Greater California
German Shepherd Rescue
~ It's all about the dogs ~

Jessie, Our Latest Rainbow Fund Dog!

Any amount will help Save Jessie's Leg.

We thank you, and Jessie thanks you!


Most credit cards accepted even if you do not have a Paypal Account


Look What Your Donations Have Done:

Before After
Jessie's Rainbow Fund 01 Jessie's Rainbow Fund 01

January 17th, 2018 - Update on Jessie's surgery:

Greater California German Shepherd Rescue is so grateful for all the donations we received on Jessie's behalf, without your generous donations, this surgery would not have been possible.

Yesterday Jessie's brace was removed from her leg at UC Davis. The initial surgery and required adjustments were successful beyond Dr. Marcellin-Little's expectations. Her twisted foot is now 99% of normal, and the length of her left leg is within 99% of the right leg.

She still has some stiffness in the elbow and wrist, which is expected and will decrease over the next 90 days. Jessie's bones have healed, but are still fragile where the pins were inserted, so limited activity is required over the next 30 days.

She may always have a small hitch in her gait due to arthritis in the elbow from the initial damage, but she will be able to lead a normal life. We will know the true impact in 90 days when she has her final appointment at UC Davis.

Jessie says "Woof Woof" which means THANK YOU!

Jessie will be available for adoption soon!

We have raised $1,550 of the $5,000 needed for this procedure.  If you are looking for a worthy cause to donate to during the holidays, Jessie would certainly appreciate your support.



December 4th, 2017 - Update on Jessie's surgery:

Jessie had a follow-up appointment at UC Davis on Friday, December 1st.  According to Dr. Marcellin-Little she is recovering "excellently".  He loves working with Jessie because she loves to give kisses!

We have completed all of the adjustments necessary to her brace and the results were as expected.  She is 97% of normal on the twisted foot and the lengthening process is also complete at 99% of normal.

She will remain in a supportive brace until January 16th.  At that time the brace will be removed and depending on how well she has healed, will either be put in a cast for 2 - 6 weeks, or will be completely done.

We have raised $1,000 of the $5,000 needed for this procedure.  If you are looking for a worthy cause to donate to during the holidays, Jessie would certainly appreciate your support.



November 9, 2017

Thank you to those of you who have donated towards the "Save Jessie's Leg"" Campaign. So far we have raised $735 of the $5,000 needed to cover the surgery.

Per Dr. Marcellin-Little at UC Davis Veterinary Hospital, the surgery was a success. The road to recovery is a very long four to six months, but the initial results look great. Jessie is on strict crate rest until her check-up on November 20th.

If the results are as expected at her check-up, she will begin walking for 5 minutes, 4 times per day, working up to 20 minutes 4 times per day. We will provide another update after her check-up on November 20th.



Jessie is a beautiful 9 month old black and tan female German Shepherd who came into rescue at the age of 3 months, after she was attacked by the resident male English Bulldog in her home. Her owner called us after she took her to a local vet, and found out that the cost of the surgery to repair her leg was $1,800.00.

Jessie was taken to Beckwith Veterinary Hospital the following Monday. She had surgery to remove the temporary cast and have both the radius and ulna reset on her left front leg. Her cast was removed and replaced twice over the next 4 weeks.

Jessie's Rainbow Fund 02

This is Jessie on May 6th, a few days after the surgery at Beckwith.

Unfortunately, after the six weeks of recovery, it was apparent that there was a lot more damage to the leg than expected. The ulna and radius were not growing at the same rate, and there was also damage to her elbow joint. As you can see in the picture below, the left leg is shorter than the right leg, and also a little twisted.

Jessie's Rainbow Fund 03

This is Jessie on May 25th, the day her cast was removed.

Another surgery was performed by Beckwith Veterinary Hospital to cut the ulna horizontally to give the radius a chance to catch up in length, and the elbow was also repaired.

Jessie's Rainbow Fund 04

This is Jessie on July 3rd, during her recovery from the second surgery.

Jessie's Rainbow Fund 05Jessie's Rainbow Fund 06

Fortunately for Jessie there is Dr. Marcelin-Little at U.C. Davis Veterinary Hospital. He is a world-renowned Orthopedic Specialist in this field for canines. He has performed this specific surgery 153 times, and has a 97% success rate in returning a dog's leg to normal. He has evaluated Jessie, and feels based on his experience, that he can return Jessie to 97% of normal.

Those of you who have had surgery performed on your own dogs, you know that surgery is expensive, and so is this one. The original quote was $7,000, but U.C. Davis Veterinary Hospital has discounted the surgery to $5,000 since we are a non-profit rescue. The alternative is to amputate Jessie's leg. She is the sweetest pup, and we would like her to have a chance at a normal life.

For those of you who follow our organization, you know we don't ask for financial help very often. This is one of those times. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help pay for Jessie's surgery.

Donate to Save Jessie's Leg

Added November 2017