How You Can Help - Adoption

Like many rescues and shelters across the country, we are experiencing the busiest time in our nearly 50-year history. The pandemic, financial squeeze and a host of other factors have combined in a perfect storm. We are always appreciative of the generous support we receive and are often asked in what ways people can help. We do have a page that lists most of the options available, although it is a large and not very user-friendly page so we're starting a new regular feature to call out the individual opportunities and so make people aware of what they can hopefully engage in.

We're starting with the biggest and most important of all the ways to help and that's adopting our dogs.  Not only does this support our primary focus, but in these tight times, it helps free up resources and make the difference if we can rescue another dog or not. Many of our rescues require specific conditions for the dogs and we know that not everyone's circumstances allow them to adopt - much as they'd love to. Here everyone can help by sharing our posts about these dogs as far and wide as you can - the further we can reach the more likely we'll find a new home for another dog.

Below we have a short piece in text and image form to make it nice and easy to share on any platform.

ADOPTING

The ultimate goal for any of the dogs we rescue is to set them up in a new, loving home and so enable them to live the life they deserve and not the one they’ve suffered. We have an established process to ensure the best possible match between the dog and their new family. 

If the dog has complex medical needs then we can help with advice and financial support. If the dog has certain behaviours then appropriate restrictions will be required for the safety and comfort of you and the dog.

Taking in a dog and aiding them in rehabilitating into a new life is incredibly rewarding. If you’re interested in sharing this journey then you can learn more about the adoption process here:

www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

Discover dogs looking for homes on our website:

www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/

And on our Facebook group:

www.facebook.com/groups/gsdwfadoptions

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 66 - Meet Resident Bella

For Day 66 of our 100 Days with 100 Dogs series, we meet one of our resident dogs. Unfortunately, not all of the dogs we rescue are suitable for rehoming. This can be for various reasons such as complicated health issues, or trauma that is too deep-rooted to fully work out. In a few cases, they have police orders, so if anything such as a bite incident would be put down. 

We don't take a decision like this likely and only if it's best for the dog. And from our inception, we wouldn't put a dog down just because they couldn't be rehomed. They deserve a chance at a life they can enjoy like any other. Sadly we're finding that more of our recent rescues have issues beyond the usual rehabilitation and so require more work to prepare for adoption if they ever become suitable at all.

Meet Resident Bella

This little darling is Bella and she has been with us since she was 7 months old.. Bella's original owner wanted a guard dog so spent time winding Bella up. Bella didn't have the right temperament for this and became so traumatised that she started to react to the wife and the children. 

Bella was now terrified but the family decided she had to go. They called a 'behaviourist' (we use this term lightly in this case) and he collected her and he put her in a stable. He spent hours trying to encourage her out of the corner. The next day for reasons best known to himself, he let her out in the menage. At this point, he couldn't catch her, and she'd tried to bite him. He then contacted an acquaintance of Rose to see if they knew anyone who could help or he'd have to have her shot.

Rose received the call and agreed to take Bella in. He pointed out that she would not have any more luck catching her than he was having She told them to contact her old owners and have them catch her and bring her to her. He did and it worked she arrived wearing two muzzles and petrified. Her owner put her in the kennel and took the muzzles off, and Rose then didn't see Bella for the next week. 

She ate her food overnight, and never entered the run if Rose was near. She proved the most difficult case Rose has dealt with. After continuing to toss treats and ignore her, some weeks later Rose managed to get her out in the bigger run, still not touching just using treats to get her in and out of the run. It took months for Bella to gain confidence. As she did so it became apparent that she wouldn't tolerate strangers. With this in mind, she will stay in our care.

Of the 115+ dogs currently in our care, 30 of them or residents. Committing to their life long care requires long term resources. To help with this we have an annual sponsorship programme to help pay for what they need. You can sponsor a dog for only £20 per year here:

http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/product/sponsor-a-dog/

2023 Calendars Now Available

We are very pleased to announce that the 2023 GSD Welfare Fund calendar is now available from our online store. They're A3 size and full of spectacular photos from supporters submitted in the Calendar Competition. Picking the final choices proved tricky as there were so many great pictures to choose from! We also made sure that some of our more famous residents made an appearance.

