Finding the best German Shepherd rescues for adoption in the United States can be challenging. You’re not sure where to go or even start. Our team at WeLoveDoodles put together a list of the top rescues for you to choose from in this guide.
Before scrolling down this list of the best German Shepherd rescues in the United States, here are several recommendations you might like: Best Whoodle Rescues For Adoption in the United States and Best Poodle Rescues For Adoption in the United States.
German Shepherd Rescues For Adoption in the United States
Our team would like to thank you for making a difference by adopting a German Shepherd. When adopting a German Shepherd companion, you’re helping create space for the shelters to provide for other dogs in need. Check out the list that our team compiled.
German Shepherd Guides: How Much is a German Shepherd and Best Foods For a German Shepherd To Gain Weight.
1. Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary (New Jersey)
First on the list of the best German Shepherd rescues in the United States is “Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary.” Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary is a non-profit rescue located in Millburn, New Jersey. They were formed to help rescue and find homes for adult and senior German Shepherd dogs in need and help support other rescue and shelter organizations in the Northeast finding homes for German Shepherd dogs. Their goal is to be part of the effort to reduce the number of abandoned dogs and to help educate the public about dog ownership responsibilities.
Sedona Sanctuary provides support to other rescue organizations by offering to aid in the placement of their German Shepherd dogs, providing the best-practice consulting services to start-up rescue organizations and partner services for public awareness and outreach of their rescue. Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary provides a foster-based program to rescue adult and senior German Shepherd and high-mix dogs from shelters, where they are at a high risk of being euthanized.
They also provide an owner referral program that works with owners who need to find a new home for their dog and offer to help struggling rescue organizations by providing free consulting in best practices. In addition, they provide to the public free educational materials about the virtues of animal rescue and information on proper dog care and essential dog handling procedures, as well as guidance towards finding appropriate professionals to assist in dog care, whether it is it training, nutrition, behavioral, or veterinary care.
To adopt from Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary, an application must be filled out in full. Once this is done, their team of volunteers takes the next two to three weeks to screen these applications, finding the best families for their dogs. There are some requirements to taking home a Sedona Shepherd. These include what pets a family already has at home. They do not want a dog not familiar with other animals going into the wrong house. They also only want their applicants to be between 25 and 75, and you must own your home. Dogs will not be given to families who are renting or leasing a home.
Pricing for Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary is as follows:
- Dog 8 years old and up to $150
- Dogs under eight years old: $250
- Dogs under three years old: $450
- Puppies under a 1-year old that are not fixed will be adopted under a spay/neuter contract. This means a $150 refundable deposit required that will be returned to adopters once proof of spay and neuter is provided.
Depending upon the adopter’s level of experience and the dog’s temperament and age, Sedona Shepherds may require the adopter to sign up for a training session.
Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary Details
- Name: Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary
- Address: P.O. Box 834 Millburn, NJ 07041
- Phone: (646) 228-5494
- Website: Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary
2. All Shepherd Rescue (Maryland)
All Shepherd Rescue comprises volunteers, devoted and passionate people who have jobs, families, and love dogs. They believe in connecting the right dog to the right family and will do their best to find a perfect match for their customers. All Shepherd Rescues’ dogs are in foster homes learning manners and what good life means. All Shepherd Rescue finds adoptable, lovable, and in need puppies for the right family.
Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home German Shepherd dogs and related mixes. They also educate the public on the importance of having their animals receive routine veterinary care, training, and being spayed/neutered. All Shepherd Rescue knows that owning a German Shepherd is a lifelong commitment, and expect the same from any family looking to take up a Shepherd. To adopt from All Shepherd’s, an application must be filled out.
This application ensures that only the best families are receiving their animals and will give the appropriate care and love needed to keep these rescue dogs healthy and happy. Their turnaround time, due to the applications they receive, is typically between fourteen and twenty-one days.
