Adopting a dog in Rural WA/OR?

[Kaimeju]

Hello there,

I've been lurking on this forum for a few weeks. I want to adopt a dog in a few months and I'm pretty set on a GSD/mix or possibly border collie since I have experience with the latter. I want to rescue an older dog (2+) since I don't have time to raise a puppy.

It doesn't seem like there are any rescues in rural SE WA state near us. The closest I found was in Seattle on the other side of the state! So I doubt they could do a home visit. I'm pretty sure even in Idaho the nearest one is at least four hours away. So, I'm guessing keeping my eye on the local shelters is the best way to go?

If I do decide to adopt from a shelter, do I tell them I am looking for a GSD specifically or not? When I volunteered at a shelter in Illinois, we would automatically turn people away who were looking for stereotypically aggressive breeds for fear they would be mistreated.

Also, do any of you know of any listservs that might cover SE WA or NE OR? I'm watching craigslist too but I'm pretty leery of adopting a dog off of CL.

There is one breeder in the area down the road, and he does have a female (age 7) available for re-home. However, I was concerned that he mentioned she was dog reactive and couldn't be allowed to play with other dogs. Is this as big of a red flag as I think it is?

Thanks for any and all pointers!

[Nigel]

Check with msvette, she is in the Tricity area.

[blehmannwa]

Check out "A Paw Up" rescue in Prosser. They get GSDs from time to time.

[sit,stay]

Washington German Shepherd Rescue is based in Washington state, and adopts all over the Pacific and Inland Northwest. You will have to travel to meet any available dogs (since the odds of a GSD foster being available in your immediate area are very slim), but the drive should be doable from a distance stand point.

I know they went through some changes a few years ago, but as far as I know their reputation is still good.

Northwest German Shepherd Rescue is based in Bothell. For some reason I seem to recall that this group was started by some people that had been affiliated with the WGSR group, but I could be wrong about that.

Contact these groups and discuss your options. Getting a home visit done shouldn't be an insurmountable problem. It might take a little longer to get it done, but there is a fairly extensive network in Washington that assists on stuff like this. Different breed groups, dog sport people. Everyone kind of pitches in and helps.

There are a fair number of rescues in Washington, but Oregon has always been something of a black hole for GSD specific rescues.
Sheilah

[Kaimeju]

Thanks for your responses! I'll look into WGSR again and see if they know someone who could do a home visit and meet us. Sounds like there are quite a few good options.

[msvette2u]

Prosser, Washington - dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens for adoption from A Paw Up Rescue.
We have an older GSD right now, with a health issue. Probably not the dog for you.

If you email me, Alphamom33@aol.com I can give you some resources you might not have access to otherwise, regarding shelters and what not, that we work with and you might be able to find a dog for yourself at!

[AngelaA6]

My husband and i adopted our gsd (he even a solid black) at the tacoma humane society. He was estimated at four months old and was neutered and microchipped. He obviously cant go into confirmation due to a lack of pedigree but if i wanted i could apply for a conditional certificate so he could do agility/rally/obedience if he were accepted. The local German shepherd rescues were definitely on our list if the humane society didnt have the right dog for us.

[mightyquinn]

I've adopted 2 GSDs from NWGSR and use to be a very active volunteer (screenings, home-visits, fostering, public outreach, etc). They would be my preference over WGSR since they deal in GSDs only and are 501c3 non-for-profit status - meaning you can write off your adoption fee as a charitable donation AND you are assured their funds are going back into saving the dogs. You need to fill out an online application and they will have a volunteer call you for a phone screening. If there are no volunteers available to do a home visit - they may allow photos instead. I know they just returned from a trip down to California with a bunch of GSDs in high-kill shelters. Good Luck on your search and THANK YOU FOR RESCUING!!!!!!

[Kaimeju]

Hey, thanks for replying! Our search had a happy ending. We adopted a four year-old white shepherd from the local humane society. She is the best dog ever: stellar temperament, learns lightning fast, very affectionate and focused. I will always go for rescues.


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[mightyquinn]

Congratulations on your new furry family member!