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Mama is friendly with all people she meets. She's great with Jaime's two grandkids, 3 & 5-yrs old, and takes treats very gently from hand.

Mama is good with other dogs, but is presently living on the same property as two intact female Queensland Heelers who do not care for Mama's presence one bit.  Jaime is presently keeping his female dogs separate from Mama; his  male Queensland Heeler does just fine w/ her. Mama was perfectly behaved (though clearly nervous) around the dogs she met at GSRSV's rescue ranch. (Click here for a video.)

We don't know how Mama is with cats, so for now we're only considering homes without cats.

We don't know if Mama is housetrained, as Jaime has been keeping her outside exclusively. She walks OK on a leash but Jaime has not had the need to leash her much. She does have very good off-leash recall.

My impression of Mama is that she was kept for breeding purposes primarily and though she doesn't show any signs of abuse, she probably didn't receive a lot of personal attention, either. She craves Jaime's affection, possibly because this is something new to her that she wants to hang on to. She doesn't have much interest in playing with toys--typical of dogs that haven't received much human attention.

Jaime would keep Mama if his female Queensland Heelers were OK with her, but that's not going to happen. Jaime is committed to not bringing Mama to a shelter but does need to find her a permanent home.

Mama has yet to be spayed but will either be spayed prior to adoption or GSRSV will pay to have her spayed just after adoption. Mama has received her vaccinations and tested negative for heartworm.

GSRSV has evaluated Mama and is placing her as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Mama through its adoption program while her caretaker continues to care for her.

Posted 10-14-18

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Athena is very friendly with people, including strangers. She is great with children and was fine with a 5-yr old child hugging her.

Athena is good with medium and large dogs, and is good buddies with the male GSD she lives with. She was great w/ the several GSDs she met at GSRSV's rescue ranch. (Click here for a video of Athena with those dogs.)  However, Athena is NOT good with small dogs; she will go after them like they are rabbits.

Athena is also not good with cats or livestock.

Athena is housetrained, but spends most of her time outside with her male GSD friend. She has received some basic obedience training and responds to basic commands in German. When it's time for walks, Athena does pull strongly at first, but settles down quickly. She is excitable and will jump up on you out of affection if you're not firm with her.

Athena loves to play fetch and is good about bringing the ball back. She also loves water and to swim.

Athena's owners Glenda & Todd purchased her from a private party in Chico about two years ago. Athena has been a valued member of their family, but they have always had to keep her separate from their little dogs. Recently, Athena was able to get to Glenda's Chihuahua and attacked it (fortunately, the wounds weren't bad). Fearing a similar incident, they've sought GSRSV's assistance in rehoming her.

GSRSV has evaluated Athena and is placing her as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Athena through its adoption program while her owners continue to care for her.

Athena is located in Oakdale. Her adoption fee is $210.

Posted 3-13-18

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Blaze is the more outgoing of the two and while Diamond takes a little longer to warm up to new people, she's every bit as sweet as Blaze. Both dogs love children and can be trusted with kids of any age. They both take treats very gently from hand.

Both Blaze & Diamond are easy-going around other dogs. Neither really seeks out other dogs to play with, as they've always had each other and were not socialized with other dogs until recently. Blaze & Diamond are quite bonded, and pretty much stay together all of the time. Blaze will bark at other dogs who approach his territory, Diamond not so much.

We're not sure how either Blaze & Diamond are with little dogs--it might well depend on whether or not they're together when they meet the little dog. Separate, I think they'd both be fine. Together, maybe not so fine.....

Neither Blaze nor Diamond are good with cats.

Both Blaze & Diamond are housetrained, but have never been left inside (either together or separately) when their owner Lily is gone. Lily keeps them outside when she's gone and allows them inside when she's home. The two dogs sleep in her bedroom.

Neither Blaze nor Diamond have received any formal obedience training, but are fairly well-behaved nonetheless. Blaze tends to jump up on people when he first meets them, so he'll need a little work in that area. Diamond walks easy on leash while Blaze tends to pull  a bit.

Neither Blaze nor Diamond have traveled much in a vehicle, so are initially timid of getting in. Once inside, they ride fine and enjoy the ride.

