German Shepherd dogs, as well as the other herding breeds that we have in rescue, are highly active, energetic, working breeds. They require considerable vetting, exercise, socialization, training, leadership and mental stimuli in order to be well-adjusted, well-balanced, and well-mannered dogs. Even if you exercise and play with your dog daily in your fenced yard, you MUST still take your dog out on daily walks and outings in order to work on his/her leash skills, manners, and social skills. These breeds make great additions to active families who will pamper them, but who will also work with them, as they are smart dogs who need leadership, structure, plenty of activity and mental stimulation. 

If you are new to German Shepherds (and other herding breeds), please research the breed to make sure this is the dog for you. We ask that you consider the time and financial commitment that your German Shepherd (or other herding breed) dog will require before applying for one. Please review the section on our website (www.heartlandgsrescue.org) "Is a HUGS Dog Right for You?" for additional information.

Hope is a very sweet 5 year old girl. She is the most easy-going girl around the house! She likes to find a spot to lay and relax, and you hardly know she’s there. She loves to climb up on the couch and snuggle up with you. Foster mom will also often find her laying in her kennel with the door open. Hope can be trusted to be left out loose in a room by herself for short periods of time. She is very sociable with other dogs. She gets along with dogs of all sizes, and likes to give them kisses~. Sweet Hope hasn't had a lot of socialization prior to rescue, so many things are still new to her, but she is a very good girl, extremely sweet, and she is learning and making great progress every day. She does get nervous in new places outside the home, and tends towards pancaking herself to the ground, but she is working on that with foster mom. When she goes outside in the yard, she likes you to go with her where she can keep a close eye on you.  She has shown a little aggravation towards dogs behind fences that are barking at her, she gets a bit over stimulated on walks still at this point, but she’s getting better all the time. Hope has probably not had toys in the past, as she arrived seeming not to know what to do with them! For weeks, she showed no interest in any of them, then after watching the other dogs in her foster home, she finally figured it out and took off running with a plush dinosaur! So cute!! Hope loves going on errands and car rides, and she is very well behaved in the car. She likes to be close to her dog friends and plays very gently. She’s soulful, gentle and loving, and though she’s a tad shy at first, she's open to making new friends! Hope is an easy, lovely girl to hang out with. She arrived quite overweight, at 86lbs and is working on achieving a healthy weight through diet and exercise. She enjoys her walks. Her diet, not so much...but it is for the best! Sweet Hope also arrived with an undiagnosed eye condition. Her eyes were red, very irritated, weepy, swollen, and she looked so uncomfortable! This was due to untreated Pannus. Pannus is a chronic eyecondition that requires lifetime treatment, but is very easily manageable. Hope has been placed on daily eyedrops and she has responded to them beautifully. Her eyes look amazing and she's feeling great!

Hope's adoption fee is $350, all of which goes back into offseting our high-cost vetting expenses and rescuing more dogs. Adoption fees include spay/neuter, current on age-appropriate vaccinations, fecal, deworming, flea/tick and heartworm preventative, heartworm tested if old enough (treated if positive), and microchipped. Learn more about the adoption process and requirements, and apply at: http://heartlandgsrescue.rescuegroups.org/info/adoption.

Like all German Shepherds, Hope will need training (positive reinforcement training), consistency, boundaries, activity and socialization. Even if you exercise and play with your dog daily in your fenced yard, please remember that you MUST still take your dog out on daily walks and outings, in order to provide sufficient stimulation, ward off boredom, and work on leash skills, and manners. Our dogs make great additions to active families who will pamper them, but who will also provide good leadership, structure, plenty of activity and mental stimulation.