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German Shepherds make perfect family dogs. They are loyal to the core and would go all out to protect their owners and see that they are indeed happy so if you are planning on owning a German Shepherd dog, you definitely are making the right decision. It is however worth stating that the German Shepherd is a highly energetic dog breed that does best with an active owner or family. They hate neglect and require a lot of attention to be properly trained and cared for.
The decision to adopt a German Shepherd from a rescue is quite the beautiful one. Not only are you doing your best for an endangered German Shepherd dog by providing them with the right environment to thrive, but adopting a German Shepherd is ideally a less expensive way of owning this adorable furry companion than purchasing German Shepherd puppies from a breeder.
The state of Florida is blessed with a few reputable rescues that are dedicated to saving and rehoming German Shepherd dogs. These are mainly non-profit, volunteer organizations tasked with rescuing and rehoming endangered German Shepherds.
This article highlights some of these German Shepherd rescues while still providing the contact information to these rescues to help make the whole process of adopting a German Shepherd easy for you.
1. Dreamcatcher German Shepherd Rescue
The first German Shepherd rescue we will be reviewing on this list is Dreamcatcher German Shepherd Rescue which is located in Orlando, Florida. This German Shepherd rescue program began in 2011 and since then, they have rescued and rehomed a lot of German Shepherd dogs found in deplorable conditions across the entire state of Florida. They are a non-profit organization that is operated through volunteers and donations.
Harriet Lauderback is the principal founder behind Dream Catcher German Shepherd Rescue. A lot of their dogs were either lost, surrendered by their owners, neglected, or otherwise homeless. When rescued, the German Shepherd dogs are given a good environment to sleep and grow in, they are provided with the right resources including medical supplies, proper food and supplements and so much more. Then they are ready to be rehomed.
As a nonprofit organization, all proceeds from donations and adoptions are being used to provide proper care for the German Shepherds that are rescued through their program. You can show your support for the program by ways of donations, adoptions, and fostering or volunteering. Adoption prices for their German Shepherd dogs are quite affordable as they range between $200 and $500 depending on the age of the German Shepherd dog as well as a few other factors. Their dogs are only allowed to be used as pets, not work dogs, farm dogs or guard dogs.
| Owner | Harriet Lauderback |
| Open For | Over 10 years |
| Location | Orlando, Florida |
| harriet@dreamcatchergermanshepherdrescue.com | |
| Website | dreamcatchergermanshepherdrescue.com |
| Dreamcatcher German Shepherd Rescue |
2. Southwest Florida German Shepherd Rescue
Southwest Florida German Shepherd Rescue Inc is the next breed-specific German Shepherd rescue to be added to our list. They are located in Punta Gorda, Florida, and are a non-profit organization that is tasked with rescuing and rehoming German Shepherds. They were established in 2007 and since then, they have succeeded in adopting out over 1615 purebred German Shepherd dogs which are quite impressive for a German Shepherd rescue program.
Their mission statement is quite simple, they are tasked with taking in discarded and surrendered German Shepherd dogs. They ensure they provide each dog with the right environments to provide socialization to the dogs while also providing each dog with proper medical care, food, and supplements to help keep them happy and healthy. Although they are breed-specific, they do occasionally take in German Shepherd mixes. Their dogs are tested for certain health conditions like heartworm.
If you are interested in adopting any of their German Shepherd dogs, it is worth stating that the adoption process can be very thorough as they care deeply for the family their German Shepherd dogs are being adopted into. For their dogs, they charge between $250 and $350 for adoptions and the price depends on the German Shepherd’s age and other factors. Also, all proceeds gained from adoptions and donations are used for the well-being of the dogs.
| Owner | The Hoffer Family |
| Open For | Over 15 years |
| Location | Punta Gorda, Florida |
| alphadog63@comcast.net | |
| Phone Number | (941) 740-0074 |
| Website | swflgsdrescue.com |
| Southwest Florida German Shepherd Rescue Inc |
3. Big Cypress German Shepherd Rescue
Located in Naples, Florida, Big Cypress German Shepherd Rescue are taking up the 3rd spot on our list. They do their very best to save and rehabilitate as many German Shepherd dogs as they can find as possible within the state of Florida. The rehabilitation process that their dogs go through is not just physical but also emotional rehabilitation. The German Shepherd rescue was founded by Michelle Delaney, a well experienced breeder, and handler of German Shepherds.
