, too.