Both Blaze & Diamond like playing with toys--especially  tug-of-war with rope toys. Neither dog has been around a body of water that they could swim in.

Blaze & Diamond's owner Lily has had them since they were six weeks of age. She loves these dogs like they were her own children, but she recently had to move to a house with a much smaller yard and simply does not have the time to spend with Blaze & Diamond that she knows they deserve. Her uncle has convinced her to find a new home for the two dogs, as tough as it for her.

We would initially like to find a home for Blaze and Diamond together. If this does not come to fruition within a month or so (from the date this listing was posted), we'll then consider placing the two dogs separately.

GSRSV has evaluated Blaze & Diamond and is placing them as "Program Dogs." This means that GSRSV is placing Blaze & Diamond  through its adoption program while their owner continues to care for them.

"Buddy" is a 3½-yo neutered male GSD mix who is well-tempered, affectionate and playful. Buddy is friendly with everyone he meets. He loves attention and to receive belly rubs. He likes being around kids and is gentle with young children, as shown in the 2nd picture from top at left.

Buddy is good with other dogs. He presently lives with two male GSDs (Thor & Roscoe) who he gets along with great. Buddy likes to emulate what Thor and Roscoe do. If they get up and go outside he will follow. When he is with them on their routine romps at the creek he will not run off to the water until one of the others does. (Click here for a video.)

Buddy is not good with cats.

Buddy is housetrained and exceptionally well-behaved inside. He has been inside for up to 12 hours with no accidents!

Buddy walks well on leash and has good recall off-leash. He is very good in crowds and around strangers.

Buddy rides well in a car and gets very excited when it comes time for a trip. He enjoys splashing in water, but I never saw him swim when he was at GSRSV's rescue ranch.

GSRSV rescued Buddy from the Stanislaus County Shelter on March 3, 2017.

Buddy's adoption fee is $210. He is presently in a foster home in Elk Grove.

Posted 4-28-18; updated 5-4-18.

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Owner Recently had Heart Bypass Surgery--
Can No Longer Properly Care for His GSD!

"Cooper" is a friendly, easy-going 9-yo (born 10-2-09) neutered male GSD with a great temperament. Cooper is about as chill a GSD as I've ever met--just tail wags and smiles. He didn't even object to me rubbing off the dirt from his belly with a towel before he left--something even some of my own dogs would squirm away from.

Cooper is good with people of all ages, and he especially enjoys playing with children.

Cooper is great with other dogs, as can be seen from the photos of him and the resident GSRSV dogs.  (Click here for a video.) Cooper has always been an only dog, but his owner Thomas clearly socialized him well. Though 9-yrs old, Cooper tried to engage Buddy in play!

Cooper is NOT good with cats.

Cooper is housetrained, but spends most of his time outdoors, including at night. In cold and rainy weather, Thomas brings him inside. It would be nice for Cooper to spend his golden years in the comforts of a house!

Cooper is well trained, but no obedience command star. He walks fine on leash, unless he sees a cat--then he's off to the races.

Cooper is in good health, with one caveat: he is seriously overweight--approx 25-30 lbs overweight in my opinion. (I'm guessing he weighs about 110 lbs.) He walks OK, but just the 30 minutes or so of walking around at GSRSV's rescue ranch wore him out. He is not able to jump into the back of Thomas' Chrysler Pacifica; he can get his front paws up, but then Thomas needs to lift him the rest of the way--no easy feat.

I can't emphasize how important for Cooper's longevity it will be for whoever adopts Cooper to work off his excess weight and build up his stamina. It will take diligence and discipline, as Cooper does like to eat!

Thomas raised Cooper from a little pup. He is only seeking a new home for Cooper because he had heart bypass surgery two weeks ago and does not have the strength now to properly exercise Cooper.

GSRSV has evaluated Cooper and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Cooper through its adoption program while his owner continues to care for him.

Cooper is located in Lincoln. His adoption fee is $160.

Posted 6-15-18

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Grimm loves playing with other dogs, and it would be a shame if her were to go to a home where he didn't get to interact w/ another dog or dogs on a regular basis. Grimm does great at the local dog park, and was in heaven running around with the dogs at GSRSV's rescue ranch. (Click here for video.)

