Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions

I adopted from there many years ago. Bait and switch, at the time the adoption fees were 250 but because we chose ‘rare’ colors, upped to 500 (still a far cry from what they are charging now). My dog had pneumonia, was skin and bones and extremely aggressive towards small animals. He attacked a cat requiring him to need sutures, also my super friendly dog, who he gave a permanent cervical neck injury from shaking him. Lies upon lies about why the dog had been returned to rescue three times. Rabies certificate issued months before my dog was even born, the place was filthy and the dogs all smelled horrible. I do not understand WHY this place has not been shut down. They are absolutely nothing more than a puppy brokerage. Wish there was a zero stars option.

Please, please, please, stay FAR away from this place. Don’t believe the B.S. In their slick advertising. Until I learned more about them, I used to volunteer for this so-​called rescue, which became worse and worse over the years: filthy, feces and urine soaked, terribly sick and unsocialized dogs being pawned off as «loving family pets», insistence that you feed ONLY their private brand of food-​which is repackaged crap: cheap junk food…, the list of reasons to avoid them is endless. Worst of all: I’ve heard multiple ETHICAL rescues describe Gentle Giants as ‘the largest puppy mill in the U. S, masquerading as a rescue organization”!! And why is it that they ALWAYS have large numbers of puppies, of ALL kinds, including «designer breeds» for sale, at outrageous prices? So sad for the helpless animals they peddle, the scammed families who wind up paying fortunes to vets to try to save the lives of the sick animals that are peddled here, and for the REAL rescues who are denied adoptive homes because so many misinformed people go to Gentle Giants instead. Do your homework, and adopt ONLY from an organization that cares about saving lives, and being ethical to the people who open their hearts and homes to rescued pets. G.G. Is HORRIFIC!!!

being interested in adopting a Great Dane, I was looking around on their website. they wanted around 1,000 $ to «rescue» a dog?! i would much rather pay 68 $ at the shelter to save a life rather than paying this ridiculous amount of money.

Too bad there isn’t a zero star. Just avoid these people. They are corrupt, abusive, bullies. If you need more info check out Gentle Giant News. For your own good and the good of the animals which they continue to exploit, go elsewhere.

My family and I adopted a Great Dane from GGR in 2006. It was a horrendous experience. After reading these reviews, I am compelled to tell my story as well, which sadly is not far off from the others’. I have had Great Danes all of my adult life and have been in love with the breed since I first encountered one at the age of 13. Suffice it to say, I am extremely knowledgeable and familiar with the Great Dane breed. In 2006 I had decided to adopt a Dane because circumstances had dictated that I needed to go back to work. I needed to find a companion for my male, Sampson, so that he would not get lonely. I had done months of research to find the perfect Dane rescue to adopt from. I came upon the GGR website, which is an awful example of a website and led to basically no relevant information at all about the facility itself. I had based my judgment of the facility on videos provided on the website of local news stations doing stories on the facility and also based it on the pictures of all the ‘happy’ families going home with their dogs. Shame on me! So, upon being successfully manipulated into believing this facility was legitimate and loved animals as much as I did, I began the journey of adopting from them. After several weeks and several emails, I finally received a response to my adoption application and was told I am approved-​no questions asked-​no phone interview or anything. Excited to finally be moving forward, I made an ‘appointment’ to go pick out my new family member. I was told the adoption fee was $ 400 and to bring cash. Tracy INSISTED I bring the entire family including our current dog, Sampson. This was going to be a 9 hour one way trip so I asked that my two young children and dog be excused from making the trip but was denied– so we all showed up. We were told to be there at exactly 10 am and don’t be late or we will not be allowed in. Immediately upon arrival to the facility, car windows rolled up, you could smell a stench permeating from the very direction to which we were heading into. Once we were directed where to park, we had to wait in the car for an hour to be ‘let in’. Finally we were led to a fenced area that had a few very filthy, falling apart, plastic chairs. And we waited… Slowly, other families showed up for a total of about 5 families. The fenced area was attached to a house. We were told this was where Tracy and Burt lived. Inside this fenced area, there was a small section fenced with 1 foot high fencing about 2×7 ft in size. There were several puppies of an unknown breed walloping in their own feces and then in their food and water bowls. We were the first ones there and approximately 7 hours later, the last family showed up. It was approximately 5 pm by this time. My children, ages 12 and 7, were exhausted and hungry. Sampson, who had gone from car, to motel, to car, was exhausted and hungry. We were not allowed to take him out for the entire time we were there. We were not allowed to leave the fenced area to go to our car where all our food and water was sitting. Why, I will never know. About an hour after the last family showed up, Tracy FINALLY came out of the house. Her appearance was that of a homeless woman. At best, she looked like she had just rolled out of bed; hair totally unkempt, oversized t-​shirt and shorts, NO BRA and clothes were filthy. She proceeded to lecture us about how fortunate we are to be selected to adopt from her; about the exquisite food she invented and insisted we feed it to our newly adopted dog otherwise we would be denied adoption; and about how she and Burt live with no less than 45 dogs in their home at any given time. After about an hour of talk, she began bringing dogs out one at a time. It was now dark outside! If you opted not to choose a dog she brings out, once that dog goes back into the house, you cannot later decide to adopt that dog. So basically, you have about 30 seconds to make a lifelong decision that is going to affect your entire family because if there is another family sitting there that likes the same dog you like and they say, I want that dog, before you do, it’s too late and you have no idea if you are going to see another dog you have a connection with. It was very stressful. At about 11pm we chose our new family member, a black female Dane. Tracy told us she was 7 mo. I soon found out that was wrong. (Her muzzle started going grey only a few months after we brought her home. They are 2 ½ — 3 years old when that starts.) Tracy also told us that because she was so young, the adoption fee was $ 900 and that it had to be paid in full in cash or we would not leave with the dog. It took 5 baths to get the stench of that facility washed off of her and 3 clothes washings to get it off us. To this day I feel that I rescued my Layla from that ‘rescue’ facility

