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Important: Please Read
Owner Surrenders
Our priority is saving dogs in shelters, especially those on euthanasia lists. Therefore, we do not take owned animals directly into foster care.
Owners trying to rehome their dog should first contact the person (or organization) they got their dog from to see if they can help with the rehoming process. If that is not possible, we may be able to help you. GSGSR has several requirements before we consider accepting an owner-surrendered dog into our organization.
- The dog must be a purebred, or if the dog is a mix, it must look like a German Shepherd.
- The dog MUST NOT be reactive, especially towards people and dogs.
- The dog MUST have NO history of aggression or aggressive behaviors.
- The dog MUST NOT have a bite history.
- The dog MUST pass our evaluation.
- If the dog is not spayed or neutered, the owner will be responsible for getting the dog spayed or neutered before acceptance into Rescue (a vet certificate will be required).
- Due to logistics, dogs must be located in the Northern Central Valley (Modesto-Sacramento) and East Bay areas.
If your dog fits the above criteria and you agree to keep your dog as a foster while we try to find a home, contact us at info@gsgsrescue.org
Send good photos and as much detail as possible (e.g., good with kids, cats, or other dogs, housebroken, crate trained, loves water, has had any formal training, etc.) Cute photos and videos will dramatically increase interest in your dog! Watch this brief video about how to take appealing pet pictures.
Stray Dogs
Rescues will NOT take possession of found "stray" dogs until all legal steps have been taken and ownership has been established.
- Is there a tag? Ask around the neighborhood to see if anyone recognizes the dog.
- Scan for a microchip at a vet’s office or a shelter.
- Notify the shelter and complete a Found Dog Report.
- Check Lost Dog Reports already posted.
- The stray hold begins when you file a found report; animal control can advise on the hold time in your area.
- Post flyers around your neighborhood, in vet offices, and on social media pages.
If doing all of the above does not locate the owner, consider fostering (or finding a foster) until a new home can be found. At that time, we could consider bringing him into our rescue, pending an evaluation.
Contact animal control immediately for any neglected, abused, severely injured or sick dog.