Grimm chases after cats, so he needs a home without cats.

Grimm is housetrained and was previously inside as well as outside, but is presently kept outside exclusively due to severe allergies of one of the house occupants.

Grimm hasn't received much training, so a basic obedience course would be a good first step. Grimm loves going for car rides and is a polite passenger.

Grimm loves water, whether it's biting the water stream from a hose or dunking his head in the water bucket (or the pond at GSRSV's rescue ranch). He likes to chase after balls, but is more into playing keep-away than returning them. 

Grimm's owner Katherine adopted him from the Sac County Shelter about a year ago. Katherine was living with her mother Lisa in North Sacramento but moved to Oregon and couldn't take Grimm with her. Lisa recently had a procedure performed on her back and is unable to handle Grimm on walks or even take him to the dog park. Lisa knows that Grimm is a really good dog and does not want to take him back to the Sac County shelter. So Lisa (with her daughter's approval) sought out GSRSV's assistance in finding a new, active home for Grimm.

GSRSV has evaluated Grimm and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Grimm through its adoption program while his guardian (Lisa) continues to care for him.

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Jackson is great with other dogs but is young and pesters the 12-yo male German Shepherd he lives with. He was as easy-going and sociable with the dogs he met at GSRSV's rescue ranch as any dog I've ever evaluated (click here for video).

Jackson is not good with cats.

Jackson is housetrained and non-destructive inside. His owner Christie has kept him inside when she's gone for a couple hours with no problems, but leaves him outside when she's gone for longer durations.

Jackson walks well on leash but does get very stirred up when he sees other dogs. He rides fine in a vehicle and enjoys traveling. Jackson has not received any formal obedience training but does respond to simple commands such as "sit." He takes treats very gently, and is highly food-motivated. He likes to play fetch.

Jackson is in very good health but sometimes his rear legs splay out when he's getting up on a slippery surface such as a laminate floor. Christie said that he also splays sometimes when he's standing in the passenger section of her pick-up cab and she has to brake hard.

I'm not sure what's causing Jackson's legs to splay out, but I don't believe it's hip dysplasia (loose femur/hip joint). Jackson was able to put his front paws on my chest and hold himself up--something a dog with really bad hips would be unable to do. He was also able to jump into the pick-up truck cab unassisted. Further, Jackson's legs move in a nice linear fashion when he trots, as opposed to a somewhat circular motion for those dogs w/ hip dysplasia. Nonetheless, something with Jackson's leg muscles or bone structure causes his legs to splay out, which of course is not normal. Personally, I doubt that his condition will grow worse over time but I am only speculating.

Jackson was also born with a defective left eye, so is blind in that eye.

I really liked Jackson's temperament, and I think you will, too. He'll make a great dog for a family with or without another dog.

Christie adopted Jackson from the very overcrowded Stanislaus County shelter in Modesto about six months ago. She is now seeking a new home for Jackson because she works long night shifts and Jackson has become restless at night since she moved to her new place, pacing and barking at times--which wakes up her two daughters.

GSRSV has evaluated Jackson and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Jackson  through its adoption program while his owner continues to care for him.

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Koda is a "mixed bag" with other dogs. On the one hand, he was a great playmate with a female Pit Bull for a few years and did OK w/ most of the greeting dogs at GSRSV's rescue ranch most of the time he was there to be evaluated. (Click here for a video of Koda walking harmoniously w/ some of those dogs.) On the other hand, Koda displayed aggression to a few of the GSRSV greeting dogs and is generally reactive towards other dogs when on leash. It's my strong belief that Koda's aggressive behavior was out of protectiveness of his owner Nicole. I was able to call off Koda each time he tried to stir things up w/ one of my dogs, but I don’t think that Nicole or her husband have established clear authority w/ Koda to be able to do this. 

It's clear that Koda lacks socialization towards other dogs, which in turn is mostly due to his owners' hesitancy to take him to dog parks and similar canine social settings. It's my belief that Koda just needs some firm guidance and redirection w/ other dogs, but it will definitely entail some work.  

