Coastal German Shepherd Rescue is a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to finding loving homes for abandoned German Shepherds in Southern California. Coastal exists solely because of your tax deductible donations, which support our efforts to save these very deserving animals. Please donate today and help us save German Shepherds.
Poor Brodie Needs Your Help! 
Sight unseen, we were asked to save Bodie. A city shelter was planning to euthanize him Friday morning due to an injury he had sustain while homeless and on the streets. We couldn't say no to such a beuatiful boy with such a medical need. What we didn't know was how terrible Bodie's injury was. We picked him up on Friday to find his thigh split wide open. Off to the emergency vet he went. His wound is now stitched closed and drains are releiving the fluid and bacteria that had built up in this wound. We have moved Bodie out of the vet hospital and into a foster home so he can recover! Unfortunately this morning, less than 24 hours after the 3rd surgery to fix his infected laceration, half the stitches were gone. He's been stitched up a 4th time tonight at an emergency hospital today and will get out at 6:00 am tomorrow. We did not have any business saving another dog with medical needs but how could we turn our back on him. Now we need your help to help cover his medical needs. Please give a donation toward his bills, every little bit helps and it all ADDS up. He's a beautiful young boy who will be good as new! Please keep Bodie in your thoughts that he heals quickly! Please make a donation to help Brodie! All donations are greatly appreciated. 
Exciting End Of Summer Events!  To find out more about our Sizzling Summer Events or for information on how to participate click here.
Sasha is very sweet 1 to 2 year old sable girl. When she was hit by a car, she was brought to the emergency vet. Like a lot of animals who have no one to pay their bill, they are sent over to animal control. Sasha spent the better part of five days in the animal shelter in a euthanasia holding crate, enough room to lay in the down position, but no more. Even if she was able to, there was not enough room for her to even change positions. The most apparent injury was to her foot, which they kindly wrapped and gave her pain medication for. Five days later, she had to go to rescue or be euthanized herself. That is when Coastal stepped in. She was brought immediately to the hospital where she had x-rays that revealed her foot has multiple fractures. The smell from her wound indicated infection has begun to set in. She was so happy to be out of her crate that she forgot about her broken foot and tried to trot along. It only took a few steps for her to feel the pain and gave in to a little help of the carrying type. Sasha is resting comfortably now, able to stretch out, and receiving the medications and medical attention she needs. We could not leave this sweet girl at the shelter to be put to sleep, despite our depleted medical funds. We are reaching out in the hopes that someone has a special place in the heart and an extra dollar to help mend Sasha's broken foot so she can walk normally and play again. No amount is too great and no amount is too small.
There are some rescue stories that tug at the heart strings more than others. The story of the dogs living at a rural airport is one of those stories. It began with a few emails circulating mentioning that animals were being dumped at this airport and living in the fields that surround it. Next came the emails about a momma shepherd who looked like she was nursing puppies and living under a concrete slab at the airport. Sometimes rescue efforts go on for weeks and it is hard to find help, and you feel like you are in it alone---that was NOT the case with this rescue effort. Volunteers were checking the fields daily to look for signs of life. One one trip, I met a wonderful woman who owns a business at the airport and is the caretaker of the strays. She had taken it upon herself for years to feed and water the weary souls that others had callously dumped in this dry, rugged land. Pat knew the stories and the sadness of these strays. She knew that four shepherds had been dumped in the fields over a YEAR and a HALF ago. She'd been feeding them and trying to gain their trust all this time. On our first visit to the airport, we saw the shepherds but couldn't get close to them---but we did come back with two other strays (now Webster and Atticus are with our friends at The Pet Rescue Center waiting adoption). Our volunteers continued our daily trips by the airport but last weekend I knew that we needed more help that we had. A very courageous fellow rescuer who is very talented with bringing in feral and stray dogs off the street offered to make the drive to Rialto to help. The following videos recount the rescue of 3 of these shepherds. Unfortunately, the fourth shepherd was found deceased. We can only wish that we had gotten to his safety sooner. We now have 3 very scared, very frightened shepherds who have been through more than we can imagine. Their lives have been filled with despair and rejection. We NEED to show them that humans are not always cruel and heartless. We have changed Queenie and Bud Bud's names to Jet and Cessna. We wanted to give them a fresh start and a clean slate. Jet is warming up to us and enjoys have interaction with people. Cessna is still leery and would rather hide her face than have to deal with this cruel world. Delta is going to be the easiest to rehabilitate. She bears many physical and emotional scars from the neglect and abandonment but still trusts people. She is a true testament to the resiliency of animals. It looks as if she had been shot by a pellet gun or similar gun as she has 6 rounds wounds on her side that are still healing and we can not explain them any other way. Delta also appears to have an injury sustained from being hit by a car. She will be getting xrays today. Delta lays in her cage and allows even a small child to pet her---while she turns her head away to not be seen we notice that she gently kisses the child's hand as she is getting affection. She has a heart wanting to trust again. Jet and Cessna do too....they just need a kind heart and a soft hand to show them the way. We are searching high and low for an amazing person or family who would like to help with the transformation of these wonderful dogs. A boarding kennel is not the appropriate place for them to overcome their fears and welcome this big scary world. They need a quiet home where they can be fostered and regain their trust and learn happiness. To be a part of this process is heartwarming and we know there are people (like yourself) that want to be a part of this process. Delta in is a foster home, can you help us find foster homes for Jet, Cessna? If you are interested in fostering these dogs, please contact Tiffany at tiffany@coastalgsr.org.
