Valentino ("Tino" for short) comes to us from the Washington Humane Society. He is a 1-year-old Shepherd/Akita mix. He is definitely appropriately named. He is an enthusiastic lover boy with lots of kisses and tail wags to give. This boy is a diamond in the "ruff". He is a little hesitant when meeting new people (especially men), but warms up quickly. After that he will follow you everywhere, afraid to miss any of the action. He is good with other dogs, kids and only mildly interested in cats. He obeys (most of the time) basic commands--come, sit, lie down, shake hands. He is an extremely fast runner and can turn on a dime. With all this speed and intelligence, he would probably do well in agility training. Now for the "ruff" part. When he first arrived at our house, he was not completely house-trained. He is paper-trained. We have had him on a walk schedule and he is starting to get the hang of going outside. Because he is still a puppy, he will chew pretty much anything if left alone or unsupervised. (The TV remote was oh so delish', the couch cushion was extremely tender, the hand lotion bottle was yucky!) I now put him in the crate when I leave, which he absolutely hates. He is also very food aggressive toward other dogs and humans. Valentino would probably do best in a house where someone is home part of the day to continue his puppy training, and has another dog or kids to run off some of his high energy.

Although donations of all types are needed, our primary need is foster homes for our lovely dogs while they wait for their new family to find them. Fostering is an extremely rewarding experience. Vet care is paid for by our rescue, and we can even provide you with food. All YOU need to add is love and security.

The adoption process starts with the applicant filling out the adoption application. This can happen at any time during the process, before or after having met a GSD that might be the ideal companion. (It's an advantage to have a pre-approved application on file with VGSR. It should be stressed here that being pre-approved does not mean that any potential adopter can select any available dog at will and take that dog home immediately. VGSR will exercise its best judgement as to which GSD will be the best match for that specific adopter based on a number of qualifying criteria. Many GSDs that come to us are matched up with their new people very quickly because their people have been pre-approved.) The applicant then submits the application form with a non-refundable $10.00 processing fee. VGSR reviews the application, then schedules an interview and home visit during which a number of questions are asked and the home is reviewed to be sure there is a contained/safe yard, and to meet the family involved. Once the application is approved, the applicant is asked to submit a $200.00 donation to VGSR, and the adoption is completed.

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