Surrendering your dog

OWNER SURRENDERS

(non-MAGSR dogs only)

If you adopted this dog from MAGSR, please contact intake@MAGSR.org

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING IN ITS ENTIRETY BEFORE CONTACTING THE MID-ATLANTIC GERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE

Surrendering your pet should be considered your LAST option, not your FIRST.

Pet Friendly Apartments and Rentals:
Includes sites with options to search only where pets are allowed.

Call these places and ask about pet acceptance and policies. Dog friendly housing IS available in every area in most every price range. Do the legwork for your pet, they would do it to keep you.

During medical emergencies and times of need, some owners may not have the financial means to cover the high cost of emergency vet bills. To ensure every pet gets the help they need, here's a a state by state guide that provides a list of the resources and organizations in each state that are offering financial assistance for pet owners in need.

If you need help with behavioral issues please consult with a trainer or behaviorist.

If you are having trouble affording your pet or need help with medical care for your pet please click on the link: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html

Things you need to keep in mind about the Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue

  • We are a group of VOLUNTEERS. No one associated with MAGSR receives any financial compensation for his/her efforts. In fact, most of us not only give freely of our time we also spend out of pocket to help keep the organization afloat. A lot of our volunteers also have full-time jobs, families and our own pets in addition to helping rescue these dogs. Keep these things in mind when asking for our help.
  • Our first priority is to save German Shepherds and German Shepherd mixes that are on death row in kill shelters.  German Shepherds often DO NOT make the adoptable list at shelters.  Shepherds do not do well in a shelter environment, health wise or mentally.  This can put a dog under a lot of stress causing them to act out in ways they never have.  Often times if a Shepherd is highly stressed the shelter will euthanize the dog. There is no guarantee any given shelter will even make an attempt at contacting a rescue group.. If you dump your dog at a pound or shelter, you may be signing his/her death warrant. If you decide to leave your pet at a shelter please do your research and find a shelter with a no-kill policy.
     
  • Please understand that you are dealing with a group of people who are committed to German Shepherds and German Shepherd mixes, we love our dogs as if they were family members. We’ve all had to move before, had children, lost jobs, gotten sick, had allergies, and/or been associated with people who don’t love dogs as much as we do, BUT we would never part with our own dogs without the fight of a lifetime.
     
  • Regardless of living situations and scenarios, a German Shepherd is a loyal dog, one who would rather be with his own people than anyone in the world. If he doesn’t adjust well to your new home or new baby, your new work schedule you owe it to him to try to help ease the transition. It would NOT be better if he had a home where the people had more time, more money, more space, or a nicer yard. Your dog wants to be with you just as, at one point, you wanted to be with them.
     
  • Depending on the available space, we may not always be able to accept owner surrender dogs. Currently, the amount of dogs being dumped at high-kill shelters or being put out on the street is overwhelming. We are committed to saving them, and our rescue is nearly always full.

If you have read everything above, have researched and exhausted all of your options and are experiencing a TRUE family crisis or EMERGENCY, and would like a local volunteer to help evaluate your options, please fill out our emergency surrender form at the link below.

Please note you must complete the online Owner Surrender Application.
We cannot address or respond to incomplete Applications.  We ask several questions geared toward helping us determine if your Shepherd or Shepherd Mix qualifies for our rescue.

Filling out and submitting the Owner Surrender Application does not guarantee that we will accept your dog into rescue.
       
We will also require pictures of your dog before considering your surrender application. Multiple pictures would be ideal but at least one side view full body shot will be required. Pictures can be send as email attachments to intake@magsr.org. Make sure and mention your name and your pets name in the email and that the images relate to your Emergency Owner Surrender application.

Click here for Online Surrender Form