I had been looking for a new dog for sometime. I had specific criteria as I already had an 8 year old rescue pit bull. I had had her since she was 9 weeks old and I knew what she would like. I searched on line many times and then I found her. Grateful Dog were fostering her and when I met her it was an instant and I think mutual attraction. She is now part of the family. Many thanks to Lauren and Maria for helping me through the process. read more

We adopted a wonderful Chihuahua named Georgie from Grateful Dog Rescue in mid September 2025. If I could give them 10 Stars I would. Not wanting to be redundant, all the reviews below Express every reason why I recommend and wholeheartedly appreciate the amazing people at Grateful Dog Rescue. They go above and beyond to provide healthy pets for adoption (vet examined, spaded/neutered, teeth cleaning and if necessary extract decay/ broken teeth, and all vaccinations. They also make sure all animals are chipped and provide the information for you to register the chip in your name. PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT! read more

Got the best dog we ever had from here. They take good care of the animals and insure the home environments are suitable before releasing them to the new guardians. read more

Time Magazine 2020 Pet of the Year? RESCUES! Who had his indoguration at the White House recently? Rescue dog, Major Biden! Who has singlehandedly lifted my family's pandemic spirits? OUR NEW RESCUE MAX! If you know me you know my lifelong personal commitment to adopting rescue dogs. I promised my first senior rescue dog Buddy I would do this and with each new four legged family member I renew that promise. For almost 10 months I half heartedly searched for a rescue. One night instead of late night Zillow scrolling I searched petfinder for rescue dogs and there he was. Sam. His description and photos were perfect. I filled out the application through the Grateful Dogs website and fell asleep. I got a phone call in the morning. I was so excited! That afternoon I went to meet Sam. He was perfect. Such a sweet little guy who was ready for a loving home where he can grow and be spoiled. Yes, he was perfect. Sam had an exam, grooming, microchip, and had his sterilization surgery prior to me meeting him. He needed a dental cleaning and extraction. Maria with Grateful Dog scheduled the dental work and extraction surgery after I picked him up. Before the surgery she even offered to take him. Grateful Dog worked out and covered the finances for his surgery and pain medication. I love how supported Grateful Dog makes you feel. I fostered Sam. We gave him a lot of patience - helping him transition from the trauma most rescues initially display through nervousness, shaking, tucked tail, hiding, hyper vigilance, and strange eating/hoarding. It was really special to watch his sweet personality emerge. We adopted Max. Of course we did! He is so perfect for us. My experience with Maria and Grateful Dogs Rescue was 100% positive, it was also COVID safe with masked outdoor social distancing and the majority of conversation over the telephone/text. Maria is a great support with the scheduling of appointments, text check-ins, etc. Grateful Dog Rescue is the oldest all breed rescue group in San Francisco. Since 1991 their ALL VOLUNTEER rescue has saved the lives of dogs at risk of euthanasia through no fault of their own. After adoption, Grateful Dogs Rescue continues to support your rescue by being available for consultations and guidance with training and medical issues. Please join my lifelong commitment to adopt your pets. Sweet Max and dogs just like him depend on it. If you aren't in a position to adopt or you already have a four legged family member please thoughtfully consider a donation of any amount to Grateful Dog rescue so they can continue saving dogs, feeding them, having leashes/collars, spay/neutering, wellness exams, vaccinations, microchip, and dental care. If you are open to fostering or volunteering in other ways I bet they would appreciate your help. Now more than ever, the world needs more kindness. We can take the initiative to start the flow by being kind to rescue animals. Last year we bought our house on my birthday. This year we added Sam, now called Max, to our loving family. Life is good. read more

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Grateful Dogs is a wonderful organization. My partner Aaron and I attempted -- and failed epically -- at fostering about 2.5 years ago. Day 1, we were talking about adopting Momo (formerly Monkey), having fallen in love with his smart, spunky little spirit. Almost several years later, I think that was a great choice. Momo has been a loving and joyful companion. Grateful Dogs does hugely important work in the community to help place great dogs, we should all support them. read more

Grateful Dogs Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me

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I recommend Grateful Dogs Rescue to everybody without any reservations (just recommended them this morning to a neighbor, in fact). We adopted our little boy through them, and it was the best possible experience both with Maria and our boy's amazing foster family. Before finding them on Petfinder, we had met several dogs and had at least one bad experience with a rescue where we saw a ton of red flags in the operation. It's important to vet the nonprofit you want to adopt from before proceeding with an adoption. Grateful Dogs does amazing work and gives pups in need another chance. I appreciate how communicative, clear, considerate, and thoughtful they were when working with us. If we adopt again, they'll be the first we turn to, and we will continue to recommend them to anybody looking to adopt a new family member. read more

