Reprinted 1/28/2007 From Tribe.Net
Gentle Giants is an EXCELLENT Rescue. Don't believe the lies.
*****I am an Animal Control volunteer writing about GG and the wonderful work they are doing saving lives!
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/gentle_giants_theater_page_1.htm#screen
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/blind_dogs.htm#blind1
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