The dogs we have for adoption have already had their lives turned upside down at least once. To help us make sure that their next home will be their FOREVER home, we have high standards and expectations of our adoptive families. Please be patient with our efforts to ensure these dogs are going to excellent homes. We cannot guarantee that a specific dog will still be available once your application is approved. We do not hold dogs.
Learn about the breed to find out if the German Shepherd Dog is the right dog for you.
Can you commit to sharing your life with the dog for its lifetime? Please consider your future and how the dog fits in it. What happens if you and your partner part ways? If you move, will the dog go with you, no excuses? What about children? If you plan to have children, get a kid-safe dog even if you don't have children currently. Other dogs in your future? If you plan to get another dog, pick one that gets along with other dogs!
Do you have time to provide the appropriate amount of physical and mental stimulation? Do you have time in your life for walks, training, playing with, and caring for the dog? What happens if your work or other time commitments change?
Significant daily activity with the family. Are you prepared to have the dog be a part of the family EVERY day, not just on weekends?
Social Interaction inside and outside of the home.
Fair, Calm, and Confident Leadership. Are you ready to be a good leader? If you aren't sure what all it takes or how, are you willing to attend training sessions with your dog? (Note: With some dogs, we may require it as part of the adoption contract.)
Financial Means to provide adequate health care, including routine and emergency veterinary care.
(The application link at bottom of page...please read this info first!)
Your application will help us determine which, if any, of our German Shepherd Dogs is the right dog for you. Be sure to be as detailed as possible in your answers. After we receive your application, you will be notified via email that it has been received. The number of applications we are currently processing will determine the time frame within which you will hear from us. Under normal circumstances, it will be within 24 hours.
Renters, as well as owners of shared roof residences such as a duplex or condominium or townhouse, must acquire an addendum to our application. If you rent or lease your home or apartment, or if you live in any style of multi-family housing, this applies to you! Please read the requirements here.
PLEASE do not apply if the below can not be verified by your Veterinarian.
Your application will be denied if any of the below requirements are not met.
Your vet VERIFIES that ALL dogs have been consistently on Heartworm Preventative the entire time they have been in your care (unless there is a verifiable medical reason for ceasing heartworm preventative).
Your vet VERIFIES ALL pets are altered (unless there is a medical or other acceptable reason for ownership of a non-altered pet).
Your vet VERIFIES ALL PETS have a history of being kept current on all recommended immunizations, vaccinations, medications, and health checks/screenings. If you have worked out a "pet-specific" immunization/vaccination/medication schedule with your veterinarian that may be somewhat different from AVMA or TVMA recommendations, TELL us about it, and we'll be happy to consider it as we review your application.
LIST THE VETS THAT HAVE THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION ON YOUR APPLICATION. If you have additional information to share regarding the health of your pet(s), please note it in the "comments" section of your application.
You MUST call the vet you listed on your application upon submitting your application and give them your permission to release your information to us. We try our best to call them the day or next of receiving your application!
Upon approval of the vet reference check, we may contact one or both of your personal references. It's important that you provide us with references that know you well. If you have pets, PLEASE make sure you choose references who know you, your pets, AND how you care for those pets. We do not accept family members as references.
Upon approval of the vet reference check, you will be contacted and a home visit will be arranged.
Due to size and breed restrictions, if you live in an apartment, we do require that you receive written permission from the management company. Written permission must be on the management letterhead and received by AGSDR prior to us approving your application.
No adoptions will be approved without a home visit.
We do out of state adoptions only as our volunteer time allows. In addition, we may be unable to place a dog in your home due to our inability to perform a home visit if you live outside of the Central Texas Area.
Upon completion of your vet reference check and home visit inspection, an adoption coordinator will contact you. If we have further questions or concerns, those can be discussed at that time. If the vet reference check and home visit prompt no further questions and the adoption coordinator is confident that you would provide an excellent home for one of our dogs, you will be sent an approval notice. At that point, you may start visiting with dogs.
Due to AGSDR being a 100% volunteer organization, please allow one to three weeks to process, review, and approve your application. In MOST cases you are approved or denied within 5-10 days.
