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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.

 

                

Schatzie
Post Date: 12/19/2010 12:59:28 PM

I have had two German Shepards both lived to old age, and two Doberman's who did the same. When my last wonderful GS girl, Ibis died, I decided to try to find a nice female Shepherd that needed a home, rather than getting a new puppy. I discovered GSRNC and was invited to come look at my prospect at the pet store in San Rafael. There were lots of beautiful dogs there that day and I think I could have taken any of them, but my contact had a dog in his van that he thought would be just right. She was small, smaller than any of my other dogs and thin, and her face showed all the dispair and disinterest that a dog would show who has spent her life tied in a back yard, left mostly alone. I wasn't overcome with instant recognition and maybe if my GSRNC friend hadn't acted as if it was a done deal, despite my "Well...." we might never have been such friends. But, home on our ranch in Calistoga, she took to the country with happiness. Still much of a pup, perhaps one year old, it wasn't long before she knew what animals belonged, the sheep and the horses and the chickens and which animals didn't. Deer no longer munch my roses and tomatoes, yet one morning early, I saw a little fawn on the other side of the fence dance up to offer a game and with a small experimental bark, Schatzie turned and went to bigger interests. She seems to know without help what her jobs are. She is a happy, loyal, exuberent pal, guarding her house, and her people with unending patience. She stands outside my garden while I plant, she monitors the wild cats that play in the oaks, she loves her squeaky ball and she always up for a tramp down to the creek. She entertains the grandchildren and when they are on some activity that excludes her, she sits patiently by to watch. She meets me at the gate when I come home and no matter if it is just a fifteen minute trip to the post office, she welcomes me as if I am her long lost child. Six years old, ninety pounds now, with a shining coat and always a smiling face, I am ever grateful for the wonderful German Shepherd rescue and the kismet of her arrival in my life. Like all German Shepherd owners who have had one or two special dogs in their life, I am grateful it happened to me one more time.

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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.