Potential homes are screened and a home visit is done before placing a dog in a new home. He was a Certified Therapy Dog that visited patients in the hospital. The staff loved his big ‘teddy bear’ hugs, and he couldn’t go down the hall without someone calling out his name.
He was 13 months old when we met, and he had spent most of his life in one shelter or another. Our purpose is to save, rehabilitate and place German Shepherd Dogs from shelters and those that have been abandoned, abused, neglected and/or relinquished by their owners, on a case by case basis into secure permanent homes. Through education, training, and fundraising, we are dedicated to caring for and finding good homes for all German Shepherd Dogs that need assistance for any reason. He is the one that started us on this ride, and it has been a good one. Tell us about a particularly compelling animal or inspiring rescue.
In the dog training world, he is called a ‘Demo Dog.’ He went to pre-schools to teach children about bite prevention and animal welfare. He was also a true hero, saving other dogs lives by being a canine blood donor. We just started doing breed rescue when we saw Bear. I remember saying to a shelter staff member, “I don’t know anything about Shepherds.” She said, “Can you learn?
Most of our dogs come from shelters where they are in danger of euthanization due to overcrowding or staff who are not familiar with the breed. He was a high drive dog that would do anything you asked. The problem is, people do not understand the needs of such dogs, and neither did we back then.
She researched other rescues and got advice from them on how to start an organized effort. She read books on the subject as well but the most help was learning from others who have started a rescue. They are placed into a foster home and evaluated for a minimum of three weeks before being put up for adoption. In foster care the dogs learn what it’s like to be in a home environment and learn necessary house manners and training.