Dogs Available for Adoption from GSRSV

The following dogs are available for adoption through GSRSV. Some are at the rescue ranch, some are in foster homes and some are with their owners or caretakers working with GSRSV. For further information about these dogs, please call Brian Foran at 916-655-3125 or e-mail him at bab43@msn.com. (Note: dogs that were recently adopted will be moved to the very bottom of this page and will have an "Adopted" banner above their profiles.) For information about the adoption process and fees, please see How to Adopt a Dog from GSRSV/Adoption Fees.

This picture appears next to dogs who have proven themselves to be cat-friendly.

This page was last modified January 14, 2025.

Because I am in the (long) process of moving to Central Oregon, I am rescuing very few dogs these days--thus the lack of adoptable dogs on this page.

Please check out the two other pages on this Website that list adoptable dogs from other rescue groups, shelters, caretakers and owners:
Dogs Available for Adoption from Other Area Rescue Groups and Individuals

Dogs Available for Adoption through Owner Placement

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				FOSTER 
				HOME SOUGHT FOR 3-YO SOON-TO-BE-SPAYED FEMALE GSD RECOVERING 
				FROM A FRACTURED LEG. NEEDS APPROX 6 WKS OF LOW-ACTIVITY AND 
				OCCASIONAL SOFT-CAST CHANGES.

				"Gretchen" 
				is a beautiful, petite (approx 50 lb) 3-yo female GSD at a 
				shelter in the Bay Area who is in need of a foster home to 
				recuperate from a fractured front leg. Gretchen was brought to 
				the shelter about a month ago after being hit by a car. She is a 
				young, energetic dog and being confined at the a noisy shelter
				
				
				
				
				has been 
				stressful for her. 

				
				Gretchen was listed as "rescue only", and no rescue group had 
				come forward to pull her. So, Gretchen was likely going to be 
				euthanized due to the shelter being over-capacity.

				GSRSV 
				has agreed to rescue Gretchen, and the shelter has agreed to 
				have her spayed. I need a foster home for Gretchen in which she 
				can relax and allow her fractured leg to heal. Staying at 
				GSRSV's rescue ranch will likely be even more stressful for 
				Gretchen than the shelter, as she will see dogs running around 
				and won't be able to join in the fun.

				GSRSV 
				will be covering all medical expenses for Gretchen (and food 
				expenses if requested), but the foster caretaker(s) will need to 
				bring Gretchen into a vet (TBD) every week or so to have her 
				soft cast changed. 

If you 
				would like to help Gretchen and GSRSV, please contact Brian ASAP 
				at 530-415-3801 (cell) or bab43@msn.com.
				Posted 
				1-12-25

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"Hazelnut" is a beautiful, approx 65-lb, 4-yo spayed female GSD who is super affectionate, energetic, loyal and full of personality. Hazelnut LOVES to cuddle, and will bury her head in your chest on the bed given a chance. She is definitely partial to women, though she does not have a fear of men. She loves to be petted, but is very sensitive about being touched near her behind or on her groin; she will not bite, but will quickly move away if she's feeling uncomfortable. Hazelnut is healthy, up-to-date on core vaccinations and microchipped.

Hazelnut is friendly with strangers once she's been properly introduced. She will initially bark at strangers and will certainly be a protective dog requiring experienced handling once she is in a home she calls her own. (She is presently at GSRSV's rescue ranch, sharing a home with several other dogs, where she's not so protective.)

I have not had Hazelnut around children since I rescued her in September 2023, but I am confident she'll be OK with older kids. She does like to mouth hands in play, which would likely be too much for younger kids.

Hazelnut is an enigma when it comes to other dogs. Overall, she gets along fine with the other dogs at GSRSV's rescue ranch. She is especially good when up on the bed, showing no jealous behavior when other dogs try to squeeze between her and me. She also plays very well with certain dogs. However, she has a troublesome habit of play-fighting with other dogs in a very challenging manner in which she circles the other dog with her hackles up, barking and lunging (but not biting). Hazelnut thinks this is great fun, but most of the other dogs don't share her amusement and will eventually lash out at her. At this time, Hazelnut does not fight but rather yelps out as if she's been attacked, retreats, and then moves in for more!