Koda chases cats and other small animals, so we will only consider a home without cats for him.   

Koda is fully housetrained and never a problem inside the house. He received three months of formal training in a resident training kennel to try to address his nipping issues, on-leash reactions to other dogs and improve his response to commands; the training was somewhat successful, but there was little follow-up. 

Koda pulls somewhat when on leash, so his owners use a choke collar. Koda would probably do much better on leash with an authoritative handler. He likes to go for car rides and is a good passenger.  

Koda loves to chase after balls, but does not always return them to you. He also loves "stuffies."

Koda's owners adopted him from a family that was fostering him for some people who found him abandoned in a campground in Arnold when he was about 1 yr old. While Koda's owners are attached to him, they didn't think he would do well with their expectant baby due to his food and object possessiveness. Nicole brought Koda to her parents' house in Rancho Murietta about 1½ yrs ago, just before she had her baby. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, so now Nicole is seeking a new, permanent home for Koda.

GSRSV has evaluated Koda and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Koda through its adoption program while his caregiver continues to care for him.

Koda is located in Rancho Murietta. His adoption fee is $210.

Posted 2-27-17

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Leise is fine with other dogs. She doesn't really interact much, but is completely non-aggressive. She lives inside with two Labradoodles (one male, one female) and gets along well with both of them. When I evaluated Leise at GSRSV's rescue ranch, she was perfectly comfortable around the rowdy, boisterous dogs--maintaining her calm demeanor the entire time. (Click here for video.)

We haven't observed Leise around cats, but it's quite possible she'll be OK with them. I'll consider a home with cats for Leise.

Leise is housetrained and non-destructive inside. Her caregivers routinely leave her free inside with their two other dogs when they're gone for 3-4 hrs with no problems.

Leise is great on leash--she does not pull and is non-reactive towards other dogs. She is good off-leash as well; her caregiver routinely has her in front of his garage in the morning without her running off. Leise also rides well in a vehicle.

Leise has quite the unusual story. The daughter of Leise's caregiver (Travis) found her in Antelope on July 10. Travis brought her to a vet where she was scanned for a microchip, but none was found. The vet staff recognized the dog; she had been brought in about two weeks prior by another person who had found her running loose! That person left her at the vet hospital for Sac County Animal Control to pick up. Hearing this story, Travis brought Leise to the Sac County shelter hoping that they could match her with her owner. However, without a microchip or ID tag, they were unable to identify the owner. So, Travis held on to Leise in hopes of finding her owner through online notices--which never happened. Thus, Travis sought GSRSV's assistance in finding Leise a permanent home.

Leise has clearly given birth to puppies previously--likely as recent as this year, and probably more than once. My hunch is that Leise was used for breeding and though not abused, didn't receive much attention.

GSRSV has evaluated Leise and is placing her as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Leise through its adoption program while her caregiver continues to care for her.

Posted 7-29-18; updated 10-8-18

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Adoption Pending! (Nov 2)

"Ranger" is a 3-yo, approx 70-lb neutered male GSD who is active, playful and affectionate. Ranger is very friendly with people, both on neutral ground (even on leash) and at home. He is good with children but might not be a good match for kids under 5 as he's a little sensitive about having his ears and neck grabbed. (He does not snap, just whimpers.)

Ranger is great with other dogs and has played with many other dogs of all sizes and genders at his foster home. A home with another large or medium-sized dog for Ranger to play with would be ideal.

Ranger has observed outside cats and has not barked at or chased after them, but he has not come nose-to-nose with a cat since he's been in his foster home. Therefore, at this point, we will only consider a home without cats for Ranger.

Ranger is fully housetrained and non-destructive inside, though his foster caretaker does keep him crated when she's gone for more than an hour. She also keeps Ranger in the crate at night. Ranger has received considerable obedience training with his foster caretaker. He obeys the following commands: sit, down, stay, come, wait when given treats & food and drop when retrieving the ball.

Ranger is great on leash, staying close to his handler's side. He does get excited when he sees other dogs, but in a playful way and does not bark or get out of control. Ranger enjoys car rides and is a polite passenger.

Ranger enjoys playing fetch, hide & seek with his toys around the yard, and also enjoys solving dog puzzles.

