Welcome to Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of San Diego

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.

Want to help a dog or puppy in dire need? Access our secure PayPal donation feature to contribute to Hailey's Medical Fund or Pharaoh's Medical Donation Fund. Read more about these courageous pups below. Follow these links to view the available dogs or our upcoming events calendar. Check out the link to our online store where product purchases directly benefit the rescued dogs.

UPDATED !

February 16, 2012

The waiting is now over for Hailey. Sadly, she will be losing her leg after all. In the past few days, Hailey had begun to walk without putting weight on her injured leg, as if she were finally beginning to feel pain. Until this point, Hailey had had minimal feeling in her leg and foot. She had to be rushed to the doctor this morning, when she began chewing her own foot.

The vet explained that the nerves have regenerated just enough for her to feel pins and needles, similar to when our foot falls to sleep and begins reawakening. Not understanding where the feelings were coming from and not being able to stop them, Hailey did the only thing she could. She tried to stop them. She literally tried chewing off her foot.

After the extensive damage caused in a matter of minutes, the surgeon feels that the risk of further damage to her foot and leg and the risk of infection is too great. At this point it is not a matter of whether he can save the leg. It is a matter of saving her life.

While this is not the outcome we wanted, we know that Hailey is going to adapt well and continue to be the very happy, very energetic, and very mischievous puppy she has been all along. Even with three legs, Hailey will live a very long, happy, spirited life. Hailey has been and will always be a shining example of why all of us in rescue do what we do. Without your support, Hailey would not have had a chance.

Hailey’s surgery needs to be done as soon as possible. The surgeon has given us an estimate of $2569 to $2720 and has agreed to do the surgery with half of the cost paid up front. Any donation to help Hailey would be greatly appreciated

Hailey's Medical Fund

February 2, 2012

It's time to give you an update on sweet Hailey. She had her follow-up appointment this past Monday. The nerves in her foot are beginning to function again and the doctor describes her as "having a fully functional" leg. At this point it looks like the chances of her keeping her leg are very good. The only challenge that remains is a wound that healed in such a way that it left lots of scar tissue. Scar tissue isn't as pliant as normal tissue and is easily injured. The doctor feels that if the injury keeps recurring, it may be necessary to remove the leg to prevent this from happening. Since Hailey's crushing injury occurred at such a young age while her bones were still in the process of forming, some of the toe bones which were crushed were actually reabsorbed instead of healing. That means that Hailey is missing some of her bones in that foot. This causes the foot to point up somewhat. Hailey has been able to compensate by using a higher part of her paw as a pad instead of the actual pad.

It looks like for Hailey, miracles are happening. She is ready for her forever family but still needs someone who can monitor her natural puppy activity and her leg while she continues to heal.

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No one knows where Hailey’s journey began, but we do know that journey has been full of neglect and pain. Hailey has a story to tell, one of courage and will.

When our volunteer first met Hailey, her leg looked as though it could have been a birth defect, a club foot. Hailey had been at the shelter, waiting for her five days to be up. No examination of her injury, no treatment. Our volunteer could not leave this little baby to die that day. Surely, there would be someone who would adopt a dog who wasn’t perfect.

A closer look at Hailey’s foot and the volunteer knew this was more than an abnormality. This was a serious injury. Hailey was rushed to the vet that day. A very discouraged vet gave us the bad news, Hailey’s swollen foot and leg was the result of a traumatic crushing injury to the foot and a pelvic fracture. The injury had gone untreated for so long that infection had begun to spread throughout Hailey’s leg. The risk of infection spreading through her body and losing Hailey was great. The tissue and nerve damage were so severe that Hailey had no feeling in her foot. There was a 90 percent chance that Hailey’s leg would have to be amputated. Unfortunately, the severity of the nerve damage couldn’t be determined because of the severe swelling. The first priority was saving Hailey’s life. She was hospitalized immediately and put on antibiotics. After a few days hospitalization, Hailey was stable enough to go into a comfortable foster home. The vet decided to wait one week to reevaluate the leg. Although the odds were not good, he wanted to give her a chance.

