East Coast Gentle Giants Rescue

East Coast Gentle Giants Rescue, Inc a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable donation organization is a foster based Giant Breed/Mastiff Rescue based out of Virginia Beach, VA. We currently serve the entire east coast with fosters in FL, GA, NC, VA, MD, CT, DE, NJ and NY. We are currently working on expanding our foster forces in some of the other east coast states that we do not have foster homes in currently. We adopt our dogs to the 48 contiguous states, we do not have restrictions on what states we adopt to. We are a local group of caring individuals dedicated to educating people on how to properly raise their Mastiff breeds. We take in dogs that have been turned over to shelters, abused, neglected, and help them on their way to recovery. We do take in owner surrenders when space is available. Our goal is to adopt our dogs out to great, forever, loving homes where they will be nurtured and taken care of the way we take care of our own dogs.

**Intake Hold**ALL dogs coming into ECGGR go on a mandatory 30 day hold from the date of entering FOSTER CARE** This is to allow us time for the dog to open up and get comfortable with us, and for us to learn more about them. During this time they are not actively available for adoption or for viewing by screened applicants. Please keep in mind that application screening can take 2-3 weeks or longer in some cases, by the time the dog comes off the mandatory hold, there may already been an APPROVED family lined up waiting for the dog to come off hold. We highly encourage submitting application ahead of time for PRE-APPROVAL for one of the current dogs or a dog that will come into rescue in the future.

**Medical Hold**All dogs that are currently on Medical Hold are not actively available for adoption, and we will not actively be taking in applications for them. Medical Hold dogs come in with a variety of issues from eye care needs, heartworm treatment needs, cruciate knee tears that require surgery and a variety of other ailments. Once we have an estimated completion date of their medical care, we will update their individual profiles and their individual pages on facebook.

**Adoption Pending**Dogs that are pending adoption are STILL listed on the main page, until the day they are physically picked up and taken with their new owners to their new homes. If a dog is listed as adoption pending, we are NOT actively taking new applications for them

**Courtesy Posting/Listing**Dogs that are NOT a part of ECGGR but are available thru a private individual or another rescue organization. We do not make claims or back any given dog. The adopters take all risk and contract is between them and the rescue agency not the ECGGR.

Contact
—

Website
—

Phone
—

Donation
—

Email
eastcoastgentlegiants@gmail.com

Keep up with newly added pets at this shelter

Create an alert and get notified with newly adoptable pets that meet your criteria.

Rescue FAQs

Virginia, North and South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

Midwest including: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

We will consider other states as long as we can contact a local Large/Giant Breed Rescue that can conduct the home inspection PRIOR to adopting one of our dogs.

PLEASE FILL OUT AN APPLICATION, WITHOUT THAT WE CANNOT ARRANGE VISITS OR SCHEDULE MEETINGS WITH ANY OF OUR ADOPTIVE DOGS.

1. Submit Application
2. Interview
3. Home Check
4. Meet the Pet
5. Approve Application
6. Sign Adoption Contract
7. Take the Pet Home

Additional adoption info

Step 1 – Complete Adoption Application
Step 2 – Application Preliminary Review
Step 3 – Criminal Background Check
Step 4 - Landlord Approval Verified(for renters only)
Step 5 – Veterinary References Contacted
Step 6 – Personal/Professional References Contacted
Step 7 – Home Visit
Step 8 – Approval/Denial
Step 9 – Matching
Step 10 – Arranging a Meet-and-Greet and/or Trial Visit
Step 11 – Finalizing the Adoption
Step 12 – Trip to the Vet
Step 13 – Post-Adoption Follow-up

All dogs will come with their annual shots, heartworm test, fecal test and rabies. Dogs that are not altered will be or will be required to be altered within 30 days and proof is required within 7 days of completion of the surgery. The only reason we adopt a dog out that is unaltered is when they are too young or too small for the surgery. We are not going to keep 8 week old puppies until they are 5 months to spay or neuter them, but we do take a deposit to ensure that they are spayed or neutered within an allotted amount of time after the adoption has taken place.

Our dogs are our number one priority, please be patient with the application process, if you have not heard back from us in a week just send us another email reminding us that you are still interested in a dog. We have a lot of dogs that require a lot of attention and we many not be able to get back to you right away.

The application process takes us a lot of time,especially when we have more than one person particularly interested in a certain dog. The whole process takes anywhere from 2 weeks up to a month. We want to ensure that you are just as dedicated to one of our rescues as we are. Please be patient but check back with us often on the status of your application.

Our adoption fees can be found here:

http://eastcoastgentlegiants.com/adoption-fees

Adoption fees are subject to change without notice.

Puppies under the age of 7 months have a significantly higher adoption fee then our other dogs and may require a spay or neuter deposit depending on the breed.

Puppies under 7 months, especially litters are very expensive to feed, de-worm and keep healthy due to risk of infections and communicable diseases. This is the reason puppies have a higher fee because they cost more to maintain in the long run.

For Seniors over 9 there is a reduced fee as well.

Please be advised that these adoption fees are collected to ensure a serious home for our rescue dogs only and also to cover the cost of our veterinary bills. Please keep in mind that some dogs only need to be sped up to date on shots and others require thousands of dollars of surgeries to make them better, and the fees for the adoption fee do not changed based on how much we have spent on the dog.

All of the dogs and puppies from our rescue come with:

UTD on shots including Distemper/Parvo (DaPPv) Bordatella Canine Flu(CIV, H3N8) and Rabies
Heartworm test (dog over 1 year old or younger dogs with no proof of hw meds administered prior to entering rescue)
Deworming
Fecal test-Smear and float
Spay/Neuter (dogs over 7 months)
Microchip(HomeAgain)
5 Lbs of current food (Petway Supreme Chicken and Brown Rice)
Leash and Collar

Each dog we take in costs anywhere from $200-2,500 to treat and our adoption fees DO NOT change based on how much we have spent on the dog as far as veterinary care.

Because we rescue large and extra large breeds, our adoption fees do run higher than other rescues, this is mainly because most of our rescues weigh in excess of 115 lbs thereby making spay/neuter surgeries alone more costly than your average 50 lb dog.

Please do not ask if our adoption fees are negotiable. They are not, if you cannot afford the adoption fee for a dog that has been fully vetted, we will not adopt the dog out to you.

Get adoption advice

How to prepare for bringing a new shelter or rescue pet home

Get adoption advice

Introducing a new pet to your existing pets

Get adoption advice

How to navigate common bumps in the adoption process

Animal Charities in Virginia Beach, VA

HeARTs Speak

HeARTs Speak develops resources that help shelter animals to be seen and find homes, ultimately transforming public perceptions of pet adoption, shelters, and animals in need. Each year our work helps nearly 1 million pets in your community and beyond.

Learn more

Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs

There is a tremendous need for new methods of sterilization that are faster, easier, more accessible, and less expensive than surgery. ACC&D works tirelessly to bring together key stakeholders to advance this field.

Learn more

Animal Legal Defense Fund

Every day, Animal Legal Defense Fund works to enact tougher animal cruelty laws, provide care and legal assistance for animal victims of cruelty, offer rewards to bring abusers to justice, and provide free legal assistance to prosecutors and law enforcement to put abusers behind bars.

Learn more

Prepping for pet parenthood?

There's a lot to learn when you have a new pet. Our sister brand, The Wildest, is here to support you—with new pet checklists, virtual training, and expert guides. Sign up for free.

East Coast Gentle Giants Rescue

Keep up with newly added pets at this shelter