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    Westside German Shepherd Rescue

    3.8 (446 reviews)
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    Services - Westside German Shepherd Rescue

    Pet adoption

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    This beautiful shepherd was a rescue from WSGS....
    Diana C.

    In the past 20 years, we have adopted three dogs from this shelter. We adopted our first shepherd in the early- mid 2000's. I recall meeting Robin Jampol, the angel and the founder of the organization. The location then was in downtown adjacent to the 110 or 101 freeway? We actually met and greet the dogs under the freeway ;) The website has beautiful pictures of dogs available for adoption as well as their personalities and what is needed from the prospective owners of this breed. The process of adoption was very thorough which speaks to the fact that they are a good organization. As a German shepherd lover, I am conscientious of their well-being i.e., many people returning dogs like purchasing handbags from Macy's. This causes more trauma for the dogs that are returned. German Shepherds are typically working dogs that need a lot of physical activity as well as attention. In return, this breed will give you unlimited unconditional love and some even their own their lives to protect you. So, I understand the extra diligence in their process of finding adopters for their dogs. You first fill out a lengthy application and then they will check out your home to ensure that it is a good healthy environment for the dog. They will make sure that you have enough yard space and a fence that is at least 6 feet high. Once your application is approved, you will be able to meet your chosen 2 or 3 dogs from the website. The WSGSR staff will give you feedback and recommend which dogs are better fits for your lifestyle. In the adoption process, the staff/ vet tech will give you lengthy instructions how to feed and take care of your new family member and a phone number that you may call in case there is any questions regarding her health that you can pass on to your vet. The place is well maintained, clean, and very organized. The staff that works there are kind, compassionate and can answer all your questions. There are some wonderful, dedicated volunteers, like Bob, that will take the dogs out daily for their walks and physical activity. I have been in contact with Csilla Merrill who is very efficient and responds to email immediately. When our child, Chloe passed away Csilla, wrote a very compassionate, loving letter to us. Again thank you for all that you do for these helpless dogs that just need loving homes and families. Anytime you have to go into a shelter adoption place, it is an emotional experience but, I hope that you will consider adopting a dog that is ready for a loving home. Thank you for all that you do for these wonderful breed of dogs... https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTY6xAQT3/

    Adopted a beautiful Shepherd just a week ago from Westside. They truly have a good understanding of dogs personalities to ensure you get an accurate profile of the dog and know who is a good fit for your family. The staffs care for the animals is amazing, and their communication is great. I hope more people will hear of their amazing rescue! Thank you Westside German Shepherd Rescue!

    Submitted an application and got denied due to the question: "Where will the dog sleep at night?" I responded to the question on the application with: "Wherever he wants to, he has access to all of the inside and outside, bed inside and I also have a dog house outside. So wherever our puppy would love to sleep. Ideally with us inside the house close to us." I've had three German shepherds in my life and the fact that I got denied due to allowing my dog to sleep where he wants, it makes no sense. Instead of providing dogs with a loving home, they are rejecting families that can provide loving homes for GSD. I emailed back after my application got denied but have not received an email back. I wrote: "Our current German shepherd chooses where he gets to sleep since at night, he sometimes enjoys the fresh air and chooses to sleep outside vs inside. Most times he sleeps inside wherever he wants, he has a few favorite spots inside the house, my room, the living room, the center hallway between all rooms and the kitchen. He does love to be inside, but we also don't force him to stay inside if he chooses to be outside. So I was planning to do the same with the new dog, he could choose to sleep inside or outside, whichever he prefers which is why I have various dog beds and a dog house for whichever he prefers."

    Stella with her mom.  Love, love this girl!
    Judy M.

    We adopted our beautiful dog, Stella, from Westside GSR. Our contact person, Carol, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and asked many questions. We felt that we were in capable hands, choosing the right dog for us. Carol told us that Stella knew many commands; including sit, stay, wait, leave it, and was leash and crate trained. Stella responds positively to these commands. We are so happy with Stella, and think that Westside GSR did a wonderful job choosing Stella for our new family member. Thanks to everyone for the great work you do.

    Carl S.

    We adopted Texas (now known as Kato) 3 weeks ago. Wow - what great joy he has brought into our lives. We drove up from San Diego and had a list of 7 dogs to look at. The staff at WGSR spent a lot of time helping us find the right dog, they asked us all the right questions to make sure we had the right fit and they succeeded! Everything they said about Kato's personality and behavior was SPOT ON! To be sure he was as healthy as he seemed to be, we took him to our vet and he's in PERFECT HEALTH! I can't thank the staff (and Robin) enough for matching us up with our new family member.

    Email received the following day after the phone interview.
    Alex P.

