Gracie is a shy and sweet 2 1/2 year old blue female with natural ears. She is a smaller sized Dane at 105 lbs., but could use a few more pounds to help her really fill out. This beautiful girl is looking for a home who will love her and snuggle with her. She is the true definition of "Velcro Dane". Where ever you go, Gracie is sure to follow! She doesn't know her size and is a bit goofy on her feet (her foster family affectionately calls her the "Grey Ballerina" because she is not very graceful) so she will need to go to a home without small children. Currently Gracie lives with 2 Danes (female and male), a Jack Russell and 2 cats. She gets along with everybody and loves to play (very loudly!). Gracie takes a few days to settle in but once she's comfortable she is a total love bug. She is looking for her fur-ever home that will be kind and patient with her and love her unconditionally. Obedience training will be a requirement of her adoption. Gracie came to MAGDRL in March 2013. (3)

Update 4/14/13 - Since in foster care, Gracie has demonstrated some difficultly and oddity ambulating in certain circumstances and with going up and down stairs. At first it was thought she might have wobbler's syndrome but her symptoms don't really follow what we see in wobbler's. She has been evaluated by a veterinarian who is a certified canine rehabilitation specialist who feels she would benefit from some physical therapy. She is going to have more testing but right now the thinking is that she has a condition called "cerebellar hypoplasia". Gracie does not have any pain and she is does well in her foster home despite her issues which are mostly balance on slippery surfaces and stairs. We believe she can live a normal healthy fully functional life with the right care. She will need a special adopter who is willing to manage her condition. She is on medical hold right now while we work to find confirmation on her diagnosis and prognosis. In the meantime she remains a sweet and loving girl in her foster home and does well with her canine foster siblings, large and small, male and female.

Update 5/03/13 - It has been confirmed that Gracie has cerebellar hypoplasia. All this means is that she will always walk funny. It never gets any worse and does not affect her health in any other way. Gracie is just a special girl and will need a special loving home who doesn't mind having a family member who is a little "different". We are doing basic core strengthening exercises and many tactile exercises in including small cavaletti poles, balance board, and hip sways. She is doing well but tires easily so we can only do short sessions frequently throughout the day. Gracie still needs some guidance when doing stairs. She continues to be a very happy girl and looks forward to her daily walks in the neighborhood. She can be timid meeting new people, but warms up quickly with a bit of cookie bribing. The veterinarians who have evaluated her continue to give a positive outlook on her diagnosis. Typically dogs with this condition have a normal lifespan.

Tyson is a 4 1/2 year old male harlequin with natural ears. He is a big, tall boy, but he is a bit clumsy because of a degenerative medical condition. Tyson was surrendered to rescue because the home he was living in could not provide an appropriate environment for his needs or the appropriate care for his health condition. Tyson has been diagnosed with Wobbler’s disease. Wobbler’s causes weakness and stiffness in his legs (particularly his rear legs). He also has limited sensation in his rear legs, so he isn’t fully aware of where they are, how he should use them, etc. This causes his gate to be a little wobbly and herky jerky. Wobbler’s has many causes, from injury to improper growth of the spinal column and vertebrae. We are not sure what was the cause in Tyson. Even with his limitations, Tyson is a super sweet boy. He hasn’t met a person or dog that he doesn’t get along with. He loves to cuddle and loves to have you touch him as much as possible. He tends to hold down his bed or the couch really well. Even with his limitations he is a very playful boy (LOVES squeaky toys!), but exercise has to be kept at a moderate level. When Tyson tries to run, his rear end hops kind of like an awkward bunny rabbit. In just a couple weeks with moderate exercise and an improved diet, we have seen improved strength and coordination and improved muscle tone, but he will never regain full coordination or mobility. Tyson has had one round of acupuncture and will go for a few more. Even though Tyson will never regain full mobility, the hope is that acupuncture will begin to help improve his strength, mobility, and quality of life. Tyson came to MAGDRL in March 2013. (5)

