10/12/2023
Hello OZR Family!
We started this rescue in 2017, and it’s been a great run. Over the years, we’ve saved, provided medical care, and adopted hundreds of Great Danes and many honorary Danes. It has been an absolute joy for us to do this work.
Most of you know that we are 100% volunteer and donation based. Times are tough now, and over the past year to year and a half, it’s been very difficult to find fosters, volunteers, and funds. As a result, back in August during the quarterly board meeting, a decision was made to close the rescue once the last dog in our care was adopted. We had voted to be closed for intakes the previous quarter. Our hearts hurt to realize that we have reached the end of our journey.
We’ve been so blessed to have had such a strong community and family during the years that we operated. There were so many times that we rallied together to make things happen for the dogs in our care; emergency medical needs, Dane trains, fosters to whelp pregnant intakes, you name it!
We have always been about doing what was best for the dog, and we hope that spirit will carry on with all of you.
This board has also always operated under the promise of transparency. That being said, we want to share the plans for the remaining funds that we have. We have always carried insurance at a cost of $268.81 per month, and we have a software membership that helps us track the dogs in our care, new owner info, and chip/vaccine/medical info at a cost of $380 per year. We just renewed that software membership for the next year, and we are continuing to carry the insurance for the next few months. Once all final expenses are accounted for, We will be donating the remaining to other Dane rescues in our area; splitting between Anna at Great Dane Rescue of South Florida and Katie at Northwest Florida Great Dane Rescue. It is our intention to disburse those funds near the end of this year, so we can be sure to cover the financial commitments we have. We will post an update on how much is donated to each rescue once we have those numbers.
If you’re still looking to volunteer with a Dane rescue and you’re in Florida, as many of our family and followers are, we would encourage you to reach out to those organizations as they’re struggling to keep up with the demands as well.
If you have a Dane you are looking to return or surrender, we would encourage you to make sure you do all the steps before reaching out to other rescues in your area who are overflowing with demand. Invest in professional training classes, visit the vet for an evaluation and possible blood work if there’s a sudden behavior change, work with a trainer in your home if you’ve introduced a baby and things aren’t going Instagram perfect.
It has been our privilege to work with this community, to educate, and to promote the betterment of this breed. We hope that our community will continue to rally and will place their support with other rescue organizations who do desperately need it.
A huge thank you to those who have supported us through the years and to those who have adopted from us. You have made this adventure successful!
