Great Dane Rescue

I've noticed a trend in this blog of mine…I have been focused on Great Danes that come to us with serious issues (like Amy) or the Great Danes that come to us with two paws in the grave (Ruby and Oscar). Don’t get me wrong, it is important for all of you to hear their stories – because their stories must be told. But there are just as many perfectly healthy, well-mannered, no-issue Great Danes in our program that deserve some attention too.

note - click "read more" to view the rest of the story and click any word in blue for links to additional information

We just cannot quit saying thank you! And for good reason - because this group has an amazing cast of volunteers and supporters who consistently go above and beyond to help Great Danes in need.

An example of going above and beyond is our very own Discussion Board Moderator, Sara Craven, who sold over $1,000 in tickets for our annual raffle item! (We believe this is some sort of record - we're just waiting for the world raffle sales record keepers to contact us with confirmation.)

Sara's devotion to rescue is truly a gift. But looking at the smiling faces of her two boys - both were fostered and adopted through GDRNT - it's easy to see why she works so hard. Click on the image to the right to see a bigger picture of Sara's special boys: Shammy (L) and Chad (R).

Laura Alton and Cristina Bruzda were close on Sara's heels in the 'who can sell the most raffle tickets' race, but Laura gets extra points for selling the winning ticket to one of her co-workers. David Williams, a personal trainer at Cooper Aerobics Center, lucked out when he gave Laura $11 (the only cash he had on him) as she was leaving work the day before the raffle. David got an amazing 52" Samsung TV worth over $2,000 for eleven bucks...and thanks to Sara, Laura, Cristina and the rest of the outstanding volunteers who worked hard selling tickets a whole lotta Great Danes will get a second chance at an amazing life.

Great Dane sized thanks to the following people for organizing the Houston-area Moms & Mutts event benefiting Great Dane Rescue of North Texas!

Judy Jones pulled in a fantastic team of people and they all worked their patooties off to raise money for dogs in need. Judy's dedication to this group and to Great Danes everywhere is awe-inspiring. We used to mention trying to clone her, but after seeing how hard her team in Houston worked on this event we don't think that's necessary anymore!

Maureen and Jason Given
Kerra Turner
Stacey Memahen & Johnathan
Amy Megill
Heidi and Michael Walther
Frank and Loretta Turner

Because of the time and effort these folks put into this event, three Heartworm positive Great Danes will get a second chance at life. (cue in round of applause)

Great Dane Rescue of North Texas is grateful to everyone who had a hand in making this year’s DaneFest the best ever! Thanks to an amazing raffle item, an incredible volunteer team, some really great weather, and a whole slew of supporters who showed up by the bunches, we were able to raise over $8,000 to treat abused, neglected and abandoned Danes in North Texas!

This year’s DaneFest would not have been nearly as successful and would not have been nearly so much fun without the help of the following people:

Heather, Geoff, Don and Lynn Hardin Susan and William Thomas Doris, and her son John, Huneycutt Judy Jones Nina Johnstone Eileen Anderson Cristina and John Bruzda Courtney Cruthirds

Stacie Everitt Len Holloway Kayrene Janak Lauren Murphy Nova Pickles Jana Sanders Mary Stewart Nora Stonecipher Lubo Tancevski

And the following businesses:

Year after year, Carla and her team at Promos Distributors have made high-quality screen prints on high-quality t-shirts at deeply discounted prices for us. Because of Carla, we are able to raise serious money from the sale of DaneFest shirts and attendees get to go home with a souvenir that will last longer than a favorite concert t-shirt.

And the best has been saved for last...Great Big, Great Dane sized thanks go to Lea and Dennis Van Vleet with Dogs Unleashed Daycare for allowing us to take over their facility every year. They bend over backwards for GDRNT and we cannot thank them enough for their continued support of our rescue efforts.

Many thanks, too, to all of you who came out to support us last Saturday. We enjoyed visiting with you and playing with your dog(s) and really look forward to seeing you for DaneFest 2009!

Click here to view more DaneFest 2008 Pictures

I want you to meet Amy - an exceptional dog, but not in the traditional way. She will never be one of those search and rescue dogs featured on national news and it is not likely she will win awards in confirmation or agility trials any time soon, but Amy has won our hearts and we are so proud of all she has accomplished.

Amy’s story starts off like so many other dogs: born for the sole purpose of breeding, she was one of nine Great Danes we pulled from a bad situation southeast of Dallas.

Every year GDRNT raffles off a great prize as a fundraiser to go along with DaneFest. This year is no exception. You could win this 50" Samsung Television for only $5. All you need to do is buy one or more raffle tickets. We have made it even easier. You can buy your raffle tickets right here through April 25th. Credit Cards and bank drafts are both accepted. You can buy a raffle ticket even if you cannot make it to DaneFest this year.

For all my friends who work on or with computers, I've sent you a free
screen cleaner.
It utilizes simple technology from the inside so it's easier on your eyes
and very effective! Try it . . .

Many thanks to the good people at neighborsgo.com for paying special attention to our favorite presidential candidate, Guinness Murphy!

Here is a direct link to the shout-out from "Paws and Effect", the blogger who focuses on animal issues in the DFW-area through neighborsgo.com.