Gentle Giants Rescue
45 ratings since posting on Tuesday, September 14, 2004
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Overall Rating   based on 45 ratings |
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I am a reader of these ratings who called and visited Gentle Giants and found out the truth that these bad stories are false. GG is a great dog rescue who saves thousands of dogs each year who otherwise would be killed! I have the facts so everyone can see the truth! I called and met with Gentle Giants Rescue (GG) to seek the truth about the scantily supported, undocumented tall tale-like accusations made against GG on internet sites like this one. I spoke to Tracy Ward, who was VERY nice and obviously cares very much about her dogs and her adopters, as I already knew because I have adopted three wonderful dogs from them, and Tracy and Burt have always been there for me. I have been to GG many times, and I know many other very happy adopters just like myself, many who have also adopted 2 or 3 dogs or more great dogs from them and all of them are beautiful, healthy, affectionate and well trained. I know for a fact that every time I went there, their property was beautiful and clean and all the dogs looked great and were in good health. The dogs I have adopted are loving and wonderfully healthy, and they were clean and healthy on the day I adopted them. They are great with my kids and are incredibly well trained and socialized. I have been given a lot of help and support from Tracy and Burt, and they have always been prompt to answer any question I have had over the years. I found out that what is written here about GG not caring for their dogs is completely false. Tracy has provided the documentation that proves that every negative story is bogus and shows that the people who wrote them are liars. I will post the facts about each false story to show the truth. The first fabricated story to be exposed is about a Bullmastiff and was written by a woman hiding under the assumed name of “C.” Most of these internet liars use anonymous or abbreviated names and email addresses to hide behind their lies. Now, you will be able to see their real names with photos and videos and actual medical records showing that every one of these liars adopted beautiful healthy dogs! You can see the actual documentation and read the facts that disproves the first false “story” by going to www.gentlegiantinfoandnews.com/pe...htm I will go person by person and help them print the truth about the people writing these false stories here on Tribe.net so that readers can see what really happened and see the other side of the story for every story. I believe what Tracy Ward told me. There was no reason for her to lie about it. And even in this case, the facts pretty well speak for themselves. If a dog is healthy and happy for two years at GG, it was obviously well cared for there. And if it can go home and be in an adopters home healthy for about a year and come back and still be healthy for 5 months more at GG, it is clear that GG is NOT at fault. They did a great job. The only way we will really know what happened is if the adopter “C” ever fesses up what really happened in her home after the first week. And she seems to be on a blame campaign that has nothing to do with the truth. Just like most of these false, anonymous stories. As I gather the facts and documentation, all the false postings and all the people posting them will be exposed for the liars that they are. The others that will follow show some very bad people with very bad intentions and ulterior motives. While most of the postings written here are flat out lies written by people who have never adopted and have never even been to GG, the few people who actually are GG Adopters have violated their contracts and have abused or even killed their dogs adopted from GG. Many of them are using forums like this one to garner sympathy for themselves to cover up their own crimes when they are nothing more than DOG KILLERS! One of these people was arrested and jailed in connection with the murder of her own infant human baby and then lied about the death of her baby! You can read the truth at www.gentlegiantinfoandnews.com to learn more about why these people are targeting GG. You will see that it is the dogs who deserve the sympathy after being adopted to these horrible people, and you will also see that GG has never had a violation in the more than 14 years they have been operating. Animal shelters all across the country love GG and depend on them and so do their more than 10,000 happy adopters who have treated their dogs well and who on average, have adopted three or more wonderful dogs from GG over the years just like I did. It is ironic is that while GG saves and protects the lives of as many as 25 to 30 dogs each week, and has done so each and every week of the year for the last 14 years, saving more than 1,000 dogs each year, the scum that fill these ratings with their false, trashy “stories” do absolutely nothing to rescue dogs and don’t spend a penny of their own money to save dogs lives. Opposite to the lack of charity and integrity of these liars posting false stories, GG spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year solely to save the lives of innocent dogs who otherwise would be killed. If you want a great dog, go to a Great Rescue - GG ! If you want to get stuck in these pathetic liar's games, they are certainly writing enough volumes of lies to waste a good amount of your time reading them. But if you do read them, keep coming back to this section to see each of them exposed for the liars and dog killers and stinking breeders that they are. And now you can see their real names, photos and videos of their adoptions for the few who did adopt together with the actual medical records for the dogs. You can see the thousands of dollars in vet bills and other care spent on them by GG. You see that every dog was vet checked by a licensed veterinarian on the day they went home and were in great health. You can now know for sure who the good guys are - GG!! And, you will also have the email addresses and names of the bad guys, the liars and dog killers and breeders too, to get in touch with them and let them know what you think of what they're doing. - DB , posted 07/09/08 |
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It makes me sad to hear all the bad luck people have had with GGR. We adopted 2 dogs one is healthy and fine and the other we just had to put down today because of cancer although I'm positive she had it when we adopted her . I always thought there was something strange about that place. - kat , posted 01/23/08 |
