Finding homes - Illinois woman rescues unwanted Great Danes

COAL CITY, Ill. -- Bobbi Gubelman-Rogers has a great love of animals, especially large ones.

Gubelman-Rogers, who lives at Deevil's Brae Farm here, owns four giant Clydesdale horses, three Great Danes and an assortment of other creatures.

It's the large Great Danes that are her passion. Gubelman-Rogers not only loves the breed, she operates an organization that seeks to find new homes for Great Danes who are no longer wanted. She calls it the Great Dane Rescue.

With a network that crosses the entire country, the organization matches up dogs who need homes with people who can provide them.

Animal-control offices across the country have Gubelman-Rogers' name and telephone number. They call when they find a homeless Great Dane in their jurisdiction. She calls them back when she has found a home for the dog. Great Dane breeders and other groups also call when they hear about an unwanted dog. A good deal of the time, the dogs' owners themselves ask for help in placing the animals.

Hundreds of dogs

Gubelman-Rogers has rescued a total of 308 dogs since 1986. Last year alone, she performed 45 rescues. This number does not count the numerous other animals she's saved as director of the Grundy County Humane Society.

Although she operates both the humane society and Great Dane Rescue from her home, the animals are not kept on the premises. An elementary school teacher who taught children in the Coal City area for 24 years, Gubelman-Rogers also works with the state humane society investigating cases of animal abuse.

The Coal City woman is not paid for this or any other position she has taking care of animals. Donations pay some of the costs, but not all. A good share comes directly from her own pocket.

Gubelman-Rogers keeps a short history and photo of each Great Dane she rescues. She has seven volumes so far.

"I compile a brief description of the dog and the story, so that I will remember it, and it will tickle my memory when I go back through it," she said. She remembers each one.

Rescuing was a natural progression that came about as Gubelman-Rogers looked for Great Danes to replace her own dog, who had died. She acquired her first Great Dane in 1972.

"Leige was the best friend I ever had in my life," she said.

When Liege died after 12 years, an exceptionally long time for a Great Dane, Gubelman-Rogers sought another Great Dane for a pet. She ended up with four replacement dogs, but people kept calling her with more. Most were Danes that were unwanted and who needed other homes.

Gubelman-Rogers realized she needed to find new homes for them.

"That's when I started rescuing," she said. Sixteen years later, rescue number 309 is under way. "It takes a great deal of matching to find a suitable home," Gubelman-Rogers said, displaying a large stack of applications on her dining room table.

"These are all from people who think they want a Great Dane, but I have to interview them."