We are always happy to learn of a potential home for one of our rescued Labrador Retrievers. Our volunteer Rescue Representatives work very hard to match each of our Rescued Labs with the most appropriate family in the hopes that each new home will be a happy and permanent one.
Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Rescue (GGLRR) services are limited to the San Francisco Bay Area and encompass the following nine counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Marin, Napa and Sonoma. If you live outside of our service area, contact another rescue organization nearer your home. This information is provided on our Resources page.
If you are interested in adopting a Lab from GGLRR and live in one of our service areas, the following summarizes our policies and procedures.
Option 1: Pre-Screened Adopter Program
- Contact a Rep for your area code to discuss program.
- Complete an adoption application and mail-in a non-refundable $450 donation which will be applied to the adoption fee if you adopt from GGLRR.
- After your application and donation have been processed (please allow a week), you will be placed on our email notification list to receive at least 1-day (often more) advanced notice about new Labs available from GGLRR.
- This is a benefit if you are looking for a Lab that is in high demand since you can be among the first to call before general public.
- Call the specific rep about GGLRR Labs you are interested in though this does NOT guarantee you will get a specific Lab you want since there may be multiple people interested or a specific Lab may not be a good match for your home.
Option 2: General Adoptions via Web List
- Call the Rep for the available Lab listed on our website
- If your home sounds like a good match, the Rep will schedule a time for you to meet the Lab.
- Please bring completed application and adoption fee to the meeting in case the adoption is a match (note that you will only be turning in your application and fee if you do adopt).
- This option is better for those who are actively looking at many different rescues/shelters and who don't want to donate $450 if they adopt elsewhere, or those looking for seniors or puppies (who are usually listed on our website).
- The majority of our rescued Labs are listed on the website within a few days after the pre-approved adopter email notification. Popular Labs (young females with great behavior) are the the ones most often adopted during early notification emails.
With either of these options for contacting and adopting through GGLRR, here is what you can expect:
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The Rescue Representative (area code or specific Lab rep) will ask you questions about your experience with Labs and other dogs, and find out more about what you are looking for and the home you could offer a rescued Lab. They will answer questions about our Labs and GGLRR adoption practices and procedures. If all sounds like a rescued Lab would be a good match for your home, they will send you an adoption application form (we do not provide the application until after you've talked to one of our volunteer reps). | |
Our adoption fees are: $450 for adult Labs, $550 for puppies (under 12 months), and $200 discounted fees for "special needs" (blind, deaf, 3-legged, etc) Labs and senior Labs 10 yrs or older. This donation to our non-profit organization helps us cover our costs such as bailing a dog out of a shelter and necessary veterinary medical expenses such as spay/neuter, microchipping, vaccinations, worming, antibiotics for possible kennel cough and other ailments, treatment of ear infections, etc. |
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If the Lab is not already spayed/neutered, GGLRR will coordinate and fund the spay/neuter as part of the adoption process through one of our vets who discount for rescues. For puppies, the adopting family must provide a $400 deposit (and sign a spay/neuter contract) which is refunded when your Lab is old enough and the spay/neuter is done (which GGLRR will still fund if done through one of our vets). |
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We generally place our Rescued Labs only in our Northern California service area. The reason for this policy is that if the adoption does not work out, we often have to drive somewhere, re-claim the Lab, and secure private kenneling facilities until such time that the Lab can go out for adoption with a new family. There may be a home inspection to ensure a suitable forever home. |
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If the match isn't successful, arrangements are made to return the dog to GGLRR. GGLRR will take back all pets that were adopted from GGLRR at any time during its lifetime. This rarely happens, since our GGLRR volunteers work closely with prospective owners to find an ideal match the first time! |
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Any Labrador Retrievers listed on our website that are under the care of another animal welfare organization or being adopted by their current owner are available for adoption subject only to the adoption policies of each agency. Prospective adopting families do not incur our donation requirement if they adopt from another organization. Please contact that agency directly. A current list of other Lab Resources, including the relevant Internet links, can be found by going directly to Resources |
GGLRR Labs by the Numbers
Historically, GGLRR has placed ~250 Labs a year! We often had 10-20 dogs ready to adopt on any given day, and typically 3-5 newly-available Labs each week. However, during this COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced a significant decrease in Labs coming into our program along with an increased demand to adopt rescued Labs. This has resulted in a lower number of Labs up for adoption at any given time.
Most of the Labrador Retrievers who need our assistance in finding a new home are black; males far out-number the females. We occasionally get puppies but they are placed very quickly and are often Lab mixes. Many Labs come to us when they just reach adolescence, and the current owners have been unwilling or unable to provide the requisite socialization, obedience training, and exercise that young Labs need.
Many of our Rescued Labs are between 2 and 8 years of age. We also often have some Senior Citizen Labs in need of a loving new home. Yellow and Chocolate Female Labs are the most frequently requested by potential new families. We see few of these types of Labs. If this is the type of dog you are interested in adopting, you will need to be more patient and willing to wait longer. As you can appreciate, GGLRR has no control over the next phone call and Lab that will need a new home.
Happy Endings – Success Stories From Adopters
In our newsletters, we regularly post "happy ending" success stories from our adoptive families who were so thrilled with Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Rescue (GGLRR) that they took the time to write a letter for our website. Feel free to express your appreciation to the many volunteers at GGLRR helping with your Lab adoption. If you want to share your story with other prospective adopters, just send it to labrescuesfbayarea@gmail.com.