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It has been almost year since I have delt with these people. At the time my husband and I didn't realize what this place really was. We were taken in by their pretty website and full hearted promises that our dog would find a good forever home. We had a Irish Wolfhound named Binn. Long story short.. at 6 months of age Binn lost his use of his back legs and was unable to walk. We did everything we could for Binn, and decided it was best to give him up to GGR with the promise from Tracy that he would have medical attention. We were also moving and were unable to take him with us. We had talked to Tracy on the phone and she paid for Binn's flight and crate. She also said Binn would get medical treatment and that he would be "OK". A few days later I checked their site and saw Binn was already listed as "Up For Adoption". A month later Tracy had added under Binn's name "Not ready to go home yet." I was able to talk to Tracy a few months later and she said Binn was not able to get surgery..which is BS.. our vet told us that there was a small window open for surgery and Tracy knew that. Not sure why she ignored that. I have written Tracy several emails asking how Binn was doing.. she has ignored them all. Binn's name is still under "Irish Wolfhounds" in the adoption section. I'm really not sure if he's still there or if he has died and Tracy let him. If I could do this all over.. I would have never fallen for their ridiculous site. If anyone has seen Binn while visiting GGR please let me know and how he is doing. He is a Wheaten Irish Wolfhound and as sweet as can be! Thank you! - Kaleigh , posted 11/25/07 |
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This place is a total sham. C'mon people, what on earth is a sasquatch? It's a shame, all the money they weasle out of people, you think they could afford to properly care for the dogs on their premises. And even have a little left over to afford psychiatric medications.....because if they believe all the lies they spout, then they have some serious issues. DON'T FALL FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you are thinking of adopting from GGR, please visit www.gentlegiantnews.com and find out the truth. Burt can lie all he wants, but those IRS documents don't lie. Neither do the testimonies. Really, do any of you believe that the person who put up gentlegiantnews.com has nothing more to do with her time than try to bring Burt Ward down? Trust me, she does. BUT, because of the problems Burt and Tracy have caused her, she has taken major steps to try to prevent those problems from happening to anyone else. Three Cheers to Barbara for trying to prevent these crooks from lining their pockets further, and to the crooks, shame on you. You'll find your just punishment one day. - K , posted 08/22/07 |
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This "rescue" is a joke. They are dog brokers. All the responses that have given them an excellent rating is written by them not an actual outsider that has had a good experience there. They are complete whack jobs. The reason they always have puppies is because they are breeding they are a puppy mill not a rescue. And with their so called 25 to 30 adoptions per week and the first 400 has to be in cash they are pocketing 520,000 to 624,000 cash and we all know that isn't reported to the IRS. I wonder what will happen when it all catches up with them. - Anna , posted 07/27/07 |
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Almost a year after losing our previous dog to cancer, we decided to head up to Gentle Giants Rescue (GGR) in search of a new dog for our family. We knew we wanted a Mastiff, most likely a Bullmastiff, and GGR seemed like the perfect place to go. I talked to Burt on the phone before we made the two-hour trip to the rescue, and he assured me that they had plenty of Bullmastiffs to choose from. Because we have a 10-month-old baby and 4-year-old son, I was especially interested in the “training” and “socialization” they claim to provide to each of their dogs. Burt assured me that every dog goes through a rigorous training program that includes socialization with both kids and other animals. We were so excited! We went up to GGR that very day after talking to Burt on the phone. When we got there the place was a bit odd, not as green and clean as it looked on the website. We waited in our car as instructed, in the heat, for someone to come over and greet us. Tracy was helping another adoptee and didn’t seem to even notice we were there. There was one other couple there to adopt besides our family and after about 20 minutes Burt directed us where to park and then led us into the area where they bring the dogs out. They started bringing out dogs one at a time. Tracy kept bringing out English Mastiffs and although I love the English Mastiff, I had to tell Burt we were primarily interested in the Bullmastiffs & French Mastiffs. We were then informed that they didn’t have any Bullmastiff that they could adopt out yet – but he said they plenty of them on the phone. They brought dog after dog out, most of which looked dirty and underweight. Then Burt & Tracy disappeared and us the other couple just sat there wondering what the hell was going on. We sat there for at least 15-20 minutes before anyone came back out. In that time we were discussing with the other couple how weird the place was and how dirty it seemed to be. Both my husband and I, and the other couple there to adopt felt that the whole place was just really strange. There was a little caged in area right next to where we were sitting that contained 2 puppies, I can’t remember what kind they were but there was poop, mushy and extremely stinky all over the encaged area and food all over the ground. It was filthy and smelly. They had brought out 2 Danes for the other couple looking to adopt and when the potential adoptee went to pet one of them it growled and showed teeth. Tracy promptly told us the dog was playing and that she was harmless. We finally saw a dog we liked after about 4 hours of being there. We were told she was a Neapolitan Mastiff. She was filthy and covered in mud but I saw her potential. She was very docile and very affectionate. We were told her owner left her at a school. We filled out all the paperwork and were then told we would not be able to pick her up till the next day because she needed a final vet check. I was irritated because we were under the impression that we could take her that night. I asked if it was necessary to bring the kids since we had all already met the dog and because it was a total pain in the ass to bring an infant up there to sit for hours on end, but Tracy said we all had to be there. TO make things worse, the