Bear’s owner reluctantly surrendered him due to sudden, unexpected life changes. The dog went from living in a home with a yard, two humans, and a canine sibling to long days alone in an apartment. He wasn’t happy and voiced his concerns, loud and long. Everything changed again when Bear came into our foster program. […]
Adorable PJ charmed the shelter staff with his puppy antics. They were surprised no one came looking for such a cute dog. Because PJ could not use one of his hind legs, they released him to us for medical treatment. An orthopedist determined the leg was not broken; PJ just needed to take it easy
Young Leonie, a GSP/Great Dane mix, had suffered a lot. She ended up in a shelter with buckshot wounds, and she was very skinny. Her foster mom reported that Leonie (aka Lulu) seemed sad, didn’t know how to play, and needed to learn house manners. Once she healed and settled in, she blossomed into a big love bug,
Paisley was picked up by animal control, and no one came to claim her. She had little training and suffered from severe separation anxiety. Nonetheless, her foster family found her to be sweet, friendly, and loving. Now she has a forever home with a backyard full of birds and squirrels, parents who are home most
Keene is intelligent, loving, stubborn, and loyal–in other words, a typical GSP pup. He arrived from a shelter anxious and afraid of being left alone. With care and training, he settled down and learned to obey house rules. He discovered a love of hiking–and a knack for getting foxtails up his nose. His fosters worked
Eleven-year-old Remmy landed in a shelter when his owner died. We pulled him and took care of some health and dental needs. His foster mom found him a happy, friendly, loving guy. When Remmy was ready, he went to a foster-to-adopt situation and made himself right at home. The new house came with neighborhood kids
Sweet, petite Oaklee was scooped up as a stray from an overcrowded shelter. She’d been passed around from owner to owner, but no one came to claim her. Her foster family reported she was super sweet and timid. They also noticed she had a limp, which was diagnosed as bilateral elbow dysplasia. After surgery and
Kittle is a super-smart boy who got caught in the Covid conundrum. He had a great start in life, but when pandemic restrictions were lifted, his owner could no longer work from home. Left home alone all day, young Kittle became bored and destructive. His owner knew the dog deserved a home that could provide
Marty had some bad luck and landed in a shelter. Then he had some good luck. We found him a foster home with room to roam and where three adults worked from home. They were dog lovers who had not had a GSP before but met his puppy shenanigans with training, boundaries, and treats. Marty
Young Tahoe was a bit of a wild child, a puppy full of beans and wiggles. After testing several homes, she found one with the time and patience to teach her how to control her exuberance. She now has a GSP big brother, alum Jacob (now Winston) to look up to and learn from. Thank
Angel’s owners could no longer care for her, so they gave her to a family member who already had too many dogs and too little time–so they surrendered her to a shelter. Angel’s foster home initially reported that she was a little devil with no training whatsoever. She was not housebroken. She counter-surfed and knew
Rebecca and Art decided to foster for us, not intending to adopt, as they already had one GSP and several cats. When they picked up Adam, he was wet, muddy, trembling, and timid. Their first foster report indicated that Adam was a counter surfer who needed to learn his manners; nonetheless, they found him cute,
When this one-year-old sweetheart was sprung from the shelter, all he wanted was love and attention, but he’d had very little training. His foster homes taught him about boundaries when living indoors with humans—or even a cat, yikes. He’s figured it out–pretty well. Thank you, Keyona, for fostering Kobee. And thanks, Dawn and John (and
When Boon was picked up as a stray, he was severely injured and had to have a leg amputated. Losing a limb did not suppress Boon’s cheery disposition. His tail never stops wagging, and he loves all people and dogs. Thank you, Denise, for caring for Boon as he recovered from surgery, and thank you,
Moonlight was dropped at a shelter in terrible condition. She was so emaciated her rib cage protruded sharply and her head was covered in lesions. One of our experienced foster homes nurtured her back to health. Initially, she was so weak she had to be carried up and down stairs. She gained 20 pounds in
