Dogs Available for Adoption 
through GSRSV

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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. 

 

The flag appears above the pictures of dogs that GSRSV is placing for military families who are forced to find new homes for their dogs due to deployments. Please show your support for our service men and women by adopting or fostering their dogs!

This page was last modified October 08, 2024.
 
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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"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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"Priya" is an approx. 70-lb, 1½-yo spayed female GSD mix who is loving, lively and smart. She is very affectionate and loves to snuggle! Priya is healthy, up-to-date on core vaccinations, and microchipped.

Priya is very friendly with people of all ages, whether inside the house or out and about. She is well-mannered with guests and does not jump up on them. Priya did great with young children who visited her foster caretakers; she was affectionate and played well with them!

Priya is very social with other dogs. She spent several days at GSRSV's rescue ranch in mid-August and got along great with all the other dogs, even when she had to share my attention up on the bed. I took her to a friend's house with several small dogs and she was fine w/ them as well. She enjoys playing with other dogs that have a similar energy level. Click here for a video of Priya playing with an assortment of other dogs!

Priya has not interacted with cats since we rescued her. Her body language when seeing cats from afar shows intensity, so her compatibility with cats will need further evaluation.

Priya is fully housetrained and has not had any accidents in her foster home. She is also non-destructive inside. Her foster caretakers keep her crated when her they are away and at night. Although she initially experiences mild separation anxiety while crated, she is not destructive.

On walks, Priya's eagerness to explore means she requires a handler who can continue her leash training. She is learning to check in with her handler and is steadily improving her leash manners. She has good recall when off-leash in the backyard, and likes to stay near her people.

Priya loves car rides and does great in the car. She hops right in and lays down calmly throughout the drive.

Priya loves all kinds of toys (ropes, balls, plush, etc.) and enjoys any playful interaction (chasing after the toys, tug-of-war, etc.). She also loves to romp around with her foster carertakers’ resident male GSD.

Priya was brought to the Stanislaus County Shelter as a stray on 5-24-24. She was scheduled to be euthanized in early July due to space constraints at the shelter, but her current foster caretakers stepped forward and offered to foster her for GSRSV—an offer I readily accepted. GSRSV rescued Priya on 7-10-24.

If you're interested in giving Priya the loving forever home she deserves, please reach out!

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

 

Posted 8-12-24; updated 8-22-24

 

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"Ava" is a 60-lb, approx 2-yo spayed female GSD mix who is exceptionally calm, affectionate, and attentive. Ava is healthy, up-to-date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

Ava can be wary of strangers initially but was affectionate with her present foster caretakers (both the wife and husband) when she first met them. We have not had Ava around children since rescuing her, so slow introductions are recommended. With her trusted caretakers, Ava is highly tolerant of being handled in sensitive areas (e.g., paws, ears, tail, etc.).

Ava is OK with other dogs, but is not particularly interested in playing or interacting with other dogs; she is much more focused on people. Ava lives with a well-tempered male resident GSD and another foster female GSD who can be feisty at times. She is fine w/ the male but a little grumpy around the female. If she was to go to a home with another dog, we recommend a slow introduction to ensure the dogs are well-matched.

We have not observed Ava around cats, but we intend to see how she does around a cat soon. Our hunch is that she’ll be OK with cats.

Ava is fully housetrained and has not had a single indoor “accident” in her foster home. Her foster caretakers keep her crated when they are gone (this is their standard procedure for all of their foster dogs), and also crate her at night. She rests calmly in her crate.

Ava is very well-behaved in general. She walks well on a loose leash and is not reactive at all towards other dogs she sees. She has good recall off-leash in the foster caretakers’ backyard. Ava jumps right into the car and lies calmly while riding.

Ava is smart, food-motivated and enjoys learning new tricks. She is not into playing with toys; she’s much more into just relaxing!

GSRSV rescued Ava from the Stanislaus County Shelter on 6-28-24. Ava had been brought to the shelter on 5-17-24 as a stray along with a puppy that was clearly hers. The puppy was adopted but poor Ava (then “Queen Bee”) was not. She was nearly out of time when I GSRSV received an offer to foster her and we immediately accepted.

Ava is located in Orangevale. Her adoption fee is only $150, thanks to a $150 donation towards her adoption fee from her foster caretakers!

Posted 7-20-24

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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 6-3-24!

"Stormy" is a 77-lb, 3-yo spayed female GSD who is very sweet, friendly and playful. She’s healthy and up-to-date on core vaccinations.

Stormy is friendly with people of all ages, both inside the house and beyond. She’s even good with babies! Her groomers call her a “sweet lovebug!” (She loves to be brushed.)

Stormy is good with other dogs, though she has not been around many other dogs since she was adopted in February 2023. She has not interacted with any small dogs.   

Stormy is good with the resident outdoor cat. She will chase the cat if it runs but has never hurt it.

Stormy is fully housetrained. Her people keep her in their backyard when they are away from their house. She sleeps inside in a closed crate at night.

Stormy has received some obedience training and obeys basic commands. She loves to go for walks and does well on leash. She is fairly non-reactive towards other dogs when on leash.

Stormy loves to go for rides in the car and is a good passenger.

Stormy loves to fetch a ball and then play keep-away.

Stormy was originally rescued from the Solano County Shelter by GSRSV on Jan 14, 2023. She was adopted in February 2023 by a couple (Holly & Nick) in Brentwood (Contra Costa County). Though they love Stormy, they can no longer provide her with the active lifestyle they know she loves due to medical issues that restrict both of them physically. Holly & Nick will be fostering Stormy while GSRSV seeks a new home for her.

Stormy in located in Brentwood, CA. Her adoption fee is $300.

Posted 3-18-24