You must be an ISR approved adopter to request and receive further information on our GSPs. The process includes an application review, Veterinarian check, and home visit. Please understand there may be approved adopters already going through various stages of our adoption process; candidates who submitted their applications before those still in the review process, or those who are in the home visit stages.

Expressing an interest for a particular dog already in our rescue does not guarantee that specific dog will be available when you’ve completed the approval process. Also, we must ensure the needs of the dog of interest is a good match to an applicant’s specific circumstances. Completing an application and going through the approval process will add your information to our network. A current approval with your information in our database offers you the greatest opportunity to be matched up with the perfect GSP; a great match for your entire family. To start the application process, please follow the instructions found on this page.

PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Ruger is a 3 year-old male GSP. He will need a family that will set firm boundaries.  Large, fenced yard recommended.

RUGER’S STORY:

Ruger is an independent, energetic, handsome 3-year-old male GSP.  He’s had a rough start in life having lived with several different families that all failed to train and socialize him properly.  Since he’s been with ISR, we’ve learned Ruger is a relaxed, very well-mannered dog indoors and energetic outdoors.  On walks he is very alert and sometimes distracted, especially when encountering other dogs.

Ruger needs a family that will set firm boundaries in the house.  He will get protective of furniture if he is allowed up on a couch or bed.  Like most young GSPs, Ruger needs his daily exercise.  He’ll spend some time fetching a tennis ball, but his favorite things are running freely in a large yard and going for long walks.  He can be very anxious and vocal upon meeting other dogs and when riding in a car, but he is trying really hard to stay calm in both situations and is gradually improving.

Ruger has been spending time with a trainer to work on his socialization skills.  He has been successfully introduced to other dogs and enjoys play time, but can be rough, so he needs a dog that can match his energy level and doesn’t mind rough play.  His best buddy is another young, active GSP at daycare.  His foster family is working with him on the “leave it” command to help with some of his resource guarding issues with other dogs.  Ruger will need a home with a family that will continue to work with him to be the best dog he can be.  A home with GSP experience and a large fenced-in yard is highly recommended.

If you think you and your family are the perfect match for our Ruger, please complete our online adoption application. It’s the quickest and best way for us to learn of your interest.

· Ruger is up to date with routine shots and is house trained.

· Ruger is altered.

Sponsor Ruger       Adopt Ruger

PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Lucy is a senior GSP that is low-key and great with other dogs; unsure how she’ll adapt to cats since she hasn’t been with a cat in her foster home. Fenced yard recommended and a quieter environment will be best.

LUCY’S STORY:

With one look at the adorable, endearing face of this little girl, you’ll be able to see right away how sweet and loving she is. Lucy is about 10 years old (unsure of actual age) and is very easy-going. She’s a petite little black and white GSP who weighs about 48 pounds; however, her diminutive size doesn’t keep her from enjoying a romp with her GSP sister Kona and her 85-pound Weimaraner brother Zeus.

Lucy really enjoys time exploring in the backyard and her daily leash walks. She shows an interest in the comings and goings of animals she encounters in the yard and on her walks and would gladly give chase if allowed. Her foster dad says she sees movements and animals from quite a distance away and keeps him on his toes and alert to the presence of “intruders” who may disturb their walk.

While Lucy likes a good romp with Kona and Zeus, and gets along very well with both them, but her foster dad doesn’t believe it would be a good idea to home Lucy with a very young dog that would pester Lucy to play all the time. However, she will probably adapt well to a more mature dog who’s over the typical puppy years. Even though Lucy is a senior and will run and jump when playing, she’s pretty low-key and has a fairly low energy level.

Before coming to ISR, Lucy was kept on a chain as an outside dog and then housed in an indoor kennel at night. In spite of never experiencing the more pampered life of being an indoor pet prior to her foster home, Lucy has adapted superbly to her new lifestyle. She’s learned to sit by her foster dad when she needs to go outside and if he doesn’t pay attention to her she’ll let out a little whimper as a hint to let him know she won’t’ be able to wait much longer. She learned this very quickly which is pretty impressive for a dog who has lived outside most of her life! Her foster parents haven’t felt the need to give Lucy more training because she’s very sweet and isn’t ever a problem; however, she does know what “sit” means and she comes to them when she’s called.

As mentioned, Lucy has adapted nicely to being an indoor pet and spends much of her time lounging around with her foster family and with the other dogs in the home, which you can see in one of the pictures above where she’s nestled between her foster dad’s dogs, Kona and Zeus. If she’s not by Kona and Zeus, you’ll usually find her snuggling with one of her fosters; it’s apparent she’s happiest when she’s snuggling with one of them or sprawled out on the sofa or bed with some warm covers. Lucy loves people and everybody she meets is her friend, which is obvious by the constant wagging of her tail. Another “tell-tail” (pun intended) sign she’s happy is when it comes to feeding time. Once again, her tail never stops wagging and she becomes very animated and vocal for her goodies! Her foster dad says, “she dances around like it’s the best thing ever!”

Lucy isn’t aggressive over anything that comes her way. She doesn’t guard her food or toys and has never shown aggression of any kind toward her foster family. Lucy is crate-trained and will sometimes wonder off to have a quiet nap in it. She doesn’t become overly anxious if left alone; however, she does have a fear of loud noises and thunderstorms. She prefers a quieter existence and may even leave the room when her foster dad becomes overly excited over a sporting event or when big boy Zeus starts barking at something. But, in fairness to little Lucy, after living a life outdoors it probably seems quite odd to her to see a man cheering and hollering over something she hasn’t perceived as a threat and /or having a big 85-pound Weimaraner barking loudly in an otherwise quiet surrounding. Gracious! LOL!

Lucy’s ideal new home should be one that isn’t a hubbub of activities and where she wouldn’t be alone for extended periods of time. Her foster dad sent along these comments about what may be best when placing Lucy: “She enjoys other dogs, but I don’t think an exuberant puppy that plays rough would be a good fit. Other than that, she has proven to adapt to different circumstances very well.” Additionally, Lucy’s foster family doesn’t include young children, but her foster dad did mention that due to her “gentle demeanor, she should be good with children”; however, children should be old enough to realize Lucy isn’t a young dog who will want to play constantly. While Lucy is a bit older and won’t require a lot of exercise like many younger dogs, she really enjoys her leash walks and backyard exploring, which should continue to be a part of her new life with her new family.

If you think you and your family are the perfect match for our Lucy, please complete our online adoption application. It’s the quickest and best way for us to learn of your interest.

· Lucy is up to date with routine shots and is house trained.

· Lucy is altered.

Sponsor Lucy Adopt Lucy