Complaint Review: good dog rescue

I am not saying that Good Dog Rescue is not a worthy organization, nor is it any of my business what someone wishes to pay as an adoption fee.  What I am saying ( as my photos of Jackson verify) is that a quality purebred dog can be found for a reasonable fee and that Good Dog Rescue's adoption fees for its purebreds are far out of the mainstream.

Living here in the North and as a member of several dog and cat rescue groups, I do believe that it is understandable for a purebred rescue to have a higher adoption fee, particularly for a puppy; however, I also stand by my assertion that the overwhelming majority of rescue groups work with the same dedication and incur  huge medical bills because of the deplorable condition of many of its rescues. It does not necessarily follow that the average rescue group chooses to charge more than $1000.00 for a rescue. 

For those willing to pay that fee, it is still a wonderful thing that your puppy is in a loving, forever home.

I'm not a GDR adopter but in fact I guess you could say that GDR has adopted dogs from me. I live on a busy highway out in Arkansas and people dump their dogs out here all the time. It's such a sad situation and so heartbreaking because I can see the fear and confusion in the eyes of these poor dogs after their owners put them out. I have 4 dogs of my own that I took in but I can't afford to keep each and every one of these poor souls that appear almost monthly, and GDR has been a blessing for these dogs and for me.

Good Dog Rescue takes in each of these abandoned dogs from me and gets them fixed up and finds them wonderful homes, more than a dozen dogs so far. GDR doesn't ask me any questions about how cute is the dog or how old is the dog or how sick is the dog. They are unconditional about the dogs and never once has GDR turned their back on one of these poor discarded animals.

I feel sorry for this breeder who is on a mission to say bad things about Good Dog Rescue. Obviously he doesn't know anything about the reality and the cost and the sorrow of rescue or his main concern would not be getting a puppy at the very cheapest price possible. I wonder when was the last time he took in an old sick injured dog and spent a lot of time and a thousand plus dollars to save its life and insure it got a second chance?

I can't say enough good things about Good Dog Rescue. I know they have been around for a long, long time and they are probably the most widely known and best respected rescue group in this part of the country and for good reason. Good Dog Rescue is THE BEST!

I'm a GDR adopter who read on facebook about this breeder who seems to be preoccupied with Good Dog Rescue; according to his own post he has been pursuing GDR for months regarding this issue.

If I'm happy to pay an adoption fee of $1350 then what's it to him? Nobody forced me to do it and I'm proud to say that I paid it to a rescue group that uses the funds to save sick and injured dogs instead of paying double that amount to a breeder to pad his pocketbook.

It's been more than a year since I adopted my wonderful german shepherd puppy Magnum from Good Dog Rescue and since then I've been a loyal GDR follower on facebook as well as receiving the biweekly updates about the rescue stories and happy endings.

There was little Tory who was found starving under a Mississippi trailer with his front leg broken in two places and mange so bad he was barely recognizable as a dog... Punkin who was hit by a car and her pelvis shattered and was about to be put to sleep at the shelter... Elsa who was rescued from a ditch with her newborn puppies and near death from one last dead puppy left inside her, requiring emergency surgery and that was only one of her many medical problems... Rudy found wandering out in the country with a chain so tight around his neck it was embedded and had to have 2 surgeries to fix it. And these are only a few of the rescued dogs I can remember off the top of my head.

Well these things cost lots of money at the vet clinic and if I want to be a part of helping these dogs by paying $1350 for a purebred puppy (again about half the cost I would have to pay a breeder in CT) then that's my business.

All I can say is that I'm proud to be a GDR adopter and I would do it again in a minute. Not only did I get a SUPER puppy, but in a small way I was part of saving some dogs and I have beneffitted immensely from being part of the "GDR family" in the past year.

First of all,  "he" is a "she."  Secondly, my comments had nothing to do with "sour grapes."  I have neither bred nor shown for over 20 years and all of my pets are rescues.  Thirdly, I am delighted that you considered the $1350. you spent to be a "bargain" and that you got a wonderful dog.  You should know that ALL reputable groups take care of shots, wormings and medical issues before allowing a pet to be adopted; you did not receive anything over and above what any other rescue group would have done.

With all that said, there is no reputable rescue group that would charge over $1000. for a rescue and, indeed, Petfinders has had no recent purebred postings by this group for that very reason.  If you would like to send me your e-mail address, I will be happy to e-mail photos of the absolutely gorgeous purebred German Shepherd boy I received from a Tennessee rescue.  He came to me as a fuzzy, little cuddleball and is now a richly-pigmented four-month old, a beautiful representative of the breed ( and believe me, I know quality) and is happy, healthy and loves the entire world, as well as my 11-year old Shepherd rescue and four rescued cats.  His adoption fee was $275. and his transport fee was $125.00.

We are all looking for the same outcome..to lessen number of animals waiting to be euthanized in shelters. Good Dog Rescue has posted purebreds for nearly triple the adoption fee of its mixed breeds.

I stand by my assertion that this is both unethical and highly suspect.  I would be very surprised if Good Dog Rescue will be allowed, in the future, to post purebreds on Petfinders for these exorbitant fees.

About 2 years ago I adopted a senior poodle mix from Good Dog Rescue. Twinkie was about 8 years old at the time and had been cured from multiple health issues, including heartworms, surgery to remove many rotten teeth and surgery for ACL both back legs. When Twinkie came to me I was shocked to see from his vet records that his vet bill was more than $2400. I had paid $575 adoption fee, so what made up the difference? Evidently the $1350 German Shepherd adoption fee that this man is so resentful of.

Well let me tell you this. Twinkie is the best dog I've ever had, but I bet there are very few rescue groups that would have touched him with a ten foot pole when he was so desperately sick. I think it's wonderful that Good Dog Rescue takes in the dogs that REALLY need to be rescued and not just the young healthy dogs. And I commend GDR for finding a way to raise funds to take care of the sick, needy dogs that they rescue.

I was saddened to learn from GDR's facebook page that this person doesn't have anything better to do than write what he knows nothing about to slander a wonderful rescue group.

My husband and I have had german shepherds for more than 20 years and when our last beloved GSD died, we wanted a puppy. Purebred GSD puppies in our area cost in excess of $2500 (and unlike the GDR pups don't include neutering and transportation fees) and usually involve a long waiting list. So we went onto petfinder and, lo and behold, we discovered 2 adorable GSD puppies for adoption on the Good Dog Rescue petfinder site.

Yes, the adoption fee was $1350 (which we considered a bargain) but, unlike the complainer, we read the entire adoption application and learned WHY the adoption fee was $1350. Good Dog Rescue is a TRUE rescue group, saving sick and injured dogs, not just healthy dogs. We read about "Artie's Fund" named for Artie the spaniel whose vet care ran into the thousands and after whom the fund was established.

Our adoption experience with Good Dog Rescue was exemplary. Everyone we dealth with was very professional from beginning to end. Our handsome GSD puppy arrived a couple of weeks later healthy and happy and we will be forever grateful to GDR for our new family member.

The complainer mentioned that he's a former breeder and I suspect this is what his ripoff complaint is all about... sour grapes! He should be ashamed of himself!