The German Shepherd is arguably one of the most loved dog breeds in the United States, it is a lovely dog breed loved for its good breed conformation, impressive coat, overall lovely size, impressive intelligence, and overall energetic nature and work ethic. In the year 2020, the German Shepherd was ranked the 2nd most popular dog in the United States, falling short behind the Golden Retriever.
Pennsylvania is one state in the country with a high prevalence of German Shepherd dogs that are exposed to neglect, euthanization, and abandonment. This is largely attributed to the fact that most German Shepherd owners in the state are unprepared for the level of attention and care that is required by the German Shepherds themselves.
This article is all about the German Shepherd breed. We provide you with a list of some of the best rescue homes in the state of Pennsylvania that are dedicated to the German Shepherds and their mixes. This article is meant to be a guide and nothing more, so we expect that you carry out proper research on any of the rescue organizations on the list below that you intend to work with or adopt from. We have included their contact details in the list so it can be easier to reach out to them and do your research. So read on till the end.
1. Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue
Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue is the first organization to be reviewed on our list. They are located in Ringgold, Pennsylvania. They rescue German Shepherd dogs that are found in dilapidated shelters across the state of Pennsylvania and also take in strays and surrenders from their owners. Diane Buhl, the founder of the rescue organization is quite passionate about the breed. She has been living with German Shepherds from a pretty young age. They rescue German Shepherds, rehabilitate them, and rehome them.
They have a kennel facility that is located in the heart of Pennsylvania, this is where their rescued dogs are kept and rehabilitated. There, the dogs receive proper health care and are even properly socialized and trained. The facility is fitted with multiple runs. They also make use of fosters provided by their members for their rescue organization. The dogs are evaluated by licensed professionals. They are offered psychological and physical medical treatment where necessary before being placed for adoption.
You can adopt any of their German Shepherd dogs at a very good price range. Adoption fees could range between $150 and $500 but this depends on the age of the dog. Also, they offer a discount for military veterans. But it is worth stating that it might take a while for applications to be approved. This can take up to 12 months and a thorough vetting process will be done to be sure you’ll be a perfect fit for any of their German Shepherd dogs.
| President | Dianne Buhl |
| Open For | Over 6 years |
| Location | Ringgold, Pennsylvania |
| [email protected] | |
| Phone Number | (570) 943-2624 |
| Website | charwillsrescue.com |
| Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue |
2. Woody’s Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary
Started in the year 2011, Woody’s Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary is a non-profit charity organization that is quite special. They are particularly interested or focused on senior German Shepherd dogs from the age of 8 years and above. They are 100% foster based and as such are run by donations. Dawn Mimnaugh is the owner and founder of the rescue organization. Dawn herself has been a long time lover of the German Shepherd. She began rescuing German Shepherds in 2005.
Woody’s Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary is run by donations and volunteers. They require lots of foster homes where the German Shepherd dogs are kept. Being senior German Shepherds, they are likely to have a few health issues which the organization is committed to helping take care of. Their dogs are treated and kept on proper care for as long as they require. They are spayed or neutered before being placed for adoption.
You can adopt any of the German Shepherd dogs in their care, but first, it is important that you know these are senior dogs that require lots of care and attention. As a result, there is a very thorough vetting process before you can take any of their German Shepherd dogs home. They also accept donations, especially with foster homes where the dogs can be kept. All dogs are properly checked by a vet before being sent to their new family.
| President | Dawn Mimnaugh |
| Open For | Over 10 years |
| Location | Greentown, Pennsylvania |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | wpsgss.org |
| Woody’s Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary |
3. German Shepherd Rescue of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Coming down to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, we have German Shepherd Rescue of Southeastern Pennsylvania, our 3rd rescue organization to be featured on this list. They are quite experienced as they have been in operation since 1999 making over 20 years of experience. They are tasked with the rescue, the rehabilitation and the rescue of German Shepherd dogs within the state of Pennsylvania. They are focused mainly on the German Shepherd, but they occasionally rescue German Shepherd mixes.
They have a lot of rescued German Shepherd dogs in their care. These are dogs that are properly checked by licensed professionals. They are examined for signs of any physical or psychological health defects that they might have sustained during the period of neglect that they might have gone through. They are also given the proper opportunity to socialize and they undergo some level of training to make them good family dogs.