Overall, Ranger is a great family dog, and would be great with a family that has an existing, playful dog.

GSRSV rescued Ranger from the Stanislaus County Shelter on June 8, 2018. He's been in a foster home in Manteca since then. Ranger's foster caretaker is an experienced dog handler who has taught Ranger many good skills.

Ranger's adoption fee is $260. He's located in Manteca.

Posted 8-22-18

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Rio is great with other dogs, as he demonstrated at GSRSV's rescue ranch. (Click here for a video.) He's actually on the timid side, so would be fine paired with either a submissive or dominant dog.

Rio has never been around cats, but he's a gentle soul. My gut feeling is that he would be OK w/ a cat, so I will consider a home w/ a cat or cats that have been around big dogs before.

Rio's owners have kept him as an outdoor dog his entire life with them so they can't say with certainty whether or not Rio is housetrained. However, dogs Rio's age generally learn house manners quickly. 

Outdoors, Rio does like to dig , but his past behavior is not a fair assessment because he hasn't been provided with enough exercise and interaction with his owners to keep him from getting bored and into trouble.

Rio received some initial training as a 3-mos old pup at Petco. The training lasted for about 3 months but his owners didn't put in enough time with his follow-up training at home. They found it difficult to control him on walks, to make him not jump on them and other people, and not to scratch the screens outside their house windows. (Clearly he wanted to be inside with them!) So, they gave up on training him at home and on his walks too soon.

Rio pulls rather strongly on leash, so he needs a person who is both strong and willing to work with him on his leash skills. Rio rides fine in a vehicle and enjoys going for rides.

Rio loves to play fetch with tennis balls or Frisbees. He also loves all things water, and took right to the pond at GSRSV's rescue ranch. (Click here for video of Rio fetching a tennis ball in the pond.)

Rio's owners purchased him as a very young puppy (approx 4-5 wks old). Though Rio's male owner Edwin has spent lots of time playing with and walking Rio, his wife and daughter are unable to handle Rio's size and energy. Recently, Rio's owners had their backyard redone and don't spend enough time with him to keep him from ruining the new  landscaping. Therefore, they have decided to put him up for adoption.

GSRSV has evaluated Rio and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Rio through its adoption program while his owners continue to care for him.

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Updated: Available for Adoption Again!

"Snoopy" is a 70-lb, 1-yo neutered male GSD mix who is happy, loveable and a little goofy. I'm not sure what Snoopy is mixed with, but maybe it's Panda Bear--he's awfully mellow for such a young dog! Snoopy is friendly with everyone and I don't expect him to be much of a watchdog--though he's still going to go through some developmental changes. I KNOW that Snoopy will be great with young children; he met two kids (ages & 10) and was literally melting in their arms.

Snoopy gets along fine with other dogs, but he does have a prey drive and doesn't seem to know what little dog is; therefore, I am seeking a home with no small dogs. (I'm confident that once he realized that little dogs are indeed dogs, he'd be fine with them.) Snoopy doesn't like playing rough like most purebred GSDs do but does enjoy canine companionship. He prefers to receive attention from humans more so than from other dogs, but will be fine with most any dog other than one that a really small one or one that wants to dominate him.

I have not seen Snoopy around cats, but since he went after a Chihuahua mix like it was a rabbit, I can't consider a home with cats for him.

Snoopy is housetrained, never had an accident in the house he's in, and so far has been completely non-destructive inside. He responds well to the "sit" and "lie down" commands, so apparently he's received some obedience training in his young life. He's been around other dogs ever since I rescued him, so I'm not sure how he'll do alone. If he ends up with a one-dog family, he'll likely require at least a few days adjusting.

Snoopy walks very well on leash and rides calmly in a vehicle. He apparently enjoys water, as he took to the pond at GSRSV's rescue ranch fairly quickly.

Snoopy gets his name from his long snout and the somewhat comical overbite in his muzzle. I'm not sure if his overbite originates from another canine breed (Collie?) but it does not affect his ability to eat normally.

