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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.

 

                

1 Year Later Our Penny aka Sienna
Post Date: 1/6/2017 4:31:58 PM

Thank you letter to GSRNC. It has been one year since we got our precious Penny aka “Sienna” from GSRNC. Our story starts at an end. A very sad end. In March of 2015, I had to make the difficult decision to put down my two beloved GSD’s Shasta and Khol due to their advanced age and ongoing health issues that come with senior dogs, it was time to accept that the quality of life was just not there anymore. My world was shattered I vowed that I would never have another dog. Months went by and I continued to struggle with my loss. For some people pets are just pets and often times after the initial loss you get the feeling that people just want you to get over it and move on. For those of us that believe our pets are family it just simply isn’t that easy. Our home seemed empty without my two GSD’s. As time slowly passed I realized that their life they shared with me was a tremendous gift and the happiness I experienced by far outweighed the pain of the loss at the end. The search began and I went down the usual routes, purchasing, looking at local animal shelters, the usual questions came up should we get a puppy or should we look at an older dog. Not before long I found myself at GSRNC website. At first the process for adoption felt daunting. The application, the phone interview and the home visit. I backed away several times from the process. However, the universe seemed to have me on a path that would not be denied. I started and completed the process, and connected with my adoption specialist Kathy Krol-Ramirez. She was very kind and seemed generally excited to assist me finding the perfect fit. I could hardly wait to pick my dog and I would email Kathy about this one and that one and she’d say, “I don’t know if that’s the right fit for you”. I would get a bit sad but would quickly recover to eagerly search for someone else. I believe I was cleared for adoption in November 2015 and it wasn’t until January 2016 that Penny was brought to my attention. The funny thing was the minute I saw her picture I just knew she was the one that was meant for me! January 9, 2016, was the day my whole world turned around in one magical moment. I met my sweet girl who was recovering from being spayed, she was so grossly thin, I could feel every bone in her little body. But her demeanor was gentle and she had a kindness eyes. It was a wrap right then and there and will be forever. Penny came home and quickly became one of the family. It was like she just fit in, almost like she was always meant to be mine. Penny and I quickly bonded and there is no question that I made the right decision by choosing to honor my two past loves with bringing a new life and love into our home. I thought that I’d never bond or love another dog as much. Once again I was wrong. Thank you so much GSRNC. Your process worked, and I found the perfect fit for me and my family. I look forward to spending many years loving and exercising and traveling with my best friend. Please keep up the good work. Warmest Regards, Andrea Hall and Family

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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.