Order yours now here: https://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/product/2023-calendar/

Winners who had their dogs included have been contacted already and their copies sent out if we have your address. We've emailed the two that we didn't have addresses for so if you entered please check your email in case you're a winner.

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 65 - Luna C's Birthday

After yesterday's unexpected and unwelcome surprise today has delivered a more positive mood...

Luna C's Birthday

Luna is a gorgeous young dog who is 1 today and she's almost ready to start looking for her new home. She came to us about 2 months ago, severely underweight and with patches of fur missing. She has since put on several kgs and her fur has returned nicely.

She is a lovely dog who enjoys human interaction but needs to learn a few more social skills when it comes to other dogs. Lisa our Behaviourist is working with her three times a week to help her learn to be less reactive around other dogs. She is a beautiful dog, both in temperament and looks.

She can be a bit excitable and for this reason we would suggest a home with no children under 10 years of age and as an only dog.

If you'd like to give Luna C (the name still cracks me up 😇 )  the ultimate present with a home and a future then please contact us via the form on this page:

http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

Signed copy of Beneath the Boards by David Haynes

Here's another generous donation from one of my favourite British contemporary horror authors. This is also one of his finest books and a worthy addition to anyone's scary story collection.

One day I hope he'll receive the plaudits he deserves and when that happens it might even become a valuable part of the collection :-)

Beneath Jim Stokes’s shirt is a scar, one last horrific reminder of his old job in the police force.

Beneath the everyday normality of the village Stormark is a shameful secret, haunting people’s dreams.

Beneath the floorboards of the lake house is a hatch, sealed and forgotten for years until Stokes opens it up.

Beneath them all is blackness, and unheard screams, and scratching sounds in the night…

…and her whispers.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364030053495

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 64 - Tigger Crosses the Rainbow Bridge

Day 64 of our 100 Days with 100 Dogs has proved to be an unhappy one. It is with much sadness to reveal that Tigger crossed the rainbow bridge and gained his angel wings today. 

Tigger came to us at just 8 months old. He had grabbed the child next door so his owners were now worried. They stated that this was new behaviour. Even so, they hadn't explained to us the full extent of his reactivity. It was worrying to see one so young behaving this way. 

However, he had been treated with Nexgard flea treatment which is known to cause neurological damage.  With careful handling, Tigger did make improvements and we were hopeful for his future. 

We lost that hope today when he suffered a seizure that he didn't recover from and the vets advised us to give him peace in sleep. Tigger lived for just 11 months and died as another preventable victim of Nexgard. 

Fly high Tigger and may you find peace in eternal sleep.

If you are unaware of the dangers of Nexgard then you can learn more in this article:

https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/04/health-topics-nexguard-and-bravecto.html

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 63 - Meet Leo

All too often the dogs we rescue are suffering mentally as well as physically from the trauma they've experienced. It's amazing (and not in a good way) that there are some people who don't appreciate that. The fact that some still use outdated fear based techniques and barbaric devices like prong collars (How are they still legal?) is saddening when you consider the advances in understanding dog psychology and behaviour.

Today we meet Leo, looking for a calm home to live in.

Meet Leo

Leo is a male German Shepherd and he's approximately 3 years old. He is quite a nervous boy but has come on in leaps and bounds since being in our care. 

Even with his progress so far Leo would suit a quiet home where he can be given time to settle. Any potential adopter would need to do several visits to gain his trust. 

He is not neutered and he's currently located in Mildenhall, Suffolk.

If you can offer Leo the home he needs then please contact us via the adoption query form:

http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

As always, please Follow, Like and Share this post far and wide and find Leo his new parent(s) - your support is much appreciated!