Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue
Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue
Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue
Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue
Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue
Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue
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Welcome to Dames for Danes

Dames for Danes is an all-volunteer non-profit 501c3 animal rescue organization based in Oak Ridge, TN dedicated to saving the lives of homeless, abused and neglected Great Danes in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, as well as to other areas in which our resources will allow.

Adopt a Great Dane

Adopt a Great Dane


Our Gentle Giants come in all colors and sizes. Each one of them with a beautiful and unique personality. Please consider providing a second chance at life to one of our beautiful boys or girls.

Adopt a Great Dane

Help a Great Dane

Help a Great Dane


The hardest job in rescue is The Foster Parent. We desperately need foster Moms and Dads to help rehabilitate and pave the way for a Dane to get a second chance. Please consider fostering.

Help a Great Dane

Donate to Dames for Danes

Donate to Dames for Danes


There are many ways in which you can donate to Dames for Danes. We always accept monetary donations, along with donations of dog food, crates, leashes and collars.

Donate to DFD



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About DFD

Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue

Dames for Danes Great Dane rescue is comprised of a number of strong and independent women who set out to ensure our Rescue Danes get the best homes, with the best families, for the best forever lives they can possibly be granted. Each individual is highly experienced within the rescue field and each woman saving many lives of Danes who needed us. We have been known to drop everything at a moments notice to get these beautiful Danes safe. And we never apologize for wanting the best for each one of them.

Our Mission & Vision

Dames for Danes is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501c3 animal rescue organization based in Oak Ridge, TN, dedicated to saving the lives of homeless, abused and neglected Great Danes in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, as well as other areas which our resources will allow.

Our vision is to advocate for voiceless, see "unwanted" Danes in the very best of homes, and nurture responsible pet ownership, for ALL pets. We believe Danes are furry, goofy members of the family that deserve to be loved and treated as a valuable part of the home and family life.

Our Goals

Our goals are quite simple: end the cycle of homelessness, prevent unnecessary euthanasia, and see every Dane we adopt out thrive.

#1 - We believe spaying and neutering is a crucial step in the right direction to ending pet overpopulation, thereby preventing Danes from landing in shelters, or worse, being "dumped."

#2 - Educating the general public about our chosen breed is also a very important part of preventing Danes from becoming homeless. It's vital to know what to expect from such giants and to be able to decide if this is the right breed for you and your home, PRIOR to adopting. For our part, we cannot understand why everyone doesn't have 2 or 3, but realistically, we know Danes are not for everyone. We welcome questions and do our absolute best to give honest, meaningful answers, or at the very least, point people in the right direction to find the correct information.

#3 - Our last, and arguably most important, goal is to place our Danes in the very BEST homes for their particular personality and needs. Not every home is right for every Dane. We want each adoption to be successful and go the extra mile toward this purpose. Our fosters work very hard at learning all the ins and outs of their foster-Danes. We are very selective in choosing adopters for each of our Danes to ensure the best outcome for all.

What We've Achieved

Dames for Danes was once called Great Creatures. The Dames took over when the founders of Great Creatures decided to retire. We changed the name to fit the all-Girl status and continued to rescue thousands of lives to date. We were lucky to be granted a good working foundation and build upon it to become even better.

We have dedicated our time to trying to keep Danes in their homes. We have donated food, medical care, and managed to donate rental deposits in order to prevent Danes from being turned over to rescues, shelters, or dumped on roadside, when funds allow.

Our primary focus has been dedicated to the spay and neuter of all of our Danes and those who didn't come into our programs. We have distributed funding to ensure the population of Danes is managed to the best of our ability.

We are known for taking on some of the worst medical cases, the elderly, and the blind and deaf. Our rescue does not discriminate against Danes with special needs. We have saved countless Danes who were deaf from a lifetime of not being understood. And placing those Danes with families who had the experience or wished to learn to train them.

We have spent many hours educating the public at schools, public events, and internet speaking engagements. We are trying to reach our youth at an early age to ensure they grow up to become better pet owners. We feel education is the most important component of our rescue.



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Surrender Your Dane

Dames for Danes - Surrender Your Great Dane

We at Dames realize that there are certain times within life in which events spiral out of control. We are not here to judge you but rather we are here to help you, help the Dane that you love. We do this without judgement and we want you to feel good about our program and where your beloved Dane will go.

Why are You Surrendering Your Dane?

We will ask why you are surrendering your Dane simply because if we can we want to find a solution to help you keep your Dane if possible. Have you sought all avenues to keep your Dane home? Have you looked into medical solutions, negotiations with landlords, or sought behavior training? If not, could we guide you to some or any of these avenues? Sometimes the most hopeless situations have been corrected with an additional pair of eyes and someone to listen. We realize it is not always possible but we want to help you if we can.

Is Dames for Dames Right for You?

We will ask you for photos of your Dane. We would like to know what your Dane loves and what your Dane dislikes. We will ask you to create a bio in which fits your dog and to present the best possible photos to us you are able. The photos capture hearts within the eyes. And a bio presented by a loving owner gives us the best possible start to the placement of your Danes. Our process is designed to ensure your Dane is happy and comfortable be in into a foster home or directly being placed into a forever home.

Medical Records

We would love any and all vet records you have on your dog so that we know and understand what medical care is needed. Please email information about your Dane along with photos to damesfordanes@gmail.com.

** Please note: Dames for Danes will not take on a Great Dane who is prone to aggressive behavior with people or other animals. We cannot take on Danes with a bite history. We will not be able to find a home for a Dane who cannot get along with other dogs. Please let us be the judge of that situation though.



