When the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue (RMGDRI) comes to The Bookworm in Omaha, Nebraska, owner Diana Abbott says people never laugh so hard.

“The dogs are just so goofy, they’re like giant clowns providing the entertainment,” she says. “The children love them and the dogs are respectful of the children. I think they believe they are just really short dogs!”

The last full service independent book store in Omaha, The Bookworm has been in business for 25 years. The two-story shop resides in the oldest strip mall in Omaha, which was built in 1952 and, with one exception; every store in the mall is run by its original owner.

Diana has been helping to support numerous rescues and the Humane Society for many years, including the Doberman Rescue, Golden Retriever Rescue and Hearts United for Animals (HUA). With a mother who was one of the founders of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and both parents very closely involved in the Humane Society, she says animal welfare is just in her blood.

Diana became acquainted with the RMGDRI at a Humane Society event at PetSmart. “Any time the dogs can walk around is always good exposure,” she says. As for Great Danes, Diana says she adores them.

Diana also works hard to expose the real responsibility involved in owning a large breed animal. “I’m very cautionary, there are so many issues people aren’t aware of,” she says, “like the severe difficulty of feeding a large dog, problems with torsion and bloat, the expense and all the other intricacies that come with large breed ownership.”

Diana prides herself on exposing these realities so big dogs don’t end up in the wrong hands. And the events, which are usually held inside the store, provide an outlet to share this message. Diana says the Humane Society, which visits once a week, has a 98% success rate, and when rescues visit, there are usually at least one or two applications submitted per event.

“The Danes have brought so many smiles to the store when they’ve been here,” she adds. “I’m glad we’ve been able to provide a venue for them.”