12/15/2006 4:13:10 PM

Each year, GSROC has the privilege of being a part of PetSmart’s Santa Paws event. This coming Saturday, December 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (

12/13/2006 5:11:17 PM

12/5/2006 11:50:33 PM

People frequently ask us, "Why don't you get the police or Search and Rescue units to take your dogs?" Well, it's not that simple. First, the dogs selected for this work must meet many qualifications, not just 'look the part'. The dogs must pass extensive physical exams, including hip xrays, and they must possess strong potential for the working fields. Additionally, dogs selected for this type of work should not be dog aggressive or get easily distracted from their work, and they must have a high tolerance for noises and commotion. The sad reality is that while many of our dogs meet some of these requirements, they rarely meet all of them due to one factor or another. A dog could have great health and great drive, but be disqualified due to dog aggression, for example, or a great prospect in every regard might not have strong enough hips to pass the requirements. In truth, a great majority of the dogs that have jobs in America are imported already trained from Germany and other countries.

11/30/2006 6:17:33 PM

All rescue events and activities are managed and coordinated through the tireless efforts of volunteers. We do not have any paid employees. All of our costs for rescuing, boarding, feeding, providing veterinary care, spaying or neutering, and making sure dogs are vaccinated and de-wormed are paid for through donations, adoption donations and fundraisers. It is very common for volunteers to pay or sponsor a variety of costs.

Then there are the countless hours donated by volunteers. Volunteers have a variety of duties such as driving to all corners of the county (and somtimes the state) to rescue dogs, fostering dogs, showing dogs at rescue events, conducting home visits, coordinating special events and fundraisers, selling merchandise, See's candy, and gift cards, updating the web site, coordinating mailings, baking goodies for bake sales, etc. The list is endless.

Many of the services and care mentioned above are just basic needs. For example, the rescue pays $12.00 per night per dog for boarding. I

11/19/2006 10:14:23 PM

Who can forget the look of sadness and despair on Shy Boy's face when we first snapped his photo out at the canine concentration camp that had been his home for four lonely years? Truly, his story of abandonment and his broken spirit are some of the saddest that we've experienced in our work that is filled with hard luck cases. We learned about Shy Boy from a special animal lover who was working to find homes for more than 112 forgotten dogs that have been living in the 'collection' of a hoarded in Kern County. She told us that Shy Boy had been in his tiny pen (along with 3 other large dogs) for over four years AND that he had been transferred to this facility after spending 3 years with another hoarder! Shy Boy was so terrified to leave the only security that he had ever known that it was very difficult to lasso him and get him to a transport vehicle for his ride to freedom. Throughout the 3 hour ride, Shy Boy rode frozen like a statue in the original position that he landed in, eyes fixed and glassy, appare