They also require the family to meet their potential dogs beforehand to ensure the coupling is a good fit. All family members, including any family dogs and anyone who will be a regular caretaker of the dog, should also be present for the meeting. All Shepherd Rescue does run on donations and has an area on their website where those looking to help can contribute to their cause.
All Shepherd Rescue Details
- Name: All Shepherd Rescue
- Address: P.O. Box 23231 Baltimore, MD 21203
- Phone: (410) 775-6473
- Website: All Shepherd Dog Rescue
3. Southeast German Shepherd Rescue
Southeast German Shepherd Rescue was founded to save German Shepherd dogs from abuse, abandonment, and high kill shelters. They are a non-profit organization that relies on the compassion and dedication of volunteers within surrounding communities to rescue, rehab and rehome this noble breed. The Southeast German Shepherd team has over 30 years of shared experience and encourages new volunteers, providing advice and help where needed.
SGSR seeks to provide our foster homes and volunteers with all necessary training and education so that rescued German Shepherds have a haven from euthanasia. Southeast German Shepherd Rescue is based in North Carolina but partners with like-minded shelters and rescue organizations across the southeastern United States. The shared dream of these rescues is to place every ill-fated German Shepherd Dog in a loving forever home.
In addition to saving German Shepherds, Southeast German Shepherds actively participate in community outreach events, dog training, and education to encourage responsible pet ownership and pet population control. They receive all funding from private donations and adoption fees. An application must be filled out to be considered as an adopter from Southeast German Shepherd Rescue, as well as a $30 application fee. Their application process is seen as quite rigorous.
This is because they want to make sure their dogs will not be neglected or abandoned once again. The application process can take 6-8 weeks to complete, and a specific dog may not still be available once approved to adopt. During periods of high volume, applications may take even longer to complete. Once approved for adoption, an adoption fee of $300 must be paid.
All Southeast German Shepherd dogs older than eight months will be spayed/neutered, fully vaccinated including rabies, distemper, and Bordetella, will have a current heartworm test, and will be microchipped and dewormed. If the dog tested positive for heartworms, it would have been treated for them, along with any other known medical issues. Puppies will have all applicable vaccines completed, and an adopter will be required by the contract to spay/neuter them by a specified date or risk repossession.
Southeast German Shepherd Rescue Details
- Name: Southeast German Shepherd Rescue
- Address: P.O. Box 208 Mooresville, NC 28115
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Southeast German Shepherd Dog Rescue
4. Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue (Pennsylvania)
Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue is a highly regarded non-profit rescue located in New Ringgold, Pennsylvania. Their rescued German shepherds come from shelters throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, New York, eastern Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and from as far away as Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Char-Wills also takes in owner-surrendered dogs whose families are no longer able to care for them.
Rather than posting the dogs For Sale or Free online, these owners prefer to allow Char-Wills rescue to place them up for adoption and find safe, loving homes with their pre-screened adopters. Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue takes in all ages of adults and puppies and all variations of German Shepherds. Char-Will’s adoptable dogs stay at their boarding kennel while they await new homes. Dogs requiring additional training or medical care are placed into foster homes where they can recover in a comfortable, loving environment.
A team of volunteers cares for the dogs’ daily needs as well as provides enrichment and exercise. In late 2017, Char-Wills opened its 15-kennel Adoption Center. This state-of-the-art rescue facility houses rescue German Shepherds. It features a spacious office and meets & greet area. Each indoor kennel is designed to comfortably house a large shepherd and access a secure outdoor kennel. To adopt a dog from Char-Wills, an application must first be filled out.
This helps ensure that all of their dogs go to the best homes possible where they will be properly loved and cared for. All Char-Wills German Shepherd Dogs are spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, vaccinated, de-wormed, and tested before adoption. Their adoption fee is $300, which helps cover the costs of caring for these dogs while in their rescue. They do offer meet and greets with their shepherd by appointment only.
Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue Details
- Name: Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue
- Address: 2 E Railroad Ave, New Ringgold, PA 17960
- Phone: (570) 943-2624
- Website: Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue
5. German Shepherd Rescue of New England (Massachusetts)
German Shepherd Rescue of New England is a volunteer, charitable organization dedicated to providing veterinary care, evaluation & adoptive homes for countless German Shepherd Dogs who are left in pounds to await uncertain fate, are owner surrenders, or are from abuse or neglect situations. They help provide a haven for German Shepherds that might otherwise be harmed. Each dog applying to the German Shepherd Rescue of New England’s program is evaluated for temperament and behavioral information.
All accepted dogs are spayed or neutered, updated on vaccinations, and receive essential medical care. Then the dogs are placed into one of their foster homes while they await new homes. Finally, each dog is carefully placed in a loving home with a family that matches that dog’s temperament, activity level, and needs. German Shepherd Rescue of New England’s outreach has placed their dogs in areas such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
They do not place their dogs in homes with children under eight years old and require a fenced-in yard. If these requirements are met, an application must be filled out. If the application is accepted, an in-home visit is scheduled. All of this is the ensure their dogs go to the best homes possible. An adoption fee of $300 is required as well.
This cost covers the cost of the Spay or neuter, Microchip, Heartworm, Lyme tests, Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus vaccination, Rabies vaccination (dogs over 16 weeks), Lyme vaccination, Fecal check, and basic worming if needed, Blood panel for senior dogs to check vital organ functioning, or dogs with obvious health issues, Treatment of any other health issue, Leash, Collar, and a toy.
German Shepherd Rescue of New England Details:
- Name: German Shepherd Rescue of New England
- Address: Wayland, MA 01778
- Phone: (978) 443-2202
- Website: German Shepherd Rescue of New England
6. Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue (California)
Last on the list of the best German Shepherd rescues in the United States is “Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue.” Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue is a 100% volunteer organization funded by donations. Their team is made up of dog lovers who give up their time to find loving forever homes for their German Shepherd dogs. The team has fostered and saved over one thousand German Shepherd Dogs. Most of the Bay Area’s dogs come from shelters where they have been abandoned. Some come from owners who can no longer care for them and give their dog to Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue to find a loving forever home.
Each dog that comes into the Bay Area program is carefully evaluated and then placed into a foster home. No boarding kennels for their animals. Bay Area passionately believes that by living with their dogs, they can learn more about them. Once the volunteers at Bay Area have spent some time getting to know each dog, they make the dog available for adoption.
When applying to adopt one of Bay Area’s dogs, customers will go through an adoption process where Bay Area learns more about interested adopters, experiences, and lifestyles. An adoption fee of $400 is required before a dog can be taken to its new home. Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue pays for all the medical bills, spaying and neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping, as well as paying for the transport of the dogs, their food and buy them toys and treats while they are in Bay Area’s care. In addition, Bay Area will save dogs that have severe medical or health issues.
Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue Details
- Name: Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue
- Address: P.O. Box 339 Fulton, CA 95439
- Phone: (855) 473-5683
- Website: Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue
Conclusion For The “Best German Shepherd Rescues in the United States”
We hope this list of the best German Shepherd rescues for adoption in the United States will help you. If you have any questions about anything on this list, you can contact the information we provided under each German Shepherd rescue. With all that aside, we wish you the best of luck on your journey with your German Shepherd companion.
For more articles with mentions of the German Shepherd breed, check out:
- Best Shock Collar For a German Shepherd
- Best Dog Food For a German Shepherd Lab Mix
- Best Dog Food For German Shepherds with Skin Allergies
To learn more about the German Shepherd, watch “All About The German Shepherd – History, Care, and Training” from AnimalWised down below:
Andy is a full-time animal rescuer and owner of a toy doodle. When he’s not saving dogs, Andy is one of our core writers and editors. He has been writing about dogs for over a decade. Andy joined our team because he believes that words are powerful tools that can change a dog’s life for the better.
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