Just a note of thanks to Grateful Dogs. I contacted several local rescue orgs after my dog passed to see if I could donate her beds and other items, and they were the only ones that were accepting items. They were super flexible about dropping the beds off and I especially appreciated a very sweet email they sent me afterwards mentioning all the sweet pups that would be enjoying my dog's things. It was an emotional thing to have to do and I really appreciated that they handled it with such kindness. Hope to foster or adopt from your organization when I'm ready! read more

Great local bay area rescue. We worked with Maria to adopt. The people of the organization clearly love dogs and their work truly saves dogs' lives. They help foster dogs who are probably not ready to be re-homed due to behavioral problems. Our dog clearly made a ton of progress when we compare his notes from the shelter to the notes and his behavior after being in his GDR foster. The organization was very up-front about the dog's challenges and it set us up for success since we knew exactly what to look out for. Not only do they help you through the entire adoption process, as mentioned on their website, but they also provide post-adoption support. On their website, they have several great training guides and they can also help with training questions you may have. read more

Would not recommend. Misrepresented a dog with behavior issues and was less than helpful when we wanted to give the dog back. No empathy, no sympathy, nothing.... The most traumatic rescue experience ever. read more

I fostered and then adopted my sweet dog Eloise through GDR. I picked her up at the SFACC. She was very frightened, but once we got her home she started to open up a little bit. A mere week or two later and she'd become the most cuddly lovebug you've ever met. I knew that after a month or so I wasn't going to be able to give her up and filed for a permanent adoption. I recently received Eloise's notes from when she was at SFACC. She was found as a stray, and was so completely stressed and scarred at the shelter she'd almost totally shut down. The notes from the shelter said they'd contacted at least 5 other rescues and the SPCA before GDR and none of them would take her, and in what would surely have been her final days at SFACC, GDR decided they would take a chance, if they could find her a foster. I took one look at her sad little mugshot and knew I had to do something! GDR knows that shelter dogs are not their full realized selves at a shelter and often blossom in foster homes, like Eloise did. I felt totally supported by them as I was trying to work on Eloise's behaviors. She's still got a few behavioral issues, but to me she is an angel, and I am so glad that life has brought us together. Thanks GDR! read more

Grateful Dogs Rescue - Eloise my adopted cuddle bug. - Animal Shelters Near Me

They help so many dogs and then keep helping the families answering questions and giving advice they are angels on this earth. We got our little rescue chihuahua from them. Very kind Definitely wouldn't go anywhere else! read more

My boyfriend and I had been looking for the right dog for us at local shelters for several months, and then I found out about a Grateful Dog adoption event. We went to the adoption event to meet 2 other dogs, but when we saw this cheerful will tan chihuahua, we were instantly drawn to her. The people at Grateful Dog were so helpful with our questions and helping us get to know this cute lil' pup we were visiting with. I have 4 years of experience working in a vet office and running the homeless pets department, so I was very pleased to hear the people at Grateful Dog asking us questions back to make sure we were a good fit. They weren't anxious to just get us to adopt any dog. They really wanted to make sure we were matched up with the right dog for what we wanted. And so we submitted our application, the foster mom to the lil pup who is now known as Yoshi, came over to our apartment to make sure the living conditions were satisfactory as well. Yoshi is so perfect for us! We love her and we love Grateful Dog for taking such wonderful care of her before we met her. I still email Yoshi's past foster mom with updates and I would recommend Grateful Dog to anyone looking invite a new dog into their home. read more

Grateful Dogs Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me

I fostered a senior dog for about a year and a half for GDR & think they are top notch! The poor old gal was very overweight, had health & behavior issues and on top of all that, she required expensive medication and needed to visit the vet pretty regularly. Once we got her weight down, she no longer needed expensive ($130/month) medication and the vet gave the green light that she was ready to be adopted. Jody is an absolute angel, very knowledgeable and was so helpful & supportive. She would offer to take my foster to the vet or pick her up (or both) every time. I never felt pressure, and never had any drama. GDR paid for all her medical care and there was never any hesitation on their part whatsoever. They always do home checks for all their fosters & potential adopters. After being adopted by another GDR foster mom who had been quietly keeping tabs on her, I took a break but now I'm ready for my next foster . . . read more

