GSDWF
Meet Our Permanent Residents
Some of the German Shepherd dogs rescued by us have very little chance of being re- homed. This may be because of illness, or because they are old, or simply because they do not get on with other dogs.
The older or sick dogs may be lucky enough to find a foster home but The German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund continue to pay for their vet bills and medication. The other dogs that are not lucky enough to be fostered have to be housed in commercial kennels, presenting us with large kennel bills.
We operate a “Sponsor a German Shepherd” scheme where you can sponsor one of these dogs and receive quarterly newsletters from them. The money raised helps us to continue to care for them whether they be in a foster home or kennels. Sponsorship costs just £20 a year. It makes a perfect gift for your dog loving friends and gives you the satisfaction of knowing you are helping a German Shepherd Dog in need.
If you would like to sponsor one of our residents, please email us at gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com putting "sponsor" in the subject header for more details. All of the dogs below can be sponsored.
ACE
Ace came into our care when he was 9 months old having already had 4 homes. Sadly, something had happened in his original home before he was 7 months old that obviously terrified him. We believe he had an electric collar used on him. He was rescued but each home found it wasn't working out with him so he was moved on. In the fourth home he was lunging at a member of the family so they brought him into Welfare. When he came it was difficult to get near him. He wasn't vicious, he was terrified. We did a lot of rehabilitation work with him and he came on in leaps and bounds but still always had a reaction to young men (his original home where the trauma had been caused) so it would be difficult to re-home him.
Although he now copes really well, from experience people do not always follow advice and if we were to re-home him and he was put into a situation that he couldn't cope with and reacted he could find himself in trouble when it really isn't his fault. On top of all this, the poor boy is almost blind. The chances of him finding a suitable home is very doubtful but he is happy where he is, in our care, living life to the full.
BEAU
Beau is one of our permanent residents. Sadly she suffers with a disease called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) so needs medication with every bit of food she has. We did home her once but sadly they didn’t stick to the guidelines and she lost so much weight we had to bring her back.
BUDDY
Buddy came into our care to save him being seized by the police. However, it was agreed that he must remain in kennels. He is around 5yrs old.
CHARLIE
Charlie is an 7 or 8 year old male entire GSD. He came to us after his elderly owner fell and broke his hip. The owner was 82 years old when he was sold Charlie as a puppy. After breaking his hip, his owner needed family assistance and Charlie wasn't too happy with this. He had been used to doing just as he pleased so when family members tried to tell him not to do something he bit them.We've looked after him for over two years now. Once we had worked with him we tried putting him up for adoption. A couple of people expressed interest and we'd already explained Charlie's situation before seeing them. When they visited, we asked how they would handle certain situations and of course they said they would tell him "no". One of the visitors was reminded that a different approach was needed with Charlie and his response was "what good is he if I can't tell him no" even though we had a long discussion about it before his visit.
We subsequently made the decision that for Charlie's safety we wouldn't home him. He is very happy with us and is not being put in situations he cannot cope with.
DYLAN
Dylan is approximately 8/9 years old and came into welfare with two other dogs. He had been living a terrible existence. He had bits from his ears missing from other dogs fighting. He also has a spinal injury with causes him to walk with a wobbly gait. He is not aggressive to other dogs despite his experiences but Dylan isn't comfortable around people he doesn't know so he is now a permanent resident.
ELDA
Elda came into our care through no fault of her own. She was involved in an incident that resulted in a court case and can be rather worried in new environments. We are working with her to help her feel safe again so for now, she will remain with us.
ERNIE
Ernie is a handsome 2 year old, black and tan, male German Shepherd. He came into rescue after a disagreement with his previous owner. Even after this occurred, Ernie remained very loving with everyone else around him. We have been assessing him closely whilst he is in our care and we have found him to be a happy, fun loving, and loving boy. He loves playing ball games and will keep bringing you his ball all day long if allowed to.
We have seen no signs of any aggression with people he knows or strangers. He greets everyone like a long-lost friend. He can react to other dogs be we feel this is more out of excitement. However, we did try to re-home Ernie but he couldn't cope at all so came back to us. We have now made the decision not to re-home him.
GEORGE
George came into rescue with seven other GSDs he had been living with. George has the sweetest temperament and is a delight to be around. Sadly, he suffers from brain damage. It does not interfere with his everyday life, and you can easily see how he loves life and is always so happy.
Unfortunately, George has seizures and needs regular medication. This medication will be lifelong. George also has a problem with his ears and because he doesn't let you check or treat them, it means he has to be sedated at the vets for treatment when he has a flare up.
HANK
Hank had a poor start in life that was quite traumatic. Sadly he has bitten when he became worried. He is very worried by strangers. He has been assessed by a behaviourist and it is felt it would be unsafe to rehome him. He will remain with us where he is happy with those he knows and feels safe with.
HETTY
Hetty is around 18 months old ans was dumped at a vets. She was extremely nervous when she first arrived and while she has made progress, we do not feel she would cope living in a home. She will remain with us where she feels safe.
HUGO
Hugo is a 5 year old short coated sable male who came into Welfare through no fault of his own. He had been kept in a barn for the first 2 years of his life. He was not socialised at all so therefore can be reactive. He is not good with male dogs and can be choosy with the females. He has a very high prey drive so not good with small furries. He has never been around children. Hugo is a small GSD but he is like a little pocket rocket. He is neutered and microchipped.
We did re-home Hugo but they brought him back because of his reactivity. Hugo finds it difficult to settle in a home and can get quite stressed. For this reason we have decided to keep him in our care.
