Welcome

* HOLIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT *

We would like to thank everyone in advance for their patience with foster and adoption applications, as this is our busiest time of the entire year. Along with the regular hustle and bustle the season brings, we have long hours of gift wrapping daily at Westroads Mall that require all of our volunteers to be on board. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and helps us to save dogs in need all year long, so we appreciate your understanding.

Regular APPLICATION PROCESSING will resume after the first of the year.

From now until Dec 24th at 6pm, you can find us at the HUGS GIFTWRAP BOOTH at Westroads Mall (main level) by The Container Store. Bring us any items that you'd like wrapped. We can provide boxes for most items, and can wrap any size and shape. We will beautifully giftwrap your presents for a minimum donation based on item size. We will save you time and effort this Holiday season, your presents will look absolutely amazing, and you will be helping us save more lives.

We could also use more helpers (must be 14 years old). No experience is required, we will train you! So if you'd like to join us at the booth, please sign up at:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0948ADA82CABFC1-holiday

** We have a separate sign up sheet for doggy greeters! If you are a HUGS adopter, foster, or volunteer, and have a household dog (must be a rescue), who is not intimidated by crowds, and is dog-friendly, and very sociable with strangers, we would LOVE your help too! Please send us a private message, and we will send you the link for the doggy sign up sheet. Dog handlers must be 19 years old **

Heartland German Shepherd Rescue (HUGS) is a Nebraska-licensed, all-volunteer, 501c3 non-profit dog rescue organization founded May 7th, 2015. We operate out of the Omaha-Lincoln, Nebraska area. Our focus is to save German Shepherd dogs at risk of being euthanized in shelters or other dire situations. We also help Australian Cattle Dogs and other herding breeds and mixes in need, as much as we are able to.

*3 Adults

While our focus is on purebred German Shepherds, we also help other injured dogs, puppies and/or moms with their litters, who are out of time at overcrowded shelters or small rural shelters with a high euthanasia rate. Many are sick or injured. Many of them are Shepherd mixes or other herding breeds including Australian Shepherds (Aussies) and Australian Cattle Dogs (Heelers). And these adorable, forgotten pups couldn't be more needy or deserving of our compassion and help. You can help too by opening your heart and fostering, adopting or donating.

*3 HUGS Seniors

Our Mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and place the dogs we rescue in permanent, loving homes.

German Shepherds are highly intelligent, yet sensitive and intuitive dogs. We firmly believe that they respond best to positive reinforcement and a firm but always kind hand. German Shepherds thrive on structure, consistency, and mutual respect. They respond very well to reward-based training (treats, praise). Being heavy-handed, rough, or using force or inappropriate training tools is not only unkind, but it can often lead to distrust and can result in behavioral issues.

We do not have a shelter facility. The dogs we rescue stay with our volunteer foster families until the time of their adoption. We provide necessary veterinary care, appropriate nutrition, love, training and socialization to ready our dogs for their forever home. Our greatest need is for foster families. Our ability to save a dog's life is most often determined by whether we have an open foster home for that dog to go in.

There are many ways that you can help. We always need volunteers to help transport, process applications, and do home visits.

Cannot foster or volunteer? Donations are much appreciated!
Adoption fees do not begin to cover the foster dogs' expenses, which include dog food, preventative, vetting, boarding, and in many cases high-cost medical bills. Many of the dogs we help, arrive with no prior vetting whatsoever, and are sick or injured, which can be very costly to a small, all-volunteer rescue like ours. We are very thankful for our supporters' generosity, as we rely on fundraisers and donations to continue helping dogs in need!

Your donation is tax deductible. If you would like a receipt for your donation, please let us know. All donations go directly to help pay for vet bills, food & heartworm preventative for the HUGS dogs. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and allow us to save more dogs. THANK YOU On behalf of the HUGS dogs.