Adoption Requirements & Procedures
THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING ADOPTION OF A GREAT DANE FROM OUR RESCUE!
If you’re interested in adopting, please contact us NOW, not just when you read about the perfect Dane.
When new Danes come in, we look at our approved adopters to see if there are any potential matches, even before we post the Dane online. For that reason, many of the Danes listed on our website already have lines. At the same time, other Danes may have become orphans and are not yet listed, and they may be the right one for you.
PLEASE NOTE:
• We do not put people “in line” for a dog until their application has been approved – that would not be fair to the orphan who is eagerly awaiting his forever home.
• We don’t operate a shelter – we are a network of foster homes throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. For this reason, we require an approved application before meeting dogs.
• Once approved, you can adopt from any chapter, but our adoption application is handled by the state chapter where you live. Please click here to find the contact info for our other chapters.
If you’re interested in adopting, please contact us NOW, not just when you read about the perfect Dane.
When new Danes come in, we look at our approved adopters to see if there are any potential matches, even before we post the Dane online. For that reason, many of the Danes listed on our website already have lines. At the same time, other Danes may have become orphans and are not yet listed, and they may be the right one for you.
PLEASE NOTE:
• We do not put people “in line” for a dog until their application has been approved – that would not be fair to the orphan who is eagerly awaiting his forever home.
• We don’t operate a shelter – we are a network of foster homes throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. For this reason, we require an approved application before meeting dogs.
• Once approved, you can adopt from any chapter, but our adoption application is handled by the state chapter where you live. Please click here to find the contact info for our other chapters.
ADOPTION FEES
Danes 6 years and under: $450
Danes over the age of 6: $325
Adoption Requirements
Adoption Process
1. Phone Interview
Please call 571-310-1380 or email [email protected] and let us know you are interested in adopting, your contact info and if you have other animals, fenced in yard and if you're in a single family home, townhouse or apt./condo. Once we have received your information, you will be contacted by a volunteer for a phone interview.
3. Reference Checks
All references will be checked prior to home visit. We will contact your current vet, or vet’s you have used, for a reference. We will also ask for a personal reference as well.
4. Home Visit
A volunteer will come to your home to visit with you and discuss the care of Great Danes. Also, the volunteer will look for any potential problems and check to be sure that your fencing is secure. A Dane will usually accompany the volunteer to allow you to see how a dog of this size may fit in your lifestyle and your home. Your home visit does not mean you have been approved.
5. Approval
After the above steps have been completed all your information will be reviewed and a decision will be made about adoption. If at this point you are approved to adopt, your area coordinator or match maker will help guide you to the appropriate dog for your family.
6. Contract
For the protection of the Great Danes we place, everyone that adopts a Great Dane from MAGDRL will be required to sign an adoption contract. If you would like additional information on our adoption contract you can e-mail your local coordinator and a copy of our contract will be sent to you electronically.
PLEASE NOTE: We do NOT adopt based upon appearance.
MAGDRL's Fencing Policy
Over 40 years of experience in the adoption of Great Danes has helped us to establish this policy. Our fencing requirement is intended to ensure that a Dane has a safely confined area for relief and exercise.
Fencing requirements apply whether an applicant resides in a city, suburb or on a multiple acre farm. If an adoption applicant is unable to provide a satisfactory fenced area (attached to their home) for a Great Dane, in most cases MAGDRL cannot proceed with the application.
Fencing Exceptions
MAGDRL will not compromise on its obligation to ensure a safe environment for the Great Danes we place. However, you can petition for one of two rare exceptions to the fencing requirement if you believe you are an exemplary pet owner.
The first fencing exception is for applicants who reside in circumstances where they cannot fence, for example if fencing isn't allowed in your community, you do not own the property outside your back door, or you live in a condominium or an apartment. In these situations, leash laws are usually stringent so we will place a Great Dane 2 years old or older.
The second fencing exception is for those who can fence but choose not to, and includes applicants with acreage. We do not place dogs into homes where they will be placed on a runner, chained, tied, or staked out in ANYWAY, or kept in a standalone fence/pen. MAGDRL does not consider an electronic underground pet containment system to be adequate fencing to protect a pet. With applicants who choose not to fence, we will place a Great Dane 5 years old or older.
With either fencing exception, your application must include a detailed letter describing your circumstances, lifestyle, previous dog ownership and how you plan on safely exercising and managing your Great Dane without chaining or allowing off lead. In addition, a letter of recommendation from your veterinarian regarding the care and well-being of your current or previously owned pet(s) must accompany your adoption application. Without these two letters your exception request cannot be considered.