I have waited nearly a year to list Hazelnut for adoption in hopes that her annoying playing style would mellow out, but it hasn't. When I command Hazelnut to disengage from her "faux attacks", she obeys me but then will usually go right back to it. At this point, I either ignore her or, depending on the intensity of her play, put her in a crate. She readily obeys my "crate" command and behaves very well in the crate.

I believe that Hazelnut could overcome her annoying style of play in the hands of an experienced GSD person willing to put in the time. However, I don't think that Hazelnut will ever be dog park material and I'm pretty sure that she will be reactive towards other dogs when on a leash--at least without any training. With this said, I think that Hazelnut would make a great companion for a large, active, confident male dog.

I have not observed Hazelnut around cats and will NOT consider her for a home with cats.

Hazelnut is completely housetrained and never had an accident in my house (with dog door access to outside). She is super-mellow inside and likes to lay next to me on my bed and even follows me into the bathroom. I imagine that she'll be what is referred to as a "Velcro" dog once in a regular home.

Hazelnut walks well on a leash, but will likely need time to refresh her leash-walking skills, as I hardly ever have her on a leach here at the ranch. Again, I fully expect that Hazelnut will be reactive towards other dogs she sees on walks and so will likely need work on this behavior. Hazelnut loves to go for car rides and is a polite passenger

Hazelnut loves to swim and to bite the water stream from a hose (click here to see video--Hazelnut is wearing the pink collar). She also likes to play with stuffy toys, play keep-away, and play tug-of-war.

Hazelnut was brought to the Tracy city animal shelter on 6-18-22 as a stray. She immediately showed a great deal of fear towards strangers and was very reactive towards other dogs. Soon, though, she became very friendly with several of the shelter staff and animal control officers--all women. However, when prospective adopters or rescuers came to see her, she would charge the front of the kennel or retreat with fearful barks and growls.

After over a year at the shelter, Hazelnut's time was just about up--even though she had made many friends with shelter staff and ACOs. The shelter contacted GSRSV to see if I'd be willing to meet and possibly rescue Hazel. I like these kinds of challenges, so on 9-10-23 I gave it a shot. It took me about 45 minutes with lots of treats and coaxing with toys, but I finally gained her trust and walked out of the play area with Hazelnut on a leash.

Hazelnut is located in Pleasant Grove. Her adoption fee is $250.

Posted 8-26-24

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Buster Boy--now neutered!

Ready for the cutest dog in the world? "Buster" is an 80-lb (and growing), 1-yr old (born 4-29-23) neutered male GSD mix who is playful, super-affectionate and well-mannered for such a young dog.

Buster is wonderful with everyone he meets, though he can be a little rambunctious with enthusiasm when he first greets some people.

Buster is great with young children. He was raised with five kids, ages 3-7 yrs. His youthful exuberance might pose a little hazard for really young kids, but I'm confident that Buster would quickly tone down his energy for toddlers.

Buster is fantastic with other dogs. He loves to play (click here for video) and has displayed zero aggression towards any of the other dogs at GSRSV's rescue ranch. I will give strong preference to prospective adopters of Buster who have a large, young, playful dog for him to play with!

I don't know how Buster is with cats, but I imagine he'd be OK w/ a very dog-savvy cat. However, I will only consider giving him a try in a home w/ a cat if there is a already a dog present that he can play with and expend his energy on.

Buster is housetrained and has not had a single "accident" inside at GSRSV's rescue ranch, where he has access to a dog door. He has chewed on a phone power cord and has done a little counter-surfing, but otherwise is very well-behaved inside. He has received very little training but is a very fast learner; he learned to sit for treats in just a few minutes. He definitely needs leash-training.

Buster LOVES to go for car rides and is a very calm passenger. This dog is ready-made for adventures!

Buster loves to swim in the pond at GSRSV's rescue ranch.

Buster was adopted as a young pup by a family in Vacaville. They recently moved into a rental house in which they were not allowed to keep large dogs. His person (Paige) then resorted to keeping Buster in her car for awhile, letting him out several times throughout the day. Paige's husband contacted GSRSV back in December letting us know of Buster's plight and so we took him in in late December.

Buster is located in Pleasant Grove, CA. His adoption fee is $300.

Posted 1-18-24; updated 1-22-24; updated 3-18-24; updated 5-9-24.

