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This page was last modified July 29, 2010.

Note: The dogs on this page--other than those added within one week--are  listed alphabetically, rather than in chronological order. I list the dogs this way because too many people overlook the dogs that have been listed for awhile, thinking (erroneously) that there must be something wrong with a dog that hasn't been adopted after a few months.

 

Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Raja" is a 2-yr old neutered male GSD mix who is sweet, affectionate, and playful. Raja is somewhat aloof towards strangers until he gets to know them, then he's very friendly. He's protective of his people, but not overly so (he's never bit anyone). He gets along great with other dogs, and has been a doggy daycare regular for some time. (Not sure how Raja is with cats.) Raja is extremely well-behaved in a house, and in fact formerly lived in an apartment in San Francisco with no problems. He loves to snuggle, go to the beach, and stick his head out the window on long car trips. Raja is a medium-sized dog and weighs about 60 lbs. Raja was previously adopted by a young woman. She truly loves Raja, but her busy schedule simply doesn't allow her to give him all the time, attention and discipline he needs. Further, she lacks the "alpha" characteristic needed to defuse Raja when he becomes protective of her (typically when on leash and approached by a man). Thinking about what's best for Raja, the woman brought him to GSRSV's facility so that I can find Raja a permanent, loving home. Raja's adoption fee is $225. Posted 7-29-10
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Lizzy" is a 2-3-yr old spayed female GSD/Australian Cattle Dog mix who is energetic and affectionate. Lizzy was initially timid of me, likely owing to the fact that I'm a man--she reportedly didn't have such hesitation with the women she's been around. She's fine around other dogs, but seems to have lacked socialization with other dogs previously and doesn't really engage in play. Given more time, I think she'll be much more interactive with other dogs, as I've seen a huge improvement in her comfort level around my other dogs since she's been at the GSRSV rescue facility.  I'm pretty sure that Lizzy hadn't seen the inside of a house before she came here, yet she's yet to "have an accident" in the house. So I can safely say she's house trained. There's a lot more to Lizzy's personality that has yet to emerge, as she's still "laying low" among all the other GSRSV dogs, so I'll likely have more to report about her in the near future. Lizzy has the body of a Cattle Dog (short, a little plump) and the head of a purebred German Shepherd! She weighs about 55 lbs. GSRSV rescued Lizzy from the Merced County shelter on 7-21-10. Poor Lizzy had been at the shelter since May 7, when she was picked up as a stray. Lizzy's adoption fee is $225. Posted 7-29-10
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Bruiser" is a 4-5 yr old male GSD with a wonderful temperament--his name is for his large, strong physique, not for any behaviors he exhibits. Bruiser is very friendly with people, though I imagine he will be a good watchdog once he is in a permanent home. He's been great with the other dogs at GSRSV's rescue facility, and is especially good with the young dogs. Bruiser is awesome with kids--I had him at an adoption event in Rancho Cordova in May, and kids were literally laying on him, with him just loving it.  Bruiser is an affectionate, happy, easy-going dog. He loves to be on the go, whether it be a walk or a ride in the car. He's very well behaved and clearly has received some training in the past. Bruiser weighs about 80 lbs, though his optimal weight is about 5-10 lbs more than that. GSRSV rescued Bruiser from the Stockton shelter on 5-11-10, where he was brought in as a stray and resided for over a month!   Posted 5-15-10; updated 7-15-10
