If you’re reading through this article, then it is possible that you are interested in adding a German Shepherd dog to your family and are considering the option of adoption. Well, both decisions are nice decisions considering the German Shepherd is arguably one of the most popular and highly sought-after dog breeds in the United States loved for its incredible temperament, high energy, powerful work ethic, large size, and overall versatility, especially in terms of use.
Adoption is also a great option for owning a German Shepherd as German Shepherds make up some of the most abused, abandoned, neglected, and euthanized dog breeds in the United States alone. The option of adopting a German Shepherd from a rescue means you get to offer these German Shepherds a chance at a better life and that is really cool. And as a bonus, adoption is a less expensive option than owning a German Shepherd dog.
With that being said, the state of Arizona is home to numerous canine charities and rescue organizations devoted to saving these dog breeds from living saddened lives, however, here are some of the most reputable and highly recommended rescues to check out. We have included their contact information, so as to make your search a lot easier.
1. Southwest German Shepherd Rescue
We start our list with a German Shepherd rescue that is located in Phoenix, Arizona. They are a non-profit organization that is devoted to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming German Shepherd dogs that are located in shelters across the state of Arizona. The rescue organization has partnered with another top German Shepherd organization which would also be featured on this list. The non-profit organization is 100% volunteer based and it was founded by Steff Smith an experienced lover of the German Shepherd dog breed.
Like most rescue organizations in the Country, Southwest German Shepherd Rescue are interested in saving German Shepherds found in puppy mills, kill shelters, and even surrendered by their owners. They rescue abandoned and euthanized German Shepherds and place them in a foster home where they will be evaluated by a licensed professional and given appropriate medical and psychological care and treatment, properly socialized and trained before being placed for adoption.
Southwest German Shepherd Rescue is in dire need of more foster homes, so you can show your love for their cause by being a volunteer and donating foster homes to them. Your donations can also be in cash and also by way of adoption. To adopt their rescued German Shepherd dogs, there are a few requirements that must be met, one of which is a fully fenced yard and having the patience and time to work with a rescued German Shepherd dog that would be in need of some attention and care.
| Owner | Steff Smith |
| Open For | Over 10 years |
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| [email protected] | |
| Phone Number | (602) 866-2880 |
| Website | swgermanshepherdrescue.com |
| Southwest German Shepherd Rescue |
2. White German Shepherd Rescue
White German Shepherd Rescue is the next rescue organization to be reviewed on our list. They are partnered with Southwest German Shepherd Rescue and are also a non-profit organization that is located in Phoenix, Arizona. They have been in operation for over 10 years and are dedicated towards saving or rescuing White German Shepherds (which are a rare color variant of the German Shepherd), rehabilitating them, and placing them in new homes for adoption. Their program is in service to the dogs as they plan to give them the best start possible.
The Entire rescue is foster-based as they are driven by a small group of like-minded individuals that care deeply for the German Shepherd breed. This means that the rescued dogs are placed in foster homes where they are each evaluated by licensed professionals to know the extent of medical and psychological care they might require, they are also microchipped and spayed or neutered before being sent to foster homes where they are given basic training and socialization before being put up for adoptions.
Their adoption program is not restricted to Arizona alone, but you must travel down to Arizona to adopt the white German Shepherd dog. There are a few other requirements that must be met but the price range for their German Shepherds varies from $150 to $450 depending on the age of the white German Shepherd dog you intend to adopt. All the money that is gained from adoptions and donations are used for the treatment and general care of the rescued German Shepherd dogs as a lot of money goes into microchips, gas, surgery, and a lot more.
| Open For | Over 10 years |
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | whitegsdrescue.com |
| White German Shepherd Rescue |
3. Saving Paws Rescue Arizona
Saving Paws Rescue is a top rescue organization that is also located in Phoenix Arizona. They are breed-specific as they focus only on German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois Dogs. They are a non-profit charity organization that are devoted towards rescuing these dog breeds that are otherwise abandoned, neglected, and euthanized in shelters, puppy mills, and streets across the state of Arizona. They also take in surrendered dogs from owners in the state. They were established in 2012 and were founded by Trisha Houlihan.