The German Shepherd rescue was established in the year 2015, so they have been rescuing German Shepherds for over 6 years. The program needs volunteers since they are a volunteer-based non-profit organization. Their dogs are provided with a good home to rest in, they are properly socialized and included in their family, they are given access to top-notch medical care, and are even properly groomed. All dogs would have received their immunizations and vaccinations.
Adoption for each dog depends largely on the age of the dog. For dogs older than 8 years you can adopt them for $150 while for puppies of 9 months are adopted for $500. Their facility requires a lot of volunteers so you can do your part by joining their program as a volunteer or you can provide a safe space for their dogs by adopting them. But it must be stated that the process for adopting their German Shepherd is quite extensive as a few requirements will need to be met.
| Owner | Michelle Delaney |
| Open For | Over 6 years |
| Location | Naples, Florida |
| adopt@saveagermanshepherd.org | |
| Website | saveagermanshepherd.org |
| Big Cypress German Shepherd Rescue |
4. K9 Services German Shepherd Rescue
K9 Services German Shepherd Rescue is the 4th rescue organization to be added to our list. They are located in Florida, Green Cove Springs to be precise and were established on the 15th of September, so over 15 years of experience. They do their best to rescue German Shepherds that have been surrendered by owners in Florida or rescued from shady shelters across the state, provide foster homes for them to heal and rehabilitate, and then rehomed them to other families through adoption.
Nila Walden-Hughes, the founder of the rescue organization has been a lover of German Shepherd all her life. She has experience in training dogs as well as has been a dog behavior consultant professional. With her rescue program, she is able to provide a foster home for all rescued German, Shepherds, adequate emotional and physical medical care for all the rescued dogs to get them healthy, and training to all rescued dogs to make sure they can serve a wide variety of purposes.
They are a non-profit organization, and all dogs are vetted and trained by the volunteers, the adoption process for their dogs can be quite easy, but a thorough vetting process is done to ensure only the right people get access to their dogs. Your German Shepherd can be trained and adopted as a companion dog, emotional support dog, police dog, and even search and rescue dog. Show your support through adoptions and donations to the cause.
| Owner | Nila Walden-Hughes |
| Open For | Over 15 years |
| Location | Green Cove Springs, Florida |
| luvgermansheps@yahoo.com | |
| Website | k-9services.net |
| K9 Services German Shepherd Rescue Inc |
5. First Coast German Shepherd Rescue
There is a German Shepherd rescue that is located in Jacksonville, Florida that you have to check out and that is First Coast German Shepherd Rescue Inc. They are a breed-specific rescue organization that is home-based and provides fostering and rehoming for German Shepherd dogs. They are a non-profit organization that is run 100% by volunteers who use their homes as foster homes for these rescued German Shepherd dogs. They cover the first coast district of Florida starting from Duval to Clay and Baker Counties.
Asides from rescuing German Shepherd Dogs in Florida, their mission also entails that they stop the overpopulation of German Shepherd dogs needlessly by spaying and neutering all German Shepherd dogs that they rescue. Their targets are primarily dilapidated shelters across the state of Florida. Their rescued German Shepherd dogs are taken to a vet where they each undergo thorough checks and treatment for heartworms. They are also vaccinated and given behavioral checks alongside medications.
There is a straight process towards adopting their German Shepherd dogs or providing foster homes for them. For adoption the price ranges from $300 to $350 depending on the age of the German Shepherd dog. They would send a representative to visit you and check out your home to know if it is a suitable environment for any of their dogs. It is worth stating that their dogs are sold for companion purposes only. They would be spayed or neutered so you won’t be able to breed them any further.
| Owner | Donna Edison |
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| firstcoastgsr@gmail.com | |
| Website | firstcoastgsr.com |
| First Coast German Shepherd Rescue Inc |
6. Daytona Beach German Shepherd Rescue
Taking up the 6th spot on our list is Daytona German Shepherd Rescue. As their name already suggests they operate out of Daytona Beach in Florida but also operate through Jacksonville, Orlando, Titusville, and Cocoa Beach in Florida. They are a 100% foster-based or volunteer-based non-profit organization that is focused on rescuing German Shepherd dogs across the state and providing good foster homes and eventually adopting them out to the right families.
The rescue organization was established in 2013, which provides them with 10 years of experience in which they have successfully rehomed thousands of German Shepherd dogs to countless homes in the state. There is a very thorough process towards adopting their German Shepherd dogs as they like to be very careful and selective of who or where that rescued German Shepherd dogs end up with or in.