Once you are approved to adopt, the adoptions coordinator will be happy to discuss the dogs you are interested in visiting, and may have suggestions for dogs who might thrive best in your particular home environment. You may request to meet as many dogs as you like.
When you decide which dog you would like to meet, your adoption coordinator will discuss your family situation with the foster of that dog. If there is some reason that the foster home feels your family and this dog are not a good match, the adoption coordinator or the foster home will discuss why with you. This can be because of other pets in the house; how the dog gets along with particular people such as children, men, or women; or other factors. These circumstances not the usual case up front, and you will most likely be able to meet whatever dogs you have selected to meet as long as they are still available.
You can meet an individual dogs as many times as you like, as long as the foster home feels comfortable that you are a good potential match for a dog. Depending on circumstances, you may have additional meetings to have your current pets meet the dog on neutral turf or in your home. These options are available at the discretion of the foster home, and you will generally meet the dog at it's foster home.
Each of our dogs live with a foster family where they are treated as an important part of the family. They are given love, attention, boundaries, and, in most cases, a home and life better than they've ever known. Most of these dogs have been abandoned and neglected, and we do everything within our power to make sure the home they go to is truly a "forever home" where they will be not only be loved, but well cared for physically and emotionally.
Each of our foster families take their responsibility to their foster dog very seriously and will always consider the needs of the dog above those of the potential adopter. We work tirelessly to set the dog up for SUCCESS in their new home, and this is why we rely on the knowledge and insight the foster family has for their foster dog. We believe a dog's foster family knows that dog's temperament and personality best. They will be your greatest asset (and ours) in helping to determine if their foster dog will be a good match for your family.
The foster's assessment of the dog/adopter interaction and interview with the potential adopter will be taken into serious consideration in any determination of approving a specific adoption. The AGSDR Board of Directors has final approval of all adoptions.
Also, depending on the dog you adopt and the foster's input, you may be required to attend an introduction training session, at your expense, usually with one of our recommended trainers. Other requirements such as obedience lessons may also be required.
Once an adoption is approved, the adopter and an AGSDR representative (usually the foster home or adoption coordinator) will complete and sign the Adoption Agreement and Release.
The MINIMUM adoption donation is $250. If the particular dog being adopted costs us more than that to rescue or rehabilitate, we ask that adopters who are financially able pay the $250 minimum PLUS whatever portion they can afford of the entire documented cost we incurred to rescue their dog.
Adopters should expect that their new GSD will need some time to adjust to its new family, home, and surroundings. See below on "Adjustment Period."
We are committed to our dogs and their new family. Should the adoption not work out, we require, by contract, that the dog be returned to AGSDR. BUT- we have the expectation that anyone that adopts one of our GSD's is willing to work through the usual training issues that may arise from being in a different home and under new "leadership," as well as the normal transitions that are expected when a dog goes in to a new home. We are always here to assist and support you through the transition. To us they are family and our help and support is always available to you for the life of the dog.
You may contact your dog's foster caretaker, your adoption coordinator, or email jazz@austingermanshepherdrescue.org with any questions or concerns.
There will be an adjustment period when you first bring your dog home. You will receive more information about this in a packet we provide our approved applicants. Adjustment varies from dog to dog, and depends on the situation they may have come from and how long they have been in their foster home. There are too many variables to put on one general page, but once you are approved and begin visiting the dogs, please discuss how long it took the dog to adjust in the foster home. This will give you a good indication of how long it will take them to adjust in your home.
The adjustment period can range from hours, days, weeks, or up to a few months. In most cases, these dogs have been abandoned, ignored by their previous owners, or turned in to a shelter, having little interaction with someone who cares about them. Others, we are amazed that no one came to look for them in the shelter! Most are extremely receptive to attention, but new situations are stressful, and this is why we suggest you always take it easy the first week...always allow the dog to come to YOU and don't push the dog into accepting you immediately. This can make a huge difference in the dog's perception and can greatly reduce their anxiety and stress level (and yours!). Our fosters work hard in gaining the trust of these magnificent dogs, preparing them to "re-enter" a world where they will be loved and accepted. Any of the AGSDR volunteers are never more than a phone call or email away to assist you should you need us. In most case you won't! But if the need arises, you can be assured of our life long commitment to these precious dogs.
Adoption Application