If you wanted a puppy but didn't want to do the work take a look at Spooky. She is a "permanent" puppy at 35 pounds and has the sweetest face. She is already crate trained, house trained and she only chews on her dog toys. She doesn't get car sick and learns very quickly when treats are involved. Lucy was so happy to meet our dog and loves playing with him. She has been good meeting other dogs but (as with any smaller dog) needs to be carefully introduced to larger dogs who could intimidate her. Lucy is another sad story who ran out of time at Animal Control. Her time there was detrimental to her personality and she was extremely fearful when we picked her up, shaking so hard she couldn't walk and always trying to hide. After three weeks in foster care she has come incredibly far, however there is more work to be done to bring her out of her shell. Lucy has bonded very quickly to me and is extremely loyal. She can often be found sleeping at my feet, however she is still unsure of my husband. He works a very erratic schedule with long hours and Lucy still tries to hide under the table when he comes home and will sometimes bark at him. After he has been home awhile she will often come over and sniff him and allow him to pet her. For this reason I think Lucy would be most successful in a home that is very stable with a fairly regular schedule and without people coming and going all the time. As Lucy develops her confidence and sees more of the world I think she will be an awesome companion as she already has a lot of great qualities. Please check out our web site at www.shepherdrescue.org for more information about our dogs, our adoption process and to download an application. You must have a fully approved application on file prior to privately meeting our dogs. We do not have a facility, all our dogs are housed in private foster homes throughout MD/DC/VA areas. More information available on our web site, so please read through our web site before emailing questions, as it might save us both some time!

VGSR can only adopt dogs out in the Virginia/Maryland/DC area, no exceptions.

Although donations of all types are needed, our primary need is foster homes for our lovely dogs while they wait for their new family to find them. Fostering is an extremely rewarding experience. Vet care is paid for by our rescue, and we can even provide you with food. All YOU need to add is love and security.

The adoption process starts with the applicant filling out the adoption application. This can happen at any time during the process, before or after having met a GSD that might be the ideal companion. (It's an advantage to have a pre-approved application on file with VGSR. It should be stressed here that being pre-approved does not mean that any potential adopter can select any available dog at will and take that dog home immediately. VGSR will exercise its best judgement as to which GSD will be the best match for that specific adopter based on a number of qualifying criteria. Many GSDs that come to us are matched up with their new people very quickly because their people have been pre-approved.) The applicant then submits the application form with a non-refundable $10.00 processing fee. VGSR reviews the application, then schedules an interview and home visit during which a number of questions are asked and the home is reviewed to be sure there is a contained/safe yard, and to meet the family involved. Once the application is approved, the applicant is asked to submit a $250.00 donation to VGSR, and the adoption is completed.

© 2025 VGSR