We have not been able to assist as many medical cases as our hearts have wanted to over the past couple of months due to a depleted medical fund. Please Open Your Heart & Your Home!  For a long time, Alfie's cries went unanswered, the neighbor not knowing what to do and the owner ignoring him. Unable to ignore Alfie’s obvious suffering, fortunately the neighbor called Animal Control. When officers arrived, the scene was more horrific than they could have imagined. Entering the backyard, they found this beautiful big German Shepherd injured & tied to a pole by a cable, happily accepting their help. His injuries consisted of multiple wounds, all in different stages of the healing process, the most grotesque on the side of his face. Somehow the fur, layers of skin and tissue had been removed almost exposing the bone on the side of his head. The size and severity of the wound were bad enough, being tied outside exposing the raw tissue to the elements created more damage The facial wound is more grotesque due to the infection that had set in and flies taking advantage of the moist area to lay their eggs. The cruelty was compounded when officers found a shock collar around his neck, obviously placed there by a heartless owner so he could further ignore Alfie's suffering. How cruel that Alfie's repeated cries for help only brought him more pain and suffering! Armed with this evidence, his owner is currently under investigation for cruelty and neglect. Finally receiving the medical treatment he desperately needed, the vet believes that his injuries are all a result of trauma, some bite and claw marks and possibly a weapon of some sort. He is being treated with antibiotics to control the infection while we observe the wounds as they heal. Once the infection is cleared up and the damaged tissue assessed, skin graphs may be required. The close up pictures of his wounds are quite graphic, so we have placed them in a photo album for viewing. Meanwhile, Alfie desperately needs a foster home. He is thirsty for anything he can get, water, food, attention, everyday experiences. Despite the cruelty he has suffered from the one who was supposed to love him, he shows only love and sweetness to everyone he comes in contact with. Like many victims of abuse and neglect, he probably thought that obeying and showing love to his owner would end the pain! Sweet Alfie will never know why "his person" thought so little of him to treat him in such a horrible, cruel way or what he had done to deserve it. Fortunately his past life will just be a fading, bad memory while he learns what it truly feels like to be loved. Update 5/13/10
The doctor is using treatment that she has used in similar cases with success, but it will take a few weeks before we know if it will work for Alfie. After prepping the woundl, she placed a Calcium Alginate bandage over it, which will keep the wound moist and promote healing faster. The bandage was placed directly on the wound with a gauze bandage on top and then sutures were placed at various places in Alfies face and a lace was put through the sutures in order to keep the bandage in place. The Calcium Alginate will maintain a moist healing environment and at the same time produce in a chemical exchange that creates a gel that will adhere and form the base for healthy cells to generate. It's all very technical for us and tiresome for Alfie, but he was a very gentle boy and the doctor commented that she has never had a German Shepherd let her do what he allowed her to do without a single complaint. For Alfie, it's still one day at a time. He will return for a checkup in four days to see if the bandage is working or if other measures will need to be taken. Update 5/19/10
Meanwhile, there are some fun times for Alfie throughout the day. He loves to run and chase the ball. He has mastered the technique of scooping the ball up with his cone and catching it with his mouth. Sometimes it just takes a few seconds. If you would be able to open your home to Alfie and help nurse him back to health, please contact Teresa via email at baltao@sbcglobal.net or fill out our online foster application.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, these pictures tell a tale of tragedy! An urgent call from Animal Control alerted us to Vander's plight. Turned in by his owner, Vander's owner claimed he took him to the vet for treatment of an infected ear and it was "fixed". To our horror this meant the ear was removed! This does not explain the wounds that are randomly scattered all over his body. One has to wonder how a dog can suffer so much cruelty and neglect and still trust and love people! What you see when you look beyond Vander's smile will shock you. Where his right ear was removed is now an infected oozing scar. His left ear is so infected and inflamed that a probe couldn't even be inserted in the ear to take a look. We don't know whether either ear canal can be saved. Beneath his white fur, his body is a patchwork of wounds, some of which are open and bloody and some of which have scabbed over, indicating they occurred over time. Vander's first medical bill was $800, which covered an overnight at a hospital to receive IV antibiotics, pain medication and wound clean up. At this point we don't know whether his ear canals can be saved or if he will need surgery to remove them. Only a CT scan in a week or so will tell. Medical expenses to diagnose and treat his ears is estimated at $3,500 which also includes opening and treating what is left of his right ear. Vander is now in a foster home waiting for the next step in his treatment. In spite of all he has endured, boy is very sweet and friendly. We now need to raise the funds to diagnose and treat his damaged ears. We are appealing to our friends and supporters to take this special boy into their hearts and help with his medical bills. All donations will go directly to his care. We have more pictures and information about Vander on his bio page. Update 1/19/10
