Thinking of Adopting a German Shepherd Dog

Things to consider first:

OK so you want to adopt a German Shepherd from our rescue. If you have already previously owned a GSD, great just fill out an adoption form.

We do prefer our dogs to go into experienced homes but if you haven't had one before don't worry we are here to advise. But please do take advice from people that have a wealth of experience with these wonderful dogs. German Shepherds do make great family pets although they can be very protective of their home and family.

Firstly, please do take time to read all about the German Shepherd Dog as It is important both for the dogs sake and for your families sake, that you make sure that this is the right breed for you.

oscar the gsd with friends

Process for adoption

Unless you have had a GSD from this recue before, you will have to undergo a homecheck to assess your suitability for rehoming a rescue dog.
To start with, please fill out an adoption form so that a volunteer can contact you. You will then be telephoned to discuss your application further. To keep costs down for volunteers, please give a landline number. If you only have a mobile number you will be asked to call the volunteer. If the volunteer considers that you are potentialy a suitable adopter, a homecheck will be arranged.

We don't normally rehome in the following situations:

Where both owners work full time meaning the dog would be left for over 4 hours on a regular basis.
To applicants living in upstairs flats. This is because of the protective nature of GSD's and the potential for problems in communal stairways and hallways.
Where there are young children under the age of 7 unless they have previously lived with GSD's or other large breed dogs
To an owner that intends to use the dog for guarding purposes as we don't consider that much of a life for an intelligent dog like the GSD
To an owner who we think will use one of our dogs for breeding purposes. There are enough unwanted dogs in the UK already. Adopters will be asked to sign a legally binding agreement that their new dog will be spayed and neutered after adoption. Dogs should be neutered within 1 month and bitches should be spayed mid cycle. No dog from this rescue is to be used for breeding.
To an owner who will keep the dog outside in a kennel and won't allow the dog access to the house.
To applicants that do not have a secure garden.

The Homecheck

A volunteer will call around at a pre- arranged time to discuss yor application. They may well bring one of their own dogs with them. All our volunteer is looking for is that you understand fully the committment of taking on a German Shepherd. They will want to see your garden and fencing to make sure that it is secure and they will want to meet all the family living in the house. Our volunteer will want to ask you some questions but don't worry, we juts want to make sure that your are right for one of our dogs.
The homechecker will then pass on all this information to the rehoming co-ordinator for your area.
What happens next? If you have failed the homecheck, you will be given the reasons why - and there will be a genuine reason. If you have passed, cngratulations, you will be closer to getting your new family pet.

Choosing your new family member

Once you have successfully passed a homecheck, you will be contacted by the rehomng co-ordinator to discuss suitable dogs. Whilst we do feature dogs on our website, we don't want this to be used as a shopping list. We will try and take your choices into consideration but if we really don't think a particular dog is suitable, we won't let that dog go to you.
All our dogs are assessed as are our homes and we very much try to match dog to home. This way, we get a much higher rehoming success rate with fewer dogs being returned because the new owners couldn't cope.
Please listen to our rehoming co-ordinators as they will know which dogs will fit with in with you and your family best.

Collecting your new dog

Once we have all agreed on which dog is to join your family, arrangements will be made for you to colect the dog. If the dog is in kennels, normally a volunteer will arange to meet you there when you go to colect him/her.
If the dog is still currently with it's old owner, a volunteer will collect the dog and arrange to meet up with you to transfer ownership. You will be asked to complete an adoption form and make a donation to the rescue - minimum of £100. Your are not buying a dog, the donation is simply to enable us to carry on with our rescue work
Please note that once a dog has been removed from it's previous home, ownership is transferred to the rescue. If you refuse to accept the dog off the volunteer, we will have to place the dog in commercial kennels at great expense to the rescue.

Getting to know your new dog

At the time of adoption, you will be given comprehensive guidleines on how to settle your new family pet into your home. Please take the time to read them, there is a wealth of good advice contained in the guidelines.
We want your dog to settle in quickly but some do take longer than others so please do be patient. We do not want dogs returned within a few days of adoption. You will not see the true character for possibly 2 weeks. Your dog needs time to get to know his new family and his new home.
if you need any advice you can email or phone any of the numbers on the contact us page.