Click for larger image. Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Baron" is an exceptionally handsome, very well-tempered 2½-yr old neutered male GSD. Baron is one of those GSDs who seems to have it all: he's very friendly, great with young children, and great with other dogs. though he does want to herd hyper dogs. He has too much interest in cats for me to place him in a home with them. Baron is very intelligent, and is a quick learner. He loves to play fetch, especially with his favorite "nibbed" rubber toy.  Baron is large-boned, and weighs about 90 lbs.  Now for Baron's down side: he was born with some defect in his urinary "plumbing", and consequently leaks urine, especially upon getting up from a sitting or laying position. UC Davis' small animal hospital evaluated Baron on 10-9-09, but could not conclusively diagnose Baron without an ultrasound or X-rays, which Baron's owner could not afford. A urinalysis and culture revealed no infection.  Baron's owner took him in at four months from a breeder who could not sell him because of a concave area on his left flank. (See bottom picture on left.) The deformity resulted from his mother accidentally nipping him when removing the placental membrane right after birth. The concave area does not adversely affect Baron, though UC Davis reported a lack of musculature beneath the area.  UC Davis prescribed a drug (phenylpropanolamine, or PPA) for Baron that helps control urinary incontinence. Baron's "leakage" diminished while on the PPA, and his urine output when relieving himself outside increased. Baron is still on the PPA, which is an inexpensive drug--when purchased from an online veterinary supply company, it  only costs about $15/month at the dose recommended by UC Davis (75 mg twice/day). Baron's owner recently had to give up her rental house due to financial hardship. She took on a job  taking care of an elderly woman in the woman's home, but was told after the woman had a stroke that she could no longer keep Baron at the house. As difficult as it is for Baron's owner to let him go, she has no choice at the moment. She is presently boarding Baron at GSRSV's facility while I seek a new home for him.   Even with the PPA, Baron will likely be a "leaker" the rest of his life without surgical intervention. So, whoever adopts Baron must be willing to tolerate Baron's incontinence, and have a floor surface that is easily cleaned!  Keeping Baron outside exclusively is not the preferred option, as Baron is very people-oriented and is used to being in the house. However, with the right person, I will consider an outside-only home for him. Baron's adoption fee is $250. Posted 12-20-09
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Hellan" is a 6-yr old spayed female GSD who is sweet, smart, and somewhat headstrong. She's also a survivor of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, found wandering along a highway about two weeks after the storm--emaciated, heartworm-ridden, and mange-infected. Her present owner was serving as an animal relief volunteer in Slidell, Louisiana, when she came across Hellan in the shelter. Hellan's name is short for "To hell and back" for what she endured during the hurricane--and likely even before then! Hellan is very affectionate and playful with her own people, while somewhat aloof initially of strangers-- but never aggressive. She's fine w/ little kids, and will avoid them if they're too rambunctious. Hellan is OK with other dogs outside of her territory, but on her own turf she will fight with other females. Hellan is aggressive towards cats and has a strong prey drive towards small critters.  Hellan is well behaved in the house and sleeps in her current owners' bedroom. She knows some basic commands, but usually needs a pending reward--such as a treat or getting into the car--to respond quickly. She walks well with a pinch collar, but without it pulls strongly on leash. She stays close off-leash, which is the manner is which she is used to walking in her current home. Hellan loves to swim. She's not much for fetching or playing with toys, though she does like to chase after other dogs as they play fetch. Hellan is a medium-sized GSD, and probably weighs about 70 lbs.  Hellan's present owners love her dearly, but they also have two other female dogs who have already been victim's of Hellan's gender-directed attacks, and can no longer risk the well-being of those dogs. Therefore, they've sought GSRSV's assistance to find Hellan a new home. GSRSV has evaluated Hellan and is placing her as a "program dog." (See "What is a Program Dog" at the top of this page.) Hellan's adoption fee is $225.  Posted 3-15-10