By the way, Vander was the perfect patient, all 82 pounds of him! As for the ride to the vet, we couldn't figure out why he would periodically rush to the window, barking incessantly. After a while we realized he was trying to chase the cars passing in the other lane. After being unsuccessful in repeated attempts, he finally gave up the chase and settled down to rest. By the way, Vander already knows the "sit" and "down" commands! That's one smart boy. Update 2/07/10
Consider Adding A Special Senior To Your Family!
In keeping with the holiday season, we are trying to find homes for as many Seniors as possible this month. What greater gift could these wonderful dogs receive than a loving family! Our senior dogs listed above will be available for a reduced adoption donation of $200. These Seniors are very deserving of great homes for their twilight years. "There's still plenty of life left on their tires" and they still have plenty of love to give! The grey hair of an aging dog, spreading across the muzzle and over the eyebrows, is known as "frosting". To many in Rescue, there's nothing more wonderful than a "frosted face" with all the wisdom and experience it communicates and all the love that is still there to give. In contrast, there is nothing as heartbreaking as finding these poor souls abandoned and alone in our high kill shelters! All too often older dogs are dumped by their owners for one reason or another. These faithful companions have earned security with age, not change. Unfortunately it's likely that they will be waiting for a forever home much longer than the youngsters in the shelter, because many people are reluctant to adopt an older dog. And sadly for some, that chance may never come and they will not leave the shelter alive! People give many reasons for not considering the older dogs available for adoption, but in fact, an older dog may be the perfect addition for your family! You may think: "An older dog won’t bond with me like a young one will." It's true that an older dog doesn’t bond as a young one does; an older dog usually bonds with new guardians even more than a young dog. This statement is actually true an older dog usually bonds with new guardians even more than a young dog. Animals who have experienced loss or a difficult past often display their desire to form new and stronger attachments. They have found someone to love them and they have no intention of letting go! You may think: "An older dog up for adoption must have problems, or it wouldn’t need rescuing." The reality is that pets enter shelters and rescue societies for every imaginable reason. Often it's not the dog that has the problem, but the human. Many people get a dog because it seems like the thing to do, not because they truly appreciate the qualities and needs of the species. Others are forced to surrender their pets for personal reasons. There may be a problem with a particular dog, but you are much less likely to find a senior dog that isn't housebroken or a senior dog that doesn't walk well on a leash, older dogs have usually outgrown many of the bad habits of "youth". You may think: "An older dog will have more medical bills". To some extent, this may be true, in that older dogs need more medical "supervision", such as geriatric testing during their annual exams. But there is no health guarantee for a dog of any age. One year old dogs can die of cancer. And puppies have larger immediate medical bills because of their need for vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery. And don’t forget the bills for chewed shoes and shredded drapes! You may think: "We won’t have much time to enjoy her". There are no more guarantees for our dogs than for our human loved ones. You never know how long a beloved pet, or person, will be with you. Love is what matters, no matter how long we might be able to share it. When you adopt an older dog, you can erase unpleasant past experiences that they've had simply by loving and caring for them. Older dogs are very grateful for the second chance they've been given and are very good at giving and receiving love. There's absolutely nothing like the smile you get from older dogs, especially dogs that haven't felt like smiling in awhile, but now have reasons to smile because you love them. It doesn't get any better than that! So if you are considering adding a new dog to your family, please don't pass up these frosted faces so quickly. You may be missing out on the sweetest dog that has ever graced your home and your life.