Update 5/14/13- Tyson has had 4 rounds of acupuncture treatments, and he is taking a daily Chinese herbal supplement. In addition to proper daily exercise, we are seeing huge strides in strength and coordination. Tyson still has limited sensation in his rear feet, but he has better awareness now, and reacts if you touch his rear foot (whereas previously he didn't really respond). When Tyson first arrived, he needed assistance getting up off the ground, but he has learned to scoot his rear legs under his haunches and gets up on his own now. We used to have to help him into the minivan, and he progressed to getting in slowly on his own to now he jumps in on his own, albeit a little clumsily. He has started running short distances (his backend bounces kind of like a bunny rabbit...a really large one!), and he likes to bounce when he is excited, getting all four feet off the ground at time. Tyson does still have bad days (he had three days a couple of weeks ago when he wouldn't stand on his right rear leg), but we are learning how to manage and treat those days appropriately. We are also learning how to recognize when he is tired or has done too much physically (he starts to stumble and drag his toes). So we are constantly working to balance exercise and rest. He will always have Wobblers, and he will always move in a herky jerky, wobbly motion. But he is much more mobile and confident in himself.

This is Buster. We got a call from a shelter saying that a Dane was coming in from an owner surrender. He's a handsome boy, and very sweet… and very thin! And they say the camera adds 10 lbs!! So sad… Not only is he thin, but he has lick granuloma's on his feet and legs. The most common causes are usually psychological, related to stress, boredom or compulsiveness. If you think these photos look bad, you have to see him in person, it's worse. When Buster first came in he was covered in feces and his owner told the shelter that he had projectile diarrhea and kept losing weight. He had taken Buster to the vet on a regular basis, and had the records to show. Even the special food that the vet put him on didn't help and he lost more weight and starting licking his front legs excessively causing the sores on his front legs. We are not yet sure if he has food allergies, EPI, or mal absorption, but for now he's been eating 4 to 5 small meals and is holding it down and doesn't have the runs. It's a start. He's safe, eating, and has a foster home that will see to all his needs. Buster came to MAGDRL in December 2012. (1)

Update 2/9/13 - Buster is on his second round of worming but its not slowing him down. His foster family brought him in for his weigh-in and he gained 4 lbs. He is now 105.5 lbs -yeahhhhhhhhh. Buster's weight gain is a slow process but you can see the difference and he continues to gain and he hasn't had the runs even with the worming. Even his back legs are straighter and getting stronger. He's alert, playful and loves playing with the bloodhound in the family, chasing her all around the property. The sores on Buster's legs are healing, and he's been really good about not licking his paws. Buster's personality is starting to shine through. He loves to be covered when he's laying down, and then he'll get up and walk around with the blanket over his head!

Update 3/13/13 - It's now been 10 weeks since Buster became a MAGDRL boy. In that time he's gained 29 lbs. and now weighs 115 1/2 lbs.! He continues to be the sweetest boy and just loves to play. He hasn't met a dog, male or female, big or small, that he doesn't want to play with! That includes the Chihuahua at the vet today, who was wearing a pink dress a big floppy hat and bright pink nail polish! Even though she was trying to bite his nose off, he still got in the play bow position and was ready to play with this cranky girl! He is just a happy boy who loves all he comes in contact with! He's quite remarkable! Buster loves to be outside no matter what the weather is doing. He doesn't mind the rain or snow or even the cold. The only thing that seems to bother him is the wind. With those ears, I think the wind blows right through his head! He lives to chase his foster sister Hannah Jane and to play hide and seek around the barn. When he comes inside, it's all about getting loved up. He's a snuggly boy who likes to be covered with blankets and woken up slowly with rubs and kisses. He is just a love!

Update 4/11/13 - Buster continues to thrive and become the silly, goofy, loving boy that he was meant to be! He's doing so well that he no longer needs to be weighed every week. At his last weigh in, April 10th, he was 128 1/2 pounds. He's gained 42 pounds and all of those sharp edges are gone! No more shoulder or hip bones sticking out! He is quite the strikingly handsome boy! Buster LOVES the snow and would stay out and play all day if you let him. Now that we're entering mud season, it took him a few days to adjust to the squishiness in the yard. He hated it at first, now it's not so bad. It's easier to catch his foster Mom or sister when everyone is slipping in the mud! He's also decided that being a big muddy mess is really quite fun! Buster is just a big love bug who hasn't met a dog he doesn't want to play with. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's equally happy being loved up or running around playing. What a remarkable boy and he loves playing tug with his foster dad.

Update 4/25/13 - Great news! Buster was just neutered, and will be going to his forever home in approximately 10 days after he heals!