Great Dane Rescue

Fostering Information

Help A Dog in Need - Offer Temporary Shelter to an Orphaned Great Dane

Because Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue does not have a shelter, we rely on our network of foster homes to provide a safe and stable temporary home for the dogs in our care until a permanent home is found. Our foster program is the heart of Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. Put simply, the more families willing to open their hearts and homes to an orphaned Great Dane, the more dogs we can save.

As a foster family, you will be helping Great Danes recover from severe neglect, mistreatment, loss of a home and sometimes illness.

Welcoming a foster dog into your home is the first and most important step toward giving these dogs in need a chance at a better life. Often times, this is the first time the dog has ever felt loved and cared for.

During the time you are fostering one of our gentle giants, we ask that you work with the dog to teach him/her basic obedience and treat the dog as a member of your family. We will work with you to help you learn the skills you will need if you have no experience.

Foster Requirements:

completed foster application

review and completion of the foster agreement and release of liability

written landlord permission or own your own home
willingness to work with the dog on housebreaking, basic training, socialization etc

agree to actively participate in helping promote the dog and make it available to prospective adopters

participate in or get dog to at least one Meet and Greet event per month

RMGDRI Pays For:

medical expenses (with prior approval)
food distributed monthly
training with our team of trainers (pending prior approval) for dogs needing a little extra work
foster identification tags

Most dogs come with a flat collar and leash, though Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue will provide these items and Gentle Leaders to foster homes when needed. We also have Great Dane sized crates we provide to our foster homes when supplies are available.

Terms of Foster Care:

As a member of the foster team with Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue, we ask that in taking a dog into your home, you keep the dog until a new and permanent home is found. This can be anywhere from a week to a couple of months. Of course, we understand that there will be times that this is simply not possible because of family commitments or because the dog just isn't adjusting well in your home. Each dog is different and each adjusts to a new environment if different ways. Our foster team leads are committed to your success and will be there during the adjustment period to help you sort through any issues. Help is just a phone call away! If at any point you feel that it just isn't working, we will promptly look for a new foster home for the dog. See below for details on our permanent foster program.

But How Are You Able to Let Them Go After You Have Fallen in Love

We left it up to one of our foster families to answer this question:

“It makes me happy to give a Dane a place where they feel safe and loved. It is hard to let them go, but you know they are going to a wonderful new home where they will be well loved. Some are harder to let go than others, but as they move on, I know I am making room for the next Dane in need of rescue.” - Lori

We asked our foster families how this experience has enriched their lives and here is what they had to say:

“You bring a broken creature, both in mind and body, into your home and send a confident, loving creature out into the world. You create a safe, loving haven in a sea of turmoil and despair. At the end of the day, you create a family member - they are not just a dog anymore. To see a dog I have fostered with their new Forever Family, see the joy on everyone's face, to know I've been a part of it is quite simply the most
amazing feeling in the world." - Hillary

"Fostering for RMGDRI has been the most rewarding experience of my life. It is an incredible feeling to know you have actively participated in saving and rehabilitating an animal that would have otherwise been forgotten. Whether they are with me for only a day, or for a few months, they all have left a permanent mark on my life. I am incredibly grateful for this experience." - Bree

“Seeing their personality come out is so rewarding and the people here supporting me are wonderful. People are often scared of Danes initially due to their size, but they grow to love them once they get to know their goofy personality and gentle spirits.” - Randi

"Fostering Great Danes requires a change in lifestyle. Life becomes a little bit more unpredictable, a little bit dirtier, and a little bit bigger. But it also becomes a little bit more humorous, a little bit more loving, and a LOT more rewarding. While my family and I have had to make certain sacrifices in order to foster Great Danes, there are no regrets, no missed opportunities, and no love lost. Anyone can see how much a foster family gives to the animals it fosters. However, it is not always obvious how much love the foster dogs give to their families. Fostering Great Danes is not only an extremely rewarding experience, but it is a blessing as well." Laura, Missy & Kiley

"Watching an animal transform from a dog that someone totally forgot about, to a dog that someone can't live without, is an amazing experience and knowing that I had a hand in that is heartwarming. When you see the smiles on the faces of both the dog and their new families it makes it all worth it!" - Lori

"One of the best parts of fostering is when you see a dog who previously was so nervous that they wouldn't eat and would stand with their head hanging low, running and frolicking and just being a dog." - Susan

This page last modified on January 22, 2010

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