Coastal German Shepherd Rescue is a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to finding loving homes for abandoned German Shepherds in Southern California. Coastal's Orange County Chapter exists solely because of your tax deductible donations, which support our efforts to save these very deserving animals. Please donate today and help us save German Shepherds.

Meet sweet Charity, a wonderful 8 year old German Shepherd female. We're requesting donations and a foster to save her! This 8 year old Senior originally came to West Valley shelter as a stray. She was then adopted and returned because she had wounds on her legs that they didn't want to take care of. Charity is a breeze on the leash, still has a lot of life to live and love to give!! She loves people and likes other dogs. She would make a wonderful companion for someone who wants a laid back senior dog. We will take care of her wounds but we need a FOSTER in order to help her!

Can you help? Can you open your heart and home to Charity even if it just temporary? If you can help, please email Beth.coastal@gmail.com immediately or fill out our online foster application now!

Nona showed up at a city animal shelter as a stray. She is believed to be between 8-10 years old. Don't let her age fool you, this girl had a zeal for life and loves to be exercised! Nona is sweet and good natured with all she meets. We can not let her life end at the city animal shelter. We are looking for a foster or adoptive home to offer to take Nona in!

Can you help? Can you offer Nona a place to call her own, even if it just temporary? If you can help, please email Beth.coastal@gmail.com immediately or fill out our online foster application now!

German Shepherds are pack dogs and therefore LOVE to have a buddy! In honor of Valentines Day, you can adopt two homeless German Shepherds for a $300 donation! Adopt a pair of dogs who are already buddies, or let's play matchmaker and pair up another set of our deserving dogs!

* our typical adoption donation is $300 per dog. Adoption donations cover spay or neuter, vaccines and a microchip. This promotion does not include puppy adoptions.

Sweet Hannah came to us as a four month old puppy with serious orthopedic issues. She originally came from a breeder and then was given away when her "owners" realized she had problems. Hannah has one straight leg that has no mobility. That leg is more of a nuisance than anything else. The straight leg needs to be removed in order for Hannah to learn to walk correctly on three legs. We know from past experience that three legged dogs do extremely well!

Once Hannah has her amputation, we can work on correcting her "good leg". Even her good leg has issues....she has a knee disformation that may require surgery down the road. This poor little baby didn't ask for any of this......many of her conditions are thought to have been caused by very poor nutrition as a tiny pup. Her bone density was not nearly what it should have been for a pup her age. We are working to get good nutrition in her and to make her as strong as possible before her surgery. Please help us raise the necessary funds for her surgeries! Hannah deserves to run and play like every puppy should!

We rescued Gigi just in the nick of time and found her a short term place to get immediate medical care and out of the shelter. We now need a more permanent place for Gigi, either a foster home or an adoptive home. Gigi is an easy house guest and doesn't ask for much. Her medical issues are under control and she is feeling better every day. If you can offer Gigi a place to rest her weary head, please let us know!

We love to rescue senior shepherds but we need your help to continue to the mission. Fostering a senior is very rewarding and with just a little effort you are sure to have a new best friend! If you can open your heart and home to help Gigi, please contact admin@coastalgsr.org immediately or fill out our online foster application now!

Kaelyn came to us with a very broken leg. She has had all of her medical care taken care of and she is getting around great! All she needs know is a foster home to call her own. Kaelyn gets along with most friendly dogs but would probably prefer a male to share her space with. She is a mature gal and pretty routine! A soft bed, some good food and a few belly rubs are all that she asks for. Can you offer Kaelyn a home? We hate to put this mature gal, who has been thru so much, into a boarding kennel. Any help is much appreciated! If you can offer Kaelyn a place in your home, please contact admin@coastalgsr.org immediately or fill out our online foster application.

When Gideon first arrived, we really did not know if he would survive. We knew we needed a lot of hope, a network of supporters and a skilled vet. Thankfully these all combined and pulled off a huge recovery for Gideon! It is amazing how far Gideon has come in the last 3 months. The final chapter in Gideon's recovery was recently featured in the O.C. Register.

His wound was surgically closed last week and all he has is a line of stitches to show the trauma that he has been through. He will continue to grow fur and should have very little scarring! He has also been adopted by a wonderful family and now has a loving home to call his own. Gideon's story was featured on KTTV and the O.C. Register. He has created quite the fan club of well-wishers! His journey in pictures can be seen on Picasa!