next day was a holiday and when we asked if their vet would be open they assured us the vet was open. Tracy told me to call her first thing the next morning to find out when we could pick our dog up. The next morning around 8am I called and left a voicemail and then sent an email. Finally at 10am, I called back again and Tracy said she was trying to get an appt and that she would call me right back. 4.5 hours later, after calling and leaving several more messages, Burt called to tell me the vet was not open and we’d have to come up the next day. Well my husband had to work and my son had school so that was going to be a problem. I was again told to call back in the morning to see when we could come to pick up our dog. I called and left a couple messages throughout the day, as well as a somewhat straight forward email voicing my concern about the lack of communication as to when I would be able to pick up our new dog. Finally around 3:30pm I got a phone call that I could come up anytime after 4 to pick our dog up. We picked her up on a Tuesday and by that Sunday we were in the Vet ER. She had horrible diarrhea the whole time she was with us and by that Sunday the diarrhea also had blood in it. Every time I called Tracy voicing my concern she told me it was normal. I’m by no means a vet, but when you have a dog peeing out of it’s butt with blood in it (sorry to be so graphic here, but it’s the reality of the situation)10 times a day and waking up several times at night as well…it’s not normal. When we took her into the ER, they said she was completely malnourished and about 20lbs underweight. She was also extremely dehydrated and needed to be given fluids intravenously. She was also diagnosed with gastroenteritis. I had called and emailed Tracy that morning to tell her we were taking our girl in, but of course no one answered my call or email. Finally Tracy called me back later that afternoon and when I told her all of this she acted like it was my fault and asked if I was giving her water. Of course she had water! Then Tracy told me that our new girl left healthy so she didn’t know what could’ve gotten her this sick. She said the diarrhea was really common for the first week or two and that some of the dogs don’t have solid stools for up to a month because of the “stress” of coming to a new home. Yeah right! I have plenty of friends who have adopted dogs from rescues and no one had experienced this awful diarrhea before. I happened to have the phone number of the couple who was at GGR adopting with us and gave them a call to see if they were having any medical conditions with their dogs – they adopted 2; one was a Rotweiler and the other an English mastiff. Both dogs came to GGR together and Tracy really didn’t want to separate them, so the other couple decided to take both. They told us that both dogs had bad gas & diarrhea and that they actually had to take the English Mastiff back to GGR because it was viciously attacking the Rotweiler. They also informed me of the Gentle Giants News website and told me to check it out immediately. Once I looked at it I got a pit in my stomach. All the stories were exactly what we had experienced; only I felt extremely lucky that my girl wasn’t as bad off as some of the other. I couldn’t believe what I was reading and I felt stupid for not finding the website before we went up to GGR. The following day I took our new dog into our regular vet for a follow up and had them run a ton of tests. Luckily all her blood work came back normal but she had a ton of parasites in her intestines which were causing the diarrhea. They were amazed that her supposed “vet check” from GGR’s vet came back clean considering the amount of parasites she had in her tummy. We then found out later that our dog was most likely not a Neapolitan Mastiff, but a Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) who was extremely malnourished. Four weeks have gone by and our girl’s been on meds since the first week we got her. We are praying for a clean poop diagnosis since this will be the third one, but the vet said to be prepared because there’s a good chance she’ll need another round of meds due to the severity of the parasites. She’s been on a diet of ground turkey and rice for most of the 4 weeks we have had her. When I tried to incorporate the GGR food back into her diet, the diarrhea came back despite the anti-diarrhea meds! She is now being weaned onto a healthy, organic food that has the ingredients listed on the package (something the GGR food failed to list on the package). We also have another appt today (almost 5 weeks after adopting our girl) because she’s had a discharge coming from her girlie parts since we brought her home and still no normal poops except when she’s on meds. At first the discharge was clear and the vet said to keep a close eye on it, that it was probably from her being spayed while going into heat, but that it could also be a “girly” infection. The vet said it should go away within 2 weeks. Here we are 5 weeks later and now the discharge has turned into a yellow smelly mess. Sure enough she has vaginitis and has been put on yet another antibiotic to try and get her healthy. We’ve had to hire a trainer to come to the house to help us with obedience and puppy training. Luckily our new girl is great with the kids and has shown no signs of aggression with anyone. She is very loving and very gentle, which is a blessing considering some of the horror stories we have read. The only real problems we’ve had are medical and have entailed medical expenses we were not counting on; especially since we were assured she was healthy when we adopted her. I think once we get her healthy and get some basic obedience training done, she’ll be a wonderful dog. I have cut all ties with GGR and was able to get all of my girl’s micro chip info changed from GGR to me (something Tracy said we could not do). Anyway, that’s our story. I love my new girl and despite her health problems, I feel like I rescued her from a parasite infested mad house of animals. - Southerntam , posted 06/26/07 |
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Anyone who truly believes this place is a bonafide rescue - had better explain how they get so many puppies - often crossbred like Borzoi to Deerhound... Borzoi to Saluki... they are BREEDING them. That much is obvious. They are a grandiose PUPPY MILL hiding under the guise of a rescue and asking for your money - please please PLEASE do not give them a cent. That lengthy, glowing report about them posted above was laughable - and so obviously Burt or Tracy posting that it is pathetic. The notion that "jealous breeders" are out to sabotage them cracks me up.... there is nothing to be jealous of with their shoddy operation... One star is too high a rating. SHUT THESE PEOPLE DOWN - that would be the way to truly RESCUE the poor dogs in their "care" and under their "training".... - Lori , posted 05/27/07 |
