# No rescues out west?



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I was looking through the transport threads and noticed all areas of the USA except the west. I also have not seen many (any?) dogs posted in Urgent or Non-Urgent who are in the western states.

Is there no rescuing going on (here on the board) for WA, OR, ID, CA? Just wondering...


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

there are rescues here. but i think there are fewer rescues covering the middle and eastern states which is why the dogs are in higher need and why there is more transporting going on. speaking for southern california - we have 5 german shepherd rescues here, so not such a high need for transports. the middle states are also swamped with more breeders and puppy mills.

i know that you're in the market for a dog... wasnt sure if you'd thought much about rescues and what not... but fyi - westside shepherd rescue here in los angeles are one of the few that does out of state adoptions. for that reason - they are even more determined to find the perfect fit for your family because of the hassle if the dog were to need to get returned.

there is also a rescue in washington that i've only recently heard great things about!


----------



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thanks, yes, I am looking at rescues, thinking, considering... 

Part of me really wants the experience of a puppy.
Part of me really wants to skip that... LOL.
But I love babies and in fact my last baby (human baby) is heading to kindergarten in the fall, and since there is no way I am having anotehr (human) baby, a puppy might be a great distraction









We'll see, when the time comes. I see all those poor dogs in shelters and I want to help them but I am not sure I am experienced enough plus having small kids around it might not be the best choice... I am still pondering.

I noticed my local (WA) kill shelter has 5 GSDs in it right now. So I wondered if anyone is going to save them. Is the WA rescue active in that kind of thing? Anyone know?


----------



## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

I have two friends who rescued their German shepherd pups about a year ago from German Shepherd rescue of Norther CA and they are great dogs. Here is a link. When Benny is older I will look into rescueing from there

http://www.gsrnc.org/index.asp


----------



## bluetick (Apr 28, 2007)

I am in southern CA. My neighbor is fostering a young female for a GSD rescue. The dog was found apparently dumped or otherwise abandoned down the road from us. She is a big sweet girl, and if I didn't have 3 already...


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

cassadee - there is always time to do both! often times it appears to be a breeder vs. rescue situation and i've even seen people feel the need to justify why they've chosen breeders, but in my opinion you don't have to be completely for one or the other. what i do encourage - is for individuals who are on the fence and/or indifferent - to fully look into rescues, be patient and give them a fair chance.

just as it will take an excellent breeder to match you with the perfect pup... it will take an excellent rescue to match you with the perfect pup or dog as well.

...keeping in mind that "rescue" doesn't automatically eliminate the puppy option either, and ALL the dogs in rescue are not strays with no history. i've been very lucky to find out a bit of background on my dogs. nothing thats made a difference, but its definitely "nice to know".

personally, until i have a reason to go to a breeder - i probably won't. i thought that with the very specific list that i had before Tilden that i was never going to be able to find that in rescue and i was saving up my $2k... within a day i found him. i like to see what i'm getting (appearance) and i like to know what i'm working with (personality) as well as being able to get up and go without worrying about puppy this and shots that. for me 8-10 months is an extremely workable and eager to learn age.

i've seen more dogs with 'issues' that were raised from 8 weeks, then i've seen with either of my adopted dogs. and i've said in some of your other threads, both are wonderful with babies & kids!


----------



## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

We have numerous rescues here -- both GSD and all breed rescues. I don't have experience with all of them, but those I do have experience with are top-notch. 

This should get you started.

http://www.nwk9.com/rescue.htm

Depending where you live, local humane societies and all breed rescues (Ginger's Pet Rescue, Rescue Every Dog, PAWS, NOAH, and Homeward Pet in King & Snohomish County are just a few names to get you started...) do pull dogs. In King County, they're closing AC shelters and transferring handling to Seattle/King County Humane Society. 

The Humane Society of Pierce County/Tacoma strives to be as close to a no-kill shelter as possible -- acknowledging that because they accept every dog that comes in the door, there are some cases, due to veterinary or behavioral issues, for which euthanasia is the most appropriate solution -- which I think most "no-kill" shelters do. They're just more open about it. 

The force and organization of our rescue safety net was really displayed last year when there were a couple large puppy mill discoveries. Suddenly, everyone had puppies. Vets, kennels, trainers,...it seemed that everyone was fostering a puppy or two -- or more. So there's a lot being done here at the local level. 

In fact, Western WA rescues are often pulling dogs from shelters (and transporting from rescues) in Eastern WA, given that there are simply more resources here and more people to adopt the dogs to. 

If you want a puppy, as CameraFodder points out, rescues do have puppies. But specifically, Rescue Pup in Mill Creek http://www.rescuepup.org/ is definitely worth checking out.


----------



## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I think a lot also depends on the sheer quantity of of specific breed in an area (rescue to dog ratio, if you will).

Another rescue foster mom that I know read some article recently about the numbers of chiuahnas that have to be shipped to the east coast to go into rescues because there are just sooooooo many out there. But in a lot of places here in the NE they are a diamond in the rough for someone that wants the breed.


----------



## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

I have driven a few transports from Eastern WA/OR to Western WA.

Most of the eastern PNW rescues do a lot of private individual work and do not have web sites. Sit,Stay is a rescuer in ID too.


