Adopting a German Shepherd in Plymouth: rescues, costs and the law

The count under the short answer is live: every German Shepherd and German Shepherd cross listed with us within about 25 miles of Plymouth, on our Plymouth German Shepherd page. Belgian Malinois have their own Plymouth Malinois page.

German Shepherd Rescue says on its about page that dogs come to it for many reasons, from cruelty cases to changes in owners' circumstances such as relationship breakdowns, relocation, work commitments, illness, allergies or bereavement, and that some are given up simply because of age or infirmity. It also warns on its adoption page that this is a working breed that can be "difficult" for people new to it, can be very vocal, and is naturally protective of its family and home.

Gables, which rehomes all breeds, says that many dogs it takes in have difficult behaviours to manage because they haven't been socialised or have been neglected or abused, which is why it has every dog assessed before matching.

German Shepherd Rescue treats each application individually, but its adoption page sets out homes it does not rehome to. Check them before you apply:

• Flats. It doesn't rehome to applicants living in flats, saying communal gardens and stairways don't suit the breed's protective, territorial nature.
• Front doors onto the street. It doesn't rehome to homes with no front garden, where the front door opens directly onto a public area. If your front door opens straight onto the pavement, this rule applies to you.
• No secure garden. It won't rehome where there is no secure garden area for the dog to go into, or where the dog would live outside in a kennel and run.
• Long days alone. No dog that would be left for longer than 4 to 5 hours on a daily basis.
• Young children. No homes with children under 7, unless the family is used to large dogs.
• Age and fitness. It doesn't rehome younger dogs to people over 70 unless they can show they are physically fit or have land to exercise the dog.
• No dog experience. Its adoption form says it won't accept applicants who haven't had a dog or experience with large breeds as an adult.

Many of the shepherd-type dogs listed with us near Plymouth are Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds rather than German Shepherds. They are separate breeds with their own needs, so don't apply for one as if it were a German Shepherd: see our Plymouth Malinois page and ask the rescue about the individual dog's exercise, training and history with children and other pets.

The breed standard has two coats: a short one, straight, hard and close-lying with a thick undercoat, and a longer one with tufts at the ears and feathering on the legs. The Royal Kennel Club says the long-haired variety is now officially recognised, and that the breed has "a marked division of breed type", so two rescue German Shepherds can look quite different.

White German Shepherds turn up too. The breed standard lists white as an undesirable colour in the German Shepherd Dog while saying colour has no effect on character, and The Royal Kennel Club recognises the White Swiss Shepherd Dog as a separate breed. For a rescue dog, colour tells you nothing about its temperament: the rescue's assessment does.

German Shepherd Rescue's donation, £150 to £500, is not a purchase price: its adoption form says the money helps pay kennel and vet fees. It isn't able to neuter before adoption, so you agree to have the dog neutered as soon as feasible, and it asks every new owner to insure the dog. At the general rescues the fee covers the vet work: Gables' £150 for a crossbreed dog includes a behavioural assessment, neutering, a vet health check, a microchip, vaccination, flea and worm prevention and a collar and lead, and every dog at Woodside is vaccinated, neutered and microchipped.

Buy a puppy and you pay the £400 to £3,000 Blue Cross quotes, then the set-up costs: PDSA puts those at £560 for a large dog, vaccinations and neutering among them, and at least £116 a month after that.

UK breed sources point to the hips, the elbows and the back legs. Ask what a vet has found, and watch how the dog moves when you meet it.

• Hips and elbows. The Royal Kennel Club sets hip and elbow tests under the BVA/KC schemes as the minimum for German Shepherd breeders, saying "evidence indicates these conditions are a significant concern in the breed".
• Spine and eyes. For best practice it adds eye testing and a DNA test for degenerative myelopathy (DM), a disease of the spinal cord.
• Hind legs and nerves. The Royal Kennel Club's Breed Watch asks show judges to look for incorrect hind conformation, poor rear movement and nervous temperament.

The Royal Kennel Club lists the German Shepherd as a large breed needing more than two hours of exercise a day, best suited to a large house with a large garden. Dogs Trust calls German Shepherds typically high-energy dogs that need daily walks, time to explore and play, and training. A flat is ruled out by German Shepherd Rescue (see its rules above).

The coat needs work all year. Dogs Trust says German Shepherds have thick coats and shed a lot, so expect to brush a short or long-haired dog a few times a week.

Plenty of people around Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall search for German Shepherd puppies for sale. A rescue dog is adopted, not sold: you apply, the charity matches a dog to your home, and you pay its fee or donation. Most are adults, though German Shepherd Rescue's South West page had dogs as young as 8 months when we checked, and Gables keeps a puppy waiting list because it doesn't advertise all its puppies.

If you decide to buy, The Royal Kennel Club lists litters on its "Find a puppy" service; ask to see the hip and elbow scores of both parents. Blue Cross says to see a puppy with its mother and littermates, and warns against excuses about why you can't meet the mother and offers to hand a puppy over in a public place. If an advert looks like a scam, tell Report Fraud, the service that replaced Action Fraud.

Popular puppies attract scammers, and German Shepherds are among the breeds people around Plymouth search for. Blue Cross lists the signs of a bad breeder: an advert with very little information, excuses about why you can't meet the mother and littermates, an offer to hand the puppy over in a public place such as a service station or to drop it at your home, and puppies brought in from abroad. It says to see a puppy with its mother and littermates at least twice before you decide.

Never pay a deposit for a puppy you haven't seen at home with its mother. If an advert looks like a scam, report it to Report Fraud; a rescue dog is adopted in person, after the rescue's own checks.