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I'm so glad I just visited this site. I wish I had seen these reviews before. We purchased a wonderful bullmastiff from GGR almost 2 weeks ago. Against Tracy's orders I took her to my vet who said she was 5 not 3 and had a heart murmur and a thyroid problem. She also wanted to check for pulmonary edema since her breathing was somewhat questionable. Tracy told me this dog had no problems other than incontinece at times and to give her a pill in the morning and a pill at night. When I read the prescription bottle it said 1 pill 2-3 times per week. the side effects of this medication is something called blood dyscrasias- it basically keeps any white or red blood cells from being produced giving the dog nNO immunity. Anyway.... My sweet wonderful dog died in my arms this morning after just having her 2 weeks. I am heartbroken and sick to my stomach. I took good care of this dog and her health didn't just deteriorate in a 2 week time frame. She was sick when we paid $700 for her. I have vowed never to buy a rescue dog again and it won't be soon enough if I never see or deal with this couple again. Please don't give them any more money, save yourself the heartache. I loved that dog and I'm glad she got 2 weeks with me as opposed to being there- but how many unhealthy dogs is she going to sell at our expense? - C , posted 03/21/07 |
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i have acualy delt with ggr i had to give up my dog it broke my heart but he was a lil over teh whieght limit of the appartments i was moving in to it was 70 lbs he was 170 i was kept uptodate on how he was doing and even after he had been adopted i was able to call and talk to tracy about him and how he was doing i there place was every loving and clean any stories of abuse are total bs i have only seen for my self at ther eplace nothing but love i even went by unanounced to visit him b4 he was adopted - erika , posted 03/20/07 |
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I have only heard terrible things about GGR. I have seen this rescue on Animal Planet and it disturbs me when I have read and heard so many sad stories. I above all a great dane lover and hate to hear about them not being treated humanely. If these stories are true, something should be done. - Jessica , posted 03/15/07 |
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***** Gentle Giants is a Great Rescue saving thousands of lives and working with Animal Shelters and other rescues all across the nation! Before reading the false emails written on a few internet sites about Gentle Giants rescue (GG), take the time to read the information below and see why the many breeders masquerading as "rescues" are trying to bash GG along with a couple of adopters who have had dogs repossessed because they did not care for them properly and others who falsely stated that they had adopted a dog from GG when they have never even been to GG nor did they adopt a dog from them. GG has more than 9,000 very happy adopters and you can see hundreds of their happy letters all over their great website: www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/ . You can also see letters from some of the many Animal Shelters and other real Rescues they work with all across the nation and everyone loves them: www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/resc...1.htm . You can also watch their most recent television show and see all the dogs meeting people and little kids and being gentle and loving to all : www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/gent...creen Gentle Giants Answer - Finally the truth - Gentle Giants is a great rescue saving thousands of lives and working with animal shelters and rescues all across the nation. This is the truth. In the answers that follow, all of which have already been posted all over the internet so they are public knowlege, you will see why some bad people feel the need to lie about such a great rescue as they can lie about anyone and anything. Know that what is being stated is just that, lies and misinformation by a very few bad people who have nothing better to do with their lives than target others. Read the article "Attack of the Blogs": www.gentlegiantinfoandnews.com/at...htm and you will see how people get away with spreading lies and having them repeated so much that they begin to seem true. Web logs and the internet are now the prized platform of an online lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel and invective. But none of it is anything more than false. Gentle Giants works with real rescue groups and shelters all across the US and is looked upon as one of the best rescues and thank goodness that bad people with bad motives can't harm them because so many innocent lives depend on their efforts along with the other real rescues they work with. Only the people writing here and on some breeder websites have anything to say that is not nice - and the reason is that these people have ulterior motives which you will soon read. Most of them have never even been to GG. Read the info on the website link below and you will see just how bad people can get. The very same people and their friends who have started these lies and rumors have taken a lot of time to write false stories here and everywhere they can because they have a lot of time on their hands and they spend it being hateful. They do not rescue anything and could care less about the animals in need that GG and other real rescues are saving every day. You will soon see that many of these people and supposed "rescues" have committed crimes against animals and have even killed innocent puppies. Sadly, and in one case, one of these people was arrested and jailed in connection with the murder of her own infant human baby and then lied about the death of this baby! Many of these supposed "rescues" are really puppy mill breeders in disguise who are churning out 20 or more litters a year in a world where so many dogs die in shelters everyday- and yet, they think of GG as "competition" to their overbred puppies that they are profiting from. And sadly, they pretend to be "rescues" as a "front" for their endless breeding activity, by having dogs after dogs locked up in their kennels breeding their lives away so that they can profit from their sad existence. They care little about life and are just out to get those that stand in their way - after all, if you adopt a dog from GG, then you are a lost customer who will not buy a puppy mill puppy from them! They will do just about anything to lie about and bash GG or anyone that they might consider to be competition. Read the info at the site below and you will see just who these people are and how despicable they are. This new website is dedicated to helping people and rescues work together to save lives and to stop disreputable breeders and puppy mills from misusing animals and from unjustly targeting others who are trying to help clean up the messes caused by their puppy mill breeder practices of overbreeding and killing: This website will show you the real truth about Gentle Giants Rescue and about this smear campaign of lies and false stories written about them. Click here to read more : www.gentlegiantinfoandnews.com - Q , posted 02/07/07 |
