Rehoming your GSP

Sad-looking dog as an example of rehoming If you are considering surrendering your German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), we urge you to reconsider and to explore all the options available to you before you come to that difficult decision.

You’ve come to the sad decision to give up your dog. Now what?

  1. Contact the person you obtained the dog from. Reputable breeders, shelters, and rescue groups will take back dogs that have been adopted from them.
  2. Ask if family or friends will take the dog.
  3. Use Adopt-a-Pet.com's Rehoming site (info below).
  4. Rehome with us via our owner referral process. Advantages - targeted audience, breed expertise.

Always screen potential adopters, meet the entire family and visit their home. Don't post on craigslist and do collect a rehoming fee (this discourages people looking for free dogs for fighting or medical research).

Rehome with us - to qualify, your GSP must:

  • Be a purebred German Shorthaired Pointer, or mix that is mostly GSP
  • Be spayed or neutered at the time of rehoming
  • Live in California or an adjacent area. Other areas? Contact National GSP Rescue.

To rehome your German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) with us:

1) Complete the rehoming questionnaire below.

Photo(s) must be included to be considered for assistance with rehoming your dog.
Our rehoming team will be in touch with you within 2 business days for the next steps.

2) Work with our team.

You'll work with our team to write a paragraph describing your dog's personality. They'll help you decide on the rehoming fee based on your dog's age and condition. You'll decide if you'll donate all or part of the rehoming fee to rescue. Your dog gets shared first with selected adoption applicants or interested parties, and then on our website and social media.

3) Interview potential adopters and place your dog into a new home.

Potential adopters will contact you directly. You screen them to find the best match. We recommend that you meet the whole family, do a home visit, and collect a rehoming fee. We keep your listing posted until the dog gets adopted or you ask us to take it down. There is no fee for this service.

Tips for rehoming a pet - Tips from Petfinder on Giving Up Your Pet and Finding Your Pet a Home. Article from Best Friends Animal Society on rehoming a pet.

Using Adopt-a-Pet.com's Rehome service - an online system that posts your dog on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

Adopt A Pet's Rehome logo

Taking your dog to a shelter - If for any reason you do take your GSP to a shelter, please send a brief e-mail to us letting us know where you took the dog.

If you must take your dog to a shelter, you can give your dog a GREATLY, HUGELY, IMMENSELY, TREMENDOUSLY better chance at being adopted if s/he is spayed/neutered. Why?

  • Many shelters do not place unaltered dogs up for adoption because they just don’t have room.
  • Most shelters don’t have spay/neuter clinics, so in order to alter the dog, they need to pay for the service at a vet. This is often more than the shelter fee to adopt a dog. Since shelters don’t have enough funds to alter all incoming dogs, they choose the ones that will be easiest to place. GSPs are not easy to place.
  • If a shelter does have a spay/neuter clinic, space is at a premium in the adoptable area for shelter dogs being altered before going to their new home, so incoming dogs that are already altered have a higher priority getting a spot in the adoptable area.
  • Shelters with vet staff (but not spay/neuter clinics) do not have the equipment or space to handle dogs over 50 pounds, so adult GSPs left there would not be eligible for spay/neuter which then puts them at a lower priority than the smaller or already altered dogs.

Home Foreclosure and Pets - Read more here for tips if you are facing home foreclosure. Never leave pets behind when you vacate your home.

Rehoming Questionnaire

"*" indicates required fields

If not sure, enter your best guess.
Your Name*
Does your phone accept text messages?*
Your Address*
If from a breeder, include their name and contact info.
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ASAP is not a valid answer. Please give us a specific timeframe, such as 2 - 4 weeks, 1 - 3 months, etc. Keep in mind that the more advance notice you give us, the more help we will be able to provide.
Dog's Gender*
Is the dog spayed/neutered?*
Can you provide vet records?*
If so, list which ones and when they were done.
Is your dog on heartworm preventative?*
Does your dog have a microchip?*
To select multiple on a desktop, hold Command (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) key while making selections. To select multiple on a phone or tablet, just tap each selection.
Is the dog house-trained?*
Is the dog crate-trained?*
Is the dog an escaper?*
Is your dog good with other dogs?*
Is your dog good with cats?*
Is your dog good with children?*
For example, toys, bones, yummy treats
Has your dog ever bitten a person?*
Has your dog ever bitten a dog?*
Drop files here or
Max. file size: 64 MB, Max. files: 3.
    Certification*
    Electronic Signature*
    A photographic, facsimile, carbon copy or electronic version of this authorization may be deemed to be the equivalent of the original and may be used as a duplicate original.

    Please check your email and spam folder for a response from us, usually within 2 business days.

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