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Rehoming Your Pet
06/07/2008 - By Petrescue.com.au
Tootsie is looking for a home, contact: 07 35117324
PetRescue is all about helping shelters find animals new homes and educating the community about the great (and not so great!) aspects of pet ownership.
We're often approached by people looking to rehome their own petsand while we don't have a facility for private listings, the following pages are an effort to help people seriously considering the process make the best decisions for their pet.
First and foremost what anyone thinking about giving up a pet should consider is that this pet is your responsibility. Even if you can't keep him anymore, your pet still depends on you to do what's best for his future. It'll take time, effort, patience and persistence to find him the right home. With over 200,000 cute, smart and trained pets killed each year in Australia because a home can't be found for them, making your pet stand out from the crowd isn't going to be easy.
So, do you really have to give up your pet?
Be honest with yourself as to whether you are giving up your pet because you have to, or because you want to. Most problems with behaviour or circumstance can be overcome, so you should be able to keep your pet if you put in a little effort.
Common Reasons for Surrendering a Pet
Moving House
Rental houses that allow pets are available if you give yourself enough time and work to find them - most people give up too easily. Widening your search can also help, it may mean a longer drive to work, but you'll be able to keep your furry family member!
Searching for pet-friendly rental accommodation? Try Pet Friendly Rentals.
Prepare a complete record on your pet's medical history, obedience school certificates and references from neighbours, previous landlords and veterinarians. Offer to sign an agreement to define appropriate behaviour for your pet on the rental premises. Encourage the owner/landlord to meet your well behaved, well groomed flea-free pet to demonstrate his/her good behaviour.
Not Enough Time
"We don't have enough time for the dog."
Pets require time and effort, but probably not as much as you think. Dogs require only minimum exercise, food and most importantly time just being near you.
Dog walking services are relatively inexpensive, or better yet get some exercise yourself by getting out and about with your pet.
Both cats and dogs can benefit from environmental enrichment. A bit of time each day spent making their lives more interesting could make a big difference to their behaviour.
Having a Baby
If introduced correctly, there shouldn't be any problems with your pet and the baby. Some resources on bringing a baby into your home can be found here.
Allergies
There are things you can do and some wonderful products on the market which can aid in keeping you and your pet happy, healthy, and allergy free. Ask your local vet to show you what they keep in stock.
People live with allergies to pretty much everything and remedies are available for almost all of them, including your dog or cat.
Giving your pet up for adoption could be a last option, not a physician's first. In selecting an allergist, especially if you already have a pet, look for a physician who will be sensitive to your feelings and do everything possible, within reason, to help you keep your pet.
Behaviour Problems
If your pet is badly behaved, what makes you think anyone else is going to want to take it on?
Most pet behaviour problems are not only common, but manageable with the right support. Before you rehome your pet, try some training and speak to a behaviourist or trainer - it's the least you can do. Some positive training resources and trainers can be found here.
Always be totally upfront with potential adopters about behavioural problems. Anything less can leave you open to legal prosecution.
Aggression (in dogs)
If your dog has shown displays of aggression or the behaviours leading to future aggression, you are putting others at risk. No matter how much you love your dog, if he has ever bitten anyone you need to take him to a professional trainer for assessment and to get a realistic view of rehabilitation.
Never place them as a 'guard dog', as they may be neglected, abused or used for dog fighting. As hard as it is, putting a dangerous dog to sleep is often the safest and most responsible thing to do.
The reality of Shelters
By law, stray pets must be kept several days to give their owners a chance to reclaim them, after that they are able to be destroyed. These laws don't extend to pets that have been given up by their owners - they may be killed at anytime.
Shelters don't want to kill pets - they just need to make space for the new pets arriving every hour. Shelters today are so busy that your pet could be killed the same day it arrives.
If your pet is old, large, plain, has health problems or is easily spooked and wary of strangers it's chances of adoption are zero. Being purebred does not help the pets chances.
True no-kill shelters are limited and are very selective about the pets they bring in, selecting for adoptability. They are normally at capacity as they can only take in new pets when the existing ones are rehomed - they usually have waiting lists lasting several months.
The reality of Rescue
You can contact as many rescues as you can, but what you will likely find is that the rescue is already over its capacity and cannot take any more animals. We get lots of emails from people trying to find new homes for their pets telling us that they have received mean responses from the rescues they have emailed. People in rescue are not mean. They are broke and overpopulated and receive hundreds of emails like yours a week asking for help.
You might get lucky, but don't rest all your hopes
on a rescue finding your pet a home for you.
Most rescues will be glad to try and help if they know that you have done everything you can to try and find your pet a new home. Be sure that you, as the owner, have done as much as you can before asking for their help.
