Wendy, natural eared girl with Illinois Doberman Rescue

This is Wendy! She's a nine month old, natural eared, docked black and tan girl in Illinois Doberman Rescue.

(photo from Illinois Doberman Rescue)

UPDATED: Daisy WAS ADOPTED!! through DOBER, inc.

This is Daisy. She's in a foster home and available for adoption through DOBER, inc (Dreaming of Better Endings Rescue).

(picture from Dober,Inc Petfinder listing)

She's a natural eared fawn girl with a docked tail. Daisy is 11 months old, housebroken and crate trained, according to her foster mom. 

Special Needs Dobermans senior of the week: Spike

Spike is Special Needs Dobermans' Senior of the Week. I saw his picture on Facebook and...look at that face!

Iris, with Last Hope Doberman Rescue in Texas

Iris is a four year old, natural-eared fawn Doberman with Last Hope Doberman Rescue in Texas. She was found as a stray in Amarillo, Texas. You have to wonder how she ended up like that, poor little girl! But she's safe now. And look at that face!

(image from Last Hope Doberman Rescue available dogs page)

Gunner, red boy with Doberman Rescue LA

Doberman Rescue L.A. is the oldest Doberman Rescue in the country! It's a 501c-3 non-profit which was founded in 1968. They have a range of ages in their available dogs, and the dogs are always spayed or neutered before they go to their carefully screened homes.


This is Gunner. He's a natural eared red boy who was turned in to rescue when his family moved.

(picture from Doberman Rescue LA web site)

Jazzy, at the Warwick Valley Humane Society

This is Jazzy!

Some adoptable Dobers at Doberman Rescue Unlimited! Skye and Cedar

This is Skye. She's a natural eared, docked tailed, three year old fawn and rust girl at Doberman Rescue Unlimited.  Skye's original owner seemed to want her for breeding, but surrendered her to DRU after she had a litter of puppies and developed mastitis. Sky has had a lot of confidence building at DRU, but will need a supportive home which knows how to set her up to succeed!

Cedar is a 5 year old red and rust cropped and docked boy. He has played well with some female dogs, but according to DRU, he's particular about the dogs he will accept. He had a TPLO procedure done for a torn cruciate ligament in one of his legs, and receives medication for hypothyroidism. He also has the same "head bobbing" that Elka sometimes does. He's unsure about things like fireworks and thunderstorms, but a Thundershirt helps him out. 

If you're interested in one of these Doberman Rescue Unlimited dogs, you can read about their adoption procedure here. You can also see what other Dobermans they have for adoption here.

Edith, all natural Doberman in Northern California

This is Edith. She's a four year old, black and rust, all natural girl with Northern California Doberman Rescue.

The Cropping and Docking topic rears its head again

Dogster.com had an article this week, written by Annie Phenix of "Ask the Trainer" columnship, on her stance of cropping and docking. She seems to be of the opinion that it causes behavioral, emotional, and social problems for dogs, which is an interesting topic, to be sure, though not one any actual scientific research has been done on (that I know of; the body of research I have at my fingertips could be considered limited. I'd love to read it if such studies have been done and published!)

However, she also opens the article with the obviously-meant-to-be-facetious comparison that she wanted her (grown) German Shepherd to "look more tough", so decided to dock and crop the (adult) dog. This is simply not done. A tail dock at an adult age is a full on amputation, and that dog will miss his or her tail. A tail dock done to a puppy is minimal, done at 3ish days before the bones have ossified, and with appropriate pain management and anesthetic. Ears must be cropped prior to 12 weeks, or you'll end up with a crop and flop, so might as well have gone natural anyway. I also found the article to be rather anthropomorphic, but as I attribute thoughts and feelings to Elka all the time, I don't really want to be a hypocrite. Just thought I'd mention.

Help Ice find a home for the holidays!

Ice is a natural eared, 14 month old blue girl who's currently courtesy-listed through Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue. 

Cheyenne, in Texas, looking for a home

This pretty girl is Cheyenne, though I guess her original name was "Soda", because she knows that one. Either name is kind of fun, isn't it?

(picture from Last Hope Doberman Rescue Facebook page)

Cheyenne is 3 1/2, and is currently in Texas with Doberman Rescue North Texas. She has natural ears and a docked tail. Cheyenne can be shy, but it sweet with people, and jogs well on a leash. She would do best in an only dog home. You can read more about her on the Doberman Rescue North Texas web site, under available Dobermans, or view her Petango page here.

(picture from Doberman Rescue North Texas)

If you are interested in adopting Cheyenne, or any of the available Dobermans through Doberman Rescue North Texas, you can view their online adoption application here, and view their adoption contract here. If you have any questions about Doberman Rescue North Texas, you can see a phone number and other information on their Contact Us page.