I got a tiny dog from Grateful Dogs and am so appreciative of the work they did to save the dog from being killed at the shelter. My dog is a bright spot of sunshine in my life, but she's definitely a one person dog and not for everyone. I'm surprised at some of the negative reviews about Grateful Dogs. But I know that rejection hurts and Grateful Dogs is careful about finding the right home for the dog. I got rejected by another rescue when I first tried to adopt a dog, and in retrospect I'm glad they didn't return my calls. I now realize that dog was an inappropriate dog (independent, hard-to-train mix) for me. Grateful Dogs will do an interview & home check. If Grateful Dog doesn't believe its a good match based on what they know about the dog, you might not get the dog. Rejection hurts, but don't take it too personally (unless you get rejected again and again---then you might reassess & ask a friend for a reality check!). But if you get the dog, it's probably the dog that was meant for you. read more

I've recently become a volunteer with GDR so there's no question I'm going to be biased in my review, but I've had a really positive experience being part of the GDR team. So far I've helped foster and place one dog and I'm now on my second foster. I'm learning a lot, liking the people I've met and there is a surprising amount of support available to me if and when I need it. Nice work GDR! I'm a fan. read more

Grateful Dogs Rescue - ethan, my foster chihuahua! - Animal Shelters Near Me

If I could give these folks ten stars, I would. GD saved a wonderful dog, fostered him, kept him in great shape and did all the proper work to find him a good home (mine :)). I worked with Michelle who is the master dog boss. She's kind, incredibly knowledgeable, patient and just a joy to work with. I really can't recommend GD enough. Thank you so much! read more

I'm really surprised at Oaklandish's review and it must have been a miscommunication.Maybe none of the dogs they had at the time would do well in that situation? I don't know and I'm sorry this person had a bad experience, but I don't want one bad review to hurt this rescue because they do amazing work taking dogs slated for euthanasia from sf Animal Care and Control. If it wasn't for them, my two wonderful dogs would be dead. I adopted my first dog from them 4 years ago and my second dog 2 years ago. I was a single mom at the time and work full time (with a dog walker). It was never an issue. When I needed training help, my german shepherd's foster mom met to work with me and offer advise. I still keep in contact with her. These volunteers work tirelessly to help these thrown away dogs. Maybe SF got one on a bad day...Whatever, please don't overlook this rescue when looking for a new canine companion. ***I would also like to add that I'm disheartened that Oaklandish would choose to give an animal rescue group a bad rating on yelp, since it's the animals that could suffer from this. Regardless of their experience with the organization (which should have been brought up with the organization), why possibly prevent someone else from finding their perfect dog from them? I had a bad experience with a city shelter once, but I would never discourage someone from going there to adopt...it wasn't the animal's fault. ***I also wanted to add that several years ago I inquired about a dog with Smiley Dog rescue (the one recommended by the negative reviewer) and got a very rude email...I didn't take it personally and I certainly would not give Smiley a bad review...I just didn't adopt from them. Also, GDR adopts out to many full time workers and their dogs are not slated to be killed since they've already been rescued from that fate...So, this rescue and others are very picky about the homes they put their dogs in (the dogs have already been abandoned at least once!). The dogs are in foster care until they find their forever homes. read more

Very disrespectful workers here, I applied for a dog and after a few messages about the dog, they stopped responding to me. What is wrong in society when a shelter thinks ghosting people when your a shelter is normal. read more

I am now fostering my 9th dog for Grateful Dogs Rescue. I am so happy to play a role in the rehabilitation and rehoming of dogs who had little help before Grateful Dogs Rescue took them in to the group. read more

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I saw Luna online and had to have her, even though she was painfully shy. Lisa, Luna's foster mom, clearly had Luna's best interest in mind. She wasn't about to just pawn her off on the first family. Lisa came to our home, pointed out hazards, made sure my boyfriend's son didn't have a massive allergy attack and gave us all a chance to get to know Luna. We knew we wanted her, but we had a trip planned for that weekend and Lisa was kind enough to keep Luna for an extra few days so we didn't have to put her in a kennel. I still email Luna's foster mom when I have dog questions. When we got Luna, she was up-to-date on shots, in perfect health, micro-chipped crate trained, 95% housebroken and comfortable on a leash. I really appreciate how well she was prepared for adoption. This was 2 years ago, but we are considering adopting another dog and would definitely go through them again. read more

I met Daddy about a month ago at a dog park accompanied by his foster mom, who I felt definitely had his best intentions at heart. After waiting a while to adopt the right dog, I just knew when I met him it was meant to be & was really ready to take him home that same day. Rather than push me to do so, she scheduled a visit to my home the following day where she reviewed my apartment & asked great questions about my previous dogs (I've owned powerful breeds similar to his in the past), etc. She suggested I take him for an overnight visit to be certain we were a good fit for each other. After I was approved & had made the decision to adopt Daddy I was contacted by a volunteer and by his first foster mom to discuss his personality & offer to meet at a dog park so that he could visit his brother, with whom he had lived for a while. I'm still in contact with the rescue, they've contacted me to check in on Daddy's well being, etc. I have no doubt that they truly want to find good homes for their dogs. So much so, I've referred a few friends to them already & intend to donate to the foundation. Great job Grateful Dogs! read more

