The Best German Shepherd Rescues & Shelters in 2024

This list showcases the top german shepherd rescues and shelters, all making a significant impact on the lives of countless dogs. We've compiled this list by gathering heartfelt testimonials from both the Sniffspot community and the wider public, ensuring a well-rounded perspective on these exceptional organizations.

Laila's Legacy Animal Rescue
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None
washingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUS
German Shepherd, Pit Bull, RottweilerGerman Shepherd, Pit Bull, Rottweiler
Laila’s Legacy does absolutely lifesaving work pulling urgent dogs from nearby PG County MD. Their mission and determination have saved many lives. We are lucky in DC to have Laila’s.Sarah Beatty
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  Laila's Legacy Animal Rescue

  #15 in United States, #1 in District of Columbia, #1 in Washington
  #1 in pit Bull
  #1 in rottweiler
  #1 in german Shepherd
  

  German Shepherd, Pit Bull, Rottweiler

  Washington

  Laila's Legacy was founded with a mission to ensure dogs impacted by breed bias and behavioral or physical challenges have a chance at a better life. Laila, our name sake, was an incredible dog who had a behavioral challenge that caused aggression towards dogs. Laila loved her humans, and especially our Co-Founder, Ashe. She was a large bully breed so her size combined with local breed bias meant sometimes people were afraid of her. But that didn't stop her from winning people over with her goofy energy. The rescue she was with did not have the resources to support Laila and couldn't find a suitable partner to take on her care because of her size and breed. As a result she was euthanized. Laila's Legacy was founded to save dogs like Laila. We never want a dog to be euthanized because an owner, a volunteer, or an organization didn't have the resources or because breed bias stopped them from getting the help they deserved. Dogs like Laila deserve a chance at life and that's what we're here to do!

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  "Laila’s Legacy does absolutely lifesaving work pulling urgent dogs from nearby PG County MD. Their mission and determination have saved..."

  — sarah b.

  Fan

  "The Laila’s Legacy team is so dedicated and passionate about the work they do. On top of the amazing rescue..."

  — melissa l.

  Volunteer / foster

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Rescue Rebels by Cash 4 Canines
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orlandoFloridaUS
German ShepherdGerman Shepherd
My daughter has been working with this organization for a little over two years now, and my wife and I have had the pleasure of meeting several of the pups she has fostered with Rescue Rebels. The care and dedication that the rescue gives to these dogs is nothing short of amazing. They get my vote!Michael Rogala
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  Rescue Rebels by Cash 4 Canines

  #39 in United States, #3 in Florida, #1 in Orlando
  #2 in german Shepherd
  

  German Shepherd

  Orlando

  Cash 4 Canines, Inc. dba Rescue Rebels' sole mission is to provide a better and improved life, essentially a "second chance", for working dog breeds that have been left at shelters, surrendered by their owners, or that have been abused and neglected. Through Rescue Rebels, these companion animals are rescued, given the physical care necessary, spayed or neutered, and provided with behavioral guidance if necessary. Our TLC Transformation Project welcomes medically fragile companion animals, that have been left at shelters and provides funds for the medical care unique to each animal's needs, and then finds these animals foster homes or "fur" ever homes.

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  "My daughter has been working with this organization for a little over two years now, and my wife and I..."

  — michael r.

  Fan

  "Rescue Rebels goes above and beyond to help the dogs that have been abandoned and abused. They don't look..."

  — leigh d.

  Staff member

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CHAR WILLS GERMAN GERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE
https://data.sniffspot.com/full-fit-in/768x512/Photos/SeoDogRescue/978/e4f4a29e0336-Letterhead_CW.pdf
readingPennsylvaniaUS
German ShepherdGerman Shepherd
In November 2023, I was ready to get another dog after loosing my German Shepherd in July. I decided to rescue instead of buying. I was looking around at different rescues in my area and not really finding anything of interest. A friend of my family suggested Char-Wills since they knew we were partial to GSDs as a family. I had heard about Char-Wills in the past but never looked into their rescue. I submitted my application, they got a wonderful review from my vet and called me for an interview and then to let me know how to set up my appointment. The Friday after Thanksgiving I went in to meet the dogs. I worked with a staff member and after realizing puppies were not for me, I got Moe, who is around 4 years old and a German Shepherd mix. He is a wonderful companion and love. We were able to have him and my Son's GSD meet and walk together to ensure they would get along. Moe was cat tested, and really didn't care. Which is good, because my cat likes to pick on Moe a lot, although they are good friends. I will definitely be going back to Char-Wills to look for a companion for Moe. They also have other amenities there to take advantage of. Their facilities are wonderful and I would highly recommend them if you enjoy German Shepherds like my family does.Janis Riccardelli
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  CHAR WILLS GERMAN GERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE

  #65 in United States, #5 in Pennsylvania, #1 in Reading
  #3 in german Shepherd
  

  German Shepherd

  Reading

  We are a breed-specific rescue nestled in the picturesque mountains of Schuylkill County, PA. Our adoptable German Shepherds come from shelters, have been abandoned or are owner-surrenders. Meet & Greets with our dogs are By Appointment Only.

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  "In November 2023, I was ready to get another dog after loosing my German Shepherd in July. I decided to..."

  — janis r.

  Adoptee

  "Char-Wills GSD rescue is an amazing rescue, they will and have rescued GSD's from all over the country. No state..."

  — denise g.