Hailey went home to a foster that night, and her personality began to shine through. It was obvious what had carried this little girl through such an ordeal, her determination to live and her tough little personality. In every sense of the word, Hailey sees herself as a perfectly normal puppy with no limitations. The hardest thing for the foster would be keeping this little one quiet. Hailey met the other dogs in the foster home, and she was in heaven. Every dog was a potential playmate; and, boy, does she love to play. But the risk of injuring a leg she can’t feel is too great to allow her to play like a normal puppy.

Hailey’s foster has been doing a great job caring for her, keeping her quiet, allowing her to still be a puppy, but monitoring her activity. Our sweet little Hailey likes to see just how good her foster’s eyes are and how fast her reaction time is. Hailey decided her four-foot-high puppy pen was in the way of her play time. Her foster mom learned just how high she can jump. Hailey wears a cone to keep her from removing her bandage. Her foster mom learned that when all was quiet, mischief may be in the works. Hailey wasn’t able to remove her own bandage, but her foster brother, Lucky, was more than willing to assist. Yes, Hailey is very much a puppy.

Hailey’s second visit to the orthopedic surgeon was uplifting to everyone. There was some feeling returning to Hailey’s foot. The surgeon decided that waiting another week was in order. Where there is hope, there can be a miracle, and it seemed a miracle may be in the works.

Hailey had her third visit with the surgeon last week. There is more feeling returning to the foot and everything is moving in the right direction. However, it is still too early. Hailey will see the doctor again on the 19^th of January to see how she is healing. The surgeon’s fear at this time is that the nerve damage will be irreparable and Hailey will be left with a leg that doesn’t function. In that case, the leg will have to be removed.

Many people are following Hailey’s story. The end will not be written for a very long time. For Hailey, this is only the beginning. With Hailey’s personality, we know she is destined for greatness. We are asking everyone for prayers and good wishes that Hailey is able to keep her leg, hoping for that miracle. But we know that if it is too late, Hailey will be okay. No matter what, Hailey’s personality will carry her through her journey. If you would like to make a donation, we have set up Hailey's Medical Fund.

Thank you for following Hailey’s journey.

PHARAOH NEEDS YOUR HELP

In his dreams, Pharaoh can run like the wind. In his dreams, Pharaoh can soar like an eagle, but only in his dreams.

In his reality, Pharaoh was hit by a car. Instead of rushing him to the vet for medical treatment, his owner left him in the back yard to heal on his own, his hip broken in two places. Unfortunately, without medical attention, Pharaoh’s bones were not able to heal properly.

In Pharaoh’s reality, he walks down the road, the proud, regal boy that he is, with people pointing and stopping along the way to compliment his foster mom on what a gorgeous dog he is. Their compliments are always followed, though, by “Too bad his hips are so messed up.” That doesn’t stop Pharaoh. He continues his walks, head held high, moving his back legs in the best little shuffle he can manage. In his reality, Pharaoh endures the pain to do what he loves the most. He runs like the beautiful shepherd he is for short distances until his legs become twisted and the pain forces him to stop. Each day for Pharaoh brings a new adventure. The day he came to Coastal and found his foster mom was the day his life began. At three years old, he is like a child experiencing everything for the first time. When you look into his eyes, the windows into his soul, his youth stares right back at you, as if to say, “What are you going to show me next” and “Did I get it right this time? Oops, didn’t realize you didn’t want me to rearrange the curtains.”

In Pharaoh’s reality, his only chance to live a life without pain is surgery to repair his hips. With the surgery, Pharaoh’s dreams can become his reality. With surgery , he will be running like the wind, soaring like an eagle, flying without wings… Pharaoh’s surgery will cost $2200. Please make a donation to Pharaohs medical fund.

"The value of life isn’t measured by the time we have left on this earth but by the impact we have in the time we have left."

