Happy Tails!
Celebrating our Recent Adoptions! All of our dogs have their own pages on our website FOREVER, soon you'll be able to see all of the dogs we've ever adopted.
Be sure to check out our current Testimonials page for owner updates on our adopted dogs. If you'd like to share your Happy Tails success story, send us updates and pictures and we'll post it up to share with the world. Email us at: webshepherd@gcgsr.org.
Some of our dogs are still in their Foster-to-Adopt homes while making sure it's a good fit for both dogs and people, they are still Adoption Pending.
Our older adoptions are listed here: Happy Tails - Older Adoptions
Changing lives, one dog at a time.
Adopted 4/15//17
Brenna
Brenna is a 4 y/o black female. She was recently returned to rescue due to human health concerns and no fault of her own. Brenna was renamed Raven and for the past 2 years that was her name and that is what she now responds to. She was sleek 62 lbs her first go around in the rescue and now weighs in at, a much too large for her frame, 92.2 lbs. She will need daily exercise to get back a more reasonable weight.
Currently, Brenna lives with 3 dog savvy cats and a male GSD. She doesn't play much with her foster brother; not sure if that is because of her weight or if that is just Brenna's personality.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added February 2017
Adopted 4/15//17
Starlynn
Starlynn (aka Momma) and her puppies came to us 4 days after she gave birth. Her elderly owners surrendered her because they could not physically care for the puppies. She is a beautiful black and tan German Shepherd; that is approximately 3 years old.
It is apparent from her physical condition that this was not her first litter of puppies. The puppies are now 8 weeks old and have been weaned off of Momma. Starlynn is ready to start her new life as just a dog.
She came to us with no house or leash manners but has learned some basic commands.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added October 2016
Adopted 4/8//17
Bronx
Bronx is estimated to be a four month old, male German Shepherd Husky mix. Bronx and his mom were found by Good Samaritan's in Stanislaus county. The Good Samaritan held Bronx for the county stray hold and made a shelter report, but after not even one phone call of someone trying to claim them, they reached out to GCGSR.
Bronx came to the foster very unsure of humans and other animals. He would often try to hide or grumble at new comers into the household. After a few corrections and learning that kind of behavior isn't acceptable, he stopped. His foster has been working on socializing him with other people and he's doing great. He's still a little unsure at first but then approaches asking for belly rubs and ear scratches.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added February 2017
Adopted 4/1//17
Becka
Becka is a 3 year old white female. She was a stray from the Modesto shelter with Bernard, so we do not know much of her background.
Becka is an easy dog to have around with her moderate energy level. She loves walks and car rides, and quiets down nicely in the house. She loves affection, especially belly scratching, but isn't clingy or demanding.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added January 2017
SPECIAL NEEDS
Adopted 3/25/17
Nalani
Nalani is a 7 year old petite Black and Tan female. She was originally a stray from Placer County, so nothing is known of her background. She was adopted once, but returned when the adopters couldn't trust her with their cats. She then was determined to be heartworm positive and recently completed treatment for Heartworm. She entered our foster system underweight, but has achieved an ideal weight of 58 pounds.
She was initially restless around other dogs, but has learned to accept their company without the need for interaction.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added January 2017
Adopted 3/25/17
Nerissa
Nerissa is a female all-black long coat, approximately 3-4 years of age and weighing 88 lbs. She was a stray from a Yolo county shelter, found with Havi and a Rottweiller, but no other information is known about her past.
She has a calm, mature demeanor with moderate energy to low energy. She does well around most other dogs, when introduced properly. Introductions to other dogs have been more successful when Nerissa is not tethered or confined.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added February 2017
Adopted 3/25/17
Vogner
Vogner is a 6 year old, red and black male who is underweight at the moment. He has a large blocky head which makes the rest of his body look even thinner. Vogner came as a stray out of a Sacramento shelter, so we have no background information on him.
He appears housebroken, sleeps nicely in a crate and rides well in the car. He knows basic commands. He walks well on a leash, as long as a squirrel doesn't cross his path. He loves playing with balls and with the female German Shepherd in the foster home. He is also living nicely with two senior male German Shepherds and so far has ignored the cats in the home.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added February 2017
Come meet me on Saturday, March 18th from 11am to 2pm at the Rancho Cordova Adoption Day at Petsmart on Olson Drive!
