Size
(when grown) X-Large 101 lbs (46 kg) or more
Details
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Story
10/04/2026 – Meet Ella! 103 Pounds of Zoomies, Love & Second Chances
Ella's story didn't start with soft beds, full meals, backyard zoomies, and a family telling her how much they love her.
When Ella first came into rescue, she weighed just 77 pounds. She had been through a terrible situation and had not been given the care, kindness, or stability every dog deserves.
Today, she's a 103-pound Great Dane, and she's discovering just how wonderful life can be.
And honestly? She is loving every minute of it.
Meet Ella — a beautiful, approximately 5-year-old Great Dane with a bunny-soft coat, an unusually long tail, and a heart every bit as big as she is.
Ella is the kind of girl who makes you smile without even trying. Her mornings begin with happy spins and bounces when she sees her collar. Meals get the same reaction. When her people come downstairs, she grumbles and talks because she is just THAT happy to see them.
And then there's the Dane lean.
The head buried in your lap.
The giant nose nudging your hand for more love.
Ella has discovered that people are pretty wonderful, and she wants to be wherever they are.
She loves people, and every visitor to her foster home has been a friend. She enjoys toys, stuffies, and chews, happily entertaining herself or inviting her humans to join in. Her epic backyard zoomies make everyone smile, and her super sniffer and giant paws mean no toad, grasshopper, or suspicious patch of grass goes unexplored.
She is housebroken, knows sit, down, and shake, and is trustworthy with freedom in the home when her space is appropriately managed. She's also food motivated and working on some of her household manners. Let's just say the kitchen counters are apparently very interesting, even though she hasn't actually stolen anything.
Ella will go into a crate and remain quiet, but she isn't happy about being confined. Thankfully, she is trustworthy loose in the house with some reasonable management, so she would do best with a family that can give her a safe, dog-proofed area of her own rather than relying on a crate.
And there is one important thing to know about Ella's forever home: she would ideally be someone's one and only.
This isn't because Ella is aggressive. She isn't. Ella has actually integrated with other dogs in her foster home and has done well with dogs she has met. However, because she has experienced significant changes in her life and is now discovering how wonderful it is to have people, attention, and the comforts of a home, we believe she would be happiest as the only dog in her forever home.
That said, the right home with another compatible dog is not necessarily off the table. A controlled, slow introduction and thoughtful integration would be important to make sure everyone is comfortable and set up for success.
Her foster family absolutely adores her — including the husband who reluctantly agreed to foster her and now apparently talks about how much fun she is every day. They would keep her if they believed their multi-dog home was the right fit for her. But they want something even better for Ella: a forever home where she can relax, feel secure, and know she is truly home.
Ella has also been calm and appropriate around her foster's ducks when introduced on leash, showing no attempt to chase or bother them. As always, interactions with other animals should be assessed individually and managed responsibly.
Ella has been treated for a tail injury and is currently doing well. Because stress and confinement may cause her to chew at it again, her new family will need to monitor it carefully during transitions and provide the calm, comfortable environment she needs.
Ella has already come so far.
From 77 pounds and a terrible situation to a healthy 103-pound girl who spins with excitement when someone picks up her collar, talks to her family every morning, plays with toys, races around the yard, and buries her head in a lap simply because she wants to be loved.
Now she just needs the last chapter.
The chapter where she gets to stay.
Ella doesn't need a perfect family. She needs a family who will see the goofy, affectionate, incredibly lovable dog underneath everything she's been through — and give her the forever she should have had all along.
Could Ella be your girl?
Please include your home area code and a phone number where a volunteer can reach you when contacting us about an adoption.
For more information on this dog and our adoption policies, visit MAGDRL at https://www.magdrl.org. MAGDRL adopts Great Danes in NY, NJ, PA, MD, DE, DC, VA, & WV.
