Dear German Shepherd adopters:

Thank you for rescuing a German Shepherd dog and giving your new friend the opportunity for a beautiful life. We are certain that you will receive as much enjoyment from your companion as you have provided and that you find it hard to imagine your life without him or her.

I am writing to you with an urgent plea for other German Shepherds who are not as fortunate. We have a serious shortage of foster homes for these beautiful dogs. Everyday we receive urgent requests from shelters, asking us to take in a German shepherd who has been deemed “for a rescue group” only. Sadly, we seldom have the space to take these dogs in and without our help, they end up losing their lives at the shelter. You may or may not know that Shepherds do very poorly in shelter environments. The typically react in one of two ways; defensive (perceived as aggressive) or depressed (or what we refer to as Shepherd shut-down). German Shepherds are highly emotional and intelligent dogs and the shelter environment is detrimental to most all that end up there. Sadly, these dogs who would gladly give their lives for their family, have been tossed into an environment that is frightening, lonely and completely devoid of the companionship that they long for.

The volunteers at the Washington German Shepherd Rescue urge you to consider fostering a Shepherd. You can foster one time or many times, depending on your availability. You can even volunteer to foster while another foster family leaves for vacation (sometimes only 2-4 days). We are pleading with you to consider fostering for the sake of other dogs much like your own. Dogs that, given a chance, will flourish and provide years of love and companionship to another lucky family. Your dog was given a chance by the selfless foster homes past and present of the Rescue. If not for those families, your dog would more than likely have perished at a shelter. Please look into your companion’s eyes and see the gift that you both have in each other. You have the power to give another dog this same chance and it is extremely gratifying to know that you have literally saved a life. The requirements are small: a crate, a garage, some time and some love. We do our utmost to make the foster experience as enjoyable as possible. If you are interested in making a difference, please email the rescue directly at [email protected]. We thank you for your consideration and the many dogs that are hoping for a chance to be loved, thank you too….

Sincerely,

Volunteer Staff
Washington German Shepherd Rescue