The German Shepherd Dog is known for their intelligence and loyalty. These traits make them perfect, loving, family companions. Bay Area German Shepherd rescue is 100% volunteer run and saves over 200 dogs a year. Our team is made up of dog lovers who dedicate their time to finding great forever homes for our dogs.
We are a 501(c)3 organization that seeks out German Shepherds at shelters around the Bay Area and finds foster and forever families for this beloved breed.
We save a dog every two days
We have great relationships with many local shelters and every week we are in touch with them to discuss their new German Shepherds. The next step in the process is that one of our volunteer evaluators visits the shelter to test the temperament of the dog. The volunteer is there to meet the German Shepherd and see if it will be suitable for adoption into families. Many circumstances lead to dog surrender: illness, old age, or changing financial conditions can cause people to no longer be able to properly care for their pets, so we assess the situation and try to find a perfect placement for the dog.
Currently, we have 20 dogs in our program. Every week we place 4-5 dogs into families as new dogs in need of homes arrive. The new guys are placed in foster homes where we can see their personalities and temperaments. This fostering system and the relationships foster families build with the dogs give rescues a huge advantage over traditional shelters. Our volunteers work to learn about the dogs and match them with adopters who will make a great fit. We like to say that we are like match.com for dogs!
Fawn’s story
Through no fault of their own, some German Shepherds end up in life threatening situations. Fawn is one such dog. This is the story of Fawn and the team that saved her life.
Fawn was with us for over 9 months after being pulled from a North Bay shelter. She is a sweet and gentle 6 year old girl who, upon her arrival, was incredibly timid and in need of lots of TLC. At first Fawn was cautious of all people, and particularly men. She had her own agenda, and it was to retreat and live a very quiet, non-interactive life around people and dogs.
As the weeks progressed Fawn learned to have a little bit of fun with the other dogs, and she began to discover who her people were… but still, she would intermittently retreat. We respected her choices, and more importantly we learned to love her very gentle nature.
Foster care was critical to Fawn’s success. Her foster parents, and their extended family provided many confidence-building experiences and drew her out of her shell.
Fawn’s new life experiences have given her confidence and happiness. She loves her new family, and they absolutely adore her. Happily, they made the decision to make Fawn a permanent member of their family. She deserves everything her new pack will give her.
How can I find my Fawn?
Adopting a dog like Fawn all begins with by applying on our website at bayareagsr.org. Within 24 hours one of our volunteers will make contact to talk about your family’s experience and the type of dogs you seek. We’ll ask about gender, age, energy level, and experience.
Another great way to meet a wonderful German Shepherd is by love at first sight at an adoption event. We have adoption events every two weeks across the Bay Area. It’s a great way for you to meet several of our dogs at once.
What else could you do help the next Fawn?
There are many volunteer roles that all helped Fawn, from photography to marketing, fostering to administration. One of the best things about volunteering is the wide range of jobs, many taking only an hour a week. Best of all, most volunteer positions can be done from your home.
Some people prefer to donate money rather than time, that’s great too! Every dollar we receive goes to saving the lives of local German Shepherds who are down on their luck. In 30 seconds you could sponsor one of the dogs on our site – it’s that easy. Dogs like Fawn cost well over $1,000 to save.
We do all this because we care about wonderful dogs like Fawn, who end up in very difficult situations through no fault of their own. No matter how big or small your role in our team, knowing that you have helped a dog is an incredibly rewarding experience. Once you’ve played a part in saving a German Shepherd, you’ll be hooked.
Stories like Fawn’s are the reason Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue is here!
Rob Holloway is one of the founders of Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue. It’s an understatement to say his life is all about dogs. He is a foster parent, adoption counselor and dog photographer and lives in Marin with his two German Shepherds, Case and Ziggy.
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