Foster a Great Dane. Change a Life.
Have a little extra room in your home and a whole lot of love to give? We might have a Great Dane who needs you.
At Great Dane Rescue of Minnesota & Wisconsin, foster homes are the heart of what we do. Without them, we simply can’t help as many dogs as we’d like to.
When a Great Dane comes into rescue, they don’t always arrive with a perfect history, polished manners, or an understanding of why their whole world has suddenly changed. Some are scared. Some are confused. Some are goofy, lovable disasters who haven’t quite figured out how big they are.
And some just need a soft place to land while we find their forever family.
That’s where you come in.
Fostering gives a dog the opportunity to settle into a home, learn a routine, build confidence, and show us who they really are. It also gives us something incredibly valuable: the chance to get to know each dog well enough to find the right forever home.
You provide the love and a safe place to land. We work together to help them find their happily ever after.
Ready to foster?! Fill out our application here–
What Does Fostering Actually Look Like?
First things first: You don’t need to be a professional dog trainer or have years of rescue experience to make a difference.
You do need patience, consistency, a willingness to learn, and a sense of humor. (Trust us, the sense of humor helps.)
Every Great Dane who comes into our rescue is different, and so is every foster experience.
Some dogs settle right in, make themselves comfortable on your couch, and act like they’ve lived there forever.
Others need time to decompress, build trust, learn household routines, or work through behaviors that come with a change in environment.
As a foster, you help us:
- Provide a safe, loving, and structured home environment.
- Establish routines and reinforce good household manners.
- Learn about your foster dog’s personality, preferences, and needs.
- Provide appropriate socialization, enrichment, and exercise based on the dog’s comfort and abilities.
- Transport your foster to veterinary appointments, adoption events, or other rescue-related activities when needed.
- Share updates, photos, and honest observations to help us find the best possible adoptive home.
And yes, sometimes that means teaching a 130-pound dog that they are, in fact, NOT a lap dog.
(We make no promises that they’ll believe you.)
You Don’t Have to Figure It All Out Alone
We understand that bringing a new dog into your home can come with questions, challenges, and a few surprises.
Our rescue works to match dogs with foster homes based on experience, household dynamics, and the individual dog’s needs. We also provide guidance and support throughout the fostering process.
Some Danes need an experienced home with specific skills. Others simply need someone willing to offer a safe environment, a consistent routine, and plenty of love.
We’re not looking for perfect people or perfect homes. We’re looking for people who are committed to doing what’s best for the dogs in their care.
What Does the Rescue Provide?
Fostering is a partnership, and we want our foster families to feel supported.
Great Dane Rescue of Minnesota & Wisconsin coordinates and covers approved veterinary care for dogs in our foster program. Veterinary appointments, treatments, and related expenses must be approved through the rescue, and any arrangements for outside veterinary care or reimbursement must follow rescue guidelines.
Our foster families typically provide everyday necessities such as food, bedding, toys, and other household supplies.
We also provide guidance, mentorship, and assistance as you navigate life with your foster Dane.
And if you’re new to giant breeds? Don’t let that stop you from reaching out! We can help you learn what life with a Great Dane actually looks like.
Spoiler alert: Everything is bigger. The beds, the food bowls, the drool, and especially the love.
Who Can Become a Foster?
We take our responsibility to our dogs seriously, and finding the right foster environment is an important part of setting everyone up for success.
To become a foster with Great Dane Rescue of Minnesota & Wisconsin, you’ll need to meet our foster home requirements, which include:
- Providing a safe, stable home environment.
- Having no children under the age of eight living in the home.
- Keeping all resident pets current on required vaccinations.
- Completing our foster application, reference checks, background check, and home visit.
- Being willing to follow rescue policies and communicate openly with our team.
- Providing appropriate daily care, supervision, and transportation as needed.
Experience with Great Danes or giant breeds is helpful, but it isn’t always required. We consider each application individually and work to make appropriate matches for both the dog and the foster family.
Our goal isn’t just to find a place for a dog to stay. It’s to find an environment where that dog can thrive.
But What If I Get Attached?
Oh, you probably will.
We’re not going to sugarcoat that part.
Fostering means welcoming a dog into your home, learning all their little quirks, falling in love with their ridiculous personality, and eventually helping them move on to their forever family.
And sometimes? That’s really hard.
But here’s the thing about fostering: The goal isn’t to keep every dog you love. It’s to love them enough to help them get where they’re meant to be.
When your foster dog finds their forever home, you’ve accomplished something pretty incredible.
You’ve helped a dog through a chapter of uncertainty and given them the foundation for the rest of their life.
And when you’re ready, you can open your home to the next dog who needs you.
That’s how fostering saves lives.
“With each foster comes frustration, sadness, and so much necessary patience, but more than anything else we are able to watch a foster grow in comfortability, personality, and be truly amazed by their perseverance and resiliency. We have found so much joy, laughter, and purpose in providing fosters with a peaceful and loving home and will continue to do so in order to save these gentle giants that have a fierce grip on our hearts”
Kelly C, GDROMN Foster Home
How Long Will I Have a Foster Dog?
That’s a great question, and the answer is… it depends!
Some Great Danes find their forever homes quickly. Others need more time, whether that’s because of medical needs, behavioral considerations, or simply waiting for the right family to come along.
We can’t promise an exact timeline, but we do our best to communicate openly and work with our foster families throughout the process.
Fostering is a commitment, and we ask that families be prepared to care for their foster until an appropriate adoptive home is found, while communicating with us if their circumstances change.
We’re all working toward the same goal: doing what’s best for the dog.
Why Foster With Us?
Because you can make a difference without adopting another dog.
Because you can help a Great Dane learn that the world isn’t such a scary place.
Because you can give a dog the chance to experience love, stability, and a home while we search for their forever family.
And because every foster home we have gives us the opportunity to say YES to another dog who needs help.
We don’t have an endless supply of foster homes. We don’t have unlimited resources. And we can’t save every dog.
But with people like you, we can save more.
You might only be one part of a dog’s story, but you could be the reason they get a whole new chapter.
Ready to Open Your Home?
Whether you’ve fostered a dozen dogs or you’re just starting to wonder if fostering might be right for you, we’d love to hear from you.
You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to be willing to learn, work with our team, and give a Great Dane the opportunity to thrive.
We’ll help with the rest.
Apply to Become a Foster Family
And if you’re not quite ready to apply but have questions? Reach out! Karla is our Foster/Adoptions coordinator and our rescue President, she’s happy to help you figure out whether fostering is a good fit for your home. You can email her– Karla@savingdanes.org
Somewhere out there is a Great Dane who could really use someone like you. ❤️
Ready to foster?! Fill out our application here–
