How To Surrender A Pet
Rehoming a pet or animal is never an easy decision for pet owners and should only considered as a last resort. Many people may choose to surrender or give away an animal due to unfit living situations, animal behavior, expenses of pet ownership, or even several animal-related allergies. The most common reasons people surrender pets is due to cost and housing situations.
What To Do Before You Surrender A Pet
Before you make the difficult decision to give a pet away, please review this helpful resource guide before surrendering your pet, and exhaust all alternatives to surrendering.
- Consult a professional in your community to learn more about the options in your area. If you can’t find a friend or family member to take your pet, adoption centers at rescue groups and humane societies may be able to provide support. It’s very important to make sure you select a no-kill shelter environment if you have to rehome a pet.
- If you are moving, consider temporary boarding or transporting your pet with you. There are many safe pet travel tips and accessible pet transportation options these days.
- Getting your pet spayed or neutered will make it easier for them to find a new home or enter an animal foster care program. Let the animal care centers know the animal is fixed and vaccinate if that’s the case.
- Provide a detailed list of your pet’s likes and dislikes to make their transition more comfortable. Rehoming an animal can be stressful, but communicating the animal’s preferences, as well as veterinary medical records and health requirements, is critical.
- Take current photos of your animal to make flyers and posters to place at pet stores, veterinary clinics, work bulletin boards, Starbucks coffee shops, and work/apartment building lobbies etc. This will help you reach more people beyond just your friends and family to see if they are able to help with your pet.
- Interview with potential adopters to make sure your pet is going to a good home. Meeting with the adopter will help you communicate any special needs to make sure it’s the right fit for both the pet and animal adopter. Here are some tips for writing a compelling pet adoption profile that you can share online.
- Provide your pet’s veterinary records or health exam results. Having health records can ensure the shelter has available resources to deal with any health issues.
- Schedule a surrender appointment to discuss a behavior evaluation, surrender fees, and possible alternatives before you surrender your pet. Many adoption centers will ask you to show a government-issued id or driver’s license.
What NOT To Do When Giving Away A Pet
When it comes to the difficult decision of giving a pet away, there are several things you should avoid to give your animal a chance at finding a new pet owner.
- Do NOT abandon your pet or try to release them outside. Domestic dogs and cats are unable to fend for themselves in today’s “wild.”
- Do NOT take your pet to a kill shelter. There are always other solutions, and foster groups are willing to take even special needs pets. It’s tragic when owned animals qualify for “humane” euthanasia.
- Do NOT list your animal for free. There are people who will acquire free animals for unsafe research and unethical purposes. Make sure your pet is going to a good home.
Additional Resources For Rehoming A Pet
Surrendering a beloved pet to another owner or animal shelter is never an easy decision. The best outcome is to keep your pet, and there are usually alternative options and assistance available for small animals. Especially if your pet has some behavioral issues, surrendering your pet should be a last resort.
Here are a few resources that can provide recommendations for your specific situation. Contact local animal shelters, city animal control services, humane societies, known pet owners, neighbors, friends, family, co-workers, and make posts online to groups that work with pets.