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"Milo" is an approx 70-lb, 2-yo neutered male GSD mix who is very affectionate, playful and submissive.

Milo is friendly with everyone he meets, both inside the house and beyond. He loves to be held and petted. At times, he seems overly-needy of affection, but then he does have to compete for affection with several other dogs at the GSRSV rescue ranch.

I have not observed Milo with children but I think he'll be great with kids.

Milo is great with other dogs. He's very playful with dogs who are somewhat submissive like he is. He gets scared of those dogs who play really rough.

Milo's only drawback w/ other dogs is that sometimes he gets possessive around food. This behavior has subsided considerably since I took Milo in, and I can now feed him biscuits with dogs right next to him without him showing any aggression at all. However, if he has a "special treat", like a bone, he will become possessive over it.

I have not had Milo around cats but I imagine he'd do OK w/ them. I will consider a home for Milo w/ a dog-savvy cat or two, but only if there is already a dog in the home.

Milo is completely housetrained and has never had an accident in the house since I rescued him. He is crate-trained as well.

Milo appears to walk well on a leash, though I haven't had him on leash much at all. He seems to know some basic commands.

Milo is a dog who would love to have somebody around most of the time to give him love and attention. He really craves affection.

GSRSV rescued Milo from the Stanislaus County Shelter in Modesto on 6-1-23. He had been found as a stray on 4-4-23.

Milo is located in Pleasant Grove, CA. His adoption fee is $300.

Posted 10-8-23

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"Leo" is a large (approx 85 lbs), 4-yo neutered male GSD/Belgian Malinois/??? mix who is friendly, protective and very active. Leo came to me overweight but has lost about 20 lbs and now looks great! [NOTE: the pictures of Leo here were taken back in June, when he was over 100 lbs.] He is microchipped and is up to date on core vaccinations.

Leo was OK meeting people in his previous home as long as he was properly introduced; otherwise, he sometimes acted aggressively. He is a very good watchdog. Outside of his previous house, Leo was fine with strangers. Here at GSRSV's rescue ranch (where he's been since June of this year), Leo is great with visitors!

Leo has been around young children and has done well with them. However, he is a very large dog and sometimes does not realize his own size so he might knock over a youngster in his exuberance.

Leo is fine with other dogs, including small dogs. However, in his previous home he was very reactive towards other dogs that he saw when on walks. Now that Leo has had considerable canine socialization at GSRSV's rescue ranch, my hunch is that he won't be nearly as reactive on leash when he sees other dogs. However, Leo is a large, strong dog, so if he still does display reactive behavior towarfs other dogs he will need a strong person—both physically and otherwise—to control him and teach him not to be reactive.

Leo might also be OK w/ cats. He has been around a cat and was just curious of it. However, it’s not a certainty that he’ll be good with cats so caution will need to be exercised in introducing him to a cat.

Leo is housetrained and non-destructive inside. His former guardian left him inside when she was gone, though she did have a neighbor let him out to relieve himself when she planned to be gone for more than four hours. Leo presently sleeps on my bed, but slept on a dog bed inside in his previous home.

Leo is OK on leash except, as previously mentioned, when he saw other dogs. He has fairly good off-leash recall.

Leo loves car rides and is a polite passenger.

Leo LOVES to play ball. He is a fetchin' fool, and an extremely skilled one at that! He would do well in an active home where he gets lots of play time and exercise. Leo is not fond of water.

Amparo—Leo’s former person—and her husband adopted Leo from a rescue organization in 2020. Amparo’s husband was Leo’s primary handler. Since then, Leo has grown considerably and sadly Amparo’s husband died of cancer. On top of that, Amparo broke one of her arms earlier this year and so was unable to even walk Leo. GSRSV took Leo in to its rescue facility in June.

Leo is located in Pleasant Grove. His adoption fee is $250.

Posted 6-24-23; updated 12-10-23

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Adopted 1-12-25!

"Keith" is an approx 80-lb, 1¾-yo (born 3-16-23) neutered male GSD who is sweet, playful and protective. Keith is healthy, up-to-date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

Keith is friendly with strangers when properly introduced, but is also protective of his home and people. If a person were to come into his house or yard unannounced, it’s likely he would charge the person and possibly bite. When out on walks, Keith is fine with meeting strangers, so clearly Keith’s behavior at home is protective and not simply aggressive.

