About Us
Great Dane Rescue of SC is our home
as well as an animal sanctuary. My husband and I have
been rescuing animals for 6 years. Even though both of
us believe all domestic pets should be kept as indoor
pets, we know that we could not save as many lives as
we do if we kept only a minimum amount of animals that
we could house inside with us.
We have boarding kennels on our property which allow
our rescues to stay indoors or outdoors at anytime. All
animals are also taken out to the 3 acre yard for playtime
several times a day. Doing this gives them more social
time and the proper exercise. During their playtime we
clean their kennel areas, give them fresh water and clean
blankets, replace broken toys and scrub food bowls and
water buckets.
Our lives are totally dedicated to their care. We keep
a strict feeding schedule of 8 A.M. and 4 P.M. Playtimes
are 9:30-11:30 A.M. & 6:30-8:30 P.M. It is this schedule which
provides our animals a sense of security. They always
know we will be back soon!
During playtimes we schedule visits to potential adopters,
thus giving the dogs more socialization and a better chance
at finding them a perfect home. We have "Team Dane" that
assist cleaning kennels and transporting animals to and from vets, home visits, fund raisers, etc. They make life here a bit more manageable and the animals love them.
We have been accused of being too strict when deciding
who may adopt. Both Dave and I believe you can never be
too careful with these animals future. They have been
through enough and do not deserve anything less then perfect
situations. Our animals also help us choose their new
family. We have a great adoption rate and are thankful
for the success of these placements.
One of the most important things we do is feed nutritious
food. It costs us almost everything we earn but when it
comes to their health it is the key to quick recovery,
a long healthy life and of course less health issues along
the way. Please read our nutrition page for more details
on dog foods.
As far as health issues are concerned whenever there
is a choice we choose holistic or homeopathic remedies.
We also work with several local vets when needed. All
our animals will be in top physical shape at the time
of their adoption. Of course there are always those animals
that have special health needs. They are our most precious
rescues and we assure them they will always be cared for
whether they live out their lives with us or an adoptive
home that agrees to the same standard of care.
We fight for animal welfare at all governmental levels.
Everyone should read their local animal ordinances and
take it upon themselves to help change those which are
insufficient or outdated. We urge everyone to report animal
abuse or neglect when you see it in your own neighborhood
or anywhere for that fact. If you see it and do nothing
about it, you are as guilty as those who are doing the
abuse. After all, animals cannot speak for themselves.
Another important issue that I cannot stress enough
is the need to spay and neuter. There are 4 to 6 million
domestic pets put to sleep each year in this country simply
because they were thrown away to a shelter. Their owners
did not make a lifetime commitment to them. It certainly
isn’t the shelters fault. It is the owners fault,
the irresponsible breeders fault, the abusers fault. A
responsible breeder will always take back the animal from
their litter if it is to be surrendered for any reason.
A “backyard breeder” does it out of ignorance
or greed. Please read the page we have set aside for reasons
to spay or neuter and start by setting an example and
have all your own pets sterilized.
I find rescue to be a very emotional journey. I cry
when I see the shape the animals are in when they arrive
and I rejoice as I watch them become healthy. I cry when
they leave here because I will miss them but I am happy
when I hear their new families tell me how much they are
loved. Our standards are high and the burden we have undertaken
is large but we would never have it any other way.
Respectfully,
Celia Eade
