Please read our Adoption Policy before submitting an application for adoption ~ thank you!
Considering Adoption
Learn about the breed: Is the German Shepherd Dog right for you? Temperament, health, size, nutrition, training, leadership, life expectancy are just some of the factors you will want to take into consideration for your breed of choice.
Lifetime Commitment
Are you committed to a lasting relationship that could last 10-plus years? Consider your future and how your dog will fit the picture - not last, but of lasting importance. Marriage, family planning, job changes, potential moves, etc. All of these factors impact your family and are some of the reasons these dogs have ended up in the shelters – we try our utmost to ensure this will not impact their lives ever again. Be honest with yourself as you ponder the possibilities.
Exercise and Training
Do you have time for walks and play time, for grooming, veterinary visits, and daily care? What happens if your work or other time commitments change? Are you a positive re-enforcer of good behaviors? Consistent? Caring? Loving? Dependable? Loyal?
Family Interaction
This commitment requires the GSD to be part of your family 24/7. Children and Dogs: Never leave a child unattended with ANY dog, regardless of breed or size. It is your responsibility as a parent to supervise your child's interaction with your dog at all times.
Socialization
Your GSD will require interaction inside and outside of the home to maintain a good level of happiness and socialization.
Leadership
It is well known, but underpracticed, that German Shepherds require a kind, firm, consistent, strong pack leader. If you aren't sure what all it takes or how, are you willing to attend training sessions with your dog? The GSD is very intelligent as a breed by comparison to others. Your GSD will want - need- you to provide consistent leadership, Otherwise, left to their own devices to lead themselves, they may discover trouble they don't know how to get out of. Keep them safe and always play it as the wise pack leader.
Financial Means
Adequate health care, including routine and emergency veterinary care can add up. Vaccinations and Preventatives can average $450 annually. Feeding a healthy diet with correct nutrition can also be costly – GSDs are a large breed.
Step 1 - Congrats on Your Decision!
Application Submission
Your application will help us better determine which, if any, of our German Shepherd Dogs currently may be the right dog for you. Be sure to be as detailed as possible in your answers.
After we receive your application, you will be notified via email that it has been received. Processing time is up to two weeks depending upon results of your reference checks and home visit. Please alert your references that you have submitted their name as a contact for your application and that someone from Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue will be contacting them.
If you are renting, please provide your landlord information as we will be required to contact them to confirm eligibility of having a pet on premise and any restrictions the landlord may have regarding a pet.
We do not adopt to homes with unaltered pets unless there is a medical or other acceptable reason for ownership of a non-altered pet. This will need to be documented via your vet and your application.
We will consider out of area adoptions only as our volunteer time allows. In addition, we may be unable to place a dog in your home due to our inability to perform a home visit if you live outside of the Greater Houston area.
Most dogs require a minimal transitional period of several weeks. The first few weeks may be challenging while your new dog adjusts to his/her new surroundings. Adding a new dog to the family upsets the balance of your current “pack” no matter how good the match. Your resident dogs will need time to adjust to your new dog and you may become stressed as a result. Please remember that we are here to help you walk through any difficulties you may encounter, but we recommend that dogs go home at the beginning of a weekend or other time such as beginning of a vacation when you will be home to help advance the adjustment period comfortably.
Step 2 - Anything Worth Having Is Worth Waiting For - Practice Patience
Veterinary Reference Check
Please do not apply if the below can not be verified by your veterinarian. Your application will be denied if any of the below requirements are not met:
Your vet must confirm that ALL dogs have been regularly on heartworm preventative the entire time they have been in your care (unless there is a verifiable medical reason for ceasing heartworm preventative).
Your vet must confirm ALL pets are altered (spayed/neutered) unless there is a medical or other acceptable reason for ownership of a non-altered pet.
Your vet must confirm ALL pets have been kept current on all recommended immunizations, vaccinations, medications, and health checks/screenings. If you have a different immunization/vaccination/medication schedule with your veterinarian, tell us about it, and we'll be happy to consider it as we review your application.
