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Gsp Rescue (South West England) UK is a non-profit making organisation designed to assist in the welfare and re-homing of unwanted or unsettled German Short-haired Pointers. Who are the Representatives for your area ? Click here to find out.... Oh! and don’t forget to check out the NEW RESCUE DOGS page (click)...................Please join my Gsp Community Groups - where you can participate in an interactive site - posting emails about your special Gsp - Brag about your Show wins or your dogs special traits - post pictures of them and you - discuss things to do with Gsp’s (or anything within reason) etc. The membership is growing nicely so do come in - you’re welcome... and I am constantly on the look-out for new homes for the rescued Gsp’s - if you can help re-homing, temp fostering or helping with transport -
please contact me at pointerman@lineone.net - Dave -
So you would like to adopt a German Short-haired Pointer ! - The way I work is that I collect information on people like yourselves who have filled in the on-line form which is a request to adopt a Gsp, where you are asked to include details about yourselves, your environment - whether you work all day, whether someone is home most of the time - what type of garden you have - whether it is well fenced - whether you have any other ‘inmates’ at home, like cats, chicken or other dogs - specify the gender of the dog if you have one and whether he/she is ‘entire’, in other words whether he/she has been spayed or neutered... whether you have had a Gsp before etc. please remember this is NOT a guarantee that you will be selected as a new home for one of the Rescue Gsp’s - it’s just an application form to be considered... also, as we do get a lot of these applications, we certainly cannot respond to each and every form received... if you subsequently see a Gsp that you could like to give a home to, please respond to Sarah Hadley- When we are notified about a Gsp that needs to be re-homed the relevant details and pictures if available, are put onto the “New Gsp’s into Rescue” page - if YOU would like to be considered for one particular Gsp, then please email at Sarah Hadley - The next procedure is to locate the “Adoption Form” which is the sixth link down on the left of each page ONLY when you have been allocated a dog - which you have to print off and sign - this you are asked to POST to me with the dogs name thereon, together with your details/address etc...... No Papers, Pedigrees or Kennel Club Registration forms come with the Gsp - only his/her commands, and of course the vaccination certificate, and Micro-chip info if applicable. The protocol is that you must not breed from what is really an almost free Gsp. If they are still ‘entire’ we ask you to neuter or spay them as soon as possible (at least within six months of receiving the Gsp) , and send me the veterinary confirmation. All that is asked is a donation to Gsp Rescue (South West) - a nominal sum would be £100.00 - this helps with contingency funds to be used for emergencies in helping other unfortunate Gsp’s should that be required.
G.S.P.R (S.W) Home Page
Responsible and knowledgeable individuals are required to volunteer to vet prospective homes in the South West - if YOU live anywhere between Cornwall, and Gloucestershire; Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Bristol or Cardiff area (South Wales), and anywhere north of Bristol including Scotland, then please make contact if you fit the bill and would like to help in this respect. see also assessing below
Donations - ...for busy folk who would like to help but whose time is at a premium, the simplest way to assist the German Short-haired Pointer Rescue (SW) is by giving a donation - I now have a facility to take Credit Cards online using Paypal... - IF you wish to donate on your card, please go to the shopping cart - and select your quantities - 1 unit = £1, 12 units = £12 and so on - payment by card is absolutely secure .. you don’t have to put your address in, as it isn’t necessary - your statement will indicate payment made to Paypal (Gsp Rescue SW). Thank you.
Transportation: Often Gsp’s need to be moved from one place to another - For example, a stray handed in to the police who house them for a week and may be housed in private kennels waiting to be claimed by it’s owner before being handed over to a rescue society or RsPca. - Gsp Rescue SW would like to hear from Gsp people who could act as a dog-taxi within your local area so that the Gsp’s can be taken from a holding kennel to foster homes, or other kennels.
Background - the German Short-haired Pointer Rescue (South West) has been operating under my charge for exactly five years now - I took the responsibility over from Ms Angela Boyd who used to live in Taunton (Somerset) but moved to near Helston (Cornwall) where it would be rather difficult to run and organise things from down there.
