Surrender Policies

We are not a shelter or a kennel. We do not have a physical location.

• We are a network of volunteers, some who are willing to accept a foster dog into their home. We only have room for as many dogs as we have foster space for at any one time. As a dog gets adopted, so a space may open up to take another.
• The rescue is made up of unpaid volunteers. We devote as much SPARE time as we can to this effort. Please keep in mind that we have homes, children and parents that we care for, we work, and we try to have personal lives. We will respond to you in as timely matter as we can.
• We do not have adopters lined up looking for dogs who have been allowed to develop undesirable behavioral issues or aggression. If you have failed to provide your dog with the necessary training, socialization or veterinary care please understand that we are not the answer to your problem. You need to address the issues before we can assist you in re-homing your dog. We can direct you to trainers who can assist you.
• Incomplete requests are less likely to get a response. We do not have time to chase you down to get the information we need to assist you.
• The average time to re-home a dog is one month. If it is Friday, and you need to find a home for your dog by Monday, we cannot help you.
• We cannot accept dogs with any aggression issues towards other people, children or other dogs.
• We can only accept dogs on a space-available basis.

Owner surrender dogs should be vaccinated and heartworm tested negative. If they are not, an owner surrender donation of $100 will be required as contribution towards the veterinary costs that we will incur. This donation is tax-deductible. We do not purchase or pay a fee to owners for surrendered dogs.

Due to the overwhelming number of requests we receive from owners wishing to surrender their German Shepherd Dogs, we must ask that before a request is made, the dog meet the following criteria:

• Must be a purebred German Shepherd Dog. We cannot accept mixed breed dogs – there are just too many for our small rescue to handle.
• The dog must be friendly and not show any type of unprovoked aggression to humans or other animals. We can cope with dogs who are not compatible with cats, but we cannot accept dogs who exhibit aggression to other dogs, as our foster families all have their own pets.
• If we do not have available foster space to take the dog into our program we can also courtesy list the dog on petfinder.com providing the dog is not aggressive and has been neutered or spayed. We will help screen potential applicants.
• SGSDR must receive a copy of the dog’s vet record prior to being considered.
• Even if your dog fits the above criteria, we must still personally evaluate each dog on a case by case basis.
• You must be the legal owner of the dog for which the owner surrender form is being submitted. DO NOT use this form to report dogs in shelters or strays.

Surrender Form