On your application, list the vet(s) that have the most current information regarding your pet(s). If you have additional information to share regarding the health of your pet(s), please note it in the "comments" section of your application. Please call the vet you have listed on your application and give them permission to release your information to us. We try our best to call them within 48 hours of receiving your application!
Step 3 - Just a Little More Patience!
Personal Reference Check
Upon approval of the vet reference check, we will contact your personal references. It is important that you provide us with references that know you well. If you have pets, please make sure you choose references who know you, your pets, AND how you care for those pets. We require at least one non-family member as a reference.
Step 4 - He/She Is Almost Home!
Home Visit
Upon approval of the veterinary reference check and personal references, you will be contacted and a home visit will be arranged. Please note that ALL family members must be present during the home visit. The home visit will be performed prior to adoption. No adoptions will be approved without a home visit.
Inside/outside homes for dogs must have an existing fenced yard with shade, access to water, shelter and doggie door so the dog is protected from the weather. Promises to fence in a yard are not accepted. We will make a second home visit if the fence has been replaced or repaired.
Please note that the intent of our visit is not to see how clean your house is! The purpose of our visit is to see the environment that the dog will be living in, to ensure that adequate provisions are made for the dog’s care and to discuss dog ownership with you.
Step 5 - Ramp Up the Excitement!
Approval
Once all reference checks (vet, personal and landlord, where applicable) and the home visit have been completed, an adoption coordinator will contact you. If we have further questions or concerns, they will be discussed at that time. If the vet reference check and home visit prompt no further questions, and the adoption coordinator is confident that you can provide an excellent home for one of our dogs, a volunteer will notify you of your approval as soon as possible. At that point, you may start visiting with dogs.
GHGSDR is a 100% volunteer organization. Please allow one to two weeks to process and review your application. In most cases, applicants are approved or declined within 5-10 days.
Finding the Right GSD
Once you have been approved to adopt, an adoption coordinator will be happy to discuss the dogs you are interested in visiting, and may have suggestions for dogs that would best fit in your particular home environment.
GHGSDR’s dogs live with a foster family where they are treated as an important part of the family. They are given love, attention, boundaries, and in most cases, a home and life better than they've ever known. Most of these dogs have been abandoned and neglected, and we do everything within our power to make sure the home they go to is truly a "forever home" where they will not only be loved, but well cared for physically and emotionally. There are too many variables to put on one general page, but once you are approved and begin visiting the dogs, please discuss how long it took the dog to adjust to the foster home. This will give you a good indication of how long it will take them to adjust to your home.
When you decide which dog(s) you would like to meet, your adoption coordinator will discuss your family situation with the foster of each dog. If there is some reason that the foster home feels your family and this dog are not a good match, the adoption coordinator or the foster will discuss why with you. This can be because of other pets in the house, how the dog gets along with particular people, such as children, men or women, or many other factors. It is important for us to find the “right” match between the you and the GSD, as we want your home to be the dog's forever home.
You can meet an individual dog as many times as needed, as long as the foster home feels comfortable that you are a good potential match for the dog. All family members must be present when visiting a dog, so that interaction between the dog and all family members may be assessed. Depending on circumstances, you may have additional meetings to have your current pets meet the dog on neutral turf or in your home. These options are available at the discretion of the foster. You will generally meet the dog at its foster home or another arranged location.
GHGSDR’s foster families take their responsibility to their foster dog very seriously and will always consider the needs of the dog above those of the potential adopter. GHGSDR believes a dog's foster family knows that dog's temperament and personality best. They will be your greatest asset (and ours) in helping to determine if their foster dog will be a good match for your family.
The foster's assessment of the dog/adopter interaction and interview with the potential adopter will be taken into serious consideration in making a determination of approving a specific adoption. GHGSDR’s Board of Directors has final approval of all adoptions.
Some additional obedience training may be suggested or required based on the GSD being adopted.
The Adoption Contract
Once an adoption is approved, the adopter and a GHGSDR Representative (usually the Foster or Adoption Coordinator) will finalize the process and sign the Adoption Contract.
The adoption donation fees for our GSDs are as follows:
6 months of age or younger $300
GSDs older than 6 months and up to 6 years is $275
GSDs over 6 years $225
* All adoption donation fees are non-refundable.