The best way to rehome a pet
• To ensure your pet goes to a really great home
• to ensure your pet will be cared for and not onsold to a puppy-farmer
• to ensure that your pet doesn't spend a lonely night in a cell only to be killed surrounded by strangers
...the best way to rehome a pet is to do it yourself.
A note about rehoming a pet:
Finding a new home can take a while!
There are dogs and cats that have been sitting in shelters for months waiting for the right home, so you have to accept that it can take some time to find a pet a home. Rescues get emails every day from people telling them that they only have a couple of days to get rid of their pet. Miracles happen, but not as often as we would like!
Getting Ready to Rehome Your Pet
Call the person you got the pet from
First call the breeder, rescue, or person you originally got your pet from. Responsible breeders will either assist you in finding a new home or take the pet back to rehome themselves. Many rescues have in their contracts that the pet is to be returned no matter how much time has passed.
If the pet can not be returned - evaluate your pet's adoption potential
You need to be realistic - older pets, large breed dogs, pets with health issues or those who are unfriendly towards strangers usually take a long time to find a new home, possibly many months. Realise that a new home won't happen immediately.
Work out who you're looking for
Make a list of what you feel is most important for your pet. What kind of environment does he need? Is he ok with children? Other pets? What kind of people would he need?
Once you have a firm idea of what you're looking for, it will be easier to plan your search and get the results you want.
Getting Your Pet Ready
The first step in rehoming your pet is to have your pet desexed.
There is a million dollar pet-production industry in Australia that gets it's breeding 'stock' by duping people out of their unsterilised animals and breeding them for profit. They receive little or no medical care, are kept penned and are over-bred until deemed unusable and are disposed of.
These people target both cross-breed and purebred pets, but especially sought are small breeds like maltese and popular breeds such as labradors.
You can be certain your pet does not meet this fate easily and eliminate all bogus callers by having your pet desexed and advertising it at such.
If you are unable to afford the cost of desexing, there are many organisations offering discount programs. Visit the National Desexing Network for more information.
Health Check
While he is at the vet he should receive a full check up and get up to date on his shots (and for dogs heartworm). Your pet will be much more appealing to adopters if he's healthy.
Ask your vet for a printout of his medical history and start a folder of information about your pet.
Prepare a General History
You should also prepare a general history of the pet. Include as much information as possible about the pet's likes and dislikes, current food preferences and favorite treats, relationship to other animals, and preferred types of toys.
All this information will help the adopter get acquainted with the pet and make the transition easier on the pet.
Grooming
Groom your pet - a bathed pet with trimmed nails and clean ears is much more desirable to potential adopters than a smelly one.
Take a great picture
After you've groomed your pet, take his photo to use in posters and on websites. Since photos help potential adopters connect with your pet, make sure the pet is relaxed and that the animal doesn't look anxious or scared.
Keep the photograph simple and use your hand or some other item in the photo to show the pet's size. Ideally the animal should be looking at the camera, with a focus on the face of the pet (don't use photos with red eye as it makes the pet look possessed!).
Adoption fee
Set an adoption fee. You can't expect the new owner to pay the same price for a 'used' pet as they would for a brand new puppy or kitten - but it helps ensure that they are really ready for the cost of pet ownership. A reasonable range might be between $75-150, which helps offset your advertising and veterinary costs. If they aren't willing to pay an adoption fee or complain that it is too high - will they spend the necessary dollars if the dog has a minor injury or illness?
Never include the phrase 'free to good home' in your advertisement -
even if you're not planning to charge a fee.
You will attract people looking for a free pet to on-sell themselves for a profit.
Advertising Your Pet
Word of mouth doesn't go very far. Make sure your pet is advertised in all of these places:
Classified Ads
Don't be afraid to use classified ads to advertise your pet - for many people the newspaper is the first place they look when getting a cat or dog. Be sure to mention your pet is desexed so that only genuine people looking for a family companion apply.
Club newsletters
If you're a member of a church, club or group, ask if you can include an advert in their newsletter or on their noticeboard.
Flyers
Put up flyers in your local supermarkets, vets and community centres. Email a flyer to all your friends and ask that they put it up on their work noticeboards. Some rescue groups will allow you to put a flyer up at their premises for free or a small donation.
Internet
The internet is a wonderful place to reach many, many people looking for a pet. Some free sites to list pets include Petlink, Dogmatch, Catmatch and OzPets.
Some free classifieds sites are Cracker and All Classifieds. There are also plenty of paid classifieds sites you can advertise on.
Some rescue groups may allow you to put an advert up on their websites for free or a small donation.
Things to Include on your Advertising and Flyers
• Describe the appearance, size, and age of the pet
• Include the pet's name and a good photograph
• Mention that the pet is desexed
• Describe his/her nature and appealing qualities
• Define any limitations the pet might have (eg, not good with cats or small children)
• Don't forget your phone number and the times you can be reached
Screening Callers
You have every right to screen all people looking to take your pet and to chose the person you think will make the best new owner. Don't let anyone rush or intimidate you.
