Saturday, October 30, 1999

Great Danes displaced by fire

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BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        HAMERSVILLE, Ohio — Ten weeks after a fire seriously damaged a Great Dane rescue facility here, owners are still trying to find homes for some of the dogs.

        Finding the fire's cause has been equally elusive.

        The burn pattern of the fire at Harlequin Haven for Great Danes showed the cause likely was electrical and accidental, Hamersville Fire Chief Denny Schneider said.

        But the department was unable to determine what caused the fire that began in an attached, converted garage where dozens of dogs were kept.

        It spread to the owners' home. No dogs or people were injured.

        Harlequin, in Brown County near the Clermont line, is a non-profit, no-kill facility. Before the August fire, it was home to about 75 Great Danes, many given to Tom and Dale Bath by area shelters.

        “It's been very frustrating,” Mrs. Bath said. “We're in almost the exact same position we were in 2¹/₂ months ago.”

        About 20 dogs remain available for permanent homes. The Baths had started to renovate the garage as a family room, but when their dog-rescue operation took off in the mid-1990s, they converted the garage into a dog shelter.

        Cinergy spokeswoman Kathy Meinke said Wednesday a company worker inspected the fire site earlier this week, and added that “we're in communication with the owner and we're going to continue to do so.” Fire Chief Schneider said neither Cinergy nor any insurance agency has contacted his department for its findings.

        Mrs. Bath said an inspector for Western Reserve Group insurance company reviewed the site Monday.

        Meanwhile, the Baths live in a recreational vehicle on the other side of their property and have set up a mobile home as an office and shelter for a few of the dogs.

        Great Danes were bred in Germany in the 1500s for hunting boar and as guard dogs.

        Their size and protective, gentle demeanor suit them best to indoor living and owners often find themselves unable to properly care for them.

        Many shelters, however, lack facilities for such a large breed. That's what leads them to the Baths' house.

        After coverage of the fire in The Cincinnati Enquirer, of fers to provide temporary and permanent homes for the dogs poured into Harlequin.

        “Adoptions have slowed tremendously since mid-October; but that's not surprising after back-to-school,” Mrs. Bath said. “It's starting to pick up again.”

        To adopt a Great Dane, call Tom or Dale Bath at 937-379-1700.

       

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