Adopted 3/18/17
Beau
Beau is a lovely, very friendly three to four year old bi-color male that was rescued out of the Modesto Shelter as a stray so we have no background information on him. He is a little underweight right now and should fill out nicely at about 75 pounds.
During the first few days at his foster's house, Beau had no house manners but caught on very quickly. He is an extremely smart boy who just wants to please you. In less than a week, he was learning to sit, shake, wait, stay, down, go to your spot, look at me and sleep in his crate although he would prefer to sleep in the bed with you. His recall is great! He is also potty trained and cues to be let out by going to the door or whining.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added December 2016
Adopted 3/18/17
Ben
Ben is a black and tan 2 - 3 year old male who was picked up as a stray and came to us from a local shelter, so little is known of him background.
A very sweet boy but has somewhat of a shy temperament. He's a big boy however, he's a little on the thin side. He gets along great with other dogs.
He behaves as though most things are new to him but is gaining confidence daily.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added December 2016
Adopted 3/18/17
Lonnie
Lonnie is a beautiful black and white 2 year old female. Lonnie has a beautiful shiny black coat and the most golden eyes you have ever seen (her left eye is a little lighter than the right eye). She weighs about 53 lbs., and could afford to put on a few pounds. Lonnie was stray from the Yolo County Shelter so nothing is known of her background.
Lonnie is a sweetheart! She loves to be with her people, she gets along beautifully and plays very well with her large male foster brother and her Mal/GSD foster sister. Lonnie likes everyone she meets.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added February 2017
Adopted 3/18/17
Westin
Westin is an 18 month old, black and tan male who was a stray from a local area shelter is little is known of his background.
He has easily blended into his foster home's pack, and lives with three large German Shepherds and two medium sized dogs that are a mix of ages and sexes. He appears housebroken, uses a dog door, sleeps nicely in a crate and rides well in the car. When we first got him, it was a challenge to get him in the car, but now jumps right in and enjoys the rides.
Westin has a nice calm, easy going demeanor, quiets down nicely in the house and likes to be near his person. He will turn on the charm and rest his head in your lap waiting for pets, or will offer his belly waiting for you to give him a good belly scratching!
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added February 2017
Adopted 3/4/17
Alicia
Alicia is a 9 week old female Black and White German Shepherd Mix puppy who weighs 16lbs. She is one of 8 puppies who were surrendered to us with Starlynn (Momma) when they were 3 days old. The puppies are not housebroken, but are trained to use potty pads.
Alicia was the first puppy to figure out how to escape the area the puppies were contained in. She figured out that she could stand on top of her littermates and climb over the railing.
She is quite rambunctious and loves to play rough and tumble with her littermates.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added October 2016
Adopted 3/4/17
Regent
Regent is a happy and energetic 2 year old male dog. He was an unclaimed stray from a Sacramento shelter so nothing is known of his background. Weighing in at about 75 pounds, this tall boy needs to gain another 10 pounds.
He is currently working on his house and leash manners and learning basic commands. Regent does well when walking on a short leash, but if given more space he still pulls, especially when he's excited about meeting a new friend.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added February 2017
Adopted 2/25/17
Bianca
Bianca is a pretty, white female, approximately 3.5 years old, and weighs 61 lbs. She was a stray from Yolo County, so nothing is known of her background.
Bianca has nice house manners, is housebroken, and calms nicely inside the house. During the night or when away, Bianca settles nicely and quietly in a crate. She is currently in a foster home with several dogs. She meets most new dogs easily, but displays dominant female tendencies. She is great around cats, sniffing but not harming the two she met.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added January 2017
Adopted 2/25/17
Dicara
Dicarra is a 2-3 year old, petite, kissy, bi-color girl. She was an unclaimed stray from Modesto Shelter, so nothing is known of her background. It appears as if she has had a least 1 litter of puppies in her young life.
Dicarra is currently in a foster home with 7 other dogs, and gets along with all of them. She is currently being fostered in a rural ranch home, and has shown little to no interest in the resident goat, but will chase a stray cat if given the chance. She will gravitate to the younger, playful dogs, and initiate a good game of "catch me if you can".
