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Adoption Process

Our adoption process is designed to help you and the right dog find each other. Our goal is to place each dog into a permanent, safe, and loving home.

To adopt a German Shepherd Dog from us, you must:

  1. Complete an Adoption Questionnaire, either online, or hard-copy (pdf format). If you do not own your home, you must have your landlord complete the Landlord Letter.
  2. Be interviewed by an adoption counselor.
  3. Choose, and be chosen by, the right dog.
  4. Live in one of the 14 Northern California counties we serve.
  5. Allow a home visit by an adoption counselor.
  6. With our approval, sign our Adoption Agree ment, and pay the associated fee.

If you come to an Adoption Day, the process of adopting can be completed in any order; otherwise you must complete an Adoption Questionnaire before we can assist you further. Normally, all our requirements must be met. Home visits may be waived in rare circumstances. We do not adopt to homes outside of Northern California.

After we receive your online Adoption Questionnaire, we will call you to begin the adoption process. Due to our home visit requirement, we only adopt to homes in Northern California. We encourage potential adopters to come to one or more Adoption Days because that is the best way to meet several German Shepherds and to find your new companion.

If you attend an Adoption Day and choose a dog, you may be able to adopt the same day, if all adoption requirements are met. The entire adoption process can be completed on the same day, or it may take longer.

If you can not come to any Adoption Day, we will try to assist you using email, the mail, and the telephone. This will probably take longer because the people who will help you are volunteers who usually have jobs, and scheduling meetings with dogs can be complex because our dogs live in many homes and kennels.

 

                

The love of my life
Post Date: 7/7/2010 10:25:26 AM

After I lost my beloved GSD Oakley, it took me a long time of grieving before I could consider another pup. After about a year I started talking to GSD breeders. I met one who seemed to fit the bill and put a deposit on her next litter. The litter was born, but no males (I really wanted a male). She had another female who then became pregnant (or so we thought) and I was to get pick of the litter. That female it turned out had a false pregnancy. Ready to give up, the breeder hooked me up with another breeder in Southern California. I flew down and met a very cute 4 week old GSD that I called my own. I had a great name picked out; Kusel..the town in Germany where my family is from. At 8 weeks I flew back down south and picked up my pup. From the moment I got him I suspected something was wrong. He was not keeping food down and not thriving the way a puppy should. That Monday I took him to my vet. To make a long story short, he told me that my dog had a defect called PRAA and that I needed to return him to the breeder. He would not live without multiple surgeries. Crushed and in tears, Kusel was returned. I decided that maybe I was not destined to have another dog. The only dog I have ever owned is a GSD and something was telling me that it was not in the cards. Then a friend told me about GSRNC, said they would be in Los Gatos on Saturday and made me fill out an application. Only to humor her did I fill out the application. I told her I would go to the adoption day if I happened to be in the area on Saturday. Curiosity brought me to that Pet Food Express that day. It was there that I met Bob and told him the story I just shared. I also told him that I'm a marathon runner and would like a running companion. After meeting another adult dog, Bob suggested that "parvo puppy" might be a great fit. You can imagine my expression. Bob I said, "what part of I don't want another sick dog did you miss in my story?". He laughed and said that this was a now healthy and very active puppy who was brought in to a vet on the Peninsula. His litter mate didn't make it, but he had been nursed back to healthy by a vet who was a GSD owner herself. That was how Colter formerly Rasputin came into my life. It was a few days later that I met my baby at his foster home. It was love at first sight. Colter has become my favored running partner and companion. He is the most active GSD I have ever known and I am grateful for every day that he is in my life. Somehow the fates brought him to me. While I don't have issues with breeders, I will say that I will now always consider rescue as my first option.

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Important Note About Dog Descriptions

Please remember that the descriptions of dogs (of Dogs Available) have been written by GSRNC volunteers and are usually based only upon our observation of the dog since the time it was rescued. While we try to provide dog descriptions that are fair and accurate, the nature of our work involves contact with dogs whose background and history are unknown to us. GSRNC cannot warrant or guarantee any dog's future behavior. For example, if we say that a rescue dog gets along with children, cats, or other dogs, this statement is usually based upon the fact that one of our volunteers has observed the dog interacting with his or her own children or pets. While this information may be helpful, we cannot be certain of how a dog will do with the children or pets in your home. If you are considering adopting, we encourage you to come to one of our Adoption Days and meet our rescue dogs. Ultimately, only you can decide whether one of our dogs is right for you.