GSRSV rescued Snoopy from the Stanislaus County Shelter on 6-23-18. He had been at the shelter since May 12; I imagine that he was a staff favorite at the shelter. Nonetheless, his time had run out and he was going to be euthanized so GSRSV appealed for donations to board Snoopy until he could be transferred to a no-kill shelter out of state. Three women came forward with donations to cover his boarding expense. (Thank you Danielle Blount, Diana Cheung and Alicia Navarro!) When I discovered what a sweet dog Snoopy is, I searched for and was able to find a foster home for him so that he wouldn't have to go back to a shelter.

Snoopy is located in Sacramento. His adoption fee is $210.

Posted 7-18-18; updated 8-5-18

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Sparky does great with other dogs and is a regular visitor to the local dog park, where he seeks the dogs who like to play and chase. He was easy-going w/ the dogs he met at GSRSV's rescue ranch right from the start. (Click here for a video of Sparky romping around w/ the other dogs.)

Sparky is NOT good with cats.

Sparky is housetrained but his people keep him outdoors primarily; they let him inside when they're home, but generally not for very long. Sparky sleeps outside for the most part, but his owner admits Sparky would prefer to be inside on his bed if he let him.

Sparky is well-behaved and apparently received basic obedience training in his former home. He responds to the commands "sit, stay, shake, lie down and come."  Sparky loves to go for walks; he does pull somewhat on the leash but he's still learning to walk "nice." Sparky is not overly-reactive towards other dogs he sees on walks.

Sparky loves car rides and jumps right in. He likes to run after a ball, but is not much into bringing it back. Sparky does not appear to have been around swimming holes before, as he was cautious of the pond at GSRSV's rescue ranch--though it appeared like he wanted to go in.

Sparky's people adopted him from the Stanislaus County Shelter in Modesto on March 31, 2018. Though Sparky has been a great dog for his family, they were not allowed to have dogs at their rental property and a neighbor (also a tenant of the same landlord) complained. The landlord has since told them to find another home for Sparky.

GSRSV has evaluated Sparky and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Sparky through its adoption program while his owners continue to care for him. (We're not sure how much time their landlord is going to give them, though.)

Sparky is located in Modesto. His adoption fee is $210.

Posted 6-3-18

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Adoption Pending (Oct 28)!

"Stella" is a gorgeous, 66 lb, 2½-yo spayed female GSD with a wonderful temperament. Stella is friendly with strangers and great with kids. She grew up with two kids who were 4 & 6 yrs old when she was brought home, and loves her owner's 1-yo nephew--she keeps his face clean!

Stella is great with other medium & large dogs--the perfect combination of confidence, submissiveness and playfulness. I've evaluated few dogs who have been so relaxed around the rowdy bunch of dogs at my rescue ranch right from the start. (Click here for a video.) Stella is very reactive towards small dogs when on leash, but it's hard to say if this is out of curiosity ("What are those things?") or prey drive. I'd be willing to oversee Stella's introduction to small dogs if time and distance allowed.

Stella is an unknown with cats, but she does bark at her owner's sister's cat, so we'll only consider a home without cats for Stella.

Stella is housetrained and very trustworthy when left alone inside. In fact, she presently lives in an apartment in which she resides alone for upwards of eight hours each weekday without any problems.

Stella received basic obedience training as a puppy and obeys simple commands. She does tend to jump on people when she first meets them, but that's a behavior that can easily be curbed. Stella wants to lead on leash, even with the use of a prong collar; however, that eagerness would likely be dampened if Stella wasn't cooped up inside for so long. Again, she is very reactive towards small dogs when she is on leash. Stella loves going for car rides and is a polite passenger.

Stella's story is a convoluted one. Her owner Alanna purchased her when she was about 8-9 wks old, mainly to be a companion for her 4-yr old son who was recovering from a serious auto accident. In early 2017 Alanna had to move into an apartment and then injured her knee, preventing her from even walking Stella. So, she rehomed her with a couple in Fairfield. In November 2017, Sac County Animal Control picked up Stella as a stray and since Stella had a microchip registered to Alanna, they contacted her. Alanna was unable to reach the couple who she had previously rehomed Stella with, so she picked up Stella from the shelter.

