FAQs for Dog Adoption & Fostering | Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue

You can read our 5 step guide to adopting a German Shepherd Dog right here!

Our adoption fee is $400 for adult dogs and puppies. The average cost to support a dog in our program, from their first day with us until adoption, is approximately $900 however medical costs will quickly increase this amount. Any donation toward your dog’s full cost is gratefully received.

Once you have completed the Adoption Application, the adoption can move quite quickly. You should plan on a minimum of 2 weeks however, finding the right dog is important and some adopters take months to find their perfect match.

We are a small rescue and typically have about 10-12 dogs in our program. Sometimes we have a lot of adoptions in a short period of time and may not have as many dogs available. A few weeks later we are suddenly swimming in Shepherds! Just keep checking our Facebook page and website for new furry faces.

The majority of our dogs are in loving foster homes. This is the best approach because it lets us see the dog in a family environment, often with other dogs. When we don’t have enough foster homes for the dogs in our program, we will temporarily use local daycare and boarding facilities. In either situation, we learn something new about our dogs every day!

Many of our dogs find themselves abandoned or no longer wanted and end up in a shelter. We have many partnerships with shelters that notify us when there is a dog in need. Our experienced team will go to the shelter, evaluate the dog and bring the dog into our program if they feel the dog is stable and adoptable. Some dogs come from owners who are no longer able to care for their dogs. We evaluate the dog much in the same way as a shelter dog. If the dog passes, they may stay with the owner until an adopter is found or, if we have the space, the dog comes into our program.

We evaluate all our dogs very carefully. We will let potential adopters know everything we know about each dog’s behavior around people, other dogs, cats, kids, other critters, etc. Not all of our foster homes have kids, cats or other critters so we may not know the dogs’ behavior in these areas. While we try to expose our dogs to every possible situation, there are some situations we are not able to arrange.

As a rescue, we are legally required to spay/neuter all adopted dogs. If a dog is too young to spay or neuter at the time of adoption, we will collect a $200 deposit from you and return it once you provide proof of sterilization from your veterinarian. If spaying or neutering a dog will be detrimental to its health, we will provide a statement from our veterinarian stating such and you will be required to work with your veterinarian to determine an appropriate time for the procedure, if applicable.

Yes, when we have space available. Most of our owner surrenders occur because people’s life situation or health has changed.

We prefer that if you want to own multiple dogs, you adopt one and let it settle in before adopting a second dog. This will give you time to get to know your dog, bond with your dog, and address possible training issues to make your lives easier. Then come back to us later and we’ll try to find another perfect match for you.

We prefer adopters to have a well-fenced, safe area for their dog and may require you to repair broken/missing fencing prior to adopting a dog. However, we know that in some situations fencing is not possible. In this case, you’ll need to help us understand how you plan to keep your dog safe while providing necessary outdoor time. We also suggest that your yards are free of dangerous vegetation such as foxtails and poisonous plants.

Most of our dogs will have basic house manners and obedience commands, but some won’t. Puppies and young dogs will typically lack the training that an adult dog may have. We’ll let you know exactly what your Shepherd can and cannot do when we meet. We encourage all our adopters to train their dogs regardless of the knowledge they already have. Proper training helps strengthen the bond among the family, among so many other benefits. We can help with referrals for appropriate training.

We do our best to ensure that your new dog is in good health. When we know about medical issues, we will share them with you before you adopt. Should you dog become ill within the first 14 days after adoption, we may authorize treatment at our expense. We also suggest that you see your regular veterinarian within 14 days of adoption. Pet insurance can be of great assistance should your dog become ill and there are many providers and levels of insurance available.

We hope that your decision to adopt one of our dogs means you have thought about the commitment required and understand that there may be issues with your dog that will require further training. We hope you see your new dog as a full family member and consideration for your dog's welfare is included when planning a new family or relocating your home. We do understand that there will be times when there is no other choice available, and we will be there for your dog. You may return your dog to us however please understand that we may not have an immediate place for your dog and may require you to hold your dog until a place is secured.

Many people in apartments have dogs. You will need to demonstrate that the dog would have plenty of access to outside areas and will receive the appropriate daily exercise. Large herding breeds are not ideal for apartments, but many people make it work nicely.

Puppies are a LOT of work! Young puppies should not be left alone more than a few hours at a time. They require lots of time and work to become well balanced adults and this is a 12–15-year commitment. We prefer our puppy adopters to have experience and knowledge of herding/working breeds. We also understand that everyone gets their first GSD at some point and what better place than from us? We will be there to help you every step of the way. We ask that you do your research on the breed and have a lifestyle that enables you to care for and socialization the puppy properly.

Absolutely. In fact, we will not adopt a dog out to a family without introducing the dogs on neutral ground. The last thing you need is to get home and find the dogs cannot get along.

You’ll need to be an approved adopter to meet our dogs. If you see a dog you like, contact your Adoption Counselor and they will begin that process for you.

Your new dog has no say in where it will live for the rest of its life. We want to be sure that your home is a safe and suitable home.

There are several things we will be discussing with you. We want to learn about your family and understand your knowledge and experience with dogs. We will discuss your lifestyle and talk to you about your environment. We want our dogs to be in a safe environment with secure fencing and gates, free of poisonous plants or harmful objects, with adequate shelter, etc. Some adopters don’t even realize they have a potentially harmful situation for a dog and are grateful we brought it to their attention.

German Shepherds are a herding/working breed and need companionship, training, mental and physical exercise. You’ll need to show that you and your family can spend adequate time with the dog to meet these needs. If you are single with a busy career that demands all your time, a German Shepherd may not be the perfect choice.

We have lots of experience and have successfully matched over 2,000 German Shepherds with new owners. We get an accurate picture of each dog’s temperament, energy level and needs and match them to your experience and lifestyle. Sometimes the dog you think you want to adopt will not be the dog you end up taking home!

Our motto is “It’s all About the Dogs” and we live by it. We want our dogs to find a home they will be best suited to thrive in. We do our very best to accommodate our adopters however the best home for the DOG will always be the deciding factor. We realize that this can be disappointing but don’t worry, we’ll keep working with you to find YOUR perfect match.

Finally, if you have a question that we did not answer, please email us info@bayareagsr.org