For Their Love & Support!  When Gideon first arrived, we really did not know if he would survive. We knew we needed a lot of hope, a network of supporters and a skilled vet. Thankfully these all combined and pulled off a huge recovery for Gideon! It is amazing how far Gideon has come in the last 3 months. The final chapter in Gideon's recovery was recently featured in the O.C. Register. His wound was surgically closed last week and all he has is a line of stitches to show the trauma that he has been through. He will continue to grow fur and should have very little scarring! He has also been adopted by a wonderful family and now has a loving home to call his own. Gideon's story was featured on KTTV and the O.C. Register. He has created quite the fan club of well-wishers! His journey in pictures can be seen on Picasa! The devotion that poured in for Gideon was amazing! People from far and wide were touched by his story. Many sent well wishes, donations came in and we started collecting for what was going to be the biggest fundraising effort to date for Coastal German Shepherd Rescue. I'm proud to say that our devoted followers and supporters pulled it off! We were able to raise all of the funds for Gideon's care. Our vet team did amazing work and Gideon got top off the line care due to the generous donations! In Gideon's honor, we would like to start a Saving Gideon Fund. This fund will be for seriously injured dogs who need immediate medical care. Often times the decision to save a life depends upon how much money is in our bank account. It's very sad, but unfortunately the truth! We would like to create this fund so that the next time we are asked to save a severely injured dog we can say YES! You can make a tax deductable online donation toward Gideon's Fund through Paypal by clicking the button below!
Come Join One Of Coastal's Southern California Chapters! We have 2 Chapters, one based in Orange County and the other in San Diego County. If you are interested in volunteering please fill out our Volunteer Application and one of the Volunteer Cordinators will contact you. If you have questions about volunteering in Orange County please contact Sanika at sanika@coastalgsr.org.
Become a member of "Team Coastal" today! Weekly Adoption Events:
Foster Homes Needed! We are always in need of Foster Homes, especially for (but not limited to) our Senior and Special needs dogs! These are a few of our dogs currently in "Kennel Boarding" that would love to find the comfort of a Foster Home! Click here for more information about our Foster program.
Having some reservations about adopting a rescue dog? Read letters from Coastal adopters here. Sorry, it took so long for us to get these pictures to you. Our lives have been a whirlwind since Frankie (Gizmo) has come into our lives. He is a wonderful addition to our family. The kitties are even starting to tolerate his presence.
He has also become the life of the party around our neighborhood. As you can see Dog Beach is his favorite place to be!!!
He goes on at least three walks a day and your tips and guidance have made a trememdous impact on his behavior. We look forward to the reunion. Please let us know how the other pups are getting along!
Best regards,
Abby is doing well. She is having trouble with playing. She barks to play but doesn't push her way in with the other dogs. I am sure with time it will get better. She gives you her paw and is turning into a very good dog!!!!
Kim Holzhauer
Just wanted to check in and let you know how our 2 girls, Millie and Cinder, are doing. To sum it up, great! We brought home Millie 4 months ago and loved having her in the family so much that we decided to give her a sister, so we adopted Cinder one month later.
Millie is protective and loving towards our two sons, 5 & 2 and LOVES walks, the beach, and the dog park. People comment to us all the time what a beautiful, well-mannered dog she is. Cinder is our gentle giant. Our sons absolutely love their “sisters”. We couldn’t ask for 2 better dogs and we are so happy they are part of our family. Many thanks to you for all you do to save these wonderful dogs and for uniting us with them.
We hope you enjoy seeing the photos of our big, happy family.
~Mike and Corinne Binsfield
I was colt now I am Cabo, and I love my life thank u for introducing me to my family!! I live on 14 acres and chase everything and I have A older bro that teaches me!!
My mom calls me curious George!! I wake my Mom, Dad and bro w/kisses!!!!
