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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.

 

                

Amandi's Story
Post Date: 4/1/2008

Our female Shepherd, Zena, was in the last phases of her battle with cancer when we decided to consider getting another dog when her time came. We went to GSRNC web site and were drawn immediately to Amandi's photo. We first saw her a week later and knew she was the dog for us. We have been fortunate to own some wonderful Shepherds over the years and some became AKC Champions and others were Search and Rescue trained. We were told that Amandi needed experienced people, as she was a very strong willed dog. Sadly the morning of May 5 the decision was make that it was Zena's time. The cancer had taken over her body, however her mind was still strong. That trip to our vet was a hard one. Her end came peacefully and now she has crossed the "Rainbow Bridge" to join all our Shepherds that preceded her. The day was made a little easier to bear because we had made arrangements to bring Amandi home that afternoon. After meeting her foster family in Gilroy, Amandi was on her way home with us. What a wonderful dog Amandi is. She has truly become part of the family and we enjoy being with her as much as she enjoys being with us. Amandi is strong willed and will test her limitations, however she knows when the test is over! She has tremendous play drive, lot's of toy's that are never too far away from her, and the ability to act like an intelligent human in a dog suit, ha ha. Our special thanks to all the GSRNC that felt Amandi was the dog for us and we were the right family for her. - Ron and Gail Stevens

Photos


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.