In 2003, my husband and I decided it was time to get a dog. With love for the gentle giant breeds I knew what I wanted. We went to Tracy and Burt… and brought home our beautiful 16 month old, Karma. I cannot express the love we shard with our sweet girl for almost 12 years. She crossed over April, 21, 2014.
I knew it would be awhile before we could open our hearts to another dog. WRONG! Tracy called me last November… Saying, They had puppies. I wanted to take all 5 of them home but one little girl chose me. Zeva, just turned 9 months old. She is happy and healthy and she eats the GGR dogfood. I’ve checked each ingredient myself through two different Vets and my own research. Good Stuff!
Much love to Tracy and Burt!

I still think about the experience we had adopting out great dame from Tracy and Burt ward over 6 years ago. The fact that we put up with the shenanigans is beyond me. There are no words.
We went there looking for a mastiff. We had an appointment and with very specific instructions. It was very surprising to pull up to a water park in the front yard. We were told to park and then call and we would be escorted to the waiting area which was a small fended off area with benches where we proceeded to wait two hours with a toddler for Tracy to bring out available dogs. Another couple was there who was interested in a Great Dane. After about a 30 minute lecture from Tracey about the different types of dogs and a lot of none sense she proceeded to bring out borzoi after borzoi pushing them on us. Neither one of us there looking wanted a borzoi and made that very clear after the 3 or 4^th one. This was a long process. I needed to use the restroom, which there was plenty of time for. They pointed me towards a restroom in the back. I walked past a barn (it was dark by then) and could hear a bunch of barking, sounded like puppies. The bathroom was a disaster, disgustingly filthy.
We noticed Tracy wasn’t so clean herself. She did a lot of lecturing on keeping things sanitized as not to spread germs between dogs. At the same time, she had dog fences on her clothes that were very dirty.
We ended up adopting a Great Dane puppy who was terrified. She still has a timid and easily frightened temperament.
We had to pick her up after she was fixed and had a bath. Picking her up was a huge ordeal and she smelled like urine so strongly I had to have my car upholstery cleaned after the long drive home.
We also had to pay 900 $. This cost was supposedly based on her rescue from out of state.
As we were getting ready to leave with her. We were waiting in the parking lot for her to be brought out and a family in a truck showed up. They got out a beautiful mastiff exactly what we were looking for. They explained they couldn’t keep her anymore so they were giving her to Tracy so she could find a home. I went over and met the dog and she was exactly what we wanted. Tracy came out and saw me petting the dog and told me now she couldn’t give me our Great Dane puppy bc I touched another dog and I would get the mastiff germs on me. I told her I would sanitize and she could give me our dog. So we left with the puppy. The next morning I called Tracey and told her we wanted to also adopt the mastiff that had been dropped out the night before (the family so gave her $ 200 for expenses to re home the dog). And she said it would be 900! I asked her how that could be when the fees are based on how and where they rescue the dog from and this one was dropped off with a donation.
These people are obviously very ill
Tkb