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Adopt A Dane

Dames for Danes - Adopt A Great Dane

Dames for Danes adopts to the following states: Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. However, if you are located in one of these states, but in an area without adequate resources available to the rescue to complete the application process, we reserve the right to deny your application. All of the dogs that come through our rescue are spayed or neutered before being adopted, as well as provided general vet care to include vaccinations. It is the recommendation of the rescue that if you are serious about adoption and prepared to bring a new family member into your home, that you apply and seek approval as soon as possible. If you wait until you see a dog of interest to apply, the dog could be adopted by the time you are approved.

Adoption Fee

Our adoption fee is $350 for dogs under 1 year of age, $325 for dogs over 1 year of age, and $200 for dogs over the age of 6. The adoption fee for mixes, when available, is $200. All Danes will be spayed or neutered, have all shots, heart worm testing, any needed medical treatment required, placed on flea and heart worm preventative. Full disclosure of the dogs current needs will be forwarded to potential owners.

Adoption Requirements

  • The dog must be an inside dog and not spend a lot of time outside without supervision to prevent harm or theft. Great Danes enjoy being with their people and cannot tolerate extreme heat or cold. In addition, the dog is NEVER to be tied, staked, chained or on a runner, NO EXCEPTIONS. As well, the dog is never to be transported via the bed of a pickup truck without enclosure, again NO EXCEPTIONS.
  • The family should have a fenced in yard. However, this is not mandatory and will depend upon the dog individually. We will not adopt a dog to someone without a fence if we feel the particular dog could be at risk without such.
  • All animals in the household should be spayed/neutered.
  • All animals in the household should see a vet once a year.
  • The family, as well as current dogs should be willing to travel to meet the new dog.
  • The family must be committed to the care and well-being of the dog, keeping in mind large breeds are more expensive to feed, board, vet, etc.

Adoption Procedure

Step #1 - Application
Your application MUST be completed in its entirety to be considered and not having done so could result in being denied. All adults within the potential adoptive home must either appear as an applicant OR sign the application stating agreement to the adoption. You will not be allowed to visit any dog of interest without first completing an application. (see our Adoption Application below)

Step #2 - Phone Interview
Following receipt of the application, a representative of Dames for Danes will follow up with a phone interview.

Step #3 - Reference Checks
All references will be checked prior to the home visit. We will contact your vet, as well as your personal references. Keep in mind your vet may require your permission to provide this reference and could contact you regarding such prior to speaking with us and it is your responsibility to provide authorization. Ultimately, we would appreciate you notifying your vet of your application and the fact they can be expecting us to contact them. By doing so, the application process will proceed more smoothly. By not doing so, the application process may cease. Therefore, we advise you to make your vet aware we may be contacting them.

Step #4 - Home Visit
A volunteer will visit your home upon scheduling such. We are not looking for dust as we have plenty in our own homes and actually prefer you to do nothing prior to our visit. We are simply looking for any potential problems that you and your new dog may encounter in your home. Your home visit does not mean you have been approved.

Step #5 - Approval
After the above steps have been completed, all of your information will be reviewed and a decision will be made about adoption. The entire process should not take any longer than a couple of weeks. If you are approved to adopt, a Dames for Danes representative will help you select the appropriate dog for your family.

Step #6 - Contract
For the protection of the dogs we place, you will be required to sign an adoption agreement/contract. (see our Adoption Contract below)

The dogs we have taken into our rescue are of utmost importance to us and therefore, we will not compromise their safety by making any exceptions to our policies without serious thought and consideration. An applicant may request an exception, but no guarantees are made or expressed. We reserve the right to refuse an applicant.



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How To Help

Dames for Danes - How To Help

Foster A Dane

Dames for Danes always is looking for Foster Families.

Foster families are held to the same standards as our adopters. We take care of all vetting but do ask our fosters to feed the dogs in their care. To apply to become a Foster Family for a Great Dane in need please use our foster application. (see our Foster Application below)

Fostering is a valuable resource in which allows Dames for Danes to continue saving the lives of Great Danes in need. Without our Foster Families we could not perform all of the good work we do. We value our Foster Families to the fullest extent. For more information you can email damesfordanes@gmail.com.

Amazon Smile

We all shop on Amazon. Why not support Dames for Danes in the process?

It's almost effortless...

  • Step 1 - Got to https://smile.amazon.com
  • Step 2 - Sign in with your Amazon account credentials and choose Dames for Danes GDR as the charity you support
  • Step 3 - The next time you shop use the smile.amazon.com url to login and shop

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Dames for Danes.

Kroger Community Rewards

If you shop at Krogers signup and support Dames for Danes.

Just three steps to make it happen...

Target Employees

If you are an employee of Target you can donate to Dames for Danes through the Philanthropy Program

Here's the link to get involved - https://doublethedonation.com/matching-gifts/target

Report Danes in Need

If you know of any Great Danes that need our help, please let us know right away with an email to damesfordanes@gmail.com.

Event Help

From time to time Dames for Danes GDR participates in local events. When doing so we could use helping hands.

If you're interested in helping out with events and the like email us at damesfordanes@gmail.com.



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Contact DFD

Dames for Danes - Contact This site is dedicated to Trooper - We miss you SO MUCH buddy!

Dames for Danes Great Dane Rescue can be reached via standard mail, email and social media.

Our Mailing Address:

Dames for Danes GDR
PO Box 4922
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Our Email Address - damesfordanes@gmail.com

Join Our Mailing List - Click Here

Our Social Sites - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram





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