You can adopt any of their German Shepherd dogs at a very affordable fee, it can range between $100 and $300 depending on the exact age of the dog you are interested in. Donations are highly welcomed in their entire process. They are constantly in need of foster homes so you can help their process by proving that. All proceeds gotten from adoptions and donations should be used for the care of each dog.
| President | Simone Mogul |
| Open For | Over 20 years |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | gsr-sp.com |
| German Shepherd Rescue Of Southeastern Pennsylvania |
4. Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue
The 4th and final rescue organization to be added to our list is Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue is Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue. Now they are not specific to rescuing German Shepherds in Pennsylvania alone but in states across the Mid-Atlantic like Maryland, Virginia, Washington, and Denver. They have successfully rescued over 4000 dogs since they were established in 1999 and they boast of over 20 years of experience. Caroline Mandel is the president of the rescue organization.
They are devoted to the rescue, the rehabilitation, and the rehoming of German Shepherd dogs that are rescued from kill shelters across the state of Pennsylvania. They also do a lot of community outreach and education to let people know the importance of properly caring for their German Shepherd dog. All rescued German Shepherd dogs are kept in foster homes that are under their care. All the dogs are properly checked by licensed professionals.
There are many ways you can show your support for their cause as a lot of dogs are being rescued each year by their program. They are in constant need of proper foster homes for their dogs to be kept in, they also have dogs up for adoption but there is a strong vetting process before any adoption application is approved Also, they operate as a non-profit, so every proceed that is made from their program is used for the care of each German Shepherd dog under their care.
| President | Caroline Mandel |
| Open For | Over 20 years |
| Location | Pennsylvania |
| [email protected] | |
| Phone Number | (410) 644-7763 |
| Website | magsr.org |
| Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue |
Final Thoughts
If you do reside in Pennsylvania and you are interested in adopting a German Shepherd dog, you can check out any of the rescue organizations above. Of those listed above, the one that stands out on published information is Woody’s Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary located in Greentown, Pennsylvania, and founded by Dawn Mimnaugh.
How that assessment was made, and its limits. This is a desk review of what each breeder publishes about itself: health testing described, transparency about lines and results, and how much detail is given about how the dogs are raised. We have not visited these premises, bought a puppy from them, or independently verified their testing claims. Treat it as a shortlist to start from, not a recommendation, and run the checks further down this page yourself before you pay anybody.
What Dawn Mimnaugh and her team of volunteers are doing is quite special as they are focused on the Senior German Shepherd dog. Why this is interesting is that most people usually opt for German Shepherd puppies, but an organization devoted to the rescue of the older German Shepherd dog is quite special.
Because the overall immune system of the senior German Shepherd dog is quite weak, they require a lot more medical attention and care, and Woody’s Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary is quite capable of providing such delicate care. They also ensure all dogs are spayed or neutered to ensure they are only used as family companions.
We still recommend that you carry out your personal research on each rescue listed above before choosing to adopt from them. Ask the right questions and if possible visit the facility to be sure. Check the website for more engaging articles like this.
Check any rescue before you apply, including the ones on this page
A directory is a starting point, not a recommendation. Rescues open, merge, pause intake and close, and a listing that was accurate when it was written can be out of date by the time you read it. Verify before you travel or send money, whether the organisation came from this page or anywhere else.
The strongest single check is free and takes two minutes. Most legitimate rescues in the United States are registered non-profits, and the IRS publishes a searchable record of them.
The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search lets you look up an organisation’s “Eligibility to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions” and its filing record (apps.irs.gov/app/eos, retrieved 2026-08-13). It covers five datasets, including Form 990-series returns, Publication 78 data, determination letters, and, most usefully here, an automatic revocation list of organisations that have lost tax-exempt status.
That last one is the check worth doing. The IRS states that an organisation automatically loses tax-exempt status “if an organization does not file the required Form 990-series returns or notices yearly for 3 consecutive years” (retrieved 2026-08-13). An animal rescue that has stopped filing for three years is telling you something about how it is currently being run.
Alongside that, three quick signals:
- A physical presence you can verify a foster network with real addresses, or a facility you can visit.
- An application process that asks you questions. A rescue that will hand over a dog with no questions asked is not screening its homes, and that should worry you on the dog’s behalf as much as your own.
- Willingness to say no. Good rescues turn down applicants and turn down dogs they cannot place safely.
Be wary of anything that looks like a sale wearing rescue language: puppies consistently available, a fixed price rather than an adoption fee, pressure to pay a deposit before meeting the dog, or transport arranged before any home check.
