Volunteer

MAGDRL has no paid employees. We rely completely on volunteers to rescue orphan Great Danes and match them with their forever homes.

There are a variety of ways you can help. Training is provided as needed.

Hands-On Opportunities Include:

Transports

We often have needs for Volunteers to help us move a Dane from one area to another for one reason or another. Our Volunteers form a coordinated hand-off chain that does not require anybody to travel great distances but moves the dog a fairly long distance in a fairly short time. All that is required is time and an auto that is large enough for the dog to be comfortable. The trips are arranged by our Coordinator and connection points are easily located with grassy areas for the dog’s convenience.

Meet and Greets

You would make arrangements to set up a table at some location where potential Volunteers might visit, a pet shop, a pet food and equipment store, or similar. You will be provided with MAGDRL pamphlets and information designed to educate the community about who we are and what we do. This can be with or without a dog/Dane, you alone or several people, an hour or several. Overall, it’s just getting the word out with hopes of increasing the volunteer base in your area, while bringing in needed donations.

Orphan Evaluations

We need volunteers who can evaluate Danes who are being turned in to rescue. This would involve going to the owner’s home or to the shelter, taking digital pictures, and assessing the Dane’s personality and health.

Home Visits

We need volunteers to visit the homes of applicants who wish to adopt from us, or foster for us. This would involve visiting the home, seeing where the Dane would live/sleep/exercise, etc., providing information about the care and feeding of Danes, and getting an overall feel for the type of dane that would fit well with the household. After a home visit the Volunteer develops and submits a written home evaluation, using a standardized form.

Phone Screens

We need volunteers to handle adoption phone screens and reference checks. In both cases, you’d be given questions to ask and a form to complete and submit.

Fundraising Events

On average, we spend more than $320 on each Dane we rescue. Some, due to special needs, require much more. MAGDRL, each month, has a goal of fundraising at least as much as we spent the previous month.

Fostering a Great Dane

We are always in need of good foster homes for our orphans. Fostering is a gratifying way to help a Dane in need. Foster families provide a loving environment, a safe house, for dogs while they wait for their new families. Through foster families, we also get a better idea of the dog’s personality, manners and habits. When we can’t find a foster home for a Dane, we must board him/her in a kennel. This is not the ideal situation for any dog and also puts a strain on MAGDRL’s purse strings.