Keith was great w/ the two young children (ages 8 & 10 yrs old) he lived with up until late November 2024. However, Keith is also somewhat excitable and mouthy when there is lots of action and noise. So, it would be best if Keith were placed in a home that does not have children under 13 yrs of age.

Keith is good with other dogs and is on the submissive side. He presently lives with several other dogs at GSRSV’s Rescue Ranch and gets along fine with all of them. (Click here for a video of Keith romping with some of the other dogs.) He generally keeps to himself but I have seen him try to initiate play with a couple of the other GSDs. He formerly lived with a male Golden Retriever who he also got along well with. (See bottom photo on left.)

Keith has not interacted with cats, but he did encounter a cat at the vet’s office and was unperturbed by it. My hunch is that Keith would do fine w/ a dog-savvy cat.

Keith is fully housetrained and his previous people kept him inside with no problems when they were gone for several hours. He slept in the hallway in their house. He has not had a single indoor accident nor chewed a single inappropriate item at GSRSV’s Rescue Ranch.

Keith previously received four weeks of obedience training and is very well-behaved. He walks great on leash and is non-reactive towards other dogs. He also has fairly good recall off-leash.

Keith loves to go on car rides and is a polite passenger. He waits calmly in the car when left alone for short periods. Keith loves water; he likes to splash in shallow water and to bite the water stream from a hose.

Keith’s people purchased him from a breeder when he was about 10 wks old. Keith was his male person’s (John’s) third GSD. John invested a lot of time training Keith and Keith was a much-loved member of his family. However, on Nov 11 Keith bit an Instacart driver who came into their yard when Keith was outside unattended. The next day he nipped one of their daughters when she was loudly running around with some of her friends. [Note from GSRSV: several years ago, my own GSD--who was incredible with children--did this same thing to my best friend’s oldest son when he was playing tag with some friends. This is absolutely NOT a reflection of aggression towards children, but rather an inappropriate play response.]

Due to the open nature of John’s home with young children and concern that Keith might nip one of their daughter’s friends, John chose to surrender Keith to a rescue. GSRSV took Keith in on Nov 23.

Keith’s adoption fee is $300.

Posted 12-12-24

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Adopted 1-4-25!

"Ember" is a stunning, approx 70-lb, 3-yo spayed female GSD mix who is sweet, gentle and affectionate. She is healthy, fully vaccinated and microchipped.

Ember is friendly with everyone she meets, whether inside the house or out on walks. She really enjoys affection and will soak it up whenever it is offered. She recently met two young children and was very sweet and gentle with them.

Ember has done well with both male and female dogs. She presently lives with an adult male GSD and a very young male Great Pyrenees mix and does great with both, especially the puppy. Click here for a video of Ember playing w/ the pup.

Ember can be nervous initially when meeting other dogs, but she warms up fairly quickly. She enjoys being around the two dogs in her foster home and will lick their faces occasionally. She has also started to show some interest in playing with them.

Ember has NOT been around cats since we rescued her in late November, so we are seeking a home without cats for her.

Ember is fully housetrained and has not had a single “accident” inside since we rescued her. Her foster caretakers keep her in a large wire crate when they are gone, and also keep her in the crate at night. Ember does fine in the crate.

Ember is well-behaved in general and has a moderate energy level. She is food-motivated and responsive to training. Ember walks well on the leash and has quickly learned to stay by her handler's side. She is non-reactive when passing other dogs and will continue calmly walking on the leash.

Ember does well getting into the car and sits in the backseat. She experienced car-sickness on her transport from Salinas to Orangevale, but her foster caretakers have been taking her on short car rides to get her more accustomed to riding in a vehicle and her motion sickness has diminished.

Ember has not played with toys much since her rescue, but she will sometimes chew on a Nylabone.

Ember was found as a stray and brought to the “Hitchcock Rd” animal shelter in Salinas, CA, on November 20. Though her owner was contacted, they were unable to take her back. GSRSV rescued Ember on Nov 28 and she has been in a foster home since Nov 30.

Ember is located in Orangevale Her adoption fee is $300.

Posted 12-28-24