Here at the rescue I was given a nice soft bed and 3 other roommates!! Silas, Kalea and Wanda, they are relaxed and agreed to show me around and help me to relax! I have tons of new toys to play with and within minutes of arriving I was given dinner and after dinner treats. Grandma said first thing I need to learn is to relax. Okay I am going to go to bed cause it has been a long day and yep I am going to start working tomorrow on relaxing!!

Update 12/8: Well after almost 3 weeks here at the rescue Grandma is still scratching her head trying to figure out what is wrong with me...what happened to me. Although I have tried really hard to relax I am still very anxious and tense especially when people touch me. When I walk into a corner I can't figure out how to get out of it and then I panic. I have a really odd gate and that too is not normal. Grandma says she is not sure if I am blind or if it is neurological or what. Grandma contacted my previous owner, my previous owners vet and she has a text from the transport company that transported me from North Carolina to Kentucky to my breeder and none saw any of these issues. So what Grandma does know, is whatever happened to me happened between the end of September and the middle of November.

What we do know is the woman claiming to just be a friend of my previous owner was actually my breeder. I guess she was ashamed of me!  Maybe had she been honest with Grandma I would be on the road to recovery instead of still trying to figure out what is wrong...or even what happened to me. Instead she claims she was afraid of what Grandma would say about her, apparently my life did not matter to her. Just so you know, no reputable & honest breeder is ever listed and honesty is always the best policy, especially if you care about the dogs!

Grandma is calling The Animal Eye Institute today to get an appointment to have my eyes checked. After talking to my previous owner she feels this is the place to start. I will let you know what the Dr. says and what happens next.

Update 12/9: Well Grandma got me in today to The Animal Eye Institute and it has been confirmed I am 100% blind in both eyes! I am now on steroids to see if my blindness is caused due to swelling on the brain or what. Unfortunately most of the other eye diseases he named are not fixable plus even with the swelling it depends on exactly when this happened. Of course the longer it has been the less of a chance for me to ever see again. The Vet did talk about another test but that is on hold at this time till we see if the steroids help. If we understood correctly if the steroids don't help there is no hope for me to ever see again. I will admit the Veterinarian did not sound real positive about my chances to see again.

Just to be clear I am struggling every minute of every day with the blindness. It took me 45 minutes today to get down the hallway and into the van to go to the Vet. When I get into a corner I panic because I can't figure out how to get out. When a person touches me I flinch and cringe afraid of what is going to happen to me. Although I have tons of toys I don't play with them and other then sorta following the other dogs I do not interact with any of them. I am doing much better with Grandma though, she talks to me a lot and I try to relax and follow her direction, but it scares me when the other volunteers are here. Grandma just doesn't understand and well neither do I, why can't people be honest? Why did the breeder not tell Grandma what happened right away and maybe I would not be blind now!! What did I do so bad to deserve to be blind?????