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So obviously written by one of the Wards - R , posted 02/07/07 |
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Gentle Giants, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit giant breed dog rescue in Wayne, NJ We are in no way associated with Gentle Giants Rescue in CA. www.gentlegiantsinc.org - Candace , posted 02/06/07 |
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their website is very misleading...you can tell the picture of sparticus is photoshopped, his paws don't line up with the ground...i've heard nasty things about this place, and all the stories are too alike not to be true. im soo glad i didn't go here to rescue a dane as i was planning. that would have been a HUGE mistake! please if you are thinking about rescuing a dane or other giant breed, PLEASE DO NOT go to this puppymill. because that's all it is, a puppymill under a "nonprofit name" - Brandi , posted 01/30/07 |
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*****I am an Animal Control volunteer writing about GG and the wonderful work they are doing saving lives! ****PLEASE NOTICE Brandi's review above mine. See where she says "im soo glad i didn't go here to rescue a dane as i was planning". How can she know ANYTHING about GG when she's never been there?! Like all the other negative posts below...Brandi is a LIAR. And most likely a breeder of pure bred dogs who wants to shut down GG because they adopt out AMAZING animals at a fraction of what she and the other breeders could get for the animals. HERE'S the TRUTH - These breeders would rather the dogs be put down than adopted out by Gentle Giants Rescue. If you want to adopt a great dog, then go to a great rescue. GG doesn't breed anything, they just clean up the messes left by breeders like Brandi. GO SEE FOR YOURSELF. I work with several Animal Shelters and have visited Gentle Giants many times, including recently. They save all of the breeds that they rescue from our shelters and from shelters and individuals across the nation. Most of the time, they pay transporters to pick up and bring them dogs, which is very expensive. Sometimes, in our area, we help with the transports because we so appreciate the great service they are doing. They take dogs of all breeds that they rescue, many are in good health, some are ill or injured, some are pregnant and others are in the shelter with litters of puppies. Gentle Giants does not breed any dogs and all their dogs are spayed and neutered, yet they rescue and care for so many from all shelters in our state, across the US and even from other countries. When they fly dogs to them from across the country, they pay the high cost of air transportation, which also includes paying for local drivers in each state to pick up each dog, take it to a local vet and then take it to the closest airport. They also pay for local vets to examine each dog and provide a health certificate. They also pay for kennels and insurance. All of these dogs would die if Gentle Giants Rescue was not there to rescue them. Gentle Giants regularly has puppies because the shelters are always getting puppies and pregnant dogs, and the mothers and their pups would be dead if GG wasn't there to rescue them. Also each shelter daily gets calls from people turning in their dogs, some healthy, some not, some friendly, some not, and yet GG takes all of the breeds that they rescue, not cherry picking only the most adoptable. Over the last dozen years, the shelters have come to trust and depend upon Gentle Giants because shelter personnel don't want to see animals unnecessarily put to sleep. They take these dogs, care for and love them, and find them wonderful homes. These are dogs that are NOT sought after or taken by other rescues. Many rescues don't take anything from shelters at all, many won't take dogs that are ill or take puppies because if they get sick, they can cost a fortune to save. In fact, without Gentle Giants Rescue, these dogs would definitely die in the shelters, including the little puppies. They save them all and spare no expense to fix and rehabilitate them. They work with many other 'real' rescues like themselves. Real rescues are very aware of what a great rescue Gentle Giants is and they often help these other rescues by transporting their breeds for them (at GG's own expense). These real rescues work together and accomplish so much that most people will never be aware of. Real Rescues like Gentle Giants spend their time and money saving lives every day and helping the animals they save and the people who adopt from them. Gentle Giants' property and facilities are incredibly beautiful, meticulously cared for and spotlessly clean. They have a staff of people who keep it that way. It is a magnificent estate that has been on many television shows and has been written up in many magazine and news articles. Numerous television shows are continuously filming there. And their beautiful property and facilities can be seen all over their website, looking as gorgeous as any home and estate can look. The dogs can be seen in beautiful surroundings and in their beautiful home if you visit their website. All the dogs are happy and well cared for. I visited Gentle Giants last weekend and saw many of the dogs that I brought to them from our shelters, some of them looked sad and ill at the time I originally brought them, but when I saw them again last weekend, now these same dogs were part of their group and looked as beautiful and healthy and happy as can be. While I was there last weekend, I saw photos of others that I had brought that had needed major medical and other care. Gentle Giants got every one of them the care they needed and now they were fully recovered and I could see the great photos of them being adopted. All are in safe, loving homes. The photos looked great and it was clear that the adopters were happy and so were the dogs. And last weekend I