Bay Area German Shepherd Dog Rescue

It has been six months since our Giving Tree fundraiser in December, and we wanted to share a medical update on behalf of Bodie and Ember and show you how your donations have helped save lives.

When we first received Bodie, he weighed only 66 pounds. He arrived from the shelter with severe skin infections and open wounds all over his body. It took us another month to diagnose him with EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), which explained why he was so underweight and malnourished with deep systemic infections.

Fast forward three months, Bodie has reached his ideal weight. The fur we never thought would come back has grown in beautifully—thick, shiny, and rabbit-soft. His skin has healed, the scabs are gone, and he looks like an entirely different dog. Your donations helped save Bodie and gave him the chance to thrive again.

And what a dog he is. Bodie is one of the sweetest souls alive. He is gentle, loving, and wonderful with other dogs, people, horses, and even chickens. He truly is a special boy.

Bodie's medical expenses totaled just over $5,000. His recovery included extensive veterinary care, a clean diet, and numerous supplements that helped support his digestive system and overall health. We believe these changes helped heal him from the inside out. We've included a photo of some of the supplements that were part of his journey.

Veterinary care is as expensive as ever. As a rescue, we are not treated to special discounts or given any major advantages when it comes to medical costs. Believe it or not, we pay what you pay. We are fortunate to work with a few veterinarians who still offer reasonable spay and neuter pricing, but even those costs often exceed our adoption fees.

So how do rescues survive?

The reality is that many don't. More and more rescues are shutting down. Shelters are beyond capacity, veterinary costs continue to rise, and yet we continue to pull medical dogs. Why? Because they are great dogs who deserve a chance.

Bodie is a perfect example. Loving, loyal, and through no fault of his own, he ended up in a shelter.

Which brings us to our second medical dog: Ember.

Ember is the mama of the five "C" litter puppies we rescued thanks to the help of some Good Samaritans. Abandoned on a dirt country road, Ember and her puppies were left to fend for themselves. We took in Mom and her babies and gave them everything we could.

Today, all of her puppies have been adopted into loving homes, and Ember is thriving in a wonderful foster home. Unfortunately, Ember is heartworm positive and must undergo three months of treatment before she can be spayed and adopted. In the meantime, she is safe, loved, spoiled, and adored. Estimated cost: $3,500.

You have probably heard stories like these before. Truthfully, we're tired of writing them. Unfortunately, abandoned and neglected animals are something we encounter every single day. We receive 15–20 rehoming and surrender requests on a regular basis, and that doesn't even include the countless requests we receive from overcrowded shelters.

But here we are, still busting our butts to do the right thing—one dog at a time.

People often ask us, "Why don't you take healthy dogs instead of the sick ones? Wouldn't you be able to save more?"

The easy answer is yes.

But we are a rescue, and we aren't in this for the easy cases. We do this because some animals deserve so much more than what life has handed them. If we only took the puppies and left Mom behind, what kind of rescue would we be?

Not the kind of rescue we want to be.

So that's our Saturday afternoon read.

We need your help with Bodie and Ember. We are all part of the same community, and it takes a community coming together to help these animals. None of our volunteers are paid. Every dollar we raise goes toward medical care, food, supplies, and saving the next dog in need.

We fundraise because it's the only way we can continue saying yes.

And after Bodie and Ember, there will be another call. Another abandoned mama with her babies. Another sweet dog who is heartworm positive. Another life hanging in the balance.

Thank you for standing with us, believing in our mission, and helping us save lives that otherwise will be forgotten.

We are asking for donations to recoup Bodie and Ember's medical expense so we can continue to save the next in line.

Here's the paypal link:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=N9XAX88HS8N5J
....Top two photos are Bodie (before and after) and bottom two are Ember now and Ember with her pups in background.

Alum Nicola from the Potato Litter checking in with ya. Hope you’re all inside enjoying the AC.

Our beautiful girl CHLOE was adopted over the weekend. We forgot to get a "gotcha" picture but her adopters got one of her going "home". Happy life sweetest girl.

If you live in Mendocino County or you know someone that does and they need to have their dogs or cats spayed and neutered please read.

BRUTUS - This big handsome hunk needs to leave Mirandas Rescue in Fortuna ASAP. His SACRAMENTO shelter notes state he's a good boy, friendly, in playgroup, walks nice on leash, etc.
Please consider this big guy. We know it's a drive for some but at least it's a pretty drive.
FIngers all crossed this boy gets out of there soon. He was transferred to Mirana's abot 6 months ago as the shelter was overcrowded.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=brutus%20bradshaew

The D litter puppies are available for adoption! Diva, Dolly, Diego, Drifter and Daisy can be found on our website. Click to find out more information about each of them or apply to adopt: https://bayareagsr.org/available-dogs

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