we rescued a dog and we were very specific that we could not take a viscous dog due to small children in the home. we picked out a newfie and paid WAY too much and took her home. the second she arrived in our home she changed bc Tracy was no longer around. She was obviously abused by a man in a tie. Everytime my husband went to work the dog would try to bite him, he would spend all weekend trying to win her over and the cycle would repeat. We went thru trainers and constant dog park trips were she would try and attack men there. After consulting with vets and trainers, it was decided that the dog needed to be in an all female home with no children. When we heartbreakingly returned the dog to try and give her the most peaceful life possible, we let Tracy know that the dog would be happiest in an all female household, she brushed my 5 months experience off as if I made the whole thing up and it saddens me to know that the dog was adopted out again in a home that potentially scares her.
I am not sure what goes on at the rescue center but of the 3 families I know that adopted from there (two of them adopted little puppies), all of those dogs are biters. Even after trainers, they cannot be around children or be walked in public bc of their biting.

im sorry to say that all the negative reviews are consistent with my experiences, and the positive ones sound suspiciously like things that tracy and burt said to me themselves when selling me on their ‘rescue’. i only went through with the adoptions (i ended up taking two, at a pricetag of $ 1600) to get the poor dogs the hell out of there. if you do go, please report what you see to the county and the humane society. they need to be put out of business.

I have applied for a Great Dane puppy form this place 10 days ago (the week when I lost my 9 years old Great Dane). No response from them. Today I read
and it made me be grateful that they never called me, but worried about all the dogs that they have in their possession. Where is the animal control when needed?

STAY AWAY! YOUR HEART WILL BE BROKEN! DO NOT «ADOPT» FROM GENTLE GIANTS RESCUE!!!
If I could give no stars I would. I wish that I had listened to the other reviews and stayed away from Gentle Giants! We «adopted» — really paid $ 1000 — a rescued puppy. Tracy had made up a real whopper of a story and we fell for it hook line and sinker. It was that Child Protective Services was called to a house to remove the children and saw the mother dog and her puppies chained in the backyard so they called Gentle Giants to rescue the dogs. I now know that this is not at all the procedure CPS would follow!
The «available puppies» they have posted on their website are not available and they are no longer puppies — if they are even still living. Our adopted puppy was a Neapolitan Mastiff from that advertised litter. She is called «Beyoncé» in the photo. We renamed her Maya and she turned 2 on Sept. 23.
We had to put her to sleep today Sept. 27 just 4 days after her birthday. She barely lived a year before she started having skeletal problems.
Maya needed surgery on both knees, a double hip replacement and had bone spurs on her left elbow. She needed 5 surgeries that totaled close to $ 20k. We did not give up on her. She was on a waiting list at UC Davis School of Veterinarian Medicine to get some of the needed surgeries. She qualified for a clinical trial for her hip replacement surgeries and we had applied for grants to cover some of the other medical costs. We had hope.
Every Orthopedic specialists we saw told us that our beautiful girl’s problems were typical of a puppy mill dog. Yesterday, while walking (yes, walking. Not running, jumping or leaping) Maya slipped a disk and as a result her back leg was paralyzed.
This morning was our last with her and tonight we returned to an empty house. Her absence has left a big gaping hole that can not be filled. I hope that this review will save someone else the heartache we have endured.

if there were a zero rating i choose that!
these people are scammers! this is not a rescue! they should have been shut down years ago!
DO YOUR RESEARCH! Do not give these people tot money. They mistreat animals, their food is rat infested.
They should have been shut downer years ago!

I also recommend that everyone who’s had a negative experience, please send an e-​mail to petfinder foundation requesting that Gentle Giants be removed from their website. You can find contacts for the petfinder foundation at the below link:

For the price you’re paying for a so call rescue dog from this place, you’re better off getting one from a reputable breeder. They are crazy people and have crazy rules how you should raise their rescue dogs putting you in a crazy bidding contract. The reviews saids it all… Stay away from this place!