----------



## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

This shelter has gorgeous dogs that I would love to have, they have a 5month old coated female she is gorgeous:

http://www.sheprescue.org/index.html


----------



## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

There is a GSD forum called...GSD West...
http://forums.gsdwest.com/
Their forum isn't extremely "active"...but their yahoo group is...
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSDwest/

They should be able to give you direction








Good luck!


----------



## marksteven (Aug 2, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Heidi WThis shelter has gorgeous dogs that I would love to have, they have a 5month old coated female she is gorgeous:
> 
> http://www.sheprescue.org/index.html


You right! ive checked their site many times and cant believe the beauties they have up for adoption.


----------



## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

We have two very good GSD rescues here in the Front Range area -one is Front Range German Shepherd Rescue, the other is German Shepherd Rescue of Central Colorado. We adopted our boy Conor from the latter, it is run by a member of this Board... you can Google for their web addresses, both always have some very nice dogs available.

_____________________________
Susan

Anja GSD
Conor GSD - adopted from this Board
Blue GSD - waiting at the Bridge


----------



## oregongsdr111 (Nov 20, 2005)

In the transport section there used to be a West.
It was removed for some reason.

I have inquired a couple of times to why it was removed, and I have never had a response.

We do have folks that are willing to transport through local rescue groups, and some board members in the Oregon and Washington area.


----------



## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

The links I posted...for GSD west forum and yahoo group is run by the woman that has GSD rescue of Central Colorado.


----------



## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Cassadee, you are in Washington state, right? One of the biggest GSD specific rescues is right in your back yard. They have a lot of dogs and can meet just about any need. They do have an application process and do home visits and reference checks. They also have very experienced foster homes that can tell you a TON about each dog in their care.

There is also the Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue system, which covers a lot of different breeds. 

There is also the rescue in Montana, just a short car ride through Idaho's panhandle. I don't think I have ever worked with that rescue.

I am here in the Boise area. The rescue I most often work with here is the Idaho Domestic Animal Welfare Group ("IDAWG"). 

The thing about rescues and transports through the PNW and Inland Northwest is that we are all very much products of our geography. The Boise area is in a valley and we are surrounded by mountains. During the winter the roads are often closed. I-84 is often closed going through the Blue Mountains in Oregon, so that shuts us off from northwest travel. The road from Idaho into Nevada is often closed in winter as it passes through the Owyhee Mountains, which cuts us off from travel out through the southwest. And the road east is often closed, so that cuts off the Utah corridor. 

Because of our geography, we have to be self contained at times. And transports have to be done by really experienced people, which is why it is often the same set of drivers through any route. If you are calling on the same set of drivers, there is no need to put out an open call for help.

Some areas have a lot of German Shepherds showing up in shelters. That is just not the case in my area. They show up, but not in really high numbers and they tend to get adopted quickly through the shelter. Because of this, most people in this area that "specialize" in the GSD also do all-breed rescue. We have had spurts in the past where enough dogs were in need to have only GSDs in foster care, but for the most part we branch out in order to fill the need of the moment. 
Sheilah


----------



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thank you all for the great information. Definitely lots of good stuff for me to consider/look into.

Sheilah (or others), is there a specific rescue or two that handles GSDs in the Tri-Cities area? I look at the five GSDs in the kill shelter here and wonder about their fate. I guess my interest is peaked because on the urgent page I see people posting dogs who have one day left or two days left and people racing to find a way to get them out, and I wonder if that is going on behind the scenes for local dogs too or are they just getting PTS?


----------



## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Cassadee, I don't know if there is anything going on behind the scenes for the dogs you mentioned. It has been my experience that posting dogs from Washington, Idaho, Montana and even Oregon in the rescue forums here is kind of a waste of time. It is far quicker to just network with other rescues and get the dog pulled and transported than it is to post and then monitor here. I think I have posted maybe 2-3 dogs here in the almost 7 years that I have been a member. And one of those dogs was just an "Oh my God, look at my gorgeous new foster" post!

I am unaware of any GSD specific rescue in the Tri-Cities area. Remember, too, that not all "kill" shelters are created equally. Some have very, very high adoption rates. And often the Petfinder listings are out of date and when you call to check they tell you that particular dog was adopted a week ago. Or a month ago. When in doubt, call and ask the shelter. Most are very honest about their policies and numbers.

Rescues can only do so much. The sad truth is that there are too many dogs and not enough homes to go around. It could be that the dogs you have seen are totally on the state rescue's radar, but their hands are tied because there are no available foster homes. Or it could be that rescue has sent someone to evaluate the dogs and there is some issue that isn't showing up on the very basic, generic Petfinder listing and the decision has been made by *that* particular rescue that the dogs are unadoptable. 

Without being involved in this particular situation, it is impossible to tell what the status is. 
Sheilah


----------



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thanks Sheilah.

I used to be a foster mom (for humans) before I had all 5 of my own children. I think someday down the road I will consider fostering dogs if there is a local need then.


----------



## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: cassadee7I think someday down the road I will consider fostering dogs if there is a local need then.


That is a good idea! There is always a need for good foster homes. Get hooked up with an established, reputable rescue and jump in feet first.
Sheilah


----------



## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

There is no GSD specific rescue in the Tri-Cities. Unfortunately.


----------



## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

Cassadee, I can tell you one rescue to stay FAR away from in this area! PM me. 

Courtney


----------

