The bond created between dogs, and their owners is a lifetime bond. If you really love your canine, you see to it that you always make the best decision for them. Parting with your pet is hard because no dog-lover wants to let go of their canine friend, but sometimes life forces your hand. Suddenly, you find yourself in the difficult position of giving up your dog, but you don’t want it to suffer.
In the midst of finding a new home for your dog, you might find yourself getting confused with the options you have around locally, and you don’t know which is best. However, do not fret because we have done the work for you.
We present possible choices of where you can surrender your dog and ensure that they remain safe. Get accustomed to the dos and don’ts while surrendering your dog to avoid common mistakes that people make. First, let us look at the reasons that force people to give up their dogs.
Why People Surrender Their Dogs
Various reasons push people to give up their beloved pets. People make this decision typically with a heavy heart, but people feel a bit better when they know the dog will be safe and well taken care of. Scenarios that push people to surrender their dogs involve:
- There is no one available to take care of the dog in the long term because the primary owner is, for example, going overseas.
- When people move into new residences that are not pet-friendly, or there is a shift in management and the new landlord is against the ownership of pets.
- If the dog is too aggressive and all behavioral training has failed.
- The addition of a family member who is staying for the long-term and they are allergic to dogs.
- If the dog’s primary caregiver becomes too sick to tend to the dog and no one else is available to keep the dog.
- The dog’s owner has no money to take care of the dog’s food and other needs.
Where to Find a Home for Your Dog
Depending on your area of residence, there are a few options that you can try. Keep in mind the reason why you are giving up the dog to find the most suitable solution.
- No-Kill Shelters
In some cases, you find that some shelters act as dog pounds. Dog pounds are unfavorable because your dog can end up euthanized if it gets sick or stays a long time without being adopted. If you choose to take your dog to the local shelter, ensure you have affirmed that they do not euthanize dogs.
It is better to surrender your dog to a shelter that promotes the adoption of dogs into happy homes. Most shelters have their own requirements, so it is prudent to find out about these stipulations before committing your time.
Some shelters take dogs for free, but they have a long wait-list, so you will wait for a while before taking your dog in; this may be inconvenient if you are in a hurry. Alternatively, you can settle for shelters that charge a fee to house the canine. These shelters survive on those fees to feed and keep the animals clean, so if you have the money, why not? You can also donate the dog’s toys and other amenities to help the shelter take better care of the animals.
- Rescue groups
Within your area, you can look to find rescue groups available. These rescue groups not only cater to dogs but other animals as well. Such rescue groups pick up strays and abandoned animals and provide a place for them to stay awaiting adoption.
Like shelters, some rescue groups typically charge a small fee for adoption. This money goes into taking care of the other animals as they wait to find new homes.
- Family Or Friends
You can always ask if there are any family members or friends that need a dog. As long as the dog does not have behavior issues, you can ask around locally to find a home for the dog before settling for a shelter.
Social media is a great tool that you can employ to find a viable home because it has a broader audience than word of mouth. Take a nice picture with a nice caption telling the people about the dog’s best qualities and post. Ask your friends and family to repost on their timeline; who knows, your dog’s new owner may be a click away.
- Research Pet Adoption Sites
When you go on the internet, there are sites like Rehome by Adoptapet.com. This platform helps owners find new homes for their pets by permitting you to create a pet profile for your dog.
Once you fill out the required information, wait for adoption applications for you to review. You can ask the adopters follow-up questions to confirm their suitability. When you finalize the screening process, meet the adopters, sign the agreement, and voila! Your dog has a new home.
Rehome is not the only available pet adoption site, google depending on your area, to see the options available to you.
- Ask the Vet
The vet comes into contact with many animal owners, so they should be a good source of information for a possible home. You can also ask the vet to recommend the most suitable homes that your dog’s breed would thrive in from the ones available. Even if the vet does not have any options currently, you can ask them to keep you alerted if any options pop up.
Furthermore, for those looking to leave their dog at shelters, ask the doctor which shelter they recommend because the vet comes into contact with animals from different shelters. He could give you insider information concerning the living conditions of the shelter you are interested in.
What to Do When Surrendering Your Dog
The following do’s and don’ts will make surrendering your dog a much easier process for you and the dog.
- Do look for a home among the people you know before settling for a shelter.
- Just because you are looking for the dog’s new home, it does not mean that you are free of responsibility. Take care of the dog well until you find a suitable home.
- Pick a home that will suit your dog’s temperament. There is no point in putting a delicate dog in a rowdy environment.
- Conduct as much research as you can on the shelters available locally, if that is the route you choose to take. Select the shelter that will give the dog the highest chances of adoption into the right home.
- Avoid abandoning the canine in front of the shelter at night to roam freely as it is dangerous.
- Most dogs are domesticated, do not drop them off in the wilderness. The dog is not used to such an environment; hence it might get injured or sickness as they roam around.
Conclusion
Typically finding a new home for your dog will take a while. If you know that you must give up your dog soon, start finding a home early so that you have more time to work with. Rushing through the process may leave your dog suffering in terrible conditions, and for all the good times you shared with your dog, you owe it to find the best home possible.
We know that this is not an easy process, but we promise it will be worth it once you see that your dog is happy in its new home. Follow up, even after the dog gets a new home, just to make sure that everything is okay.