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added December 2016
Adopted 2/25/17
Havi
Havi is an 18 mo old, handsome black and tan male weighing 89 lbs and slightly overweight. He was a stray from a Yolo shelter, found with Nerissa and a Rottweiler, but nothing else is known about his past. He is playful, energetic, and eager to please his human. He will benefit from one-on-one supportive training to show him how to succeed. If too stern of a correction is given, Havi flattens to the ground like a pancake.
He is crate trained, walks fairly well on a leash, and enjoys his car rides. He is working on becoming housebroken and will use a dog door. Havi plays well with other dogs, large and small, but often is not aware he is invading their personal space.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added February 2017
Adopted 2/25/17
Kiska
Kiska is an approximately 6 years old beautiful black and cream female weighing in at approximately 55 lbs. She was originally adopted out of a local area shelter, but was returned when the resident dog was overly exuberant, and invading her space. The adopter wrote a letter about her saying it wasn't her fault and how much he really liked her. Back at the shelter, Kiska was placed in play groups, and did fine as long as the other dogs didn't try to engage in play with her. So care would need to be taken on bringing her into a household with another dog.
Kiska has nice house manners as long as food isn't in her reach. She knows basic commands like sit, come, heal, go potty, go on, wait and look up before being fed, sit before going out for a walk and she is crate trained.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added January 2017
Adopted 2/25/17
Zico
Zico is an energetic, playful 1 year old male Malinois who is looking for his forever family. He was an unclaimed stray from a local shelter, so nothing is known about his background. Zico weighs in at about 55lbs, but still has some filling out to do. Zico is rambunctious, happy, and fun- always up for life's next adventure! Whether he is playing fetch, or with the other dogs in his foster home, Zico is always busy. In his foster home, Zico is working on learning a handful of commands (sit, down, kennel, outside, inside, come here, out, off, no, and "go find your ball"). Zico is working on his leash manners, he does pretty well if you keep him close, but if you give him much leash, he pulls like a freight train. He also gets very excited when a car passes.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added January 2017
Adopted 2/23/17
Maddox
Maddox is a handsome 10-12 month old sable male with a sweet, social personality who was an unclaimed stray from the Modesto shelter. He is a friendly, outgoing boy with quite a bit of puppy left. So far, he likes every dog and person who he meets and is not shy about approaching for play, plus he generally has backed away from conflict. As may be expected for a young dog, he is still learning appropriate boundaries for his mouth.
Whether female or male, he tends to quickly learn which dogs are friendly and tries to play, play, play. Maddox plays a good game of "mouths" nicely for as long as the other dogs do but sometimes does not understand when dogs or people want him to stop. Before learning how to use a dog door, he pawed at the people door when necessary and has been housebroken since.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added January 2017
SENIOR
Adopted 2/18/17
Allana
Allana (Ebony) is an approximate 7 - 8 year old gorgeous black female with a sweet and soft demeanor, an extremely soft coat, and weighs about 65lbs. She has recently returned to rescue due to her primary care taker passing away. When she arrived in rescue in 2009, we gave her the name Allana, but her adopted parents gave her the name Ebony.
Allana initially was shy and timid when arriving at her foster home, not sure about her foster dad or her five foster siblings and stayed mostly in her crate. Over the last three to four weeks, she has engaged with her foster dad and routinely comes up for pets and wakes him up in the morning with kisses.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added January 2017
Adopted 2/18/17
Jennifer
Jennifer is a 9 week old female Black and White German Shepherd Mix puppy who weighs 16 lbs. She is one of 8 puppies who were surrendered to us with Starlynn (Momma) when they were 3 days old. The puppies are not housebroken, but are trained to use potty pads.
Jennifer has figured out that she can stand on top of the water jug, and almost jump out of the pen. She is quite rambunctious and loves to play rough and tumble with her littermates. She is the daredevil of the litter and very resourceful.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added October 2016
Adopted 2/18/17
Nadia
Nadia is an approximately 2 years old, petite black and tan female, weighing 48.5 lbs. She was an unclaimed stray from a Sacramento area shelter, so nothing is known of her background. It appears she's had a litter of puppies in the past. She had a fractured pelvis when she came into the shelter, but has healed nicely and is on no restricted activities. She must be making up for the time she was on limited activity, as she is one busy girl but settles when inside.
