Finding Your Furever Friend
Adopting a Friend…GSR-SP helps interested adopters to find the right German Shepherd for their family and lifestyle situation. We do this by gathering information from potential adopters in the form of an Adoption Questionnaire and by talking with interested adopters about their expectations and limitations concerning the care and training of a dog.
We provide interested adopters with essentially four different sources from which to look for a dog:
1. The GSR-SP Dogs
“Our Dogs,” as we like to refer to them, are dogs in our custody who are presently either being fostered by one of our GSR-SP volunteers or who are being boarded at kennels at the expense of and under the supervision of GSR-SP.
Adoption of any of these dogs requires completion of GSR-SP’s Adoption Questionnaire and the payment of a $20.00, non-refundable application fee. If a potential adopter finds the right dog and the adoption is approved, the total adoption fee will be based on the rate below, minus the $20.00 (i.e., a $200.00 adoption fee would ultimately be $180.00). Dogs adopted directly from GSR-SP have almost always had full preventative veterinary care – all shots current; spayed or neutered; and heartworm tested. You will receive a record of all the dog’s shots.
Adoption fees are noted below:
- Dogs under 1 year: $300.00
- Dogs 1 – 6 years: $200.00
- Dogs over 6 years: $100.00
As usual, the initial application fee of $20.00 will be credited toward this amount.
All adopters outside the 5-county Philadelphia area pay an additional $25 to cover costs of long distance charges, transportation, etc.
2. The Owner Referral Dogs
A second source of adoptions comes from “Owner Referrals.” These dogs have generally NOT been evaluated by GSR-SP and any information about these dogs comes directly from the owners.
Many of these dogs are being given up because the owners do not have time for the animal, the prior owner has died, the owners are divorcing and moving to a place where they cannot take a pet, etc. These dogs will specifically be listed under the heading “OWNER REFERRALS” and GSR-SP MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO REPRESENTATIONS CONCERNING THESE DOGS. GSR-SP is simply providing a means for these owners to expose their dogs to a wider audience of potential adopters than would otherwise be available. If you are interested in any of these dogs, all arrangements must be made directly with the dog owner. GSR-SP does not get involved in the adoption and you are cautioned to use discretion and care in evaluating and selecting the right dog for your situation. If you are interested in this process, please complete the form.
3. The Shelter Dogs
The third source of dogs available for adoption comes from referrals to area shelters. Many humane societies and SPCAs keep breed rescue groups apprised of the purebred dogs at their facilities.
In this manner, rescue organizations are able to inform people of purebred dogs waiting for a new home at their local shelter. You will find a list of dogs available at shelters in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area under the heading “Dogs in Southeastern Pennsylvania area shelters”, along with the shelter phone number. Please call the shelter before visiting to ensure that the German Shepherd listed is still available and to check about hours, adoption procedures, etc. Again, these adoptions do not involve GSR-SP and all terms of adoption will be between you and the shelter. You will also find listings for shelters in New Jersey, New York and/or Maryland on this website.
4. Other Rescue Organizations
The fourth source of dogs is through other rescue organizations in the tri-state area. Because there are so many German Shepherds in need of a new home, several different German Shepherd rescue organizations exist in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. If GSR-SP does not have a dog that matches a potential adopter’s needs, or if that adopter is geographically more conveniently located to another rescue, we will refer the adopter to a volunteer with that group who can then assist him or her in finding a dog.
Please remember though, this would be a different organization and if anyone who chooses to adopt through a rescue other than GSR-SP, would be required to follow and comply with that rescue’s adoption procedures, including completing all of the necessary paperwork and payment of all applicable fees for that rescue.