Since Alanna is a single mom and works long hours, she is unable to provide the appropriate amount of exercise for Stella and feels bad about keeping her in the apartment during the day. Unselfishly, she is seeking a new home for Stella.

GSRSV has evaluated Stella and is placing her as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Stella through its adoption program while her owners continue to care for her.

Stella is located in Vacaville. Her adoption fee is $260.

Posted 8-28-18

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Vader is great with large and medium-size dogs, but not so good with small dogs. He used to be a regular visitor to the dog park, but took to chasing the smaller dogs so his owner quit taking him. Vader lives with a female Husky/Jack Russell Terrier who he gets along well with. Vader did great with the other dogs at GSRSV's rescue ranch, and kept trying to get one dog to chase him. Click here for a video of Vader with the GSRSV dogs.

Vader is not good with cats.

Vader is housetrained and is inside most of the time. His owner keeps Vader and her other dog in her house when she's gone without worry of any mischief.

Vader walks fairly well on leash, but his owner primarily exercises him by running him alongside her bicycle, which he does well. Vader is a strong, energetic dog and loves to run. Vader also loves to splash in kiddie pools and took fairly quickly to the pond at the rescue ranch. Vader also likes to play fetch and is good about returning the ball. 

Vader's owner adopted him from the Sac City Shelter in August 2016. She is seeking a new home for Vader primarily because she works extra-long shifts, leaving precious little time to spend with Vader at home. Also, she has some physical limitations that make handling a dog of Vader's size and strength a challenge.

GSRSV has evaluated Vader and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Vader through its adoption program while his owner continues to care for him.

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OK with Cats!
"Zoe" is a loveable, energetic, 60 lb 5-yo spayed female Terrier/GSD mix with lots of personality. Zoe is friendly with strangers, but is also a good watchdog. (She barks at people who enter the home, but does not approach them aggressively.) Zoe is fine with children, but nervous around toddlers, so no kids under 4 yrs for Zoe.

Zoe is great with other dogs for the most part, but can be somewhat bossy with alpha female dogs, so it's best that Zoe be paired with a male dog. She is presently living with a male Pit Bull mix that she plays with constantly--and plays hard! Zoe is good with small dogs and spent a good amount of time in the same house as a small dog who she let boss her around. Zoe is good at the dog park.

Contrary to Zoe's previous Web profile, she is OK with cats! She was in a foster home with cats for three weeks early 2016 while she was recovering from knee surgery, and her foster caretaker at the time often had Zoe around her cats without a problem. Now, Zoe is back at her regular foster home, where Zoe does fine around the two resident cats when they are inside. Once the cats go outside, it’s a different story: Zoe will corner them and bark at them, though that is the extent of her harassment. Regina, Zoe's foster caretaker, thinks she would do fine with a dog savvy indoor cat. Though Zoe might be somewhat annoying to a cat, she has given us no reason to believe that she'd hurt one.

On the other hand, Zoe does has a very strong prey drive and loves to chase after squirrels, birds, and other outdoor critters. 

Zoe is great in the house and exhibits no separation anxiety when left alone. (She was previously an only dog in an apartment, in which she was left for several hours each day by herself.) She is fine on leash, but does pull hard when she sees a cat or squirrel.

Zoe is a quick learner and obeys numerous commands. She is even trained to relieve herself on command! She has good recall off-leash, unless she's spotted a small critter to chase. 

Zoe loves to play fetch w/ a ball or Frisbee and to play chase in an open field. More than anything, she loves to swim and to snap at the water stream from a hose. (Click here for a video of Zoe swimming in the pond at GSRSV's rescue ranch.) 

GSRSV originally rescued Zoe in April 2012 from a woman who could no longer keep her due to a forced move from her home. Zoe was adopted by a young couple in Nov 2013. The couple had to return Zoe in Nov 2015 due to a death in the family and a subsequent move into the house of one of the parents. 

Zoe is presently in a foster home in East Sacramento. Her adoption fee is $175, which includes a microchip.

Posted 12-7-15; updated 7-11-16

Click for larger image.

