My Nonprofit Reviews

I believe I reviewed German Shepherd Safe Haven after adopting Jax (aka Roman) nearly two years ago. The relationship with Tom and the rescue was stellar at the beginning, and continues to be extremely positive nearly two years in. Paramount to us was that the rescue was as involved with us and our newest family member now as it was at the start, thus we never felt as if Tom or Jen were trying to place the dogs into just any home, then go about their business without any regard for how we're all faring. Not only did we get matched with the perfect dog for us, but we feel an integral part of the Safe Haven family. And, really, the annual picnic with adopters and adoptees, certainly makes you feel good when the Safe Haven volunteers remember each dog. It's as if these dogs have an extended family who will be mindful of their welfare throughout their lives.

I'm fairly familiar with German shepherd rescues, both locally and in the Southeast, where I've adopted dogs. I like to think of Safe Haven as a boutique rescue because Tom and Jen keep the dogs either in their homes or in fosters. The dogs never languish in a kennel atmosphere. To me, that makes them immediately available to acclimate to a new home without some of the issues that could arise from being boarded or kept in a kennel.
After we lost our adored GSD, Dexter, at barely five years old to cancer, we knew it wouldn't be long before we had to give our other dog, Luke, another playmate and, really, the house was simply too boring with only one mature, low-energy dog. We needed a playmate, too, since Dexter kept us amused pretty much around the clock.
We had signed up with a much larger rescue in SoCal, and while there was nothing wrong with it, we didn't get the personal attention we received from Tom. And because we already had Luke, they wanted us to add a female, but we didn't want to limit ourselves when we were happy with two males. They were pretty insistent. And, let's face it, adding a dog is really adding to the family, so it's important to get it right. Well, we hit pay dirt with German Shepherd Safe Haven, Tom and Roman (now Jax). Tom is wonderfully hands on, and doesn't disappear once the adoption is completed. Also, the organization offers the most wonderful annual event in its picnic where dogs, volunteers and adopted parents get to mingle and enjoy a day filled with food, games and happy German shepherds.
After an extended interview, Tom knew what we needed, and matched us up with the ideal dog. The only one we saw. But, until the paperwork was done, and Jax was in our home for just a few hours, none of us dreamed that something magical and nearly impossible to believe had transpired.
It's fairly rare that a rescue dog is accompanied by a pedigree. Jax had one, and Tom asked if I wanted it included in his paperwork. I did want to see it because I was interested in doing a little research, and seeing Jax's family. That's when the magic happened.
You see, we got Dexter in the Atlanta area when we lived there. He came from a small kennel in Germany that raised German showlines. On our first evening with Jax, I decided to take a look at his pedigree and was absolutely floored to find that Jax and Dexter were related, and fairly closely. I checked Dexter's papers and verified that Jax's grandmother and Dexter's grandfather were littermates from that small kennel in Germany. What are the odds? We still find it nearly unbelievable. We're beyond thrilled to have Jax because he's ridiculously silly and loving. And, on another level, we still have a piece of Dexter. Truthfully, even without the Dexter connection, Jax is the ideal family member. We're so grateful to Safe Haven, and when the time comes for another GSD, we'll gladly look there first.

S & K