Come see me!!!
Thank u Trisha & also Tracey from San Diego
Things are going well with Degan. He is completely part of our family. I have attached some pictures for you.
Degan is getting big and quickly.We just weighed him last night and he is tipping the scales at 35 lbs. Mike will be sitting there and then say..."I love my dog"! Degan follows Mike everywhere too.
Thanks!
Michele, Bruce, Mike, Buddy & Degan
We just wanted to update you on Lola (Tabitha). She’s doing great! She’s a perfect fit for our family and we all absolutely love her.
She started dog training last week and is getting good with walking on the leash, simple commands (sit, lay down, shake, stay- sometimes). She’s also getting better about her puppy biting. Our trainer loves her and says she’s going to be a great dog and easy to train. She’s very social and wants to meet every person and dog she sees. The hardest thing is teaching her that we can’t stop and say hi to everyone. She’s good with her crate. She sleeps through the night now too. The house training is pretty good- occasional accidents but getting better.
Lola is getting very pretty. Every once in a while, her ears start to pop up (usually one at a time). She’s also starting to get some light brown markings on her back, ears, and tail. She only barks when she wants to play and it’s more of a Husky howl. We met another female german shepherd/husky mix and she had a nice personality and many of the same traits as Lola.
Thanks again for everything!
 Many thanks to the volunteers at Coastal GSR for saving the newest member of our family! Dudley is an absolute sweetheart. He seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings just fine and has become more playful since we brought him home. We will be sure to send more pictures and updates of Dudley. Best regards,
 Hello Teresa! I just wanted to touch base with you and give you an update on Molakai. He is a wonderful wonderful boy who has found his way into our hearts so quickly. I truly feel so blessed that we have him. He is such an incredible love! He's strong, got lots of energy, plays with Neo and Santosha and with us, he LOVES to go on walks and to chase balls, he just has a very good, very happy life. I'm attaching a picture of all of the "kids" of our family, thought you would like to see them all together. We are so grateful to you for what you do, we can't imagine our lives without Neo or Molakai (neither can Santosha!). Thank you for taking care of them until we could bring them home. I hope everything is going well with you, your family (human and otherwise) and everyone who gives their time for the rescue. Many, many blessings, Carin
I adopted Hartley from you last September and wanted to give you an update. He loves his best buddy Zack, and my young daughter Clare. She has renamed him Mr. Hartley, Tartley, Lemon-Fartly.
He's a big mamma's boy and extremely obedient. We just got him DNA typed and were very surprised to see that he's white german, white lab, and wait for it, a tiny bit basset hound. Who'd have thought! We love him 100% and will definitely use Coastal again when we look for our next doggy family member.
Best,
Here are a few pictures of Mia and the kids. She is doing wonderful and we couldn’t have asked for a better dog. She is so well behaved, even for a pup! We look forward to watching her grow up to be a beautiful young lady.
You guys are the best and we look forward to our next adoption!!
Scott & Cathy Harris
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 Summer Fireworks Pet Safety Tips! Financial Crisis & Your GSD!
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In Memoriam 
Cherese Mari Laulhere Cherese Mari Laulhere was beloved by many. She was born on September 17, 1974 in Long Beach, California and at the age of 21 her life was tragically and unexpectedly taken on March 27, 1996 in Agra, India. A foundation in her honor has been established. Cherese's parents, brother and close friends are committed to keeping Cherese's memory alive through donations to causes that she was passionate about.
Coastal is member of the Best Friends Network Charities program. Check out our page and become a fan Today! Cars 4 Causes ®
Donate a Bed to Our Orphans!
To donate a bed for an Orange County Orphan, please click here. To donate a bed for a
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In the picture, she is sleeping after a long day. She loves to run. We take her on long trail rides with the other two dogs and the horses about 3 to 4 miles.
Hello all at Coastal GSR!
She has gained 20 pounds since coming home and is now 85 pounds of affectionate silliness. When she wags her tail, her whole body wags. She loves to love and be loved and adores her big sister.
The week before he had weighed 30 lbs...that is 5 lbs in one week! His feet are still big ... the Vet Tech from Banfield thinks that Degan could weigh up to 100 lbs! 
Lola and Boonie, the cat, are getting along fine. Lola wants to play and Boonie puts her in her place. They sometimes lay down pretty close to each other though.
She is 11 weeks old now and we absolutely love her and of course she loves us and her new home!
