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:

Kelly will likely do well in a home with older children and another dog/s, but probably not good with cats.  Fenced yard required.

KELLY’S STORY:

Kelly is around 2 years old and is a mostly liver colored female who came to ISR as a stray with another GSP.  We’re unsure of her background but know she’s happy to be an inside dog living with people who are taking care of her and showing her what it’s like to be loved by people.  She currently weighs about 50 pounds but is still on the thin side and will gradually add more weight as she further adapts to her environment and maintains her healthy eating plan.

It’s doubtful Kelly will do well with cats in the same home, as she does show a lot of interest in the small critters in the backyard and gives chase when given the opportunity.  Kelly’s rather timid outside and will become skittish if scared by an unknown noise and runs away from it toward the house or to her fosters.

Kelly does well with other dogs and enjoys their company.  She attempts to play with a Great Dane and Cocker Spaniel from across the fence in her backyard.  Kelly tends to play rough so we’d suggest she not be homed where there are toddlers, smaller children, or elderly people that may get knocked down during her antics.  She had a playdate with 2 female GSPs and enjoyed being with them, but again, she is a bit rough during play so the other GSPs (older) weren’t charmed by all of her play attempts; however, they all got along very well.  Kelly was picked up as a stray with a male GSP and it’s likely she was used to spending time with this other dog and this could attribute to her acceptance of other dogs in her life.

One of Kelly’s cute…or actually not so cute…behaviors are her “love nibbles”.  When she’s excited and/or wants attention from her foster mom, Kelly will bestow love nibbles unaware they actually hurt.  Her foster mom and dad are working on curbing this behavior as it’s not really a good habit even though they know Kelly isn’t being malicious, just her way of showing them affection.  On the upside, Kelly has a “super sweet personality” and you can almost see that sweetness shine through when you look at her face in the pictures above.  Her foster mom especially emphasized that quality when she wrote to us about Kelly.

On the GSP energy level scale, Kelly comes in at about a medium.  She’s happy to lounge around during the day when she’s inside but loves to go into full-fledged outside zoomies at night before bedtime!  Actually, Kelly loves to run around outside a lot and because she can easily jump a child gate inside the home, we recommend she be homed with a family that has a fenced (at least 4 feet high) yard for her to play in.  As a young GSP she’ll require a regular exercise routine to keep her healthy and happy…and out of mischief.  A bored GSP can lead to an impish one for sure!  Kelly loves chew toys and pressed rawhide chews; however, she can quickly destroy stuffed toys so supervision is advised to prevent her from swallowing anything that can be harmful for her.

Kelly is crate trained and seems happy to be in her crate when it’s necessary.  She’s quiet all night when sleeping in her crate and allows her fosters a good night’s sleep, which is “wonderful” according to her foster mom. 😊

Kelly is very food motivated and quickly gobbles her food down whenever her food bowl is put in front of her.  Even though she seems to be “ravenous” all the time, and gets very excited at mealtimes, she doesn’t show any food aggression when her foster mom and dad move the bowl or take any food away from her.

Kelly didn’t know any commands when she arrived at her foster home and her fosters have slowly been working with her on a few.  She’s learning, “off”, “drop it”, “sit”, and “no”; still, these are all a work in progress.  Her foster mom says Kelly is pretty good at “sit” and her recall is good unless she’s very distracted with the neighbor dogs.  The upside about training Kelly is that she is very food motivated and will try to do whatever it is her fosters want if she knows a treat is going to be her reward! 😊  Even though her fosters are working on commands with her, we think it would be to Kelly’s new family’s advantage to take her to an organized, supervised obedience dog training program to help her become a well-adjusted dog during most situations.

Like most GSPs, Kelly is quickly becoming a Velcro GSP with her people and can frequently be found “helping in the kitchen” when her foster mom is busy preparing meals.  She definitely wants to be near her people and loves to cuddle with them.

Kelly’s foster mom sent some very nice words for us to share about Kelly.  She says, “Kelly will be a wonderful dog given time, training, and patience, a wonderful companion for life!  She’s very inquisitive, wants to learn, and is very food motivated.  Kelly loves to be near people and loves living the “home” life.  Kelly has a sweet personality and is quite the little lover.”

Kelly’s forever family should be willing to exercise her and want a dog to spend time with them during their activities…inside and outside.  Kelly is young enough to adapt to a lot of different activities given the time and patience. Her new family should be active, have time to exercise her, have room for her to romp and play, and have enough patience to help Kelly become a well-adjusted, happy new member of their family.

If you’re the person or family that has the desire and love to give Kelly her new forever home, please complete our  Online Adoption Application.  It’s the quickest and best way for us to learn of your interest.

• Kelly is up to date with routine shots and are house trained.

• Kelly is altered.

Sponsor Kelly      Adopt Kelly

PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Dunbar will likely do well in a home with children, but it’s unknown how he would be with cats.

DUNBAR’S STORY:

Dunbar is around 2 years old and is a mostly liver colored male who came to ISR as a stray. We’re unsure of his background but know he is now very happy to be an inside dog who likes to hang around with his foster family. He currently weighs about 60 pounds and is looking mighty fine.

Dunbar enjoys outside play time that includes chasing a frisbee and balls. He likes his doggy toys when inside or outside. 😊 As a younger GSP his exercise plan should include a good amount of time dedicated to his “workout” to keep him from becoming bored and possibly mischievous. Outside activities with his new family will be ideal for Dunbar. He loves going for walks in the forest preserve, likes to go for leash walks and is well-mannered without much pulling.

Dunbar hasn’t shown any aggressive tendencies with his food or his toys and gets along well with other dogs. He’s interested in meeting other dogs and may do well if homed with another doggy sibling. He has had several playdates with other dogs and did very nicely.

This guy is always on the hunt for some morsel of food or dog treat and gobbles down his meals. Running around in the back yard is one of his very favorite things to do and because Dunbar is so active and playful.

Dunbar is very sweet and playful. He is being fostered as an only dog with his current foster family and enjoys the pets and scratches they give him. While he looks forward to the attention he receives from them, he’s not at all pesty about receiving this attention. Dunbar currently isn’t fostered in a home with children, but he was an all star at holiday gatherings that included young children. He mingled quietly with guests and didn’t beg for food.

Dunbar loves chew toys and stuffed animals! Those chew toys and stuffed animals don’t stand much of chance for very long and one of his fosters said, “he can destroy them quickly”! Treats are always a big hit with him and come in handy during training times. Dunbar knows “sit” and “come” and has almost mastered “stay” and “place”. Even though his fosters are working on commands with him, we think it would probably be to Dunbar’s new family’s advantage to take him to an organized, supervised obedience dog training program. Dunbar’s fosters say he “is receptive to learning and is very treat motivated.” Like most GSPs, he eagerly tries to please his people.

Dunbar is content in his crate and will sleep in there all night without incidence. He is crated when alone in the house. At night Dunbar is sleeping on his bed on the floor in his foster parents bedroom. During the day, he is very happy to be on his doggy bed… preferably close to his fosters parents. He quietly lays on his bed while his fosters read or watch TV.

Dunbar’s foster dad said, “he’s a real keeper”. He will make a new family a wonderful, loyal, and loving pet. The family should be active, have time to exercise him, have room for him to romp and play, and have enough patience to help Dunbar become a well-adjusted, happy new member of their family.

If you’re the person or family that has the desire and love to give Dunbar his new forever home, please complete our Online Adoption Application. It’s the quickest and best way for us to learn of your interest.

• Dunbar is up to date with routine shots and are house trained.

• Dunbar is altered.

Sponsor Dunbar Adopt Dunbar