The devotion that poured in for Gideon was amazing! People from far and wide were touched by his story. Many sent well wishes, donations came in and we started collecting for what was going to be the biggest fundraising effort to date for Coastal German Shepherd Rescue. I'm proud to say that our devoted followers and supporters pulled it off! We were able to raise all of the funds for Gideon's care. Our vet team did amazing work and Gideon got top off the line care due to the generous donations!

In Gideon's honor, we would like to start a Saving Gideon Fund. This fund will be for seriously injured dogs who need immediate medical care. Often times the decision to save a life depends upon how much money is in our bank account. It's very sad, but unfortunately the truth! We would like to create this fund so that the next time we are asked to save a severely injured dog we can say YES!

The Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth or transformation. The Phoenix burns to ashes and then is reborn complete and whole. This transformation isn't so much a transformation into something new or different, but more of bringing a life or energy full circle, back to the original purpose and starting over again. Symbolizing a rebirth after apparently being destroyed, this name is perfect for a severely abused anonymous boy who entered the shelter in such bad shape it seemed his life would end there. Touching the staff with his sweet nature and stoic spirit, they named him Luke and sent out a desperate plea for someone to help this tortured soul and give him a chance at a life he has obviously been denied.

Found wandering the streets of Downey with his ears hacked off, Phoenix appears to have been used as a bait dog. He was then set to be euthanized at one of the county shelter. In spite of his obvious abuse, Phoenix is the sweetest dog you could ever meet. Thanks to the efforts of a shelter volunteer and an amazing group of networkers, we were able to save him! His face tells the story of the abuse of his previous life, but we will be able to change all of that for him! With the help of Alicia Pet Care Center, we will get him healthy and ready for his new life! His tragic story has touch many lives in a short time, even being featured on KTLA News. Reborn out of obvious tragedy, Phoenix will now have a chance at the wonderful life he was meant to have.

Update 9/15/10 from our volunteer Tiffany
I have to say that I have been doing rescue for quite a number of years and I have to say Phoenix is one of the very special ones that takes a part of your heart and settles right in. Phoenix's face tells a story of trauma and violence and yet he stands tall regal and proud. He is wise way beyond his years and has lived a life that few of us can even imagine.

The very good news is that he is safe now and will never know abuse again. He was most certainly used as a bait dog and bears the typical scars from that disgusting sport. His ears were cut off by an inexperienced hand and left to heal on their own. The scar tissue has built up from the years of attacks. Our wonderful vet (Dr. Wheaton, Alicia Pet Care Center) feels that some of his wounds are as young as 3 weeks old, so he was very recently being used as bait. He is suffering from ear canal infections, skin infection, flea dermatitis, emaciation and arthritis.....just to name a few of his ailments.....but with good vet care, love and affection his medical issues will be solved.

On to a more positive note, Phoenix is AMAZING. My toddler daughter hugged him and gave him loves and told him we would heal his booboos. Phoenix cuddled with an orphan kitten and made friends with a bouncy terrier pup. There is no other word to describe him, except amazing!

I just want to update you all and say a big thanks to Linda and Leegie who made his plight known. If it hadn't been for them, we would not have known he existed. He would have been euthanized at the shelter and his pain and suffering would have been for not. We feel fortunate to be able to help impact the rest of his life and find him his happy-ever-after. Thanks to all who had a hand in his rescue!

Update 9/18/10
Phoenix is continuing to get lots of love and affection from our volunteers and vet team. He has been cleaned up, treated by our vet and is now feeling much better! Thanks to all the support we have received we will be able make sure that Phoenix will make a full recoverWe have found out that Phoenix is understandably defensive when meeting new animals. Because of his discomfort, we are looking for a home for him with no other animals. We feel that being any only dog is the best way for Phoenix to be assured that he will never be attacked again. On another note, the LA District Attorney is considering offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who committed this abuse.

We will be posting updates on Phoenix as we get them. For more information or if you are interested in helping Phoenix, please contact Tiffany via email at tiffanycgsr@sbcglobal.net.

You can also follow Phoenix's journey on his blog.

Update 9/22/10
Phoenix continues to amaze us with his grace and fortitude. He is now enjoying walks and basking in the sunshine. After a long walk yesterday, we could see Phoenix' anxiety lessen and a bit of weight come off of his shoulders. We are making our way through the applications and are working to match him up with the right adoptive family. We hope he will be in his forever home soon!