"Zorro" is a 4-yr old (born 10-11-14) neutered male Malamute or Siberian Husky/GSD who is very outgoing, friendly and playful. Zorro loves human attention. He does fine with the 8-yr old girl he lives with, who says he's a "great, fun dog." Zorro gets very mouthy and physical when he gets excited, so he might overwhelm younger children. However, it's likely these rough habits of his can be trained to softer behaviors over time. He does have a soft side to him, as he loves cuddles and kisses!

Zorro gets along well with the two large female dogs he lives with and rough houses with one of them constantly. (Click here for a video.) Zorro spent over a year at GSRSV's rescue ranch, and was always good w/ the other dogs there.

We do not know how Zorro is with cats, so will only consider a home without cats for him.

Zorro responds well to basic commands and correction. He is eager to please and lives for praise, so he's highly trainable. However, he does have the some of the stubbornness and lack of focus of Malamutes and Huskies. He is very vocal and barks/howls when excited, concerned, or just feels like talking; this is also typical of the Nordic breeds. 

Zorro is quite playful and athletic, and will do best in a home in which he receives lots of exercise and training reinforcement.

GSRSV took Zorro in on Jan 31, 2016, from a family who adopted Zorro from some friends of theirs but couldn't keep him due to his mouthiness. (Zorro was still quite the puppy at that time.)

Zorro is in a foster home in Oakdale. His adoption fee is $210.

Posted 4-28-18; updated 10-6-18

Adopted 9-25-18!

"Poe" is a 2½-yo (born 3-22-16), 80-lb neutered male GSD who is loving, playful and protective. Poe is friendly with people on neutral ground and when properly introduced at home--for the most part. He is great with his family's 3-yo daughter and 9-yo son. Click here for a video of Poe responding to 3-yo Laken's commands!

Poe wants to play with other dogs, but his approach ("Here I come!") and typical GSD rough style of play can make some dogs defensive, leading to squabbles. He is good with a small (under 20 lb) female dog who he has play-dates with every so often.

I met Poe at GSRSV's rescue ranch, and for the most part he did great with the other dogs there. Occasionally he would growl when he was standing next to his owner Britne and another dog approached her, but he was very quick to respond to a verbal rebuke. Poe interacted with the other dogs for about an hour with no squabbles and the longer he was there, the more relaxed he became. Click here for a video of Poe romping and splashing with the other dogs.

Poe will need continued socialization with other dogs to learn a more proper introduction and to tune his style of play to that of the other dogs. This will require an experienced GSD owner (no first-timers for Poe) who knows how to keep an overly-exuberant 80-lb dog in check.

Poe is housetrained and is inside with his family when they are home. When they are gone, he generally stays outside--(he has access to the garage via a dog door). He is fine when left inside on his own, though.

Poe walks easily on leash when he is wearing a harness. However, he is very reactive towards other dogs--he will bark and carry on out of his desire to meet the other dog. Clearly, Poe will need additional training if he is to overcome his on-leash reactiveness.

Poe loves to go for car rides and is an excellent, calm passenger. He loves to chase after tennis balls and will occasionally bring them back (he prefers to chew them up)! Poe also loves to swim (see the video above).

Poe does exhibit some OCD behaviors that are not uncommon in GSDs: he loves searching for and chasing reflections and shadows (e.g., of birds flying overhead) and he is constantly on patrol in the backyard, forming paths along the fenceline.

As mentioned, Poe is protective of his people--sometimes a little too protective. Recently, Poe's owners' had their 16-yo nephew and some friends over and they were all gathered around Poe. For some reason, Poe bit the hand of one of the nephew's friends when he reached out to pet him. The bite barely broke the skin, but it shook the foundation of trust that his owners have in Poe. Previously, Poe had snapped at a friend of Britne's (without making contact), so the incident with the boy raised concerns about possible future incidents. Though Poe is an integral member of their family, Poe's owners have decided it would be best if they find him a more appropriate home.  

My read on Poe is that he's not aggressive at all but rather a little headstrong. I believe that he simply needs a stronger correction response from his owners to show him "who's boss" and to convey to him that they do not need him to protect them from their own friends!

GSRSV has evaluated Poe and is placing him as a "Program Dog." This means that GSRSV is placing Poe through its adoption program while his owners continue to care for him.