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Adoption Process

Six easy steps to your new companion

Step 1 – Read and learn

Our Philosophy

The dogs are our clients and we do what is in the dog’s best interests. We match the dog to a suitable home where the dog will be happy and fulfilled, and the dog must approve of the match as well. That means we don’t adopt dogs over the internet, as gifts, or sight unseen.

Adoption Requirements

Our Adoption Agreement & Contract is a legal document, therefore we will only adopt to adults, and all the adults in the household must agree to getting the dog. The home must be safe and secure, and legally allowed to have a German Shepherd Dog, and be within the allowable number of dogs. We require landlord consent for renters. The entire household must be a good match for the dog, therefore we won’t place a higher Level dog in a lower Level household. Please see our Dog Rating Levels.

More information

If you would like to learn more about our rescue, German Shepherds in depth, or about dog handling in general please see our Education Library.

Step 2 – Fill out an application (or two)

Fill out our Adoption Questionnaire which helps us to get to know you and to help which dogs may be a good fit.

Adoption Questionnaire

If you’re interested in a puppy, we’ll also need some more information from the Puppy Supplemental.

Puppy Supplemental

Step 3 – Meet our dogs

Look at one of our awesome dogs, like this cutie, by clicking the Dogs button below.

Dogs

Zoe Ann

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Step 4 – Home Visit

Don’t worry about it being spic and span, because your new furry housemate will add their own dog glitter soon enough, but we require a home visit by one of our own volunteers because we match the home to a specific dog, and we want to meet all members of the household and all other pets at that time, and make sure that environment will work for that dog.

Step 5 – Foster to Adopt

All of our dogs begin their journey with you via our Foster To Adopt (FTA) process for a no-risk 30 day trial period. We do this to ensure that the match is a perfect fit for both the dog and your family. If there are any issues the dog can come back to us.

Step 6 – Finishing the Adoption

Only after all of the above tasks have been completed do we proceed to finalize your adoption. Our fees are $350 for Puppies (2-6 months), $300 for Adult Dogs, and $100 for Senior Dogs (9 years & up) and Special Needs Dogs who have ongoing health issues that require treatment. All of our dogs are spayed/neutered (per California State Law), vaccinated, heartworm and fecal tested clear, and most are microchipped. The adoption fees don’t quite cover those costs so any additional donation that you may be able to provide is greatly appreciated.