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Heidi" is a beautiful 5½-yr old AKC-registered spayed female GSD who is strong, confident and very active. She loves to chase birds, dragonflies--anything that moves--in her backyard. Heidi is protective, especially on leash, but OK with strangers once properly introduced. She's great with young children, and is careful around the 1-yr old infant that she presently lives with. She's a strong alpha dog, so she should only be adopted into a home with no other dogs or an alpha male who she will not challenge. Heidi has a strong prey drive so a home without cats is a must. Heidi is an inside/outside dog, and is fine when left alone in the house. She received some basic obedient training when she was around 1 yr old, and is quick to obey basic commands like "sit." However, she does pull strongly on the leash when walking. Heidi likes to swim--especially when there are ducks to go swim after! Heidi is large as female GSDs go, and probably weighs between 75-80 lbs.  Heidi's present family purchased her in late 2004 when she was about 8 wks old. Though they love Heidi, they are presently seeking a new home for both her and their Golden Retriever because the father of the family developed viral meningitis which has incapacitated him and demands his wife's attention whenever she is home. Consequently, poor Heidi no longer receives much attention and there is no time for walks. Knowing she deserves better, Heidi's owners are selflessly seeking an active family who can give Heidi the attention they used to give her. GSRSV has evaluated Heidi and is placing her as a "program dog." (See "What is a Program Dog" at the top of this page.) Heidi's adoption fee is $225. Posted 3-11-10; updated 6-25-10
Click for larger image.   Click for larger image.	Kyle" is an approx 5-yr old male Belgian Malinois mix who is calm, playful, and confident. Kyle loves people and would benefit from living in a home were someone is around most of the time.  Kyle is very good with children and greets them gently. Kyle is a dominant male but gets along well with most other dogs. If paired with another dog, it would best be a female. Kyle is very strong, and his 70 lbs is almost all muscle. He has a high prey drive and will not be good with cats.  Kyle is very smart and learns quickly; he is very tuned-in to his caregiver. He is great both on and off-leash, and has excellent recall skills. He is protective, but not overly-so. Kyle loves to play soccer, either with another person or by himself! Kyle was brought to the Berkeley shelter as a stray in October 2007. A volunteer at the shelter saw the good nature in Kyle and befriended him, ultimately rescuing him from the shelter and bringing him to GSRSV, where he spent nine months. Kyle is now living with his rescuer, Daniella, in the SF Bay Area. Daniella may have to leave the country soon to care for her elderly mother in Israel. Regretfully she can not take Kyle along, so she's seeking a new home for him--ideally one with a fair amount of property where Kyle can run and play off-leash.  Kyle's adoption fee is $175. Posted 1-26-08; updated 10-28-09
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Lobo" is a 16-mos old neutered male GSD who is loyal and easy-going. Lobo is very attached to his person, but somewhat shy of strangers--particularly men--until assured by his person that they're OK. He is GREAT with children, having grown up with two girls now 8 & 10. Lobo is fine around other dogs, but is not particularly playful. He has a strong prey drive and is not good with cats.  Lobo is a mellow dog with good house manners; he is fine when left alone in the house. He is good on leash, unless he sees a cat or a squirrel--then, he pulls fairly hard. He is a good jogging partner. Lobo is a tall, lean GSD, and though he presently weighs only about 70 lbs, he has a lot of filling in to do. His proper weight when fully grown will probably be around 80 lbs.   Lobo was raised from a puppy by a family that had no experience with GSDs. The parents left Lobo's training and socialization to their 15-yr old son, who really was in over his head raising a GSD. Consequently, Lobo did not receive the proper socialization a young GSD pup needs. GSRSV took Lobo in on Dec 12, and he's really blossomed with his foster caretaker, who lives in East Sacramento.  Lobo's adoption fee is $250. Posted 12-29-09
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	Adoption Pending! "Rusty" is a handsome, approx 1½-yr old neutered male GSD who is very affectionate, devoted and playful. Rusty is initially distrustful  of strangers, but warms up in time--especially if the stranger has a ball for him to play fetch with!  Rusty is initially more trusting of women than men, but is fine with both genders once he gets to know you--he was very affectionate with the man in his previous foster home.  Rusty is great with other dogs, but not good with cats. He is housetrained and non-destructive in the house. Rusty is good on a leash and is an excellent jogging partner--he routinely jogs with his female caretaker. Rusty appears to weigh about 60 lbs, but has a lot of filling in to do! Rusty's former foster caretakers took him in from a vacant house across the street from their house in South Sacramento in April 2010. They had seen some people "case the place out", then return and leave again before Rusty appeared, so it's pretty obvious he was abandoned. The couple who took him in intended to keep him, but found that having both Rusty and their other dog is too much for them, so sought GSRSV's assistance to find him a permanent home. Not having the time or lifestyle to give Rusty the attention and exercise he needed, they were ready to take Rusty to the SPCA when GSRSV intervened and took him in. Rusty's adoption fee is $250. Posted 4-25-10; updated 6-26-10