So glad I read these reviews before I bought «their» food! Looks like it’s the same as Diamond brand and Kirkland? I currently feed my dog Diamond and I’m thinking of switching. Would hate to switch to the same stuff! I thought their website was a little off and self absorbed. People go to their site to rescue dogs, not see an overweight has-​been. Glad I won’t be adopting any animals from them and I am so heartbroken to hear how the mistreat animals. I saw the «how we feed our dogs» video and noticed a lot of dogs have ribs showing… Anyway. Just glad I was warned!

Excruciating process to adopt, drags on and on, no emails returned, no calls returned. We get invested in the animals, we believe in their story and we want to do the right thing and rescue instead of buying a dog, but sadly, they don’t deliver. And the food is a total racket. Not surprised to read all the 1 star reviews.

If I could give them a zero, I would. DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE!!!
First of all, let me start by saying «shame on me» for not doing any research or investigating beforehand. I suppose, after seeing Laddie on the
, I was just already too much in love.
My experience is SO similar to so many of the others posted… showed up at my «appointment» time… was kept waiting for nearly an hour and a half… met Laddie and fell more in love.
He was filthy and frightened. He was supposedly rescued from a shelter and had been with them for 9 months (but still filthy and frightened after all that time…). I paid the (unbeknownst to me at the time) outrageous adoption fee for my «5 or 6» year old friend and was told I could pick him up in a week or so after Tracy’s vet gave him a clean bill of health and she gave him a bath.
After being put off for two days past the original date to pick him up, again so the «vet could give him a clean bill of health», my Dad and I were finally able to go and pick Laddie up. We arrived at our appointment time — again — and were kept waiting — again — for nearly an hour.
When Tracy brought Laddie out, she micro-​chipped him and gave me his lead and said «call me if you have any questions». I led my filthy (so much for the bath, right?) and frightened dog to the car, picked him up and off we went.
Week 1 — 9 teeth had to be pulled including one so infected/​abscessed he looked like he was holding a ping pong ball his cheek. In addition, his nails had not been trimmed for so long, they were starting to curl under.
Week 2ish — Routine blood work determined Laddie had no thyroid function and would be required to be on medication for the rest of his life.
Week 3ish — Not one, but TWO different kinds of — live and wriggling — worms are now coming out of both ends of my dog…
Sadly, that was just the start of the discovery of a number of health issues (including liver and gall bladder) for the dog I waited a week for so Tracy’s vet could give him «a clean bill of health». On top of that, not one, but two different vets I took him to told me Laddie was 10 or 11, not the 5 or 6 years old I was told by Tracy. One or two years off can be understood…5 or 6 years off, not so much… especially not be a couple that is supposedly «experienced» in rescue and care.
Amazingly, considering the very sorry state he was in when I got him, I had my boy for 4 ½ joyous years. I did not post anything before out of fear that I could somehow lose my Laddie to those people claiming to be a caring rescue. I don’t know if they are a puppy mill or just a couple of greedy people out to make a buck to finance that entertainment park they live in. What I do know is that I was not allowed to see their facility and I met my dog in a 10×20 fenced in enclosure with a couple of chairs in it.
I don’t know if
is still actively trying to shut these people down (I found them shortly after bringing Laddie home) but that site is my next stop. I will continue to do everything I can to have these people investigated and/​or shut down.
For those of you that claim you adopted a healthy, «normal» dog from them… shame on you for supporting the lies. One word… karma.

This is not a rescue shelter. It’s something very different. It’s about profiting off dogs. It may indeed be a puppy mill masquerading as a rescue.
There is a website callled
that you might want to investigate before you come here.

I’m only reviewing the Gentle Giants website. I have not rescued a dog from them but have checked back numerous times in the last 6 months to review their available dogs.
Terrible website design, not user friendly. They definitely need to invest in a simple, less colorful layout that is easy to keep up to date. Websites are a huge resource for business and getting these animals into good homes!
Update your website!!!

DON’T PAY THE EXORBITANT PRICE FOR THEIR «CUSTOM» DOG FOOD!
It’s packaged for GG by Diamond Pet Foods, who sells the EXACT SAME FOOD under their own «Diamond Naturals» brand and (here’s the kicker) this is the EXACT SAME FOOD Costco sells under their «Kirkland» brand.
GG 37.5# bag: $ 34.99
Diamond Naturals 40# bag: $ 34.67
Kirkland 40# bag: $ 22.99!
So, buy from Costco and pay 40% less!
For more info, go to