This petition process requires additional processing time. If your request is accepted for consideration, it will be forwarded to your MAGDRL adoption coordinator and a home visit will be conducted. After the home visit is complete, you will be notified of the status of your adoption application.
Why isn't an electronic fence acceptable?
Note to Child Care Providers
Applicants who operate a childcare business should review their insurance coverage to determine whether Great Danes are excluded. If other breeds are listed under exclusions, you are encouraged to contact your provider to confirm that Great Danes are covered. Proof of coverage for your childcare business must be included with your adoption application.
Danes 6 years and under: $450
Danes over the age of 6: $325
Adoption Requirements
- The Dane must be an inside dog and not spend a lot of time outside unsupervised.
- The family should have a fenced in yard. Electric fencing is not permitted. (See below for additional guidance on fencing)
- All animals in the household should be spayed/neutered.
- All animals in the household should see a vet once a year.
- The family (plus any current dogs) must be willing to travel to meet the new Dane. (and be available during the home inspection)
- The family must be committed to the care and well-being of the dog.
Adoption Process
1. Phone Interview
Please call 571-310-1380 or email [email protected] and let us know you are interested in adopting, your contact info and if you have other animals, fenced in yard and if you're in a single family home, townhouse or apt./condo. Once we have received your information, you will be contacted by a volunteer for a phone interview.
3. Reference Checks
All references will be checked prior to home visit. We will contact your current vet, or vet’s you have used, for a reference. We will also ask for a personal reference as well.
4. Home Visit
A volunteer will come to your home to visit with you and discuss the care of Great Danes. Also, the volunteer will look for any potential problems and check to be sure that your fencing is secure. A Dane will usually accompany the volunteer to allow you to see how a dog of this size may fit in your lifestyle and your home. Your home visit does not mean you have been approved.
5. Approval
After the above steps have been completed all your information will be reviewed and a decision will be made about adoption. If at this point you are approved to adopt, your area coordinator or match maker will help guide you to the appropriate dog for your family.
6. Contract
For the protection of the Great Danes we place, everyone that adopts a Great Dane from MAGDRL will be required to sign an adoption contract. If you would like additional information on our adoption contract you can e-mail your local coordinator and a copy of our contract will be sent to you electronically.
PLEASE NOTE: We do NOT adopt based upon appearance.
MAGDRL's Fencing Policy
Over 40 years of experience in the adoption of Great Danes has helped us to establish this policy. Our fencing requirement is intended to ensure that a Dane has a safely confined area for relief and exercise.
Fencing requirements apply whether an applicant resides in a city, suburb or on a multiple acre farm. If an adoption applicant is unable to provide a satisfactory fenced area (attached to their home) for a Great Dane, in most cases MAGDRL cannot proceed with the application.
Fencing Exceptions
MAGDRL will not compromise on its obligation to ensure a safe environment for the Great Danes we place. However, you can petition for one of two rare exceptions to the fencing requirement if you believe you are an exemplary pet owner.
The first fencing exception is for applicants who reside in circumstances where they cannot fence, for example if fencing isn't allowed in your community, you do not own the property outside your back door, or you live in a condominium or an apartment. In these situations, leash laws are usually stringent so we will place a Great Dane 2 years old or older.
The second fencing exception is for those who can fence but choose not to, and includes applicants with acreage. We do not place dogs into homes where they will be placed on a runner, chained, tied, or staked out in ANYWAY, or kept in a standalone fence/pen. MAGDRL does not consider an electronic underground pet containment system to be adequate fencing to protect a pet. With applicants who choose not to fence, we will place a Great Dane 5 years old or older.
With either fencing exception, your application must include a detailed letter describing your circumstances, lifestyle, previous dog ownership and how you plan on safely exercising and managing your Great Dane without chaining or allowing off lead. In addition, a letter of recommendation from your veterinarian regarding the care and well-being of your current or previously owned pet(s) must accompany your adoption application. Without these two letters your exception request cannot be considered.
This petition process requires additional processing time. If your request is accepted for consideration, it will be forwarded to your MAGDRL adoption coordinator and a home visit will be conducted. After the home visit is complete, you will be notified of the status of your adoption application.
Why isn't an electronic fence acceptable?
Note to Child Care Providers
Applicants who operate a childcare business should review their insurance coverage to determine whether Great Danes are excluded. If other breeds are listed under exclusions, you are encouraged to contact your provider to confirm that Great Danes are covered. Proof of coverage for your childcare business must be included with your adoption application.