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	"Shep" is a playful, energetic and protective 2½-yr old neutered male solid black purebred GSD. Shep is friendly towards strangers in the house once properly introduced, and is generally fine with strangers on neutral ground. However, occasionally he senses something about someone that does not agree with him and then he becomes quite aggressive--to the point of biting. Because of this unpredictable nature, Shep needs to go to a home where he will not be brought around strangers outside the house and where his adopters welcome his protective nature. Shep is fine with small children, as he demonstrated while playing at a dog park on several occasions when he was in a foster home. Shep is fine with other dogs, including small dogs. Shep does have a strong prey-drive so no cats for him. He loves to play fetch--he drops the ball and waits for you to throw it again--and is crazy about squeaky toys. He also loves to play with water sprayed from a hose. Shep weighs about 75 lbs, but is a little on the thin side, and ideally should weigh about 80-85 lbs. Shep is well-trained and will sit and shake on command. He has excellent recall and will come running even from afar. He rides very well in a car (which he loves to do), and is pretty good on leash. Shep is housetrained and very well-behaved in the house.  A woman found Shep as a stray in Grass Valley in May 2009. Nobody claimed him after three weeks, so the woman contacted GSRSV to assist her in finding him a home. Shep was adopted in June of last year, but was returned after about a month because he bit the adopters' next-door neighbor when she approached Shep while he was on-leash returning from a walk. I held off re-posting Shep on my Website until recently, hoping that he just needed a little time to "chill" and overcome his over-protectiveness. Shep was doing very well in a foster home, but he went after a man unprovoked at a dog park, and so is now back at GSRSV's facility, waiting for that "right home." Shep's adoption fee is $250. Posted 2-12-10; updated 2-21-10
Click for larger image.       Click for larger image.	"Stryder" is a 3½-yr old neutered male GSD who is happy, energetic, and still learning a lot about the world. Stryder is very friendly with people, and though he can be a little mouthy at times, I think he'd be fine with young children. Stryder is initially hand-shy, the likely result of physical abuse by his former owner. However, he is not at all aggressive and in fact loves to be handled--he just flinches whenever he sees that hand coming his way, then insists on being petted! Surely with time he'll overcome his fear of a hand approaching. Stryder is great around other dogs, though I've yet to see him play. It's pretty obvious to me that he was an only dog with no canine socialization, yet the natural GSD instinct to be part of a pack kicked right in when I brought him to the GSRSV facility. Stryder is not an alpha dog, but not roll-over submissive, either. He has a thick black/red coat, and his conformation and energy level suggest East European lineage. Stryder weighs about 70 lbs. Stryder is what I consider a "blank slate." It's obvious to me that he's had little or no training, yet he's very eager to please and is a fast learner. He was not housebroken when I brought him home, but he learned within about 4 days--pretty good for a dog who had probably never been in a house before. He learned even faster to stay off countertops. Stryder is just so happy every moment to be around a person that he stays very close to me. If you're looking for a dog to train from the basics, and who will worship the ground you walk on, Stryder's for you! Stryder's former life was probably on the end of a rope or chain, surrounded by his own feces. Stryder's ears provide evidence of unsanitary quarters: about a half inch of each ear is missing, with the skin thickened and rolled back in the classic scarring of "fly-strike", in which flies literally eat the tips of the ears. Stryder's fly-strike sores are fully healed, and there will be no problems other than aesthetic. In spite of Stryder's poor beginning to life, he has a wonderful spirit and is very healthy. I see in Stryder a dormant puppy emerging, with all the wonder in his eyes of everything being new and exciting. GSRSV rescued Stryder from the Los Banos shelter on 3-14-10. Stryder's adoption fee is $250. Posted 3-24-10
