Year later, nearly all 103 Great Danes have homes

FREEPORT — When Alaqua Animal Refuge staff mobilized to rescue scores of Great Danes this time last year, it was all hands and paws on deck.

“We called it Hurricane Danes,” Alaqua Founder Laurie Hood said.

The call came from Walton County Animal Control when a man who bred the dogs on his property fell ill and could no longer care for them. There were 103 Great Danes, one of the biggest rescues Alaqua has had.

The dogs were in fair condition, Hood said, but there was not enough space to accommodate them at the man’s home. And there was only just enough at the refuge.

When news spread — not to mention all of the cute puppy photos — Alaqua was flooded with calls and emails from people all over the world hoping to adopt a Great Dane puppy.

“We literally got thousands of calls,” she said. “Our website actually froze on two different occasions.”

Less than a year later, all but two of the Great Danes have been adopted. Two have been brought back because they did not get along well with other dogs, Hood said.

Looking back at the case, Hood said it was just another reminder of how hard Alaqua staff and volunteers work. It wasn’t long after the Great Danes were rescued that Alaqua was called to another case.

“I pretty much learned our team rocks,” Hood said.

And when it comes to “furever” homes, adopting a pet is better than purchasing one, Hood said.

When Ron Bogaski asked his wife Angela what she wanted for their 25th anniversary last year, she simply said “a Great Dane.”

“I read about them in the paper and asked my husband, ‘Can we just go out Levi, a 5-year-old Great Dane, was one of more than 100 Great Danes taken in to the refuge about a year ago. there?’ ” she said.

Like any smart husband, Ron agreed and told his wife they could fill out an adoption application. Not long later, they got a call saying they were approved. They went to Alaqua to take home one of the dogs. Bogaski told the staff she didn’t have a preference.

“I told them I didn’t care, but they brought out the perfect one,” she said.

They named him Beau. Beau went through four months of training to acclimate to his new home and family, which includes a Chihuahua and Boston terrier.

“Now we have small, medium and and an extra-large dog,” Bogaski said. “Beau is probably the most outgoing of them all.”

Beau loves to play with kids. His favorite pastime is playing with bubbles with Bogaski’s granddaughter, Ellie. He’s spoiled with treats of pumpkin and yogurt.

“He’s just a big sweetheart,” she added. “He’s part of the family.”

Kelly Horton said she always wanted a Great Dane.

When she saw that Alaqua had an abundance of them, she knew it was the perfect time to add the breed to her brood.

“I did a site visit and they showed me a picture. I just thought she was stunning,” Horton said.

Junebug, previously named Journey, was different from some of the others because she showed some confidence. Horton believed she would fit in well at home with her dogs. She also has a border collie named Cosmo, a black lab named Bee and a schnoodle named Leroy.

In the past year, Junebug has adapted well to her new home.

“It was a great fit. She goes to work with me every day,” Horton said. “She’s a copycat. At first she was scared to death of water, but started to follow the lab in the water. Now, she loves to retrieve like the border collie. It’s been a really cool experience.”