Jayne Goad has been rescuing German shepherd Dogs for 23 years and was inspired to help Veterans because of her dad’s proud commitment to his Army roots. Her father, T. Ted Yoneda, was stationed at Schofield Army Base on Oahu, and served from 1953-1955. Jayne combined her love and respect for her dad and her love for German shepherds and, with the help of Golden State German Shepherd Rescue, she and her husband, David Goad, developed and implemented the SAVE Program.
SAVE stands for Shepherds and Veterans Enablement. Golden State’s mission is to match military Veterans with rescued companion dogs and make it easy for them to adopt. The SAVE Program enhances the lives of military veterans and their families while saving more shelter dogs in search of homes.
Many people hear this mission and think only of certified Service Dogs, which are trained to perform specific behaviors to assist with various disabilities and challenges. We focus on the
level before Service Dog, called Companion Dog, that brings many benefits. Think of it as a great family pet.
A well-matched companion dog helps veterans who are coping with post-traumatic stress or anxieties that arise with a return to civilian life. Having a companion dog brings affection, fun and a sense of purpose into their lives. When the dog licks your face, you’ve got to get off the couch and go play. That’s a good thing when you are feeling depressed.
Golden State German Shepherd Rescue is a Central Valley-based organization and according to our shelter partners, San Joaquin County has an unusually high number of German Shepherds looking for homes.
We work hard to make the adoption process easy for the Veteran adopter. First we speak to the veteran and caregiver to assess their specific needs. Then we suggest a match with one of the many easy-tempered fostered dogs currently in our rescue. Our rescue dog evaluators and fosters really know the German Shepherd breed and how to expertly assess their temperament to match them with new owners. We take a lot of care with this step, which has resulted in a very low return rate. This is better for all the dogs AND humans involved.
Our organization focuses on the fundamental training that makes the dog a good companion dog. Some veterans may later elect to do higher level service dog training for specific needs, and the Level 1 and Level 2 dogs we select are likely to be good candidates for this training.
We do fundraising and accept individual and corporate donations to cover the adoption fee costs for qualified veterans. We feel that veterans are dealing with enough adversity and we
want to help make the road easier for them.
So far, we have successfully placed three German shepherds with Veterans that have completed training to become official Service Dogs and one has become a certified Therapy Dog for Veterans suffering from PTS.
There is no shortage of dogs, but we are always looking for foster homes. Our goal is to find Veterans who are willing and able to foster dogs for their military brothers and sisters. If
we can find more Veterans to help foster, the more dogs we can save, and the more Veterans we can save as well. That is a win-win for everyone.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gsgsrescue/
Website: http://www.gsgsrescue.org/dogs/available-dogs
Email: working.dogs@hotmail.com