brought them a litter of eight puppies that were given up by someone who bred them. They are gorgeous and healthy and are now available for adoption at Gentle Giants, just like all the many other puppies they get from individuals and shelters everywhere. I know they will be well cared for and spayed and neutered and found the very best homes. The weekend before that, I transported a pregnant female to them, and she will also have her puppies there and they will be spayed and neutered and find the best of homes. Gentle Giants does not breed anything, but like other responsible rescues, they do care for the many dogs bred by others. Thanks to them,these puppies and many others that they have rescued and will continue to rescue will now have the chance to have safe and happy lives. Many other shelters I work with have have visited them as well and know what an incredible service they are doing and what great people they are. Not only do they take every one of the many breeds they rescue, but they also take "Unique Combinations" or mixes of their breeds as well, regardless of whether these dogs are in good health or whether they need expensive operations, very often spending several thousands of dollars on each dog in need. They take them no matter what and fix them and find them wonderful homes. They do what very few are able to do or can afford to do. In fact, we have had dogs come into our shelter that need immediate and sometimes expensive medical care and we bring them to the vets here and Gentle Giants thanks us and gladly pays the vet bills to save the lives of these dogs they have not yet even met. We know that if it is one of the many breeds they rescue, they will do everything in their power to make sure each life is saved. I have read a few of the emails written on these boards and hope the readers would go to Gentle Giants' wonderful website and see for themselves how incorrect these emails are and that what these people are stating is untrue. The people writing these emails are likely people Gentle Giants has turned down and would not adopt a dog to because their standards are so high, or maybe GG asked them to leave their home and would not let them adopt after meeting them - or some may be people who have violated their Adoption contracts with GG and and have not followed their adoption rules, thus endangering the life of the dog and causing them to repossess the dog for its own safety. Many of the people writing these emails have never even been to Gentle Giants nor have adopted a dog from them, yet still are giving mean spirited opinions that are completely false. Some of the people writing here may be "Breeders' or "Breeder Rescues" who actually think of Gentle Giants Rescue as competition to the puppies they are mass breeding and selling, some breeders will stoop to any level to make money off their dogs, even to criticizing the rescues that actually are saving the lives of many dogs overbred by the same breeders. Sadly there are some people whose jealousy and envy cause them to act maliciously, and there are always some people who find fault with everything and everybody - nobody can please everybody! Unfortunately, there are these so called 'Breeder Rescues' who attempt to self-righteously call 'foul' to real rescues, because most breeders are in the business only to make a quick buck, never to save lives or to do anything good for anybody except themselves. Don't give credibility to their bad comments, they are not true. If you want to see what is real and true, go to the Gentle Giants Rescue website and you will see letters from hundreds of happy adopters, and you can see many of the beautiful dogs they adopt and the happy families who adopt them. Just like the photos they showed me last weekend, most of the website pictures are taken on the day that the dogs are adopted, so you can see that they look incredible and healthy. If you watch the television show on their website, you will see the very experience that every person has when they are lucky enough to visit there - a wonderful experience meeting loving and friendly dogs that are well trained and great with kids and other animals. On this television show which was taped at their home, you can see dozens of healthy, happy dogs coming out and meeting the tiniest kids and being sweet and gentle. It was taped live and without any commercial interruptions. It is real and these dogs are what every family wants - well trained, loving family members. This is the truth. Don't let the emails from a few nasty people prevent you from seeing what is real - there are bad people everywhere and if you look at the Gentle Giants website, you will see that these few bad apples are far outnumbered by the many that truly appreciate the great work that Gentle Giants Rescue is doing. Most Shelters and Animal Controls all across the country appreciate them because they go way beyond the hopes of most shelters. They are a first class rescue that is truly doing a great service in saving lives. Sincerely, Don Animal Control volunteer P.S. Check out their great website: www.gentlegiantsrescue.com. See their TV show: www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/gent...creen And if you go to the "Blind Dogs" page of their website, you can see "Bumper at home," a blind and deaf Great Dane they saved from one of our shelters and who they spent thousands of dollars saving. Now he has a great home where he is loved and adored. This page clearly shows the commitment they make to save every life and Bumper is just one of the many thousands of gentle giants that are alive and well and doing great because of GG: www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/blin...s.htm - Pack Leader , posted 01/30/07 |