February 6, 2012
Everyone (dogs included!) at Coastal German Shepherd Rescue San Diego would like to thank you all for your well wishes and support of Theo in his journey to us. Theo has apparently decided "he's home", and so with that news, we're proud to announce that Theo is in fact, actually at his forever home now.
From myself, actually seeing his home, he's in doggy heaven!!!
He has a huge yard to play in, he has 3 awesome siblings to keep him company, and for him to "take charge" of, which he's doing an extremely good job.
If you're interested, we have set up a FaceBook page for Theo, and we'll be updating that to keep everyone posted on his adventures.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Theo-the-GSD/131746133613398

February 3, 2012

Theo has been very fortunate to have been living in his second foster home since he joined Rescue. His foster mom can tell his story best. "It is impossible to write a short note about how Theo is doing!!! I'll start with saying that he is SOOOO much better today than he was on Monday when he arrived at my house. Here's what he's doing right this minute. He's trying to lie down on one of the mini dog beds while holding a ball in his mouth. He wants to be close so I can reach over and toss his ball. A minute ago he brought me his ball and dropped it on my foot. I slowly rolled it across the floor. Moving even slower, Theo walked over to pick it up. But before picking up the ball, Theo had to stop for about fifteen seconds and pant. He's so out of shape, so thin and so weak, that any effort at all requires a couple of minutes of heavy breathing to catch up on oxygen. But he's up and he's interested in moving. This is a huge improvement!

Theo's luxury bed arrived last night. It's terrific for an arthritic boy such as Theo's. It's about six inches thick, made of heavy memory foam and about twice the size of Theo. That means he has room to turn in circles twice before lying down without even leaving the bed. Thanks to every person who donated money for this bed because it's just perfect!

Another thing. His vet has prescribed Adequan injections for Theo to relieve his arthritis pain. He'll be receiving two shots a week for four weeks and then go on a maintenance program. I gave Theo his first injection on Tuesday and I know it's made a difference. He's much more mobile today than he was two days ago.

With great appreciation for all the donations to this lovely dog, Theo."

On behalf of Theo and all the amazing dogs and all the volunteers at Coastal German Shepherd Rescue in San Diego, that you from the bottom of our hearts.

Update January 26, 2012

Thanks to the many responses to Theo’s plea, he will not be spending even one more second in a kennel. He has a foster home now ready and waiting for the moment he arrives . Arrangements are being made for an examination to determine how advanced his arthritis is and get him on the appropriate medications. He will need an orthopedic bed. The stress of being abandoned in the shelter has taken its toll on his stomach. So he will need a special diet and medication for at least a month.

So many people have been touched by Theo’s story and have asked how they could also help since he has a foster home now. We have set up Theo’s Fund hoping that we will be able to have everything in place before he arrives. Donations will go directly to his medical needs and comfort items. Thank you to everyone for your support and donations for this big guy as he takes his first step into what will be his new life. Welcome to Theo’s Team.

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Here is his sad story:

Theo is a 13 year old German Shepherd who was taken to the shelter with his younger friend, another German Shepherd, when his owner was sent jail. When his owner was released from jail, he picked up the younger shepherd from the shelter, but left poor Theo behind.

Knowing that Theo would be euthanized, the shelter sent out a request for help. In their request, they describe Theo as a 13 year old shepherd who is probably not adoptable but could really use a place to live out the rest of his life. We could not stand by and see this boy put to sleep when he deserves so much more. He will be joining Coastal GSR San Diego on Sunday. Arrangements for transportation to San Diego have already been made. What we really need for him is to have a foster home ready and waiting so that he does not have to go into the kennel.

Theo may be 13, but he still loves his walks and he is very well mannered. He gets along well with other dogs. Please fill out an adoption application if you would like to become his forever family. We know Theo will touch the heart of anyone who will welcome him in. You may be the first loving family this big guy has met in his 13 years of life.