They receive multiple adoption applications each day for their German Shepherd, so it can take up to a month from the application date before your application will get approved. Once a review has been approved on your application, their volunteers will contact you for a mandatory home visit, your vet and family members will also be reviewed to ensure their dogs get the most comfortable experience possible. Their application approval is not done on a first come, first serve basis. They have to be certain your family is a perfect match for their dogs.
| Owner | Eva Ziehl |
| Open For | Over 9 years |
| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida |
| dbgsdrescue@yahoo.com | |
| Website | dbgsdrescue.org |
7. Shepherd Help and Rescue Effort
Shepherd Help and Rescue Effort or S.H.A.R.E is the 7th rescue organization dedicated to the German Shepherd breed that is added to our list. They cover the South Florida area specifically, Broward, Palm Beach County, and Miami-Dade in search of abandoned lost euthanized and abused German Shepherd dogs to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome. They are a non-profit organization that is run by volunteers and Catherine Matuella is the president and founder of the rescue organization.
These Southern areas of Florida are said to have the highest concentration of kill shelters which is why they are deeply focused on these areas. Many of the German Shepherds they rescued are deeply abused and euthanized, upon rescue, they find that the German Shepherds are in serious need of thorough medical treatment due to orthopedic issues or heartworms that they are tested for. Each dog is evaluated by a vet, given proper medical treatment, neutered or spayed, and then provided a home to sleep.
You can make your contributions to the rescue organizations by way of adoptions, donations, and volunteering. The adoption process is rather smooth as their team of adoption coordinators does their best to contact you, review your home and families, talk you through any questions you might have or fears you might want to express and so much more. All proceeds made by way of donations and adoptions are used for the well-being of each German Shepherd dog that has been rescued.
| Owner | Catherine Manuella |
| Open For | Over 7 years |
| Location | Wilton Manors, Florida |
| contact@shepherdhelp.org | |
| Phone Number | (844) 847-1250 |
| Website | shepherdhelp.org |
| Shepherd Help And Rescue Effort |
8. Rescue Rebels
The last German Shepherd rescue organization to be featured on our list is Rescue Rebels. This is a rescue organization that was founded in the year 2016 and has since then been focused on helping both purebred German Shepherds and German Shepherd mixes that are located in kill shelters across the state of Florida from Orange County, Palm Beach County, Lake County, and Brevard County in Florida.
The primary mission and objective of Rescue Rebels are to provide a second chance at an improved life for German Shepherds and German Shepherd mixes that have been abused, neglected, abandoned in shelters across the state, and surrendered by their owners. And through their rescue program, these rescued German Shepherd dogs are provided with the right physical care, behavioral guidance, training, and socialization to keep them happy and healthy. They also spay and neuter the dogs where necessary.
You can show your appreciation for their cause by volunteering to provide foster homes for their rescued dogs. Being a volunteer organization, they are always in need of foster homes. Also, you can adopt their German Shepherd dogs or give donations to the cause. The proceeds from donations and adoptions are used in providing a good life for the German Shepherd dogs that are rescued. There is a thorough vetting process to adopt their German Shepherd, so expect their members to visit you for a proper evaluation.
| Owner | Jennifer Sorrentino |
| Open For | Over 6 years |
| Location | Delray Beach, Florida |
| rescue.rebels@yahoo.com | |
| Phone Number | (954) 416-0690 |
| Website | rescuerebels.org |
| Rescue Rebels |
Out Top Pick
There you have it! These are 8 proper German Shepherd rescue organizations which you can adopt a German Shepherd from. My personal pick from the list of rescue organizations listed above is Big Cypress German Shepherd Rescue located in Naples, Florida, and founded by Michelle Delaney.
My reasons for picking Big Cypress German Shepherd Rescue are quite simple. First off they seem like a decent rescue organization for both German Shepherds and their mixes and they create lots of opportunities and ways in which you can commit to their cause. You can offer skills, cash donations, and even adopt their German Shepherds.
They also provide proper rehabilitation for their German Shepherds, not just rescuing and rehoming. Their dogs are tested for heartworms alongside other health defects. They also have a thorough vetting process for choosing who adopts their rescued dogs. And the price range for their dogs is quite fair.
All in all, ensure you do some research on the rescue organization to be sure you are adopting the right German Shepherd for you and your family. And remember to always love and care for your furry companion.
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