German Shepherd Rescue Resources
You can add links to local, state, or national organizations devoted to rescuing this breed below.

Nationwide
American German Shepherd Rescue Association, Inc.

North East

• German Shepherd Rescue of New England - New England, MA
• Good Shepherd K9 Rescue (New York State) - Ballston Spa, NY
• BrightStar German Shepherd Rescue - Rochester, NY
• German Shepherd Dog Placement and Adoption League (GSD PAL), NJ, DE & SEPA - NJ, DE & se PA
• North Star German Shepherd Dog Rescue, Inc. - MA, but covers all of New England
  
  

Mid-Atlantic

• Chesapeake Shepherd & K9 Rescue - MD Mid-Atlantic Region
• German Shepherd Rescue of North Carolina - Alamance County, NC
• Noble Shepherd Rescue - Mebane, NC (serving NC & SC)
• WV GSD Rescue Co-Op - Sicklerville, NJ
• Virginia German Shepherd Rescue - Sterling, VA
• German Shepherd Rescue of Southeastern Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA
• Save a Shepherd Alliance - Hatfield, PA
• Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue (SW)
• Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue
  
  

South East

• German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida - North FL
• Atlanta German Shepherd Rescue - Atlanta, GA
• Stepping Stone German Shepherd Rescue - Lexington, KY
• Fable's German Shepherd Rescue of Central Kentucky - Winchester, KY
• South Brevard German Shepherd Rescue - Brevard County, FL
• German Shepherd Rescue of Central Florida - Ocala, FL
  
  

Central North

• German Shepherd Rescue - Skokie, IL
• Chicagoland German Shepherd Dog Rescue - Lane Gurnee, IL
• Gently Used German Shepherds - IL
• Michigan German Shepherd Rescue - MI
• Ohio German Shepherd Rescue - Lake county, OH
• Badgerland German Shepherd Rescue - Stoughton, WI
• German Shepherd Breed Rescue Foundation of Minnesota - Brooklyn Park, MN
  
  

Central Mid and South

• Austin German Shepherd Rescue - Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and most of South Texas
• German Shepherd Dog Rescue of St. Louis, Inc. - St. Louis , MO
• Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue - Houston, TX
• German Shepherd Dog Rescue of San Antonio - San Antonio, TX
• East Texas GSD Rescue - Huntsville, TX
  
  

West

• Coastal German Shepherd Rescue in Southern California - Irvine, CA
• Southwest German Shepherd Rescue & White GSD Rescue - Phoenix, AZ
• German Shepherd Rescue - Burbank, CA
• German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County - Orange County, CA
• San Diego GSD Rescue - San Diego, CA
• San Francisco Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue - San Francisco, CA
• German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California, Inc. - Northern CA
• German Shepherd Rescue - Las Vegas, NV
• Northern Utah GSD Rescue - Logan, UT
  
  

German Shepherd Rescue Stories
Click EasyEdit to tell about how you brought your dog home. Be sure to add a photo!


Charmin' Charlee

I am a volunteer for German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County. Our organization is one of the few rescues that will take in the 'broken' dogs and do everything possible to cure them and give them a long, happy life.

Charlee was one of the very lucky ones. He came to us from a shelter where one of our fellow rescuer's spotted him. At the time he was being held in a cold kennel as evidence in an abuse/neglect case. He had no hair on his body, was emaciated, both ears were infected, and was alarmingly thin. In addition he had major skin issues with a rampant infection all over his body. With some help, we succeeded in getting our little broken spirited senior gent released to us.

I contacted the founder of our rescue, Maria, and immediately asked to foster this poor baby. She agreed and for 3 months I fostered our boy. A couple of days ago I decided that I couldn't part with him and he is now a permanent part of my pack. I am the proud owner of three very intelligent and loving furkids and my life couldn't be better! I have attached one picture of him in the shelter where he was so weak from malnutrition he couldn't even hold his head up, and two other of him and how he is today.

Thank you for reading my story!

Lauren
I rescued Lauren just under 2 years ago (Feb 05). Her story was a very sad one, but it was her face that convinced me that she is the dog for me.