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	Adopted 7-29-10! "Alex" is a classic-looking 4-5 yr old neutered male GSD with a great temperament. Alex is very affectionate with his own people and friendly with strangers, but still a good watchdog. He's been fine around young kids. Alex is great with other dogs, but would be best paired with a female dog, as he might show some gender-based jealousy otherwise. He is NOT good with cats. Alex is obedient and very well behaved in the house. He loves to play ball and go for rides in the car.  GSRSV rescued Alex from the Merced County shelter in August 2009. He was adopted by a couple in Sacramento in October 2009, and was paired with their young female GSD, Sophie. Alex and Sophie got along GREAT, constantly chasing each other around the yard. However, the woman who was the primary caregiver for Alex is suffering from glaucoma, and eventually could not handle both dogs. So, the couple returned Alex to GSRSV on May 20.  Alex's adoption fee is $225. Posted 6-26-10
Click for larger image. Click for larger image.	Adopted 7-25-10! "Roxi" is an adorable, outgoing, playful 13-wk old female GSD. Roxi is simply an awesome pup--she's super bright, active, and very affectionate. She's great with young kids, and loves playing with other dogs. Roxi's already housetrained, and is even comfortable walking on a leash--which is pretty amazing for such a young GSD. She has yet to chew anything in my house, and learned very quickly not to jump on counters. I've yet to see any negative characteristics in this dog--she's just a joy. Roxi's coat is sable-colored, and though she does have some unusual markings (such as a white chest patch), they are nothing I haven't seen in purebred GSDs before.  Roxi eats like a horse and I imagine that she'll be weigh in excess of 75 lbs fully grown--she already weighs 30 lbs, and she's not even four months old yet! Roxi was purchased by a young family from a Craigslist posting at 10 wks of age. They became immediately bonded with her, but their landlord told them that they could not keep her. They reluctantly sought a new home for Roxi and GSRSV took her in. Roxi has yet to be spayed, and I would prefer to wait until she's six months old before she's spayed. Roxi's adoption contract will require her adopters to have her spayed within a month of the time Roxi turns six months of age.  Though I will not require that Roxi's adopter has another young dog for her to play with, I will certainly give preference to those who do have such a dog. Roxi's adoption fee is $350, which will include the cost of her spaying as well as her first two "puppy shots" and her rabies vaccination. [Note: my usual adoption fee for purebred GSDs under one year is $300. I am asking an additional $50 for Roxi because of her exceptionally young age--it's very rare that I have purebreds under 4 months available for adoption.] Posted 7-5-10
	Adopted 7-12-10! "Jack" is an approx 1½-yr old neutered male GSD mix who is playful, exceptionally affectionate and devoted. He presently follows his foster caretaker from room to room. Jack is friendly with strangers and young kids, and is great with other dogs (he presently lives with several others), though he can play a little rough at times. Jack is also fine with cats, as he demonstrated in his first foster home. Jack is housetrained and has not chewed on anything in the house. He is just a sweet dog that wants to be loved. Jack is tall but thin; on April 15 he only weighed 53 lbs. He's gaining weight, however. A couple in the Tahoe Park area of Sacramento found Jack and his Corgi-mix girlfriend wandering by themselves in their neighborhood in late March. All efforts to find their owners were unsuccessful. Jack was very thin when they found the two dogs, so they may have been homeless for some time. The couple wanted to keep Jack and his partner, but they both work full-time and have a newborn baby to care for so decided it would be too much. They contacted GSRSV, who took Jack to a foster home on April 10.  Jack's adoption fee is $225. Posted 5-26-10

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