  Fan

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ShepHeroes
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sacramentoCaliforniaUS
German ShepherdGerman Shepherd
Shepheroes is a foundation based on a group of volunteers who are passionate about animal care and Shepherds. They take the time to educate, foster and adopt dogs to homes that can and will care properly for the breed. They rescue dogs that are otherwise at risk to be euthanized at shelters and bring them into foster homes with all the necessary tools to care for them. They’re extremely diligent about advocating for these animals and constantly educating the community to adopt not shop! We appreciate everything they’ve done. We found our puppy soulmate through this rescue and without them I’m not sure where she would’ve ended up. Thank you, Shepheroes for all you do!Dona Fitzgerald
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  ShepHeroes

  #67 in United States, #11 in California, #1 in Sacramento
  #4 in german Shepherd
  

  German Shepherd

  Sacramento

  Powered by volunteers and funded by donors, we rely on many heroes to help deserving abandoned German Shepherd Dogs; in return, these shepherds provide unconditional love to the families adopting them. The goal of ShepHeroes is lifelong placement; we take pride in finding the ideal lifelong match possible for dogs and humans alike by placing all of our dogs in foster homes to allow them to decompress and for us to learn their personalities, temperament, and needs. When committed foster homes are available for long-term care of medical dogs, we prioritize assisting those shepherds as they are the most at risk in shelters. Bean, Hayzel, Shania, Tori, and Stewie joined us in the past year for extensive surgeries and lengthy recoveries. Bean arrived with a chunk of her lip missing and will have surgery to repair her maxillofacial trauma when her muzzle reaches the adult stage at seven to eight months of age. In Shania's case, her fracture exam revealed a severe heart defect that, untreated, would have caused heart failure, which was repaired with heart surgery to give her a whole, healthy life. Shania was with us for seven months through three surgeries. Tori, in addition to her fracture repair, had an eye enucleation. Also, in 2023, Abbott and Costello were treated for parvo and survived thanks to prompt medical care. Multiple dogs have recovered in our care from surgeries for ingesting foreign objects like socks and balls before coming to our rescue. We have treated ear and severe skin infections, mange, influenza, and kennel cough, reduced many hernias, altered cryptoid male dogs, treated heartworm-positive shepherds, and ensured emaciated ones received care to reach optimum weight for their age. And have provided routine ongoing veterinary care of vaccinations, heartworm, flea/tick preventatives, spay and neuters, and deworming for over 340 shepherds since 2018. One of our special pups, Kenzo, came to us at the behest of his ER vet. Found on the street hit by a car, Kenzo was rushed by a good Samaritan to the local ER. He suffered from a brain injury, fractured leg, and bodily trauma, initially unable to walk, hold his head up, and possibly blind. With the guidance of his neurology vet, we gave him supportive care, trusting that puppy brains can heal. His brain healed with a residual head tilt, giving us a sweet, loving, active pup thriving in his adoptive home. We also assisted many shy and frightened shepherds who needed to learn to trust people, become at ease in new environments, and learn good pack manners thanks to resident dogs of our foster homes. Two of our dogs have become working dogs, completing service dog training and supporting their owners as hearing and seizure-alert dogs. A few of our dogs have completed therapy dog training and provide comfort through various venues. Since inception, we have assisted 24 municipal animal control shelters and partnered with seven rescues to bring shepherds to safety from the Sacramento Region south to Monterey County and north to Butte County. ShepHeroes was established in May 2018; our volunteer board and management team's experience saving shepherds encompasses over a decade of dedication to the breed.

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  "Shepheroes is a foundation based on a group of volunteers who are passionate about animal care and Shepherds. They take..."

  — dona f.

  Adoptee

  "We foster failed and adopted a dog from shepheroes who was very well behaved and also had a great temperament...."

  — jen c.

  Adoptee

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Tier Haven Rescue, Inc
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louisvilleKentuckyUS
German ShepherdGerman Shepherd
It was our first time adopting and they helped us feel comfortable and welcome. Our Gracie is doing great and we’ve decided it went so well we’d do it again.Fariba M
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  Tier Haven Rescue, Inc

  #89 in United States, #3 in Kentucky, #1 in Louisville
  #5 in german Shepherd
  

  German Shepherd

  Louisville

  At Tier Haven our hearts belong to the working dog breeds of Kentucky - German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois being our most common companions. The Tier Haven family is comprised of volunteers, adopters, and donors who have a passionate love for these working breeds and all of their quirks. We are brought together by the dogs that steal our hearts while chewing the shoe collection. Tier Haven Rescue, Inc was originally incorporated in 1996 under the name ARK Project, Inc and is a long standing member of the animal rescue community in Kentucky. Originally an all-breed rescue Tier Haven shifted to focus on working dogs with the rise of breed specific legislation which was leading to larger numbers of German Shepherds, and other working dogs, being euthanized. We are rooted in Kentucky with a strong passion for enacting change within the state which has a long journey towards building our animal welfare laws. Even as breed specific legislation has dwindled there are still large numbers of working dogs finding themselves at risk of euthanasia due to a lack of breed knowledge and/or training. Tier Haven is committed to giving these dogs a second chance and we are all honored to be part of their paths to a better life.

  View profile

  "It was our first time adopting and they helped us feel comfortable and welcome. Our Gracie is doing great and..."

  — fariba m.

  Adoptee

  "Tier Haven is near and dear to my heart. This rescue recognizes the human animal bond and is dedicated to..."

  — elizabeth s.

  Volunteer / foster, Staff member

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What's the Sniffspot Top German Shepherd Rescue & Shelter List About?

Welcome to the 2024 Sniffspot Top German Shepherd Rescue & Shelter List, highlighting the top German Shepherd rescues and shelters chosen by the Sniffspot community and the public.

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