Oftentimes, animals are adopted with all intentions of sharing a lifetime with them. For any number of reasons, however, it doesn’t always work out that way and you may have come to a point in your life where you need to find a new and loving home for your furry friend. However, dogs and cats have a few constants in their lives, and the most important is their relationship with you. Therefore, being re-homed can be a stressful transition for many animals. Before deciding that re-homing your animal is your only choice, we ask that you look at the situation again to see if there are any other options.
Behavior or lack of time: Some of the most common reasons that animals are re-homed or surrendered to a shelter are due to training or behavioral concerns, such as jumping, vocalization, housetraining or destructiveness. With the right combination of training and dedication though, these issues can be fixed and your companion can stay with you, where he’s happiest. While day-to-day activities certainly can lead to one not “having enough time” for the animal any longer, please remember that you made a commitment to this animal by accepting him into your care. A little bit of your time spent training and bonding with your companion can go a long way towards his behavior. For training resources, please call our office at (925) 279-2247, or visit the S.F. SPCA or Humane Society of the United States websites.
Moving: Moving and not having the ability to take your animal with you is another common reason that so many animals are re-homed or surrendered. Before signing a lease or renting a space, please research those apartments or houses that will allow you to bring your companion animal. For more information about renting with animals, please read about renting with pets through Pets911 or the HSUS. To further search for rentable spaces within a certain area that allow companion animals, visit Apartments.com, ApartmentList.com, ApartmentGuide.com, or Pets911.com.
If these housing options are not feasible for you currently and you have to move somewhere that doesn’t allow animals, try to work out an agreement with the landlord. Oftentimes, some leniency will be granted with an increased deposit amount to ensure cleanliness of the space or by meeting with your landlord and formally introducing your animal, providing him or her with any training documentation or certificates and letters of recommendations from your animal’s veterinarian or past neighbors. Provide listings of boarding facilities for which you will place your animal should you go out of town temporarily. For sample reference information as well as information on safely moving with your companion animal, please visit Pets911.com.
Baby on the way: During this very exciting time, it is not unheard of for many pregnant woman to feel it necessary to immediately “get rid of” the companion animal in the home, oftentimes out of concern for the baby’s safety. However, such a drastic step is not necessary without warranted reason to believe that your animal might harm your baby. Millions of homes worldwide have young children and animals in the home together, and more often than not, it is beneficial for the child, as it lessens his or her chances of developing animal-related allergies, as well as teaching the child compassion and caring for other living creatures. For more information on babies and cats, please click here.
Toxoplasmosis is a fear for many pregnant women, causing cats to be surrendered to public shelters unnecessarily. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can be found in cats allowed outdoors who catch and eat small mammals and birds. The cysts are shed in the feces of infected animals, and therefore, if your cat has the possibility of being exposed to the parasite, it is best to have your partner clean the litter box daily. If that is not possible, wear gloves while cleaning the litter box daily and wash your hands afterwards. It is best not to inhale the dust from the litter as well.
I’ve tried everything and just can’t keep my companion animal any longer. Where can I go?
As the need to re-home your friend may be unavoidable in certain circumstances, please contact our office for further options and advice. We offer a Re-Homing Assistance Program for county and local residents in which we can help to advertise your animal to the public through this website. Before surrendering your animal, allow us to help…your furry friend is depending on you!
The majority of animal rescue groups do not accept surrendered animals from the public; however, there are some that will dependent upon different factors. The only place in which you can walk in and surrender your animal is a public animal shelter. Understand, however, that due to the large number of animals surrendered in combination with the number of stray animals picked up daily, space and time are not always guaranteed to be on your animal’s side. Your furry friend is at risk for euthanasia in many public shelters due to overpopulation. While shelter employees try their very hardest to re-home adoptable animals, there simply aren’t enough homes available for the numbers of animals they have to take in. Please consider this and take all other options into account before coming to the decision that you have to surrender your companion.
