Surrendering your Doberman

We understand that sometimes life does not allow you to keep your beloved family member. We offer several resources to attempt to help you keep them, but if that is not an option, we do our best to bring them into our rescue and give you peace of mind that they will be well loved and taken care of.

Surrendering Your Doberman

We understand that sometimes life takes a different turn than expected and it can become difficult or impossible for you to keep your Doberman.  Surrendering your pet is not only hard on you, but hard on them as well.  Because of this, we do whatever we can to keep Dobermans in their current homes and can provide many resources to help you do so.

If you truly cannot keep your Doberman under any circumstances, the first step is completing a surrender questionnaire.  This allows us to see if we have a foster home that can take your dog.  Health problem, behavioral issues, and personality quirks will never keep us from taking a dog so please be completely honest when filling out your questionnaire.  Safety for both our rescue dogs and their foster homes is our number one priority, and knowing as much about the dogs we take in as possible is the best way for us to make sure everyone is comfortable.

What you can expect when surrendering
  1. Complete the surrender questionnaire and email it to  Please include photos of your dog so we can verify it is a Doberman.  We are not able to take mixes or any other breeds.
  2. Someone from GDR will call or email you to discuss your situation and potential foster homes and timing.
  3. When a foster home is confirmed, GDR will schedule the incoming date of the dog.
  4. GDR will request all vet records available so we have a full medical history and don’t perform any unneeded procedures.
  5. A legal surrender of ownership form will be completed and signed, and the dog will be moved to it’s foster home.

A dog has not officially been surrendered to GDR until the surrender form is signed.  The questionnaire is not a surrender form.

Shelter Surrenders

If you are a shelter and have a Doberman you want to get into rescue, please email us at with any details on vetting, age, health, and how they get along with cats, dogs or people that you can provide and we will get back to you as soon as possible


We have found that the majority of people that need to surrender their Dobermans are often able to keep them with some guidance and help.  Behavioral issues, financial burdens, and sudden housing changes are the primary reasons we see dogs end up with us or in shelters, and it is a heartbreaking decision for their owners to make.  We want giving up your beloved Doberman to be the absolutely last resort.  Below are some resources we hope can help.

Training and Behavior

We work with several trainers in AL, SC and GA on everything from aggression, to obedience training, to basic manners.  Below are some that we have worked with and have a strong knowledge of the Doberman breed and we have seen their results.  Let them know we sent you.

The Balanced Dog | Lawrenceville, GA
Leading Edge Kennels | Griffin, GA
Apex Dog Training  | Warner Robbins, GA
Dog-U Birmingham  | Birmingham, AL

Financial Burden

There are several low cost vets and organizations that can help when pet owners fall on hard times.

Help with pet food

Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen
Daffy’s helps keep families and pets together by providing pet food while owners get back on their feet after job loss.

Low-cost vetting

Atlanta Humane Society | Atlanta and Alpharetta, GA
Lifeline Animal Project | Decatur, GA
West GA Spay and Neuter Clinic | Villa Rica, GA
Springlake Animal Hospital | Conyers, GA


Apartment complexes that allow Dobermans are few and far between, but we have been working to compile a list of the apartment complexes in GA, AL, and SC that do.  Apartment policies are constantly changing, so make sure you call and confirm that Dobermans are still allowed.  If a complex on our list no longer allows Dobermans, please let us know so we can update it.