Nadia is affectionate and loves going on walks. She has proven to be housebroken, although she needs a crate or a secure yard with high fences (can easily clear a 4' fence) while you are gone since she is still learning what not to chew. Nadia enjoys something to chew on in her crate. Currently in a home with two male German Shepherds and one young female German Shepherd.
This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what this level of dog requires.
Added October 2015
Adopted 1/28/17
Amber
Amber is a tan-colored female, approximately 12 months old, and weighs 70 lbs. She was a stray from Yolo County, so nothing is known of her background.
Amber has nice house manners and is housebroken. She will sleep calmly in a crate at night as long as she's near people. She is anxious in new environments and would benefit from having other confident male dogs around her.
She meets new dogs nicely and calmly. She walked by a cat that was lying on a low dresser and never seemed to notice it.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added December 2016
Adopted 1/28/17
Toro
Toro is a 21 month old, striking black and tan male weighing 67 lbs. He is an owner surrender when his prior owners' age and health limited their ability to care properly for him. He came into the program with his sister, Abella.
Adopted at 8 weeks, Toro was not taken out into the world, except for grooming and occasional vet visits. Going for walks is a new experience and once a rhythm is struck, Toro walks fairly well on the leash. He gets anxious by loud cars and people walking past, but is learning to keep moving and enjoy the experience. Initially, Toro was very insecure in this new environment, but each day seems to be getting easier for him and he is showing more affectionate toward his foster mom.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added November 2016
Adopted 1/21/17
Koop
Koop is a sweet 10 month old Black and Tan boy. He was surrendered to a Sacramento area shelter when his family could no longer care for him. He was an outside only dog before coming into our program.
Having never been an inside dog, he was very nervous at first when allowed inside, but after a few days he started to see how good it could be. Koop isn't considered fully housebroken yet, but with regular trips outside he is doing well. He is currently learning basic commands and house manners and walks nicely on leash
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added November 2016
Adopted 1/21/17
Nelson
Nelson is a 3 1/2 year old, black and tan 90 pound boy. He was an owner surrender to a Sacramento area shelter who said he lived with young children, although we always caution about trusting a big dog with new children especially given his size. He also is reported to have lived with other dogs and cats. He is very loving and bonds quickly. He loves hugs and affection. Nelson loves car rides and stays quietly in the back. He also likes golf cart rides. If there were a way for him to drive the golf cart, he would love to. He walks nicely on a leash and corrects easily. He finds security in his crate. He is a very good eater.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added December 2016
Adopted 1/7/17
Ned
Ned is a white 2 year old male. He was a stray from the Modesto, so nothing is known of his background.
Ned is a quiet, low energy boy. He loves balls, but will play fetch for only a couple of throws before deciding he would rather chew it. He gets along well with other dogs, and ignores the cats in his foster home. He is crate trained, but prefers a dog bed. Ned walks well on leash and doesn't jump up.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added December 2016
Adopted 1/1/17
Kenny
Kenny is a 3 month old male. He was a stray from the Merced shelter, so nothing is known of his background. Judging from the size of his legs and feet, he will grow into a large adult.
Kenny has a medium energy level and would rather cuddle than wrestle. Throw a ball for him and he would rather sit on your lap. He loves sharing a dog bed with his foster brothers.
This is a Level 2 Dog!
Added November 2016
Happy Tails - Older Adoptions
Looking for a dog that was adopted last month or last year? We now have a page for our dogs that were adopted during each of our years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016)!
Happy Tails (Adopted Dogs) of 2016!
Happy Tails (Adopted Dogs) of 2015!
Happy Tails (Adopted Dogs) of 2014!
Happy Tails (Adopted Dogs) of 2013!
Happy Tails (Adopted Dogs) of 2012!
Happy Tails (Adopted Dogs) of 2011!
GCGSR Dog Rating Levels
Level 1 – Soft & Submissive (full description)
Level 2 – Moderate & Adaptable (full description)
Level 3 – Confident & Challenging (full description)
Level 4 – Competitive & Intense (full description)
Level 5 – Tough & Serious (full description)