What the adoption process actually involves
People are often surprised by how thorough rescue adoption is, particularly for a large working breed. In Pennsylvania as anywhere, expect most of the following.
- A written application. Housing, fencing, hours the dog would be alone, other pets, children, and previous dog experience.
- References. Often including your vet, if you have had a pet before.
- A home visit, in person or by video. It is a check on fencing and safety, not on your housekeeping.
- A meet-and-greet, and a second one with any resident dog, usually on neutral ground.
- An adoption fee. This typically covers neutering, vaccination, microchipping and any treatment the dog has had, and it rarely covers the rescue’s full costs.
- A contract, which will normally require the dog to be returned to the rescue rather than rehomed privately if things do not work out.
That return clause is a feature, not a catch. It is the mechanism that stops a dog cycling through strangers, and a rescue that does not have one has no plan for the dog after you.
The questions to ask about the individual dog
The organisation matters less than the match. These are the questions that actually predict how the first six months go.
- Why is this dog here? Owner surrender, stray, or returned from a previous adoption are three very different histories.
- Has it been returned before, and why? The answer is usually informative rather than disqualifying.
- How is it with other dogs, cats, and children? Ask what that assessment was based on, not just what the conclusion was.
- Has it been assessed for resource guarding or handling sensitivity? Both are manageable and both are much easier to plan for when you know in advance.
- What veterinary work has been done, and what is outstanding? Ask for the records rather than a summary.
- Is it house-trained, and is it used to being alone? Separation problems are common in rehomed dogs.
- What support do you offer afterwards? The good ones stay reachable.
If a rescue cannot answer these, that is not necessarily dishonesty. A dog that arrived last week genuinely has an unknown history. “We do not know yet” is a perfectly good answer; “he is fine with everything” about a dog nobody has tested is not.
What an adopted German Shepherd tends to need
A settling-in period with less going on, not more. A dog that has just changed homes has lost every predictable thing it had. Quiet routine, no visitors, and letting the dog approach you does more in the first fortnight than any amount of attention. Our guide to building a bond with your dog covers why doing less works better at this stage.
A realistic view of what is common in the breed. A VetCompass study of 12,146 German Shepherds found the most frequently recorded disorders were “otitis externa (7.89%), osteoarthritis (5.54%), diarrhoea (5.24%), overweight/obesity (5.18%) and aggression (4.76%)” (O’Neill DG, Coulson NR, Church DB, Brodbelt DC, “Demography and disorders of German Shepherd Dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK”, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2017;4:7, retrieved 2026-08-13).
Read that as a checklist for the first vet visit rather than a warning. Ears and joints are worth having looked at early in any adopted Shepherd, and weight is the one factor on the list you fully control.
Aggression appearing in a clinical disorder register is worth understanding correctly: it is something vets record and work up, not a temperament verdict. If it comes up, the referral route is a vet and a qualified behaviour professional. AVSAB advises that “if a trainer is observed using aversive training methods or if a trainer discusses out-dated ideas such as dominance, leader of the pack, or alpha theories, then clients should be advised against hiring them” (AVSAB Position Statement on Humane Dog Training, 2021, retrieved 2026-08-12). That rule matters most for exactly the dogs that come through rescue.
If nothing here is the right fit
Breed-specific rescues in any one state can be small, and availability swings month to month. Widening the search is usually more productive than waiting.
- Municipal shelters and all-breed rescues take in far more German Shepherds and Shepherd crosses than the breed-specific groups do.
- Neighbouring states. Many rescues will place across a state line for the right home, though some require you to collect.
- Adult dogs. Puppies get applications within hours. A four-year-old dog with a known temperament is often the better match anyway, and is far easier to assess honestly.
If you end up buying rather than adopting, the principle does not change: ask for documents rather than descriptions, and treat anything unverifiable as unverified.
Disclaimer: PetVR shares general information based on our contributors’ firsthand experience with German Shepherds — it is not veterinary advice. Always consult a licensed veterinarian about your dog’s health, diet, or behavior. Read our full disclaimer.
Widening the search past Pennsylvania
Shepherd availability swings month to month, so if Pennsylvania has nothing suitable right now it is worth watching rehoming a Shepherd in New Jersey alongside Virginia rescue intake and adoption fees and the New York rescue directory, or opening our full German Shepherd rescue index. If you decide to buy instead, here are the Pennsylvania breeders worth vetting.
Top2 Reputable German Shepherd Rescues in Iowa