Animal Welfare Professionals

I hope I am posting in the right section. I currently volunteer at the humane society in Juneau, Wi. I try and go daily for as many hours as possible because there are so many dogs and not enough people to give them each even 20 min of human interaction each day. We have a handful that have been returned several times and one in particular has been returned 6 times already and is in great risk of being put down. He did grab someone's arm at the shelter,  no stitches required, while they were trying to bring him inside the kennel from the yard, the lady felt like he just got spooked but I'm not really sure 100 percent what occurred. 

He is a Dane mix and he has never once shown me any aggression personally, only love. He seems depressed at times, which for being there over 400 days I can see why, sigh. I think with the right training he would be an amazing dog but I don't even know where to look for help. I guess I'm hoping to find a long term rescue that takes dogs that aren't adoptable? Someone that has a heart of love and understanding that won't mistreat him. If anyone knows any places that may give him a chance I'd love to get in contact with them. There are 4 other dogs that need to be the only dog and we are having trouble finding them a home as well, although they aren't currently at risk of losing their lives but I'd love a solution for them too. :( 

I appreciate any advice on how to possibly help this sweet boy. 

God bless you! Such a beautiful boy. What you're looking for is out there, because I have occasionally run into them online or on Facebook. I would be happy to come back and comment here next time I see a facility like that. Does this forum notify you if you get responses? 

Oftentimes, breed-specific rescues are much more forgiving for iffy dogs, as far as behavior. They love the breed so  much, they will bend over backwards to find a home for every one. Every one I have seen also deals with mixed breeds, not just purebreds. 

I googled "great dane rescues" and got a huge selection. You could contact a few in other states and see if they could help you out by taking him. If you explain the situation,  I bet they would do all they could to help, or refer you to someone who could.

Here's one I found: http://rmgreatdane.org/adoption-information/ 

Maybe give them a call? 

Look into great dane rescues. I believe there is one here in the midwest. Our vet used to foster for them. Also, for your single dog home dogs, does the shelter run playgroups? I recommend contacting Dogs Playing For Life. I have not personally been trained in their program, but i did some training at Austin Pets Alive! where their program was influenced by DPFL. I came back to my shelter and worked with 2 brothers(staffies) that were "single dog home" dogs. They are both now living in homes with other dogs (and cats!). 

I think a breed specific rescue is a great idea :)

This is just from my personal experiences - but you could also try reaching out to Shelter From the Storm in Madison, WI (often take behavioral cases) or Humane Society of Portage County in Plover, WI (often takes 'long-stay' residents who need a change of scenery).

Thanks for advocating for this big guy!

Since you are a volunteer, and it sounds like the shelter currently owns him, have you discussed your ideas with staff? Is there anyone there who usually coordinates transfers? If so, I recommend working with them, making sure they know which groups you are contacting. I've been in the situation where a bunch of folks all contacted rescues they found, and the same rescues got multiple e-mails about the same dog! It makes your effort look more professional and keeps things organized if you make sure you aren't all asking the same group. Even if a group you contact can't take him, if you make a good impression they might be open to taking a different dog in the future.

Do you have any info about the reasons his past 6 adoptions haven't worked out? That might help you tailor your requests. For a totally-made-up example, if he is fear-reactive to car traffic and strangers passing an adopter's house, he might do well in a more rural setting, and being able to make that argument/explanation to the possible rescues will let them better assess whether he is a fit for them.

In addition to Great Dane rescues, it may be worth reaching out to general "giant breed" rescues. Often these are folks with more experience handling the extra-large dogs, who might be more comfortable taking on a large dog with behavior challenges. Do read their websites carefully though, as I've found many in my area will not take a dog who has bitten a human due to concerns about legal liability when managing a giant breed dog who is stronger than many humans.

You may also want to look at the listing of groups on the Best Friends network: https://bestfriends.org/our-work/supporting-network-partners All these groups have gone through a short screening process to join the network, so your odds of finding a responsible rescue are high!