Once upon a time, there were many homeless Black Danes in Rescue, and for some reason they found it hard to be adopted. People would call and e-mail about the other Danes, but seldom about the black ones.

“Why is it that people do not want Black Danes?” asked the black puppy. “I thought people wanted puppies even if they were black!”

“Well,” said the older and wiser black Dane, “blacks are common, and few people want a common color!”

“I am NOT common,” said the black puppy. “I resent being called common! I am unique! My Grandma told me I was. She told me that we all are special and unique in our own way!”

“Last week your sister was shown and adopted,” said the old Dane. “She is a merle, not a black, and I hate to be cruel, but the people did not even ask to see you, did they?”

The heartbroken puppy hung his head. “No,” he replied. “But don’t people know that looks are only skin deep? I am gorgeous on the inside, and I have a huge heart, and I am just looking for a family that can love me as much as I will love them. I guess I will grow old at the Rescue just like so many of the other black Danes that have lived here all their lives.”

“Wait a minute,” piped up a young black male. “I am very handsome, and I have cropped ears. I should be very adoptable!”

“Yes, young man,” said the older black Dane. “You are more adoptable than the ones with natural ears, but look at the Fawn boy with cropped ears, or even the Harlequin with natural ears. People always want them, and they will have a home months, or maybe years, before you have a home! Be thankful that you are handsome and have cropped ears that stand. Feel sorry for the black Danes that had their ears cropped and they do not stand, or the ones that have injured their tails and had to have them docked. NO ONE ever wants them! Just look around at the ones who have been waiting for homes month after month after month.”

The older, wiser black Dane continued, “You may not want to believe me, but I have lived here all my life. I am now old and wise, and I have faced the reality that people do not want us because we are black. What a sad world it is when people think that color, size, or even cropped ears matter. What really matters is what is in our hearts, and if people would just give us a chance, they would find that we are just as good as the other Danes at Rescue!

What is really sad is that there are breeders out there producing more of us. And people will buy them! They will pay a lot more money to get that cute little puppy. Too soon, that puppy ends up here in Rescue with the rest of us. After all, who wants a plain old black Dane? I dread the look on their faces when their owners DUMP them. As you can see, the other colors seldom are dumped. Why do breeders keep breeding when there are so many homeless Danes already? Why? Why? Why? I thank God every day that the wonderful people at Rescue do not care about color, age, or what our ears look like. They just care that we are homeless and need to be loved and cared for. Maybe someday people will see us through the eyes of the people at Rescue--see us for what we really are--Great Danes, the gentle giants of the dog world!”

All images and text on this site Copyright © 1998-2024 Harlequin Haven Great Dane Rescue, Inc. unless otherwise credited. Use of any image or text without written permission is expressly forbidden. All rights reserved.