Saving Paws Rescue Arizona or SPRAZ are committed towards saving over 200 dogs each year and over 1700 dogs in all from terrible situations and they are handled or run by volunteers with a common goal. They have received lots of donations including a 5 acre property in the year 2018 and countless support from the founder of the Max and Neo company, Kenrick Hwang. The adopted dogs are provided with top-notch vet evaluations to be sure they are in great condition, if they aren’t, they get proper treatment and are rehomed.
You can show your support for their cause by adopting any of their available dogs. They have both puppies and senior German Shepherd dogs in their care and the price for each dog varies with the age of the dog. There are some requirements that must be met to own any of their German Shepherd dogs. Also, there is the option of fostering more dogs, if you aren’t sure adoption is for you, then you can also donate in cash to their cause. All proceeds are used for the wellbeing of the dogs.
| Owner | Trisha Houlihan |
| Open For | Over 10 years |
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| [email protected] | |
| Phone Number | (480) 737-6089 |
| Website | savingpawsrescueaz.org |
| Saving Paws Rescue Arizona |
4. Almost There Rescue
The 4th and final rescue organization to be reviewed on this list is a very unique rescue organization. They are not breed specific to the German Shepherd dog, but they do have German Shepherds to be the highest percentage of dog breeds in their care, which is why they are on the list, Almost There Rescue, is that rescue. They are also located in Phoenix, Arizona, and have been in operation for over 5 years. Geri Hormel is the founder of this non-profit rescue organization.
Almost There Rescue is a non-profit that is devoted towards searching and rescuing large breed pregnant dogs (like the German Shepherd), giving them somewhere nice to have their babies, and providing proper rehabilitation and rehoming for the mom and her puppies. Both the mother and the puppies are given a good start as they are treated or cared for, provided the right resources, and placed up for adoption. German Shepherds and their mixes make up the highest percentage of dogs they rescue from kill shelters across the state.
You have the option of adopting any of the puppies from the litter or adopting the mother, it is worth stating that the moms are all neutered before being placed for adoption. The price range for adoption depends a lot on the breed and the age of the breed. You can try donating to their cause either in cash or in service as they are in need of foster homes for the rescued dogs. Check their website for how.
| Owner | Geri Hormel |
| Open For | Over 5 years |
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| [email protected] | |
| Phone Number | (480) 336-9860 |
| Website | almostthererescue.org |
| Almost There Rescue |
Final Thoughts
These 4 rescue organizations are a great start when searching for a German Shepherd dog to adopt. However, my personal pick from the list would be Saving Paws Rescue in Arizona, located in Phoenix, Arizona, and founded by Trisha Houlihan. And here are my reasons;
For one reason, they are quite experienced as they have been rescuing German Shepherds and their mixes from kill shelters, and puppy mills for over 10 years which is quite impressive. What is even more impressive is that they have been able to rescue over 1700 digs through the yearly target of over 200 dogs.
All their dogs are provided the basic rehabilitation requirements including a physical and mental evaluation by a licensed professional, a proper environment to grow, and adequate training and socialization opportunities to provide them with the necessary start.
Still, we heavily recommend that you carry out your personal research before choosing to adopt from any of the canine rescues listed above. There are more articles like this on the website, check them out.
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 Arizona 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 Arizona
Shepherd availability swings month to month, so if Arizona has nothing suitable right now it is worth watching Shepherds waiting for homes in Northern California alongside rehoming a Shepherd in Colorado and Shepherds waiting for homes in Oregon, or opening every state rescue we have listed. If you decide to buy instead, here are the Arizona breeders worth vetting.
Top 4 Best German Shepherd Rescues in North Carolina