Orange County’s nonprofit German Shepherd rescue is struggling to keep up with the influx of dogs while costs go up and adoption numbers continue to dip below pre-pandemic levels.
The German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County was founded in 1998 and strives to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home German Shepherds across Southern California.
Maria Dales, the organization’s founder and director, said she’s never seen dog overpopulation numbers this high in her 30-year career.
And now her organization is feeling those effects.
“We’re in the eye of the storm, and we just can’t keep up,” Dales said in a phone interview. “Honestly, the calls are coming faster than we can answer them.”
She said they’re even having a hard time getting puppies adopted — an issue volunteers have never seen before.
“Twenty years ago, we’d be fighting over a puppy if we got a puppy, and they’d be scooped up immediately,” she said. “Now, we’re getting litters dumped, and people are finding dogs in their own yards dumped — everything you can imagine.”
While people across the country are feeling the hard economic times, dogs are also suffering from high pet care costs.
“We’ve never had so many people calling and saying, ‘I can’t afford my dog’s care,’” Dales said.
She said the influx is made worse by issues surrounding backyard breeding and people abandoning dogs when they can’t care for them, since many public shelters are already full.
“I don’t see an end in sight unless the municipal and governing authorities get involved and we work as a team,” Dales said.
The German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County is a nonprofit driven primarily by volunteers and donations.
About half of the dogs in their rescue are from owner surrenders, while the rest are mostly pulled from public shelters across Southern California in an attempt to give them a second chance at adoption.
Dales founded the organization and said she decided to focus on German Shepherds since they’re one of the most popular dog breeds in the U.S. German Shepherds are also some of the most common breeds found in local shelters, alongside other large dogs like pit bulls and huskies.
[Read: These Dogs Are Getting Left Behind in Orange County Shelters]
Dales said German Shepherds are commonly misunderstood.
“In general, they have a reputation for being scary and fierce and intimidating. That’s just not who they really are,” she said. “There are hundreds languishing in animal shelters. It’s just not acceptable to me. They’re intelligent and sensitive.”
German Shepherds Adventure Through Newport Back Bay
The rescue organization takes a group of German Shepherds for weekly adventure walks on Friday and Sunday evenings in addition to shorter daily walks.
A group of volunteers takes the dogs from their kennels in Newport Beach on a 4-mile excursion through the streets of Newport Beach, stopping at a number of parks before exploring trails and scenery throughout Newport Back Bay.
The outings were spearheaded by Mike Syre, a volunteer who began the adventure walks a few years ago in coordination with others.
“We realized that the Back Bay is not that far, and what an amazing experience for these dogs,” he said in a phone interview. “We were just trying to figure out how to allow these dogs more time out of the kennel and into the fresh air and give them an experience — not just to let them go to the bathroom and give them exercise — but really to allow them to be a pet, a dog, experiencing life.”
“The Back Bay is filled with smells and adventure and fresh air,” Syre said. “They’re so curious, and they just love it so much.”
The walks usually last about two hours and extend into the evening.
“It allows the dogs to trust people,” Syre said. “We try to mix it up and not have the same people always walking the same dog, because the goal is to get the dogs adopted and familiar with new situations.”
Syre said one of his favorite parts about volunteering is seeing the dogs come into the rescue timid before eventually opening up.
“Seeing the growth of these dogs — they come in confused, disoriented, scared, not trusting people,” he said. “The volunteers just shower these dogs with love and confidence, and they become dogs again.”
“It’s so fulfilling to have this connection with them and help them build their confidence and trust.”
Dales said the adventure walks keep the dogs mentally healthy as adoptions slow.
“We’re trying to stimulate the dogs and keep them mentally healthy, too,” she said. “It’s not good for them to stay longer, but we’re not going to give up.”
Some of the dogs featured in this article are available for adoption. To review dogs available for adoption from the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County, click here.
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.