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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.

 

                

"Gitta" doing fine after being adopted from GSRNC
Post Date: 7/14/2012 6:57:09 PM

"Gitta" was adopted from GSRNC on April 7th of this year(2012). While we weren't sure if she would be willing to become part of a family with two other smaller dogs and a cat.....that thought was soon to be forgotten. She displayed no anxieties whatsoever, instead we had to deal with our other dogs because of the shared time we spent with her. A common occurrence with a new member of the household by the way. What we did find out though is that "Gitta" never really liked to be put in a crate and soon escaped form it twice before we decided to "heck with it" and let her stay free in the house. She proved to be very reliable and was sleeping right next to our bed that very night. We installed a dog door and she and the other dogs never hesitated in immediately using it. We signed her up with a local trainer for a private lesson prior to enrolling her into a group session with other dogs and people. She successfully completed that course with flying colors so we decided to sign her up for a group session. She again successfully completed that course also. We have now signed her up for another private session with the trainer to refine some minor issues related to her being out as a stray prior to being accepted into GSRNC. All in all we consider her to have taken gigantic steps into the community in both socialization and obedience training. The training doesn't stop there however, it's an ongoing process that we find well worth the effort! Our thanks goes to Deb Bergeld as the foster parent and GSRNC for introducing this young lady into our lives.

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.