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In June 2006, my husband and I went to Gentle Giants Rescue (GGR) in Riverside, California to adopt a Great Dane. I had spoken to the owner, Tracy, on the phone telling her that lived 14 hours away and couldn't make the trip until they had several Great Danes to choose from. She assured me that she had about 250 to choose from right now. We were encouraged to bring cash. Tracy also told me that all their dogs were professionally trained, gentle and healthy and if there was ever a medical issue with the dog, they would pay the expense for medical attention. We were thrilled; it seemed too good to be true. Well, it was! When we arrived at GGR we were shocked. The place was filthy, as were Burt and Tracy. We were there for 8 hours, along with 9 other people also hoping to adopt dogs. Each dog Tracy brought out looked dirty, matted and skinny. Within 8 hours, she only showed us 4 Great Danes, one being their own, one looking more like a mastiff. I had asked her where all the other Danes were and she told me that they were not yet ready to be adopted. I was tired, disappointed, hungry and emotional after that long drive to get there and did not want to leave without a dog. That left us with two choices: A supposed 9 month old that really looked like a 3 month old lab, and a 3 to 4 year old female. We chose to adopt the female and paid GGR $790.00 in cash for the dog. There were 9 other people in" our group", when we were there and each of us paid by cash. Each dog was adopted for $790.00, except for the one puppy, at $690.00 We then introduced our own 2 year old Great Dane to the new dog, who reacted by growling & Tracy quickly hit the dog on the nose with a paper towel roll, yelling "quit." We did not think too much about that incident at that time since it was the first meeting for the dog. On the return trip home, we stopped for the night. As we were walking our newly adopted Dane, she saw another dog & viciously tried to attack the dog, reacting like a crazed animal. My husband had to tackle the dog to the ground to stop her from attacking. She was so strong that he got all cut up. Her dog aggression was totally unexpected as Tracy claimed that all her dogs were gentle. Once at home, we brought our new dog to our vet for a check up. The vet said she had vaginal, eye and staff infections. Her nails were so long that she had difficulty walking without a limp, her teeth were all covered with heavy plaque, (from top to bottom) and she had terrible diarrhea. I called Tracy soon after our initial visit with the vet to tell her about the infections and she replied, "She was healthy when she left here". She went on to say that they refuse to do anything unless the dog is brought back to Riverside, (a 14 hour drive from our house) and is examined & x-rayed by their own vet, claiming that most vets do not know much about large breed dogs. In the same telephone conversation with Tracy about our newly adopted dog's aggressiveness with other dogs, Tracy told me that she almost didn't allow us to adopt the dog, as we were so far away and she couldn't work with us, because the dog tended to be "a little protective of other dogs". This Dane is so dog aggressive, that she has attacked several dogs, (and has even growled at several people), often dragging me down the trail trying to get to them. We hired a dog behaviorist to work with her extensively. He noticed that she appeared to have several scars, mostly indicative of dog fights. After working with her for 3 months, he basically stated that she would never be 100% trustworthy around other animals or humans, without being leashed and under direct supervision & finally, that he just could not do anything more with her. Our dog continues to have health problems. . She is now almost lame and in constant pain, requiring another visit to the vet. X-rays have shown numerous old traumas in her spine, hip and knee. A few months ago, when various treatments did not help, we had to have her tail amputated because of serious infection from tail biting. She had bitten off over 3 inches, well into her tail bone. Her tail was scabbed over when we got her, once again we didn't give it a second thought at the time. We recently learned from a specialist that the tail biting was probably due to tingling sensations from the spinal problem. The vet also found 3 micro-chips in her, none of which match the number on the chip tag that Tracy gave us. From the microchip records, it appears we are the fourth owners for this dog. We were told that they had tried to place the dog once before, but we were unaware about the 3 other placements. We have also learned from our vet, that that the dog is closer to six years old, not three or four as we were told when we adopted her. A few days after my dog had to have her tail amputated we had to leave for approx2-3 hours. We have an oversized laundry room, so we decided to keep her in there. She was drugged up from all of her pain meds so we didn’t think that it would be an issue. She had her blanket and her baby and a chew toy in there with her. When we had returned we were shocked at what we had found. I couldn’t be angry, because I was so sick to my stomach. Freckles looked absolutely terrified. There was blood everywhere and she was shaking feverishly. She chewed through both door frames and pawed huge holes into each door, leaving her nails bloodied and broken. Is this the sign of a stable little girl? As of 12 January 2007, we have spent $2,218.98 on medical bills and professional training and this does not even cover medical expenses now required for the spinal issues. THIS HAS TO STOP! We were promised a gentle, healthy 3-4 year old and instead ended up with a probable 6 year old with numerous physical and emotional issues. GGR has a no refund policy, therefore, you can return a dog but you forfeit your money. They also have the right to re-sell a dog that has been returned. GGR'S web site is very misleading and deceptive. No one should have to be put through this kind of stress and financial burden! Sincerely, Kimberly G. January 16, 2007 The following is a declaration by a dog behaviorist after evaluating this adopted dog. To Whom It May Concern, I, Josh Foster, (dog behaviorist), was called upon to evaluate the mental state of an approx. 6 year old female Great Dane. She was adopted by Kimberly, from Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions, in Riverside. It was brought to my attention that she was showing signs of severe aggression, mainly towards other animals, which I found out to be true. Upon my first visit, I found that she was also aggressive towards humans, in an unstable, fearful state of mind. She is what I call a passive-aggressive dog, which can be very dangerous, especially for her size and strength. I also noticed several scars which are usually indicative of dog fights. After several extensive visits, working with groups of people and animals, the dog finally made a breakthrough. She was able to meet most people without growling, although, her fear based aggression with other dogs continued. It is my opinion, that this dog will never be 100% trustworthy around other humans or other animals, without being constantly leashed and under constant and direct supervision. I worked with her for a little over 3 months, until I felt that I just couldn't bring her any farther along. Sincerely, Josh Foster Additional Thoughts: January 19, 2007 During the first week that we had her I came into the house and she was on the sofa. We have large beds in both the front and back rooms for the dogs and don’t allow them on the sofa unless we are on it and they come to sit by or on us. Anyway, that is not what is important. The thing is, when I came home and saw her on the sofa, I said in a stern, (but not harsh) voice,” Freckles no, get down”. She was so frightened that she began to shake so hard that I could literally hear her teeth rattling together. She curled up into a small ball and started to wet all over herself. I was so deeply saddened by this. I have had 6 Great Danes in the past and I have NEVER witnessed behavior like this before! I sat down beside her and she crawled into my lap, licking my face. Just writing this down makes me cry all over again. I immediately called Tracy, asking her if this dog has ever been abused. She said no that she was just trying to make me feel sorry for her and not to give in or she will take advantage of the situation. She went on to tell me that she was not happy in her last home and “peed and pooped all over their house”. This was obviously something else that she forgot to mention! Kimberly - kimberly gomez , posted 01/19/07 |
