Shepherds Without Borders is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is foster-based and is 100% volunteer/donation driven. We are based in the Pacific Northwest of the United States; currently active in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Northern California.
We accept owner surrenders of good temperament and our trained volunteers scour shelters in selected areas for the casually discarded, but good dogs who, through no fault of their own, find themselves homeless. All of the German Shepherd Dogs placed through Shepherds Without Borders Rescue have been assessed for temperament before being accepted – we are not a “last chance” rescue and not every dog is accepted. While the assessment is no guarantee of future behavior, it helps us to understand what the dogs’ preferences and what their needs are.
Fostering or adopting a rescued German Shepherd with our rescue requires an approved application. To fill out an application, click here: Adoption/foster application . All of our dogs are medically stable, up to date on vaccines, microchipped, spayed/neutered (if medically stable/age allowance), treated for internal parasites and tested for heartworm disease (put on prevention) previous to placing in foster or adopter home. Please keep in mind, we may receive several applications for each dog listed and not everyone is able to meet each dog. We do not place our dogs with “next in line” mentality – our goal is to place each dog in a family/household that “best matches” the dog, creating a WIN-WIN situation for both the adopter and dog – allowing our return rate to be less than 2% <3
These dogs are our mission, our passion and our commitment
Specialization
Adoption Policy
Please fill out the application thoroughly. We are a 100% volunteer organization; it takes at least 2-3 weeks to process an application – longer if we experience an influx of applications or are not provided with all requested information.
Your application process with SWB WILL BE DELAYED if you:
• Fail to provide Home Ownership records, if/when requested by SWB
• Fail to provide HOA/CC&R documents regarding Dog restrictions/allowances
• Fail to provide Rental/leased property Dog restrictions/allowances (from the landlord, etc.)
• Fail to provide accurate Veterinary office information (name, phone, city). It is helpful if you are able to let your vet office know that “Shepherds Without Borders” will be contacting them and they can provide your records to us when requested for your application
• Fail to provide accurate Personal Reference (your references must not be related to you or live with you) contact information – it is advised that you let your references know that we will likely be contacting them as your application moves forward
To avoid potential delays, send in any requested documents or records to: records@shepherdswithoutborders.org
If we have a hard time reaching your vet’s office or personal references, that potentially will lengthen the time needed to process your application. As part of the process, a volunteer will reach out to you directly to conduct a home visit (currently a virtual home visit due to COVID restrictions). After your home visit is completed, an rescue volunteer will be reaching out to conduct a phone interview. We welcome questions during this interview!
Fostering or adopting a rescued German Shepherd Dog with our rescue requires an approved application. Each of our dogs are vetted, up to date on shots, microchipped, spayed/neutered (if medically stable/age allowance), treated for parasites and tested for heartworm (if applicable) previous to placing in a foster or adoptive home.
• Fees for adopting a dog: $650.00 ****** These fees are used in vetting and general care items (dog food, crates, flea/tick/heartworm prevention, etc.) for dogs within our organization ******
• What happens to those donations? As we are an all-volunteer organization, every penny donated/raised goes directly into the SWB organization to save more dogs. Donations are tax-deductible as we are an IRS designated 501(c)3 organization.
• Interested in fostering only? Would you like to foster a dog? Please apply!! We value our foster families as each rescue needs a safe loving place to go while we match that special family!
• Meet & Greets with individual dogs are ONLY scheduled by SWB contingent on an approved application, compatibility (best match), and location. You will be contacted directly if a Meet & Greet is to be coordinated with you
• Have questions? As we are 100% volunteer, we do not have a phone number you can call to ask questions – Don’t worry! Every application receives a phone call from a volunteer (once all requested application information has been received and processed) for an interview and we encourage your questions at that time!
• IF you are lucky enough to find your new furry family member through another organization after you submit your SWB application – CONGRATULATIONS! PLEASE let us know so that we can close your application with us and direct our limited volunteer resources to those still searching
Please keep in mind, we receive several applications for each dog listed, processing each application takes time. We make the best possible selection for each dog and family. Unfortunately, that may leave some very good applicants disappointed. If you only want to be considered for the dog you are applying for, please note that on your application.
** If you are applying for a puppy: We receive an overwhelming number of applications for each puppy (6 months and under). Initially, we will only process the first 25 applications received for each puppy. If, for some reason the perfect match is not found in the first group of 25 applications, we will process the next batch of 25 until we can find the correct match.
https://shepherdswithoutborders.org/our-rescued-dogs/available-dogs/
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David Adams is a man of many passions, but his love for dogs stands above all. He is not only a dog lover, but also the founder of an innovative platform called Sniffspot. This unique platform connects dog owners with private property owners who are willing to rent out their space for off-leash playtime. While the idea of Sniffspot was initially conceived by his wife, Rebecca, David has been the driving force behind its remarkable success, tirelessly overseeing its growth and development.
David's dedication to providing safe and enjoyable spaces for dogs to play, explore, and socialize is evident in his unwavering commitment to Sniffspot. He strongly believes that dogs need ample space and opportunities to stretch their legs and have fun. As a result, he has worked tirelessly to build a network of private property owners across the country who share his vision and are willing to offer their space for the benefit of dogs and their owners.
Despite his busy schedule, David always finds time to indulge in his passion for the great outdoors. He loves nothing more than exploring new hiking trails and embarking on thrilling outdoor adventures. Whenever he is not working on Sniffspot, he can often be found hiking or visiting multi-acre fenced sniffspots with his two beloved dogs, Soba and Toshii. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys the fresh air, breathtaking scenery, and the sense of freedom that comes with being in nature.
David is based in Salem, MA.
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