Some of the homeless are caused by the death or illness of their owners - sometimes there are strays who have no identification on them (Boris comes to mind) - whereever possible we try to re-unite the dog with it’s family, but unfortunately this can’t always be the case - and they are taken under our wing and found a new home. - Other Gsp’s are given up because of some domestic crisis where jobs change, babies arrive and the responsibilities of looking after a Gsp as well becomes too much. Sometimes rehoming is caused by a long term illness in the dog (thankfully Gsp’s are pretty robust in that area) but veterinary bills can mount up considerably in a relatively short time. Sometimes owners find they can’t cope with such an energetic breed such as the Gsp who are quite demanding and very agile. Gsp’s are lovely when they’re puppies but can be extremely hard work when they are growing up - expecially in the teen-age part of their years... Traumatised dogs are temporarily re-homed with people who are experienced in the breed and are prepared to give time and patience, understand and love to attempt to re-habilitate the dog and undo the damage done by ignorance and irresponsibility. Whatever the reason the Gsp rescue SW is here to assist you and your Gsp.
Great care is taken in re-homing the dogs - vetting is difficult without volunteers and to that end families who have young children are not offered a rescue dog where the dog’s temperament is questionable or unknown. Many, many of the Gsp’s are lovely creatures - happy-go-lucky and extremely well behaved - Maybe, just maybe, one of them would suit you and become your companion
Fostering - I am always on the look out to find short-term and even long-term foster homes - Long term fostering for the older German Short-haired Pointer who is looking for warmth, food and a little exercise - and a bucket full of T.L.C for the rest of their lives - many older dogs can and do give much pleasure and love to their owners .. Sometimes short-term fostering is required when kennels aren’t available (personally I don’t use kennels if I can help it - Gsp’s don’t like to lose their home comforts) - they would get over stressed in such an environment, plus the fact that kennelling is expensive where the funds could be used more advantageously - and they would be better off in some kind hearted persons home.
Assessing is sometimes necessary when we come across a little ‘angel’ we know nothing about... I always seek dedicated dog lovers who have a good knowledge of the breed and who have room to foster and assess this one’s ‘peculiar little ways’... or even a Gsp who may have a psychological or behavioural problem (ie: destructive; barking etc when left) - Puppies and youngsters sometimes need re-house training too. This assessment doesn’t have to be a long process - a week-end or a few days would indicate to you what the dog is made up of - and the type of home that he/she would require...If you can help in any of the above - please make contact - mail pointerman@lineone.net - it doesn’t need to be a full time committment - maybe just an odd week-end or day or two would be extremely helpful..
The cost of owning a Gsp is debatable - a Gsp generally costs could be anything from about £3 to £7 per week - please bear that in mind too when considering adopting a rescue G.s.p.- most dogs enjoy wet tasty goods especially raw tripe mixes. Complete foods such as Arden Grange (high quality) mixed with a tripe stew with garlic is highly acceptable to my Gsp’s.
Purchasing a puppy, or obtaining a Rescue Gsp
To those of you thinking about purchasing a GSP puppy as a family companion, please note: As a whole, shorthairs are HIGH-ENERGY dogs. They need space and time to run, each and every day. This means little grass will be left in your (must be fenced!) yard. And when the grass is gone, they will most likely begin to eat your shrubs. My perennials are already history :-). And yes - they are without a doubt highly trainable, but they want to be trained about 60% of their waking time. If you are not up to it, or happen to be at work, they will happily train themselves. So trouble-shooting becomes a big part of your life if you cannot keep up with your shorthair.
Another very important consideration: German Shorthaired Pointers are a
generally a healthy breed, but there are some very important pre-breeding
certifications you should make sure the breeder of your puppy has done.
Most responsible shorthair breeders are now testing for healthy hips,
healthy heart and healthy eyes on both sire and dam before breeding. Checking for these certifications has never been easier - Most vet’s are capable of arranging these tests under the BVA/KC Scheme.
The Gsp Community
You will see on the Navigation Bars the link to Gsp Community - this is available to all Gsp lovers where you can post up emails for all to read - or just read emails others have posted - subjects are diverse and far ranging, but normally about Gsp’s - as on April 2005, there are currently 250 members from all walks of life, and many countries - Arizona, Connecticut, Australia, Belgium, France, Spain etc. - Just click on the link Gsp Community and enter your email address and you’re in - this is normally where I broadcast details of any new Gsp’s that are available for adoption - apart from the New Dogs Page.
My address is “Wayside”, Colaton Raleigh, Sidmouth, Devonshire EX10 0LE - Tel: (01395) 568259
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