Red, a big old German shepherd, broad in the shoulder and gray in the muzzle, really wasn't too impressed with the first annual Super Dog Adoption Event on Dec. 5. He watched the dogs and people mill along the impromptu tent village in Reston Town Center and, after a while, lay down.
For Red, it was just another day. What he didn't know was that the event, a meeting of breed rescue groups from across the metropolitan area, was a part of the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue's effort to find Red a home.
Red, and several of his German shepherd comrades, were squired by Virginia German Shepherd Rescue volunteers that day, proving themselves to be the gentle giants that make great pets for the right owners. These are dogs that have hit a bit of bad luck in life — Red was picked up at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.
For Lea Spickler, finding homes for German shepherds like Red is a rewarding crusade. Spickler is a founding member and president of Virginia German Shepherd Rescue, which saved its first dog — a female named Sable — in June 2001. Since then, the group has saved 750 dogs.
The fascination with German shepherds started young with Spickler, a Sterling resident who works for a health insurance company. Rescuing shelter dogs is rewarding because it's obvious how much they need it, she said.
"They're so devoted to their people, if they're isolated from people, they can't handle it," Spickler said. "In a caged environment, they just freak out."
Older dogs like Red are particularly hard to place, but the dogs seems to be "grateful" when they do find a home, Spickler said.
"They seem to know the difference," she added.
TAKING A DOG from shelter to home is sometimes a long journey. It requires behavioral inspection, sometimes medical attention and the location of the right family. The Virginia German Shepherd Rescue has dozens of volunteers across the metropolitan area who "foster" the dogs on their way to a happier life.
"If they have some issues, we always try to work on these issues before we adopt them out," Spickler said. "We try to find the right person for the right dog."
Glenda DaCosta acts a liaison between the group and the Fairfax and Loudoun county animal shelters. They "temper-test" every dog, she said, checking for aggression and compatibility with other dogs, cats and children.
The dogs are then posted on the group's Web site, www.shepherdrescue.org, with pictures and bios that read like personals. "Phoebe would be a great snuggle buddy or walking partner," reads one bio, next to a picture of said Phoebe, looking doleful in someone's front yard.
While the dogs await adoption, they stay in foster homes with moms like Sheila Grimes. She sometimes has litters of puppies at her house for weeks at a time.
"It's a total disaster," Grimes, a Lorton retiree, said; but her enjoyment of the work is apparent. She has kept as many as 13 foster dogs in her home at a time. When the dogs finally do get a permanent home, it's a tough goodbye.
"You just cry every time they leave," Grimes said.
"They say it gets easier, but it doesn't," said DaCosta, who is Grimes' daughter. Grimes' first foster dog is now DaCosta's own pet.
THE GROUP'S greatest need is for foster homes. Fostering a dog is also a good way to learn if a German shepherd is right for someone, Spickler said. While German shepherds are big dogs, some, like Red, would be quite happy lounging in an apartment and going on a daily walk. Younger dogs, on the other hand, need more attention, training and room to grow.
German shepherds are bright, loyal dogs that can make a perfect pet, Spickler said. When a shelter dog moves into a new home, it often picks up on new information very quickly.
"They know their new names," Spickler said. "They're that smart."
The Virginia German Shepherd Rescue will benefit from a bingo night at the Herndon Moose Lodge on New Year's Eve. Tickets are available at the door. In January, the group will host a bowl-a-thon fund-raiser. For more information, visit www.shepherdrescue.org or call 703-435-2840.