In April we were contacted by a local shelter after a 3-4 month German Shepherd puppy was surrendered to them.  The owner reportedly purchased the puppy but was then told by her landlord that she could not keep him.  The shelter correctly surmised young Totoro (Toro for short) would do best in a German Shepherd savvy home and that a rescue with breed experience would better serve this young boy.  Those that follow our rescue will have noticed that recently there has been an influx of young dogs being surrendered to us, something that has not happened for many years.  A common theme we are hearing from those surrendering these dogs is that they did not appreciate the work needed to raise a German Shepherd puppy as it is much more intense and time consuming than many other breeds.   Furthermore, if a puppy is not provided the correct socialization and training during his or her most formative months, serious behavioral issues can result and we have been getting many calls for surrender because of these problems too.  Please do your breed research before getting a dog!

Lucky for little Toro, we had the perfect place for him.  A former adopter and foster with breed experience had recently lost his GSRNE dog.  Toro did need socialization and training as he wasn’t sure how to meet strangers properly.  His dad has started working with a trainer and in just a short period of time has made great progress.  Toro’s dad just adores him.  He’s taken him to his son’s games and Toro is learning the correct way to interact around other people.  We are so happy the shelter entrusted us with this little guy’s care and we are thrilled to announce his adoption.