KERRIE
Kerrie is around 10 years old and was a cruelty case from the RSPCA. She came in with her daughter, both in a dreadful state, both physically and mentally. Kerrie found it hard to trust people again. Kerrie needed a quiet home with no other dogs and someone who lives on their own or a couple who do not have lots of visitors.
Kerrie is now in a foster home and enjoying a quiet, loving life where she can potter about or snooze in her comfortable bed. She is enjoying life at last.
LILY
Lily came into our care when she was 7 months old. Sadly she is a very nervous girl which makes her reactive to dogs and people. Lily went through rehabilitation and found a new home. Sadly they didn’t listen to our advice and she couldn’t cope with the situation they put her in so she came back into our care.
Unfortunately she has regressed so had to start from scratch again. Because of how stressed she had became we made the decision not to put her through the rehoming process again.
She is a sweet, happy girl who now loves cuddles with the people she trusts.
LOKI
Loki has been with us a while now and while he is ok with a select few people who look after him, he is really not happy about meeting anyone new. He hates being brushed so has to be sedated to have any knots or mats in his fur removed. He is happy in kennels so we feel it is safer and better for him to remain with us.
MAYA
Maya had been kept as an outside dog as a potential breeding female. Sadly an elbow issue meant they couldn’t breed from her so when she was 1 year old they found her a home. Maya was terrified as she was totally unsocialised and in the first couple of days she bit a passer by.
She came into welfare as a condition of the bite. She took a couple of months to come around and then progressed in leaps and bounds. Because she missed her early socialisation period and because she can be so nervous we felt it was in her best interest to keep her in our care. She is now 3 years old.
MOSES
Moses came into our care when he was around 9 years old. He was 1 of 8 GSDs that we rescued from 1 home. He is a very nervous boy and doesn’t take easily to strangers.
We did rehome him but he managed to escape after 2 days. We managed to find him but decided it was best for him to remain in our care. He is now 11-12 years old.
NED
Ned cane into our care about 3 years ago. We did manage to find him a home but sadly it didn’t work out. Ned is worried around other dogs. As a result he becomes quite reactive. Because he was constantly exposed to other dogs while out on walks with his caregiver, he became quite stressed and began jumping up and “grabbing” so he came back to us. We started his rehabilitation work but then poor Ned went into kidney failure.
Thankfully with constant care and medication he pulled through but given that a new carer may not appreciate the importance of keeping him calm and that becoming stressed would be detrimental to his health, we made the decision to keep him in our care.
He is a very happy boy and copes very well with rescue life. Probably because he isn’t put in situations he cannot cope with.
NIGEL
Nigel is a young boy who came into welfare with a bite history. He can be quite mouthy if he feels stressed or over aroused so we feel it is best for him to remain with us.
OTTO
Otto is very happy, relaxed and affectionate with those he knows. He was adopted but can react to sudden loud noises. Because these are unpredictable, Otto will stay with us.
RALF
Ralf is around 3 years old and came into welfare having been found as a stray at 10 months old.
Ralf can get himself into quite a frenzy, especially around water and will redirect onto people. We feel he needs to stay with us where he feels much calmer and his triggers are well managed.
RAZOR
Razor is around 3 years old and finds himself in rescue because he is worried about anyone touching him.
RILEY
Riley is around 3 years old but is extremely reactive to new people. Sadly we don't think she would cope in a home so she is a permanent resident.
ROCKY
Rocky came into our care after being sold to a couple who were told he had no issues. Within days he was growling at them in a very threatening way. They understandably became concerned. We have done some rehabilitation work with him but unfortunately do not feel we could rehome him with a clear conscience so he will remain in our care.
RODNEY
Rodney is a glamorous long haired male German Shepherd. He is around 6 years old and came into our care after a bite incident. His caregivers were distraught at having to part with him but did so for his own and everyone else’s safety. Because of this Rodney is a permanent resident.
He has been with us for over a year now. He doesn’t like to be touched so even everyday things like grooming and putting a lead on create a difficult situation. We try to respect what Rodney tells us and have arranged his living arrangements so we can get him into a secure field from his kennel without having to put a lead on him. He is a happy boy and enjoys life (not as much as he enjoys his food though). Recently, he has started asking for fuss - just goes to show what can be done if you listen to the dogs communication.
SIMBA
Simba had an infection that had gone unnoticed and ended up biting his owner. He was rehomed and that failed so ended up coming to us. He resource guards toys and food. He is not overly keen on people and can get quite agitated if over stimulated by his surroundings. Even going for a walk down a quiet country lane can cause him to become stressed so he will stay with us where he is happy and able to enjoy life.
SMUDGE
Smudge is 10 years old in great health. You would never know her age just by looking at her. Smudge is a sad case as she has spent a long time in kennels. She was adopted but returned to us a year later as things had changed. We feel she would now struggle to adjust to living in a home.
TIA
Tia was sold through a newspaper ad when she was 1 year old. When the new guardians got her home she escaped from the car.
She was missing and living rough for 8 days although we were searching daily. We finally managed to trap her but she had been totally traumatised. She has gone through her rehabilitation but due to her past trauma we decided she was safer in our care.
She is best friends with Rodney and is a happy little girl.
VIRGIL
Virgil has been with us a while now and we feel he cannot cope in a home. He is very wary of new people. Lots of things cause him stress but he is happy with the people he knows.
Could you sponsor one of our dogs?
Sponsorship costs £20 per year - please email us at gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com putting "sponsor" in the subject header for more details