subject: Finding A New Home For Your Dog [print this page] It's something no one ever wants to think about. No one plans for it. But sometimes, usually for reasons beyond our control, people have to give up a pet. In hard economic times people may face foreclosure. Animal shelters are seeing a large increase in the number of pets given up these days by people who are losing their homes.
Many apartments and rental properties do not allow pets. In other cases, people may face the loss of a job and not be able to provide for their pet. People may become ill and be unable to care for their pet. There are a lot of reasons why people may have to give up a dog that they love. Here are some ways that you can help your dog find a great new home.
Many people plan to take their dog to an animal shelter if they cannot keep the animal but most animal shelters have a time limit on the number of days they can keep a dog before they will put him to sleep. If the shelter has many dogs, then your dog stands a good chance of being euthanized instead of adopted, especially if he is older or has any health or behavior problems. Animal shelters aren't usually a good place to go if you want your pet to find a great new home.
Try to find out if there are any No-Kill animal shelters in your area. These shelters will keep a dog for as long as it takes to find him a home. There is a catch - No-Kill shelters can be very picky about the dogs they take since they have limited space. They sometimes prefer to take more adoptable pets but contact them and talk to someone at the shelter. Do your best to present your dog in a good light, but don't lie.
If your dog is a purebred your best bet is to contact the rescue group for your breed. All purebred dog clubs have rescue resources and they make great efforts to rescue purebred dogs. It doesn't matter if the dog came from a breeder or not. Go to the AKC web site and find the rescue group for your breed and the nearest contact. They should be willing to help your dog.
If you got your dog from a breeder you should contact them and see if they are willing to take the dog back. Most reputable dog breeders will be willing to help in some way, either by taking the dog back themselves or by helping to re-home the dog.
If you have a mixed breed dog and there is no No-Kill shelter in your area, go online and look for private animal rescue organizations in your area. Many such organizations exist and they can help find foster families to keep a dog until a permanent family adopts your dog. You can Google the name of your town and "animal rescue" and you should come up with some groups.
If all else fails, you can advertise your pet in the newspaper. Carefully screen any potential adopters and ask for references.
Talk to your vet. Vets may know of clients who might be looking to adopt a new pet. Put up pictures and information about your dog on their bulletin board. Don't forget groomers and boarding kennels - anyone who has a clientele of dog lovers.
Put up a picture of your dog and information about him at your local pet supply store. Remember to screen the people who contact you.
Visit PetFinder for pet rescue and adoption groups in your area. You may find a group that you missed before.
Network! Ask family, friends, co-workers if they know someone who would be interested in giving your dog a home.
Even if you can no longer keep your pet there are many people who would like to give a great dog a home. If you reach out to the people and groups we've discussed you will probably find someone who can help you give your dog the new home he deserves. If your dog has a good temperament there is no reason that he can't start a wonderful new life.