Message from the director: Not a day goes by that we do not receive at least 1 call from someone wanting to place their Dane. We try to take them in when space allows for the ones that need us the most. We always hope that the owner placing their Dane will be honest, but that seldom happens. Case in Point!! People want us to believe they love their dog but it is always the dog's fault they cannot keep it. Unfortunately, that is seldom the truth!! In Aubrey's (aka Reign) case we were contacted by Ashley, the Rescue/Adoption Coordinator for the Simpson County Animal Shelter in Franklin, KY. She emailed us telling us about a woman who lived outside Simpson County that had taken in a Dane from an "abuse/ neglect situation" and needed help. NOW this sounded urgent, especially since the Dane was just 10 months old and the sooner you work through these issues the better. Ashley made the arrangements and the woman brought Audrey to us the next day. When the woman arrived she was given a release form as well as a questionnaire to fill out. We asked to get Aubrey out of the car while she filled out the forms and she informed us that she did not walk on a leash and that when you tried she would scream. This seemed curious because she stated she has had her for a couple of months but she did not have a fenced yard. Now, how do you take a pup outside that doesn't walk on a leash to potty???  As we tried to touch Aubrey she cringed in fear!! The woman stated she was a Dane owner and when asked why the breeder did not take her back she just blew us off. The vet records that came with Aubrey were from a vet in North Carolina so the next day we contacted the vet and had all records sent. They had no mention of her being fearful! We then contacted the owner listed on the vet records and the truth started coming out! She had returned Aubrey to the breeder (Lily Catherine Young -  Empyrean Danes) via a transport company. Aubrey had gotten HOD and the owners, being  young newlyweds who had just found out she was pregnant, were financially strapped and wanted what was best for Aubrey. So they made the hard decision to send Aubrey back to the breeder as per her contract. According to the transport company Aubrey was 100% normal, walked like a lady on a leash and was a very good passenger. So whatever happened, happened while at the breeders. The previous owner has been wonderful, sending us videos and pictures of Aubrey so we could piece together a timeline. After looking at many pictures we saw that on November 9th, in pictures sent by the breeder, Aubrey's eyes were dilated. So now we have an estimated date of onset. At least 2 weeks before Aubrey was brought to us, we believe she went blind and without medical help the chances for her to regain her sight are now a million to one!! But we continue trying! Why? Because Aubrey deserves it!! She deserves to trust a human and not to be afraid of a human's touch. She deserves to know what it feels like to be hugged and kissed again!!! She deserves to know a loving touch! Aubrey is 100% blind but her retinas are intact leaving her only hope of recovering her vision, the steroids she is taking to reduce swelling on the brain. Sadly, after 7 days with no results it is becoming apparent that she will never see again. I can only imagine what happened to this poor sweet pup that would have caused her to go 100% blind, was she beaten or was this shaken baby syndrome?? The worst part is the breeder does not care enough to tell us what happened. I cannot fathom being that cold hearted.

Why did I feel the need to write this? That is easy! There is not a day that goes by since Aubrey came here that I do not cry for hours knowing deep down I cannot fix her! I cry as she struggles to find the door to go outside and then again to come back inside. I also know her breeder has moved on, after all it is NOT her problem any longer, out of sight out of mind! The breeder has never called or emailed to tell us what actually happened to her, after all, she is only a dog!  So Mrs. Lily Young, I hope this Christmas when you are celebrating your favorite time of year, that the lights go out and the music stops playing for you, just as the lights have gone out for Aubrey!

As for the rescue/adoption coordinator for Simpson County and their directors, just know that Ashley is a liar. She knew the breeder personally, for at least 3 years, so please don't try to tell us that she did not know Lily Young was a breeder. When we emailed to let her know we had Aubrey she posted on her Facebook page "A friend and I placed a Great Dane in rescue today .........thanks to my awesome friend Lily" Lily Catherine Young LOVED the comment! If a rescue cannot trust the animal shelters, who is left for us to trust?

Update 1/04: Well the decision has been made. I no longer will be considered for adoption. Grandma and I have made a very hard decision but we agree it is in my best interest to not have to try and settle into another home. I struggle with trust issues and yes the human touch is very scary. Grandma has noticed also that I cannot smell very well and even my chewing and walking are different. The vet and Grandma agreed I have neurological damage as well as being blind. So this all being said I am now a sanctuary dog!! Grandma and I agree this is what is in my best interest and Grandma said that is all that matters!!! I do have one request of everyone reading my page PLEASE DON'T BUY FROM BACKYARD BREEDERS, especially not mine!! It was all about the money!!

Update 3/27: Just thought I would share a picture of me taking a nap with my teddy bear!!! Teddy is the bestest pillow!!

Please can you spare a few dollars to help the Rescue continue to help me and other Danes like me? It would be greatly appreciated. Without the Rescue who knows where we would have ended up!!
Thanks, Aubrey

11/22

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3/27

Date of Birth: 1/24/2020        Breeder: Lily Catherine Young -  Empyrean Danes
Description: female, fawn, cropped ears