Stryker Is Safe!
Stryker
This time of year, California GSP Rescue receives emails from animal shelters daily like this: "Our kennels are again overflowing with dogs and we need your help." Most of the time, the dogs are adult mixed breeds labeled with the apparent predominant breed. These are the challenges for the animal shelters to find homes. The next challenging group is the adult purebred dogs, as most visitors to the animal shelter are looking for young pups to adopt. Stryker falls into the latter category.
As an adult, Stryker is too big and old in most visitors' eyes. It's challenging for most to get past the fallacies of adopting an older dog and believe owning a younger, "more trainable" pup is the way. In a recent statistic shared by an animal shelter, dogs under 6 months of age only stay at the animal shelters for less than 10 days before being adopted, while older dogs could stay upwards of 45 days before being adopted. That is 45 days when the animal shelter isn't full and has available kennels to keep dogs that long.
When the local animal shelter reached out for assistance with Stryker, we understood their concern. In addition, finding a suitable adopter for an active sporting breed isn't as much of a concern for the animal shelter as acquiring an empty kennel to house an incoming dog.
Stryker came in as a stray. A skinny stray as one could see looking at his rib cage and hips. He didn't have a microchip, and he would be held five days for the owner to claim. If he wasn't claimed and made available for adoption, he would need to be neutered but, he was too thin to be neutered. Getting enough weight on him to be fixed would take additional time. Time the shelter didn't have to give this time of year.
California GSP Rescue did not waste any time making arrangements to transport Stryker. While working simultaneously to get Swanson (https://www.gsp-rescue.org/gspr-news/swanson-is-safe), both Volunteers made arrangements to meet.
Stryker was stunning. While a little unsure, he soon warmed up. After being neutered and evaluated, this boy wouldn't be with California GSP Rescue long. Stryker is safe!
California GSP Rescue is an all-volunteer rescue organization. We are grateful for the flexible and agile volunteers (https://www.gsp-rescue.org/volunteer-application). They give their time freely, helping rescue and find German Shorthaired Pointers forever homes. In addition, we are thankful to the donors (https://www.gsp-rescue.org/donate) and Rescue Heroes (https://www.gsp-rescue.org/fundraisers/p/become-a-rescue-hero) that assist us in providing for the dogs in our care. Without these individuals, dogs like Stryker would be left in shelters with little time to find a forever home qualified to give them the exercise and time they need. Thank you.
Be A Hero (https://www.gsp-rescue.org/fundraisers/p/become-a-rescue-hero).
