How to Adopt a Great Pyrenees in the United States

Where can you adopt a Great Pyrenees?

• Great Pyrenees Club of America Rescue: an all-volunteer nonprofit with rescue contacts in most states and regional coordinators for the West, Central and East. Dogs live in volunteers' homes or licensed boarding, not a shelter.
• National Great Pyrenees Rescue: says it has the widest selection of adoptable Great Pyrenees and Pyr mixes in the US, and moves many dogs by transport from the South.
• Regional rescues: for example Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta, which told Atlanta News First in 2023 that it had saved more than 2,500 Pyrs since 2010; Great Pyrenees Rescue Society and Saving Pyrs in Need in Texas; NorthEast PyrRescue; and Great Pyrenees Rescue Montana.
• Local shelters and animal control, where Pyrs and Pyr mixes sometimes arrive as strays.
• Owners rehoming directly; see how to take in a rehomed Great Pyrenees.

You can also browse Great Pyrenees for adoption by location and save the search to get alerts. The club notes that most local Pyr rescues will not ship a dog to an unknown home far away, so start with groups near you.

How does the Great Pyrenees adoption process work?

1. Read the dog's profile and the rescue's requirements, especially fencing.
2. Submit the online application. National Great Pyrenees Rescue accepts only its online form.
3. The rescue checks your vet references, so list your current vet first.
4. A volunteer does a home visit, in person or as a live video call in daylight; expect to show your fencing, gates and latches.
5. The rescue suggests a match. Finding the right dog can take weeks or months, the club says.
6. Meet the dog, sign the adoption contract and pay the fee.
7. Arrange transport if the dog is out of state; you usually travel to meet the dog first if you can.

How much does it cost to adopt a Great Pyrenees?

National Great Pyrenees Rescue says its fees vary by the dog's age and location, include transport for dogs it moves, and cover vaccines (rabies, distemper and parvo, bordetella), spay or neuter as age allows, and tick-borne disease testing with treatment. Some dogs need a USDA health certificate to travel, which costs extra. Fees change, so confirm with the rescue.

What fence and home do Pyr rescues require?

• A fenced area. The club's rescue program requires one, though a local group may make exceptions, and it does not accept invisible fences.
• Height. National Great Pyrenees Rescue says the breed requires secure 5 or 6 foot fencing.
• Another dog at home means a fenced yard or a suitable kennel, the club says.
• A leash everywhere else. The club says Pyrs must be kept on a lead outside a fenced area at all times.
• Indoor nights in town and suburbs, because Pyrs are barkers, especially after dark.

These rules exist because Pyrs were bred to patrol a large territory on their own, and a dog that wanders off can be hit by a car or lost.

What should you ask about a rescue Pyr?

• Where did the dog come from: a farm, a home, or a stray pickup?
• How does it behave with children, cats, small dogs and other large dogs, and does it guard food?
• How much does it bark at night, and has it tried to escape its foster's fence?
• Has it been tested for heartworm and tick-borne disease, and was it treated?
• Any limping, hip or knee problems, bloat or past surgery? The breed's main health tests target hips and kneecaps.
• How old is it? PetMD gives a lifespan of 10 to 12 years, and the AKC Canine Health Foundation lists the breed among those with more bone cancer.

What are the first weeks with an adopted Great Pyrenees like?

Many shelters use a 3-3-3 guideline: about three days to decompress, three weeks to learn your routine and three months to feel at home. The club says most adult Pyrs adjust readily, but a trial period should be considered.

1. Walk the fence line daily for gaps and digging, and keep gates latched.
2. Keep the dog indoors at night and leashed on every walk.
3. Feed measured meals in a quiet spot, apart from other pets, and ask your vet about bloat signs and a preventive gastropexy, which PetMD recommends for the breed.
4. Book a vet visit in the first week and bring the rescue's records.
5. Brush once or twice a week, and never clip the coat for summer; the club says it protects the dog from the sun.
6. Join a group obedience class, which the club's rescue contract recommends, and expect an independent learner.

If it does not work out, the contract will say the dog goes back to the rescue; call them before anything else. If you would prefer a puppy from a breeder, see how to buy a Great Pyrenees puppy.