    As much as I love German Shepherds, I gave this place a try. I went through the application and phone interview portion of the process. During the phone interview, the representative asked if the dog would sleep outside and I said yes sometimes (when older) but will be indoors most nights. Just based off of that, I was DENIED. Like really... so you want the dog to be sleeping indoors ALL the time. Wow this place is a joke. The fact that they're a "non profit", they can make up their own "rules" and discriminate against anyone they choose. Oh and be ready to pay the almost $500 fee to get a dog from here. Then have to take numerous photographs of your house (inside and out) and still have the HIGH risk of being denied. Really sucks because I've had German shepherds as dogs all my life and never had this issue with ADOPTING a dog from anywhere. It is what it is, I will have to keep looking and hopefully find a German Shepherd puppy somewhere else. This place claims to want to adopt dogs to a good home but clearly overlook good homes.

    Jessica R.

    After the loss of my GSD, I found Westside in late March researching GSD rescues online. I was looking for an active GSD around 1-2 yrs old and my main concern was compatibility with my cat and was drawn to Westside aaa they do cat testing and had a couple dogs that seemed to match what I was looking for. I had a good experience with the rescue and the process. Understanding their expectations and requirements and going into it without any expectations as I was still mourning the loss of my dog and unsure how long it would take me to find the right match. I completed the online application, exchanged emails and within a couple days had a phone interview. Upon approval, I went to Westside to meet some dogs and instantly connected with the 2nd one I met, still unsure how it would pan out with my cat and knowing he had some mild behavioral issues to work on. He is an amazing dog, well mannered and some of the behavioral issues he displayed at the rescue have either not resurfaced or are at a bare minimum. He and my cat met right away keeping them at a distance and letting them get to know one another, within a couple days they warmed up and have become best friends. I do work from home (pre COVID), am very active and give a lot of love and attention to my pets and have experience with GSDs and other larger dogs snd rescues so it has been an easy transition. This was the best decision I made and has helped tremendously with the loss of my last dog. The staff was great, easy to work with and do a great job taking care of their dogs and working to find the best match. Bringing in a rescue is such a rewarding experience . I highly recommend Westside!

    P S.

    My family recently adopted a gsd puppy from Westside German Shepherd Rescue named Archie Von Alzey. I completed the application and received a phone interview with Vicky the very next day. She interviewed both my husband and I. Vicky was really nice and asked us a lot of questions to make sure we were compatible. We recently lost our beloved Marley 13 yr old GSD. As we were browsing through the website, we fell in love with Charlie(Archie) after reading his bio/story and watching his YouTube video. There was something special about him that was tugging on our heartstrings. We also talked to two other volunteers Carol and Todd, who helped us with transportation and adoption. They both too were very nice and helpful. Todd especially gave us some really good advice on bring home a rescue. Charlie was transported from LA to Portland. The whole process was smooth and the communication was great. We really need more organizations like WGSR that work so hard to help save this amazing breed. We would not have this wonderful sweet boy in our lives if it wasn't for WGSR rescuing him from a kill shelter literally at the 11th hour and giving him a second chance for happiness. The organization and its volunteers do a lot of good and are german shepherds angels. Thank you so much WGSR, Vicky, Carol and Todd for all that you do! We love our new bundle of joy so much... Charlie truly completes us.

    Miki P.

    We had an amazing experience with WGSR. Within 24 hours after completing the adoption application I got an email and phone call for an interview. Marina was friendly and stayed in touch during the adoption process. We had a few dogs we were interested in meeting and drove from San Diego to LA to meet them. We specifically had one female dog in mind due to her "biography " on the website. We were greeted by Bob who was kind and professional. We met the dog within a few minutes, asked questions, received our information, they even gave her a bath. The adoption process was easy and friendly. We went home and our hearts were full. We recently lost our beloved dog and adopting a sweet GS is helping us heal. Steven gave us his phone number for questions. The staff is doing an amazing job and we are so grateful!

    Me with Nova ! 
 THANK YOU Westside German Shepherd Rescue !

    I found Nova on Petfinder in Portland, OR area. There was a link to WGSR and I went to their webpage. There, I found a variety of German Shepherds that needed a home. I narrowed my choices to 3 dogs and contacted them. From that moment forward, it was nothing short of GREAT ! They sent me numerous videos and I read the bios of the dogs so that I could make an informed decision. After review, I chose Nova ! When I contacted the folks at Westside German Shepherd Rescue about my choice, I had to go through a rigorous screening. I appreciated that as I felt it really made a difference to them where their dogs were to be rehomed. I sent pictures of my home and yard and the application included questions about my background. I was accepted and arranged to have Nova transported from LA, to Portland, OR. It went smoothly without a glitch. I met the transport company at the arranged time and place and Nova became part of my pack ! All in all, this was a VERY POSITIVE experience ! Nova has a forever home and I have a GREAT dog ! THANK YOU Westside German Shepherd Rescue !

