I had recently blogged about this particular subject before, but with increasing home foreclosures I felt a need to mention it again. Check out the previous blog here for extra resources.
Unfortunately there are some times where you have to re-home your pet, whether it’s just not a good fit or economic hardships, these things do happen. When you reach that point, it’s important to do your research and try to find the best solution to finding a new home for your pet!
First off.. look at the reasons you have for wanting to give up your pet. See if there may be solutions, such as training, daycare, etc. There are lots of resources and professionals out there who would be willing to give you some opinions on your particular situation.
Make sure you check out our resources and training pages. The San Jose Animal Services site also has information: Owner Surrender
Secondly, if there’s no alternative, weigh your options. Never re-home your pet to strangers without a small adoption fee. The adoption fee helps increase the changes that your pet goes to a good home and isn’t used for dog fighting or medical testing.
Check with family and friends to see if anyone wants your pet or if they’re even willing to care for them until you are in a better place. As resilient as animals are, they still do better in stable environments.
Contact local rescues, especially ones that home foster animals, but be patient. You cannot expect rescues to take your dog immediately; most are entirely volunteers run, and they need to make sure they have the space and resources. Furry Friends Rescue also has a Guardian Assist program where you would keep your dog until it got adopted but have access to our adoption showcases, and your pet would be posted to our website, which receives a lot of local foot traffic.
As a last resort there are local shelters. If you can find one that is no-kill, that’s best, old dogs or dogs with issues often have slimmer chances at adoption from shelters. Be prepared to pay a small fee to some shelters, many are underfunded and doing their best to help animals.
Doing your research and asking questions, can help save your pets life from being euthanized in a shelter.