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So my family and I moved in a new home. We did a lot of research and decided that the Great Dane was the perfect dog for us. Call me stupid or whatever but we had tried to get one from a breeder. I figured that way we would ensure no problems. However, it is close to impossible to get a Great Dane, as a pet, from a breeder. They want you to show so they can charge more for their stud fees because their babies do well in the ring. So we were terribly frustrated with the whole process! We just wanted a dog to love. We did end up finding a breeder that would sell half a dog to us. But she wanted to breed her and keep the puppies. She would pay all the Vet bills and all that but we would be responsible for watching her overall well-being and then deal with the aftermath of having a litter. We admittedly are in no position to do such, as we didn’t feel knowledgeable enough to go that direction. We just wanted a big slobbery Great Dane to keep me company during the day and go places with me, to sleep with us, watch movies with us, and travel with us. We knew we wanted a female blue. After doing a lot of research online, it seemed that the most prevalent Great Dane site concerning rescue was Gentle Giants rescue. So I made that fateful call. I listened to the message and there was a strict “no just looking rule”. When I spoke with Tracy she said cash only and plan on going home with a dog. All her dogs are trained, shots are done, spayed and can live with other animals perfectly. We were so excited we went out and bought the exact collar she wanted us to have and everything. We told her we wanted a female blue. She said no problem we have 6! And she said we have about 55 other Danes too! SIX BLUES? Wow! And 55 others? Oh my gosh! OK we got ourselves a dog! I made my husband come home early from work so we could go to the bank and pull money out. We got there and she introduced us to all her dogs. The place was nasty dirty disgusting. And all I kept thinking was, “Gosh I used to watch Batman and Robin. This is how Robin lives?” It sort of blew my whole image of them that I had as a child. When I met Tracy, she was scatterbrained and a mess, just like her home which further made my image of “Robin” even worse! So as she went to go get some of the adoptive dogs we saw these rats, the size of cats eating the dog food. They would take a piece and scurry into Tracy’s home. I had never seen anything like the before. I was aghast and sort of just wanted to get my new blue dog and leave. So she starts bringing these dogs out. If I thought the place was bad, I was in for an even bigger shock. Dogs that were underweight, broken legs, really bad bad bad shape. I felt bad for them. Their heads hung low and they were clearly not well. One of them had a leg that kinked in. I asked what happened and she said that the dog had been hit by a car but was fine. The dog hardly looked fine. So then she brings out this cute black female. I thought ‘oh she is nice’ but I told her I really wanted a blue. So they turn this dog around and tons of worms are falling out of her rear end. So I said “Umm, excuse me, there are worms coming out of her”. Her response was “oh she is fine she just got dewormed it hasn’t taken effect yet”. Oiy is what I am thinking at this point. So the very last dog comes out. It is a brindle. So cute and lesser of the evils. She was thin but no worms and legs in tact. Of course we show interested and the fee goes up to $400 instead of $300 we were told. So we hand over the cash and take the “18 month old”, Ha! Yea. To start she was not spayed. No shot record was ever given. I took her to the Vet immediately because she was so thin. She was 5+ years old, had a heart murmur, and cataracts in both eyes. She also was not trained and chased down my 14 year old Siamese. So I got her fixed, got her shots done, enrolled her into training and called Tracy. I told her everything and she said that “Vets who don’t regularly work on Danes don’t know how they age so they always overage them. When I saw your dog run she ran like an 18 month old”. So she tells me to get a second opinion. I do. Same story, different Vet. So she tells me to bring her up to her Vet and it is a whole different story. The dog is fine blah blah blah. So I take the dog back to my house thinking I am the idiot. The dog continues to chase my cat and hide food like she had never eaten before. I felt so bad for her but I just couldn’t have her in my home chasing my very elderly cat. So I returned her. She was heavier (Duck & Potato of course. Never Alpo or whatever it was she wanted me to feed her), spayed (at my expense), shots were done (at my expense too), and she had been in training. $2500 (not counting the “adoption fee”) later and they take the dog back. They ask if I want another one. At this point, no way! I can’t afford another $2500 to fix another dog that was already 5+ years old and was going to need major surgery. Like I told her, I am prepared to do all that is medically and surgically necessary as the owner of a Dane, I just wasn’t prepared to do it all right away. The dog I have now has had major surgery but we had 2 years before he had to be done. We have spent well over $10,000 on my guy and wouldn’t change it for the World. So Tracy kept my money, has a better dog than what she gave me and continues on in her quest for taking advantage of people. My question is, how do they stay in business…yes…business…that is in no way a rescue! - Andrea , posted 08/18/06 |
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I have heard nothing but bad things about ggr and am thrilled someone took the time to put out the word. - Lessa , posted 07/21/06 |
