Re-homing a Pet
We all know that decisions like these are extremely difficult. We want you to know that as a pet owner you have MANY options. See some of our suggestions below, and please reach out if you need any further assistance.
Resources to help keep your pet:
We highly recommend consulting with a professional trainer if you’re contemplating re-homing your dog due to their behavior.
Click here for a list of local trainers who utilize positive reinforcement
Click here for low-cost spay-neuter & vet care resources
Click here for information regarding pet food assistance
Resources to re-home your pet:
If you need to re-home your own pet, please check out these tips from Best Friends Animal Society.
We also encourage you to contact local rescue organizations and ask if they are willing to list your dog/cat for adoption and assist with vet care and screening potential adopters. We highly recommend getting your dog into a rescue group instead of giving them away to a stranger. Most rescue groups thoroughly screen applicants and require adopted dogs be returned to them if it doesn’t work out so there tends to be more of a safety net compared to re-homing a dog to a stranger who may have bad intentions.
If you’re not familiar with rescue groups in your area, contact your local pet stores and ask what rescue groups host adoption events near your home and start with them or you can search for rescue groups by utilizing sites such as pet finder and adopt-a-pet.
Rescue groups get a lot of requests to take dogs and cats into their programs. If you’re willing to foster your dog until they’re adopted and/or help with vet expenses, that will increase the odds of a rescue group saying ‘yes.’
If for some reason you’re still unable to re-home your pet, your local city shelter might be your last resort. Please make sure to research the live outcome rates and call and ask about the euthanasia policy so you’re able to make a well-informed decision about surrendering your pet.
In large metropolitan cities, it is not uncommon to see over 100 animals surrendered to animal services in a single day. Therefore, space is extremely limited and your pet’s time may be short.
Note: It can be extremely dangerous re-homing pets on Craigslist and similar sites on Facebook. Click here for more details.