If someone responds to your advert, you should screen them over the phone before introducing them to the animal - this will help you screen out anyone unsuitable early on.
Using the telephone screening form (dog | cat), start taking calls. To start, you might say: "This dog/cat is very special to me, and I am looking for just the right home for him/her. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about yourself and your home?"
Let all applicants know you will be checking references and will need to speak to their vet (if they've had pets before).
Once you've chosen a family (or families) that you feel are good candidates make two appointments - one for them to see the dog, and one for you to see their home.
If this meeting goes well, ask them to fill in the Pet Adoption Application Form.
We advise you not to hand over your pet until you've seen their living arrangements. It's easy for people to tell you what you want to hear, rather than how it actually is - by seeing their home you will be able to better able to gauge their suitability as an owner.
Trust your instincts - if you have any concerns don't be afraid to discuss them, or just decide not to adopt to them.
To make a non-confrontational exit, tell them other people are also interested in meeting the pet and that you'll get back to them.
There are some important things that you need to explain to your pets new family members.
The pet will go through an adjustment period as he gets to know his new people, learns new rules and mourns the loss of his old family. Most pet adjusts within a few days, but others may take longer. During this time, the new family should avoid forcing the pet to do anything stressful - taking a bath, obedience training classes, meeting too many strangers at once, etc. - until he's had a chance to settle in. Tell them to take things easy at first and give the pet time to bond to them.
The pet might not eat for the first day or two. Not to worry - he'll eat when he's ready.
Some pets temporarily forget their training. A well-housebroken pet may have an accident during the first day in his new home. This isn't unusual and rarely happens more than once.
Paperwork
Have the new owner sign an adoption contract including a waiver of liability. Here is a sample Contract. Keep a copy for your records. A contract will help to protect the pet and the waiver of liability helps to protect you. You don't have a crystal ball to predict what your pet might do in the future. Remember - a waiver of liability will not protect you if you have lied or misrepresented your pet to his new owners.
Tell the family they should call you if the adoption doesn't work out. Let them know you want to keep in touch and will call them in a few days to see how things are going. Tell them to call you if they have questions or problems. Be willing to take the pet back if things don't work out the way you both expected.
Finding a new home for a pet can take some time, but the effort that you put in now will be worth it when you find a great home for him!
Notes about rehoming a stray
If you have found a stray animal, it's important to ensure that the animal doesn't have an owner and to become the animal's legal owner. If you rehome an pet that isn't homeless you are effectively 'selling stolen goods'.
You must follow all these steps and seek advise from your local shelter or rescue group before trying to find a stray animal a new home:
Check for a tag
Check the animal for a tag and call any numbers on it. If the number is a vet or council tag, ring them to see if they have the details of the pets' owners in their records.
Check for a microchip
If the pet doesn't have a tag, you'll need to check it for a microchip. A vet or shelter should be able to do this for you for no charge. A complete list of places you can have an animal scanned can be found here.
Leave the animals details with your (and surrounding) local councils animal control departments
It's important these people know you've got the pet as they are often the first people an owner will contact. They may be able to take the animal and let you know should the owners not collect it, or ask that you hang onto the animal until the owner can be found - either way this should be your first phonecall!
Leave your name at all local vets and shelters
If the pet doesn't have a tag or microchip and you're going to care for the animal until the owner can be found, leave your name and contact details at all your local vets and animal rescue organisations should the owner contact them looking for their pet.
Door knock around the neighbourhood
Most pets are found close to where they live. Door knock around the neighbourhood to see if anyone is missing a pet or recognises it and knows where it lives.
Contact Breed Groups and Breeders
If the pet is a purebred, contact local breed groups, breed rescue and breeders in the immediate area. Your state canine council or cat fanciers group should be able to provide you the contact details.
Take a photo of the pet and make a poster
And make a poster to put up around the neighbourhood - especially places like supermarkets, dog parks, vets and the place where you picked up the pet.
Run an ad in the local paper
In the lost and found section as soon as possible. The owner will likely check there to see if anyone picked up their pet.
Note: Before you rehome the animal
You will need to become the legal owner of the animal (be the one on the microchip paperwork) before you can legally rehome the pet. Ask your local shire council animal control department, or animal shelter for the appropriate procedure in your location.
Note: Ensuring you've found the right owner
When making posters or running advertisements, leave out some crucial details that you can ask anyone enquiring about the pet (for example the animals gender or a distinguishing body mark).
You can also ask the person to bring a photo of their animal when they come to collect it. Watch how the animal reacts to the person and if you're not convinced, ask that they provide you with their vets details so you can call them to confirm.
Be sure to take the persons contact details and see a photo ID before handing over the pet - this will help you ensure that you've found the real owner.