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    Thank you Diana! Your support is so important!

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    Great place to rescue a great dog! We love our Westside GSD mix. They have a lot of great dogs for rescue

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    Ask the Community - Westside German Shepherd Rescue

    Do they train dogs too? Or is it just a shelter?

    They do have dog trainers that work with the dogs at the rescue. I do believe you can do dog training lessons there. My husband and I live in Thousand Oaks so it was a long drive back to the rescue in L.A.

    View All 2 Questions

    Review Highlights - Westside German Shepherd Rescue

    They were so patient with us, and we talked to no less than 5 volunteers trying to place us with the right dog.

    Mentioned in 27 reviews

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    Fur Baby

    Fur Baby

    4.0
    (141 reviews)

    Fur Baby Rescue is a great organization to adopt a pet from! They have all their pets on their…read morewebsite, and they're all at the Los Angeles facility. The adoption process is thorough enough, but not super lengthy like a lot of other rescues. There is no home inspection, but they do ask a series of questions, and as long as they all meet the qualifications of a suitable pet owner, then an appointment is set for a visit at the facility, and if you're ready right then and there, you just need to fill out a few things, pay, and head home with your new pet! As we just did today:D

    I didn't adopt a pet from Furbaby, but I attended their open house and was really impressed. The…read moreprocess to meet the dogs was quick, and communication was prompt. After completing the questionnaire, we were invited to the open house. Furbaby is located on the second floor of the "blue house," right next to Westside German Shepherd Rescue. The staff were very thorough in answering our questions about the dogs we were interested in. I was pleasantly surprised by how clean the facility is, it didn't smell like dogs at all, and there wasn't a lot of barking. It's clear they genuinely take great care of their animals. The only slightly awkward part was that other families might be interested in the same dog. In our case, another family came after us, and it was obvious that the dog was a better match for them. It was a good dog, just not "our" dog, but that's part of the process! Overall, Furbaby is professional, caring, and well-run, I'd definitely recommend checking them out if you're looking to adopt.

    South LA Animal Shelter

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    Tucked away in downtown/south LA - this ASPCA spay/neuter site is attached to the local LA County…read moreanimal shelter. Staff here is super friendly and efficient getting everyone checked in and processed for their animal's spay/neuter. The veterinarians here are compassionate and highly efficient proceduralists. Our dog's recovery was so smooth that we were surprised - her incision site was so small and she barely needed her isolation cone. By the next day she was walking around, and her appetite/elimination had returned to normal. The facility itself is so clean and well maintained - the kennels are spotless and tidy, and it's definitely a place where I would trust leaving my household/beloved pet. Parking is narrow and the lot is small, so be careful pulling in and out of the lot. Nearby the side streets are a bit rougher with some shadier types lurking around the corners. If you're coming here for spay/neuter services you're likely here during the day so it's not a factor, but something to be aware of. If you're able to get on their wait list and/or lottery to get seen by their vets, it's totally worth it. Highest recommendation.

    I witnessed them raise their voices to two poor elderly women who unfortunately have to surrender…read moretheir pets. This shelter needs to be shut down! They treat the animals horribly. They all don't know what they're doing or telling the clientele & get mad when clients come back with incorrect information told to them by their very own employees! Let alone all the reviews mentioning quick euthanization with little effort to rehome these innocent fur babies. F this place!

    Vanderpump Dogs

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    We've been taking our pup to vanderpump dogs for the vanderpuff haircut for years. Our pup is a…read morerescue and isn't always great with strangers but we always trust the staff at vanderpump and they do an amazing job Prices are pretty similar to other groomers but the profits go to help the rescue doggies in need which makes it even better

    I appreciate when celebrities use their status to advocate for a worthy cause. Case in point: Lisa…read moreVanderpump established The Vanderpump Dog Foundation to rescue dogs in China from the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. The foundation also encourages more humane treatment for dogs worldwide and also assists dogs domestically. As part of this initiative, she opened the Vanderpump Dog Rescue & Retail center in Los Angeles. 100% of proceeds from sales & adoptions go to the foundation. They also offer grooming services. A few years ago, a friend of mine adopted a dog from here - a beautiful tripod chihuahua mix. She was happy with the adoption process and loves her little princess. I was having dinner next door and stopped in to check the store out. As expected, the place is meticulously perfect and the décor is bougie with lots of cute plush dog toys & merch. Off to the side is a section where the fur babies that are up for adoption reside in posh play pens with white picket fences. There is also a nice area on the rooftop where potential adopters can spend quality time with their future fur baby. The staff here are very friendly, and I got to meet one of the pups named Meatball as he was on his way out for a walk. Thank you LVP for your dedication to helping our furry friends. *Metered street parking

    Westside German Shepherd Rescue - petadoption - Updated June 2026

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