Fundraiser for the Doberman Rescue Alliance of Wisconsin

The Doberman Rescue Alliance of Wisconsin is having a T-shirt fundraiser!

They've set a goal of 50 shirts to sell, and there are 17 days left for them to fulfill that goal (17 shirts sold to date). They're pretty snazzy looking shirts, with a line drawing of a natural eared Doberman and a cropped Doberman (and I know black t-shirts are my favorite!), I've heard from somebody who has one that they are quite soft and cozy, and they are $20.

The DRAWI's mission statement is as follows (from their web site):

Our Mission - To utilize every opportunity to assist a Doberman in need, regardless of situation, age or health concerns; to ensure their health and happiness, and place them in loving forever homes; To assist and educate current Doberman owners, potential adopters and the general public on the Doberman Pinscher breed.

Doberman Rescue Alliance Wisconsin is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization that is run by volunteers. Donations and fundraisers are their bread and butter, and they've helped hundreds of Dobermans find homes. If you would prefer to directly donate instead of getting a t-shirt, information can be found here on their web site.

Athena and Boss, in Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue

Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue has many Dobermans looking for homes. They are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization, and run on volunteers. They rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome Dobermans in need, and adopt all over the United States and Canada, if they can arrange to have a home visit done. If you adopt outside their immediate radius, you are responsible for arranging the ground transport of your new family member. They are always in need of fosters and volunteers, so if you're in southwest Ohio, and interested, they would appreciate it!

It's hard, when confronted with a list of adoptable dogs, to pick the ones to showcase. This week, though, I picked two dogs who are opposites: Athena, who is a young, all natural female Doberman and Boss, who is a mature cropped and docked male.

Athena is an exuberant little girl who needs some refreshment on her obedience training.

(picture from SWODR site)

She had a home, but she didn't get along with one of the older dogs in the household, so back she came. She needs a family that understands and can accommodate the exuberant, energetic nature that comes with young Dobermans.

(picture from SWODR site)

Exercise and patience! (an exercise in patience? Though that's all puppies!)


Boss was part of a two dog household, but when a divorce happened, only one dog could fit in the car so he was surrendered to a shelter (it's in his bio, I kid you not). They think he's around 5, and though he is cropped and docked, as you can see, his left ear is cropped and flopped. Makes him look kind of rakish!

(picture from SWODR site)

Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue does not know whether the dog Boss lived with was male or female, but it was a lab. He's been kissyface with dogs he's met over a fence, and kind of mouthy when tested on cats. 

(picture from SWODR site)

Boss has been neutered, and they're still sussing out his personality. He looks like a happy guy in the pictures, though!

If you're interested in adopting Boss or Athena, or any of Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue's dogs, they list their requirements on this page (including adoption fees) and their adoption application is here. They also have a very nice section with information on the Doberman breed, and an FAQ page that has both info about Doberman rescue and also ten myths about rescuing a Doberman.

Available Dobermans at Doberman Rescue Unlimited

This is Cooper:

(picture from DRU.org available dogs site)

He's a red and rust boy with natural ears AND tail! He's two years old, very food motivated, and has been good with cats and dogs when he met them at Doberman Rescue Unlimited. He likes car rides, and chewing on his bed (so he's got a Kuranda).

Isn't he handsome? He looks kind of like a joker, I think.

Here's a link to the DRU adoption procedure. You can find the application there as well (they want you to print it out and mail it), in addition to some information about the Doberman breed to make sure you've got a little introduction and know what you're getting into!

This lovely matriarch is Freda

She is 7 years old, black and rust, with cropped ears and tail. Freda lived with three other dogs for many years, though I guess she didn't get along with one of the females, so that's something to consider if you have a multi dog household. She loves stuffed toys, and will carry them like a baby and gather them up to nest with (which sounds like a nice change from a certain somebody I know.) Freda finds herself at DRU because her owner had a terminal illness, and I do hope this senior lady goes home with somebody soon.

Blitz, with Distinguished Doberman Rescue, in Parsipanny NJ

Blitz is an adorable red boy who was pulled from a shelter in Georgia by DAN into a foster with Distinguished Doberman Rescue. He's 10 months old, natural eared, and with a docked tail.

(picture from DDR, inc web site)

His Distinguished Doberman Rescue foster mama says Blitz is:

Good with other dogs
Will do best with children over 10
Cats unknown

A family with good Doberman skills is preferred, somebody who can set rules and boundaries, and teach Blitz all of what life has to offer. At 10 months, he's sure to be a handful (what puppy isn't, really?) but also at that age where he can just learn so much.

If you or somebody you know is interested in adopting Blitz and feels they meet these criteria, here is the link to DDR, inc's application process.