She was purchased by a former Veterinarian from a breeder in Germany to use as a foundation bitch for the breeding program she wanted to start. Years later, the authorities came because she had over 30 poorly cared for but beautiful German Shepherd Dogs on a very small property. Upon being ordered to find new homes for the majority of the dogs or face having them seized within 30 days. A little while later, someone reported that she only had 14 dogs left and that they didn't see her giving any of them homes.

When the authorities showed up, they found that she had euthanized all but her original foundation bitch and her recent littler of 13 (!) puppies. The puppies had no problem find homes, but poor Lauren was terrified of people. She had her second chance at a the home of one of the wonderful women who saved the last of the dogs, but unfortunately had an incident with the womans prize pure-breed cats.

Lauren was about to be put down, when she met her first veterinarian who actually cared. He called one of his clients and told her she had to come meet this dog. She did, and couldn't let Lauren be put to sleep for doing what dogs do. Chase cats! She was a rescuer herself, and so posted Lauren up all over the internet to find her a new home.

I went to visit Lauren after seeing her picture (right). Those eyes said that she was longing for someone who would love her who she could trust. After her loving foster mom and I cornered her in her kennel - she was actually shaking in terror and peeing with fear - we got a leash on her and took her out. She walked surprisingly well on the leash, but her posture was full of worry. Every time I moved in a way that she didn't expect, she cowered. Every time I spoke, she would crouch lower and flatten her ears back. If she was "surrounded" by more than one person, her eyes would go wild. So we walked for an hour, with me talking softly to her. We went over to my car, to grab the bag of treats I had brought for her, and before I could barely move out of the way she snuck in between the drivers seat and door frame of my coupe into the back seat and laid down.

I had no intention of taking her home that day. I knew I was going to take her home in my heart, but I wanted to meet her and think about it. She wasn't having any delay.

From that day forward, she has improved by a million times. She has learnd how to play with tennis balls (her new favorite thing in the world, almost better than cheese) and loves to chase the balls and sticks.

She frolicks in water and does the doggie lean into strangers legs in hopes of getting a good scratchin. She is quiet, a little lazy, and has these eyes that tell me how great she thinks I am, every day. No one will ever look at you like that, except YOUR dog, the one special dog, and I almost never hear people say that their pet store pooch was their greatest dog, or the designer dog they waited for 6 months for from the best breeder in the world. It's always a puppy found on the side of the road, in the pound or one that had just run out of chances until you came along. Rescued dogs know you saved them, and they make up for it every single day, because to them, you are the most amazing person in the world. Ask anyone who as rescued a dog, they'll tell you the same thing. Rescues know their special and they won't let you forget it!


So, if you ever have the chance, the money and the time to get a dog, adopt. Wait until you see that one special face and hear that one special story that makes you want to hug that dog for the rest of your life so nothing bad happens to them ever again. Then, and only then, will you find the best friend you'll ever have.

Sorry for all the pictures. Friends and Family have tendency to want you to care about pictures of their kids, but look at you like you're crazy if you send 5 pictures of your dog. Wikifido people should understand that. :)





Chloe

Chloe is my one true dog. My story....

I said to my brother I wanted a dog. After a month, my brother's girlfriend got a dog. She worked at a clinic at a vet. Her boss found 7 dogs on the side of the road, brought them to the vet. One of them was a mother that had 6 German Shepherd puppies. Chloe had 3 brothers and two sisters.

Once my brother picked up Chloe at the vet, I started hugging him and Chloe! Chloe was shaking and kind of happy. She was lying down by the stairs and I was petting her, then she licked me a lot, but I didn't mind at all. I started giving her treats and walking her. I was looking at her, and we turned into best friends forever. Right then, I knew that I would never leave her. She was a cute dog and I loved her like she was my sister.

Chloe now is a good dog but I play games with her. I even let her get on the computer and let her Black Knight with her paws!! I now had her for a year. She is 2 years old. For one reason, she is the best dog anyone can have. Her birthday is February 27, 2005. Please rescue dogs, you will know that that's the perfect dog.

Snitgirl8