25-Year Legacy at Risk: German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County Seeks Urgent Support
Listen to this article$100,000 “SHEPTEMBER MATCH Challenge” Launches To Secure Rescue’s Future To Continue Lifesaving Mission
Orange County, CA – For 25 years, German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County (GSROC) has been a beacon of hope for abandoned and surrendered dogs, successfully placing over 10,000 German Shepherds into loving forever homes. Today, this award-winning lifeline for Southern California’s most vulnerable animals faces its most challenging time ever.
The heartbreaking reality: too many desperate pet owners with nowhere else to turn, skyrocketing veterinary costs, and an unprecedented animal overpopulation crisis that has left even municipal shelters turning dogs away. While 85 orphaned German Shepherds currently depend on the rescue for their very survival, the organization that has saved thousands may not survive the year without immediate intervention.
The statistics paint a devastating picture: local animal shelters from Los Angeles to San Diego are beyond capacity, with facilities like Orange County Animal Care Center, Riverside County Animal Shelter, and San Bernardino Animal Shelter now refusing intake and directing desperate pet owners to “contact a rescue group” – rescue groups that are already beyond capacity.
Large breeds, particularly German Shepherds, are flooding shelters in record numbers. The reasons are heartbreaking… job loss, family death, housing displacement, even deportation separating families from their beloved pets. Without rescue groups like GSROC stepping in, many of these loyal companions face an uncertain fate – abandonment on the streets or worse.
Both CNN and NBC have spotlighted this national crisis, but for Maria Dales, Founder and Executive Director of GSROC, the crisis isn’t a news story, it’s a daily reality threatening everything she’s built over the past two decades.
“We have never been in this situation before, and we find ourselves struggling to manage the challenges.”
“Our phone rings constantly with calls from pet owners desperate to find safe haven for dogs they can no longer keep,” says Dales. “The sad stories are overwhelming, with most people simply just unable to care for their dogs any longer. We know that our rescue provides a critical lifeline for German Shepherds in need, but without resources, we just can’t help.” GSROC receives no federal or municipal funding, relying entirely on private donations.
The numbers are staggering. Adoption rates have plummeted while surrender requests have exploded. Meanwhile, basic veterinary care costs have nearly doubled, and even dog food prices have soared beyond what the volunteer-driven nonprofit can sustain. Operating entirely on private donations with zero government funding, GSROC has stretched every dollar, but the math is no longer sustainable.
Game Changer: The $100,000 “Sheptember Match” Challenge
To address the urgent situation, the volunteer-driven non-profit is launching a $100,000 Sheptember Match Challenge, running throughout September. If they can raise $100,000 during this time period, two anonymous animal-loving philanthropists will match that amount, doubling the impact. “This isn’t just about keeping our doors open,” Dales explains. “This is about honoring 25 years of trust from this community and ensuring that the thousands of dogs that will follow have somewhere safe to go when their world falls apart.”
“This life-saving opportunity comes at a critical time for us—if we make the target amount, we can continue to support the community. If we don’t make it, our rescue’s future is uncertain.”
How to Help Save GSROC’s Mission
Donors can contribute by Venmo, PayPal or by mail:
German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County
120 Tustin Avenue, C-1111, Newport Beach, CA 92663
(No dogs are housed at this location).
About German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County
GSROC is a 501c3 nonprofit organization (EIN 20-3455479) that has been rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming German Shepherd dogs since 1999. The organization has earned the Best of The Southland (Charity Division) honors from the LA Times in 2022 and 2023 and earned highest rated Platinum Status by Candid™ and Four Stars by Charity Navigator™ for transparency in accounting. www.gsroc.org.