Grateful Dogs took in a 12 1/2 year old toothless Irish Wolfhound mix and found him a foster home when all reasonable odds were that he'd never get adopted [I wish I remembered the name of the dog day care facility where he stayed, as they too deserve a good review]. Four months later, I was lucky enough to become Babri's new owner/dad. Unfortunately, he passed from cancer a mere nine months after I got him, but he was a great guy and a great brother to my other two. He had a wonderful experience at Grateful Dogs; they took good care of him and they were very friendly and helpful when I adopted him. read more

A most amazing group of really dedicated dog lovers. I have fostered for them about five times and they do everything possible to create " forever homes ". read more

Good , well organized group run by volunteers. They do excellent work.

i just adopted my adorable, lovely, sweetie-pie chow mix from grateful dogs last week, and so far i couldn't be happier. hennessy has separation anxiety, so she definitely isn't the right dog for everyone, but the grateful dogs volunteers were very honest and upfront about that. they've been super hands-on and helpful when i've had any questions or concerns at all, both before and after the adoption. henny's foster mom even offered to board her for free when i travel! nice. the woman from the rescue has been calling and texting me to check in on how henny is adjusting to her new home. everyone i've dealt with at GD has been really awesome all around, and i can tell they really love their dogs and are totally invested in finding the right homes for them. read more

My family is now complete!!! I just finished my two week adoption period with Grateful dogs and couldn't be happier. Buster came into my home shy but quickly became a rambunctious little doggie! He is well trained and behaved, he just needed a loving home to invite him in. I can't imagine any other dog filling this spot in my heart. Before you decide to purchase a dog from an animal breeder I implore you to look at grateful dog's. I promise you will find so many dogs that melt your heart. read more

I recently started fostering for GDR and am so happy that I did! My foster dog is so sweet and makes coming home from work a joy. GDR has been very helpful and supportive with all questions that I have had and informing me about adoption events. Also they made sure to find an appropriate foster for my experience level and lifestyle (full time worker). My experience with this rescue group has been nothing but positive and they seem to be a great group of people (those who I have interacted with) who really care about what they are doing. Because of this I strongly urge anyone who has a bad experience with foster parents to contact the group and let them know so that they can address the issue. This would be a great service to this great organization. read more

I'm fostering through GDR and have been so impressed with their responsiveness and support as a foster. Anytime there's a medical need they get us set up with trips to the vet super quickly. We've gone out of town a few times while we've had our little foster dog, and the community of fellow fosters has always jumped in to help while we're out of town. They're doing a great job promoting our little foster on social media as well. Great place to foster for or adopt through! read more

Grateful Dog Rescue rocks it when it comes to dog rescue. i am a volunteer at the city shelter and i can tell you these people rescue our dogs that would have otherwise been euthanized. they are the most committed people i have ever seen and they spend 24/7 of their lives saving dogs. their time, their money, everything goes towards saving dogs from sure death. they work on a tight budget and no one takes a penny for the time and effort they put in. these people are involved and committed AND they are always at our shelter going through the kennels pulling dogs slated for death. a handful of people do all of this, plus, fundraise, foster multiple dogs, attend adoption events, work jobs to support themselves, and a plethora of other things. it would be emotionally impossible to work at the shelter if this rescue wasn't there saving our beloved dogs. i urge you to become involved and support them by adopting one of their dogs, donating much needed funds, fostering or helping in general. you can't ask for a more committed and successful group. they are five star all the way. read more

Responding to S.F's . negative review.--Three years ago we adopted a wonderful dog from Grateful Dogs Rescue.My husband, my son and I had been looking for a good family dog for at least 3 years. We had gone to several shelters, but had never found a good match. We found out about Grateful Dogs from a friend, and found out how we could actually meet several dogs at one time. We came up to the city, and my son fell in love with Deena. We spent a good 2 hours with her. What I really liked was these people were sincerely interested in placing the right dog with the right family. They asked questions, and really listened to what my 8 year old had to say. We had to wait a whole week before Deena would be released to us. I can truly say this was a match made in heaven, and worth the wait. It was 3 years in October of this year that she has been ours. Deena is the best dog ever, and a perfect fit for our family. We are thinking about adding on a friend for her, and Grateful Dogs Rescue will be the place we will be going . read more