Adoption Process

Thank you for considering adopting a GSRA dog. We love that you are exploring rescuing a GSD. We firmly believe that the adoption of a dog is not one to be taken lightly. Because of this belief, our adoption process is what some would describe as lengthy and can be emotional. If you are looking to take a dog home "tomorrow," unfortunately our organization is not for you.

• Please note that we are only able to work with applicants in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. If you live outside of those states, we would encourage you to pursue adoption with an organization closer to your neighborhood.

Our adoption process consists of a review of completed applications by our application review crew, a vet check, a phone interview, and a home visit. Each step in our process must be completed before moving on to the next step. Our process can take several weeks from the time an application is completed to final approval – so please be patient as our volunteers work as quickly as they can!

• Once approved, we encourage applicants to visit adoption events to meet potential dogs that could be a match. Ultimately, the foster parent has the final say on who adopts their foster dog – after all, they know the dog best!

If both the foster parent and the adopting family agree it is a good match, a trial date will be set. This decision will not be made at the first meeting – instead, we ask all parties to sleep on it overnight before making a decision if a dog is a good match.

Some dogs on our website are listed as courtesy listings. These listings will have a (CL) following the dog's name. These dogs are still in the care of their owner and are not fostered within our organization. Please use the contact listed on their respective webpages to pursue adoption of these dogs.

GSRA values our repeat adopters and wants to make sure that they and their dogs are set up for success. In order to facilitate our recently adopted dogs acclimating fully to their new home and family, GSRA requires a 3 month waiting period between adoptions. Exceptions apply and will be reviewed and approved by the GSRA Board of Directors.

Ready to begin the process? Use the link at the bottom of the page to access our application. Please be aware that we will not be able to process any applications that are not completed fully or missing any information.

Before you fill out the application:

• We do not adopt to individuals living outside of North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia.
• Dogs with (CL) are courtesy listings. We do not handle their adoptions—contact the listed person directly.

Some things to note:  We do not allow adoptions at any our events so please don't expect to bring a dog home from an event even if you are approved to adopt.

We often have more dogs in the rescue than on the website because we require they be in foster care a minimum of 14 days prior to being available for adoption.

Once an applicant is approved and matched with a dog, we ask that they visit the dog in his/her current foster home to see how he/she interacts in their current/comfortable environment. Other arrangements can be made at the foster homes discretion depending on the dog. We do not allow you to take the dog home for a trial period on the first visit, we want you to have a least a day or more to have a family discussion and think about the pros and cons of that particular dog without the stress of having to make a decision right away. This also gives the foster home time to think about the visit and make the best possible decision for the dog. Outside of our public adoption events we do not put potential adopters directly in contact with fosters until they are fully approved.