If you need to surrender your Dane: Fill out the

surrender form below.

We cannot begin to help until we have a completed form. The information on that form is vital. Do NOT skip this step!

**Please note: HGDR is an all  volunteer organization, We do not have a facility--we have foster homes and volunteers who have other responsibilities, many with full-time jobs and families of their own. This means that we can't always take your dane immediately. You may have to maintain responsibility for your dane for several days/weeks/months until we can arrange housing. Your dane may have to spend some time on our waiting list.

Shelter and stray dogs are our highest priority. They have no one to care for them. We take our responsibility to those Danes in need very seriously. When a foster home becomes available and there are no strays or shelter danes in need. Then and only then, do we accept owner surrenders.

Shelter Danes and Strays are in immediate peril constantly, your dog has an owner...you. Even accepted dogs, strays included, often require a few days delay until foster care is available and transport can be arranged. Please be patient even if we take more than a few days, it takes alot of people to make these things happen so give us days (not hours) to do our job. 

If you truly cannot keep your accepted dane while we look for foster care, consider boarding the dane at your vet office or a local boarding facility we finalize housing and transport. Please don't dump the dane at a shelter, give to a friend, your meter reader, or someone at church because we can't respond quickly enough for you--once we get a surrender form: you are agreeing to hand your dane over to HGDR and we are working on your case and you will hear back from us! Promise.

So if this takes us a while, please know why. We truly are trying to do the best for your dane while struggling with limited housing options, monetary concerns, and and transport issues.  This is not our day job: we are trying to provide you and the community with a service because we love Great Danes. This means slower communication as our volunteers have day jobs, families and commitments that slow down how fast we can get a hold  of them and how fast they can respond and help.

 Dog Aggressive dogs...

Almost every foster home has other animals in it, so dog-aggressive dogs are very difficult for us to intake. If an appropriate foster home is not available, we will sometimes have no other choice but to place your dane in a kennel. Dog-Aggressive Dogs do not do well surrounded by other dogs in kennels. Please consider this.

Other Options:

Often we have a waiting list of surrendered danes waiting for a foster spot to open, if you wish to place your dane yourself but want the security of rescue's help we offer courtesy listings and owner assisted adoptions.

Courtesy Listing:  $50 Fee

This works while your dane is on our waiting list, you continue caring for your dane at home, send us  pictures and bio of your dane, we post it on our Petfinder Listing with your contact information. You have access to our experience and help through our handouts, website documents, and email contact with a helper.

This way, your working two avenues to finding a home for your dane...

 1. A foster slot with rescue when one opens up.

 2. A new home you get to have all the control in choosing.

Note: This is only an option with Great Danes who is eligible for entry into rescue. Rescue does not do background checks, or  reference checks for courtesy listings if you want to check backgrounds and references you will have to take on this task.  

Owner Assisted Adoption

With this option, you essentially become the foster home for your own dane. Your rescue eligible dane is accepted into our rescue program, but we have no place, and you do not wish or do not have the time to run your own independent adoption through our Courtesy Listing Program.

So you act like the foster home and we do the placement. Note: We will find your dane an excellent home, its what we do. Even though your dane is still living in your home, where its new home and who will be its new owner is up to us now. If you want control of where your dane goes, please choose to do a Courtesy Listing.  

Your dane will need to be current on vaccinations, spayed/neutered,  heartworm negative, and clear of health issues. We list your dane on our website and all our peripheral sites, like Petfinder. We will need  a photo and bio from you. You keep your dane as you always have, feeding, caring, providing vet care as needed,  and we go to work fielding questions, processing applications, doing background checks etc. And finding the best new home for your Great Dane.

We contact you when we have an approved adopter ready to meet your dane. If we decide its a good match, we take care of the entire contract process and arrange for new owner to pick up their new dane from you. We maintain a continuing interest in your dane and its new home for the rest of its life. Meaning we check up on it, make sure its thriving, happy and getting excellent care.  Please be advised: Choosing Owner Assisted Adoption help means you will have no further contact with the dane you are giving up after adoption. You are welcome to write us and inquire about your former Great Dane and even request pictures etc, but this is through HGDR only. 

Requirements for Surrender

~Have no history of biting or aggression toward people

~Pass an onsite evaluation

~Signed Surrender Contract, giving ownership of Dane to Heartland Great Dane Rescue, Inc.

~Comes with copies of all written records, especially vet records.

~Your danes personal belongings, Crate, bed, bowls, toys, blankets, leash, collar, etc. All will help your dog make a better transition and help us keep our costs down.

~ Provide a full or partial bag of your Danes current food. Sudden food changes can cause stomach upset, we will use current food to slowly make a food change for your dane's comfort.

~Bring your Dane up to date on vaccinations

~Spay/ Neuter your Dane if it is not already    Low Cost Spay/Neuter

~Have a wellness check up at your vet

~Provide Good Quality, Clear, close up and full body pictures of your Dane.

**Please remember: We are helping you place your Dane, we are not profiting from you. Anything you can do to help us place your Dane benefits Your Dane. Taking your dane to the vet not only helps your dane by not having to wait until we have funds to do it, but also your dane will be more comfortable if this is done by family.

How The Surrender Process Works

1. Fill out Our Surrender Form, mail.

2. Return Contact by a HGDR Representative.

3. Wait for Foster Housing to be Located.

4. Onsite Evaluation

5. Prior to Intake, Owner takes dane to the vet for wellness visit. Or for Vaccinations, Spay/Neuter etc.

*Please Note, we have mentioned this before but its worth repeating: We ask you to take care of basic vet care because its your responsibility.

We are here to help when you can't any longer. We are a non-profit group with limited funds...we do not "make" money on danes being surrendered.  Your dane will be more comfortable if taken to the vet by family.

6. Surrender ...

...At the time of surrender, you will be asked to sign a contract relinquishing control of your dane to HGDR.  You may also be asked for a donation to offset costs of vetting or boarding your dane if those services are required. 

Please print, fill out, and mail the surrender form below to:

Heartland Great Dane Rescue, Inc

 5525 Hwy 105

Now if this all seems like too much trouble...

... and you want to place your dane without our help, we have put together a few articles  and FAQs to help you do this all on your own. This could be considered a crash course in placing a pet yourself. We hope these are helpful in your journey to find a new home for your Great Dane.

Independent Adoption Articles

Free To a Good Home

Questions To Ask A Perspective Adopter

Taking phone calls about my pet

Using Petfinder and other listing services

Take a look at our adoption application

Note: we are still working on these sections. Email Us if you need them right away.

 Independent Adoption FAQs

Why Do I Need a Contract?

Why would charging a fee get my pet a better home?