Rolo is a typical Pointer puppy, full of pranks but very snuggly, too. He goes to work with mom most days and wags his entire body when he meets new people. He enjoys hiking and fetch and is learning etiquette. He’s upped the energy level in a home already full of loving chaos, with 2
Whiskery Draco, a GSP/GWP mix, most loves giving kisses and getting scratches. His owners didn’t have the time needed to train a young, energetic pup, so they surrendered him in hopes of finding him a great home. Draco needed some training tips, but is basically a sweet boy who loves being around people as much
Alum Ziggie was returned to rescue shortly after being diagnosed with Tetanus—rare in dogs but extremely serious. After 15 days in the ICU, Ziggie was finally well enough to be discharged to his new foster home, where he continued to receive TLC and follow-up care. They fell in love with this mellow boy immediately and
Twix was the runt of an unwanted litter surrendered before the holidays, but don’t let his small size fool you! He’s full of spunk for a little guy. He can hold his own in play with his older canine brothers, Ruger and alum Trapper. He can be a cuddle bug, too, but most loves pointing birds
Lady (Lady3) was surrendered due to a serious medical condition as well as a play style that was too rough for the family’s young kids. She needed training and socialization to learn that nipping and barking are not good ways to initiate play. Thanks, Pam, for patiently fostering Lady, nursing her through her vet care,
Seven-year-old Chaise is house-trained, crate-trained, and an all-around pleasant, well-behaved fellow. His owners had to surrender him when they found they could not afford the vet care he required. Once he had his medical needs taken care of, one of our past adopters, whose GSP died a few years ago, snatched him up. Thanks so
Midnight and Moonlight were dropped at a shelter together. Midnight was in much better shape than his sister but still needed lots of love and nursing, as well as neutering. He turned out to be house trained and crated trained, knew basic commands, and was good on leash. He was anxious when left alone but
Mtn Scout was surrendered because his family did not have time to exercise him and he made it known that he did not like being left home alone all day. He’s a sweet and funny dog who loves to run, chase squirrels, play Keep Away, and hang out with attentive humans who preferably will pet
Canelo came into rescue confused. He’s a super-intelligent dog who may have been trained to do security work. As a workaholic, he was at a loss when his job vanished. He wanted to work but couldn’t figure out what happened and seemed to be in pain. A change in diet helped him a lot. The more discipline,
Go ahead and say it: Aaaaawww. Cuteness overload! Reese and Joy were two of four young pups from an unexpected litter. The owner wanted them to find good homes, so surrendered them. Thank you, Brad and Megan—and NorCal GSP Rescue alum Ruby–for fostering and adopting Reese and Joy (now Jake and Juno).
Wee Apollo (Apollo2) needed more exercise and attention than his family could provide, so they surrendered him hoping he’d find a more suitable home. In foster care, he received some training and lots of exercise, as well as constant supervision to prevent counter surfing, shoe stealing, or leather chewing. Thank you, Chere, for fostering this
Young Beamer initially had a hard time settling into foster care after he was pulled from the shelter, but once he was fixed, he calmed down considerably. He learned to play and cuddle, always wanting to stay close to his people. Thank you, George and Suzanne, Liisa, and Lisa, for fostering Beamer. And thanks, Dan
Ten-year-old Honz came into rescue not looking or feeling his best. Once he got needed medical attention, he showed us what an easygoing dude he was, even allowing his nails to be clipped without a fuss. He was housetrained, mellow, and got along with all dogs, big and small. Now adopted by a family that
Copper (Copper2) came into the rescue with a painful old leg injury and was severely underweight. His leg injury was promptly addressed, and after two surgeries, he was on the mend when he had a fall and broke his tibia. After his third and final surgery, Copper is on his way to a pain-free life.
Eleven-year-old Enzo was surrendered when his owners moved to a new home where dogs were not allowed. He’d been an outdoor dog, so initially was reluctant to live indoors, but he soon began to appreciate indoor living. Enzo showed he could be sweet, gentle, affectionate, and obedient—and comforted his foster family when they recently lost
