Q4 Good Neighbor Judie O’Brien
December 1, 2025
Seattle King County REALTORS® is proud to recognize Judie O’Brien, designated broker of O'Brien Real Estate and founder of True North German Shepherd Rescue, as the Q4 2025 recipient of the Good Neighbor Award.
Judie’s passion for German Shepherds began in childhood and grew into a lifelong commitment. After purchasing her first German Shepherd as an adult in her 20s, she became involved in rescue work. About 10 years ago, Judie realized the need for a dedicated space for these intelligent, loyal, and sensitive dogs—and True North German Shepherd Rescue was born.
True North is a volunteer-only organization with a mission that goes far beyond adoption. Each dog is temperament-tested and DNA-tested. Every volunteer completes specialized training with a German Shepherd behaviorist to ensure they understand the unique needs of this working breed. Families seeking to adopt are required to have previous experience with German Shepherds or working breeds, as well as obedience training with an approved trainer. All this is because “German Shepherds are a lifestyle,” according to Judie.
The rescue currently has 10 dogs in its program and 30 on the waitlist, with most surrenders coming from families who underestimated the breed’s needs. These dogs thrive on partnership, purpose, and mental stimulation—qualities that make them extraordinary companions but also require dedication.
Placing a dog in a forever home takes an average of 94 volunteer hours, not including foster care. Fosters meticulously document each dog’s personality and progress, creating a “book” that helps adopters understand their new family member. True North remains involved throughout the dog’s life, offering support and guidance to adopters.
Because of the amount of work True North puts into each dog, they are always looking for more volunteers. They need more experienced fosters of course, but also photographers, application processors, and other roles. Volunteer applications can be found at https://truenorthgsdrescue.org/volunteer/.
The need is immense. True North receives up to 100 requests a day from people seeking to surrender a German Shepherd. Judie and her team work tirelessly to give these dogs the second chance they deserve.
Seattle King County REALTORS® celebrates Judie O’Brien for her unwavering dedication and the incredible impact of True North German Shepherd Rescue. Her work exemplifies what it means to be a Good Neighbor—making a difference, one dog at a time.