Update 9/28/10
Phoenix has been adopted. You can read about the happy ending to his Cinderella story here in the O.C. Register.

Weekly Adoption Events:    
Saturday February 25, 2012 at the Petsmart in Aliso Viejo
Click here for more information about these and all of our upcoming events.   Come visit us!   Drop by to say hello and to meet some great dogs!

Hi Katie,

Sorry, it took so long for us to get these pictures to you. Our lives have been a whirlwind since Frankie (Gizmo) has come into our lives. He is a wonderful addition to our family. The kitties are even starting to tolerate his presence.

He has also become the life of the party around our neighborhood. As you can see Dog Beach is his favorite place to be!!!

He goes on at least three walks a day and your tips and guidance have made a trememdous impact on his behavior. We look forward to the reunion. Please let us know how the other pups are getting along!

Best regards,
Sam Brust & Paige Kilgore

 

Hi Sanika,

Abby is doing well.

In the picture, she is sleeping after a long day. She loves to run. We take her on long trail rides with the other two dogs and the horses about 3 to 4 miles.

She is having trouble with playing. She barks to play but doesn't push her way in with the other dogs. I am sure with time it will get better. She gives you her paw and is turning into a very good dog!!!!

Kim Holzhauer

 

 

Hello all at Coastal GSR!

Just wanted to check in and let you know how our 2 girls, Millie and Cinder, are doing. To sum it up, great! We brought home Millie 4 months ago and loved having her in the family so much that we decided to give her a sister, so we adopted Cinder one month later.

Millie is protective and loving towards our two sons, 5 & 2 and LOVES walks, the beach, and the dog park. People comment to us all the time what a beautiful, well-mannered dog she is.

Cinder is our gentle giant. She has gained 20 pounds since coming home and is now 85 pounds of affectionate silliness. When she wags her tail, her whole body wags. She loves to love and be loved and adores her big sister.

Our sons absolutely love their "sisters". We couldn’t ask for 2 better dogs and we are so happy they are part of our family. Many thanks to you for all you do to save these wonderful dogs and for uniting us with them.

We hope you enjoy seeing the photos of our big, happy family.

~Mike and Corinne Binsfield

 

 

Hi Trisha

I was colt now I am Cabo, and I love my life thank u for introducing me to my family!!

I live on 14 acres and chase everything and I have A older bro that teaches me!!

My mom calls me curious George!! I wake my Mom, Dad and bro w/kisses!!!!

Come see me!!!

Thank u Trisha & also Tracey from San Diego
xxxxxxx

 

 

Hi there,

Things are going well with Degan. He is completely part of our family. I have attached some pictures for you.

Degan is getting big and quickly.We just weighed him last night and he is tipping the scales at 35 lbs. The week before he had weighed 30 lbs...that is 5 lbs in one week! His feet are still big ... the Vet Tech from Banfield thinks that Degan could weigh up to 100 lbs!

Mike will be sitting there and then say..."I love my dog"! Degan follows Mike everywhere too.

Thanks!

Michele, Bruce, Mike, Buddy & Degan

 

 

Hi Sanika,

Many thanks to the volunteers at Coastal GSR for saving the newest member of our family! Dudley is an absolute sweetheart. He seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings just fine and has become more playful since we brought him home. We will be sure to send more pictures and updates of Dudley.

Best regards,
Francesca

 

 

Hello everyone at Coastal,

I adopted Hartley from you last September and wanted to give you an update. He loves his best buddy Zack, and my young daughter Clare. She has renamed him Mr. Hartley, Tartley, Lemon-Fartly.

He's a big mamma's boy and extremely obedient. We just got him DNA typed and were very surprised to see that he's white german, white lab, and wait for it, a tiny bit basset hound. Who'd have thought! We love him 100% and will definitely use Coastal again when we look for our next doggy family member.

Best,
Lisa, Tom, Clare and Zack & Hartley

 

 

Hi Sanika,

Here are a few pictures of Mia and the kids. She is 11 weeks old now and we absolutely love her and of course she loves us and her new home!

She is doing wonderful and we couldn't have asked for a better dog. She is so well behaved, even for a pup! We look forward to watching her grow up to be a beautiful young lady.

You guys are the best and we look forward to our next adoption!!

Scott & Cathy Harris