Having To Say Goodbye - Doing It Right!

Unfortunately, some people may have to experience surrendering a pet to a shelter or rescue because of numerous, heart wrenching reasons. Although it is very upsetting for the owner (or entire family), it is more stressful to the pet. Dogs in nature are pack animals and when his/her pack is split up, dogs become quite confused and will experience some form of anxiety. Whether it is unforeseen circumstances on your part, a pet's behavior that you can't handle or simply finding out you don't have the time and dedication to provide to that pet anymore, the most HUMANE way of doing it is YOU FINDING THE RIGHT place for that pet!

Here are a few suggestions to help you re-home your pet in a safe & loving environment:

• DO NOT drop off your pet at any local shelter! Many municipal shelters are "kill" shelters meaning if that dog is NOT adopted by someone within 3-7 days, it will be euthinized (killed) even if the dog has nothing wrong with it. Because municipal shelters are on "budgets", they only have enough of money to house a dog for a short period of time. Ask shelter staff what their policies are if a dog is not adopted within a period of time! If they tell you that the dog will be killed, WALK OUT WITH THE DOG as the dog truly does not deserve this.
• Many private "non-kill" rescues and shelters are listed on Petfinder.com You can call or email any of the ones in your area for assistance. They will usually ask for a small donation to take the pet from you. However, since they will be housing the dog in a foster home, feeding it and in some cases, getting any or all medical treatments necessary, it is only a small contribution to helping that pet find a good home. Also, private rescues will screen and do all reference checks on all potential adoptees to ensure your pet is placed only the right, loving home.
• If your dog is a pure breed, many breeds have their own rescue organizations and are ran privately by volunteers that know and understand the breed. Simply do an internet search by putting (BREED NAME) RESCUE (YOUR STATE) in the search field to find your local breed rescue.
• Ask family, neighbors or friends if they would like to adopt your pet with a simple phone call. Also, emailing your contacts can work very successfully! Most people now crosspoint emails with their friends and family by a click of a button.
• Make up flyers and post them! It's the ol' fashion way, but can be highly successful!
• Most newspapers offer free classified advertising on anything you are offering for free. Contact your local paper as it can potentially reach thousands of readers in one day.
• Use Craig's List! It's free! Simply click on your state (on the right) and then post in your state's "Community Pet" section and also under the "For Sale - Free Items". It is very effective!

Please note: If you are surrendering your pet because of behavioral issues only, make sure to disclose all information to anyone interested in taking your pet, even if it has nipped or bitten someone. The last thing you would want is to put someone else in jeopardy, especially a child.

Lastly, when surrendering your pet to a stranger, get some background information from that person and do reference checks! Just don't hand over your dog to just anyone. The last thing you would want is to find out that your pet was not being properly cared for or perhaps neglected or abused. It's just not fair to the animal as they simply deserve a second chance. Having your pet live out the rest of their life in a happy and safe environment with someone who is going to appreciate and love them is the best thing you can do when having to say "goodbye".