When You Can't Keep Your Dog

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When You Can't Keep Your Pet - Things to Consider

© 2002-2005, Faery Tails Corgi Rescue of St. Louis Inc.

The decision to give up your pet is a huge one, and should not be made lightly. You are the only person who has the power to make sure your pet is safe - his/her fate is in your hands. The following are some guidelines for this hard process.

If you pet is not spayed or neutered, please make sure it is done before your pet is placed or re-homed. You don't want to add to the already overwhelming amount of unwanted animals. An unspayed or unneutered dog is usually sought for it's breeding potential by someone NOT interested in providing a loving home. They may consider the dog to be livestock to be bred for profit only - no matter what they might tell you otherwise.

Do not place an ad to give your dog away for free. Many of the testing labs, dog fighting rings, and other shady people monitor the want ads for free animals. They can front as a great home, but you never know where your dog will go. At least charge $150 for your pet and ask for vet references and follow up on them! Please know that Missouri is a big area for research labs, fighting rings, and puppy mills. Don't let this fate meet your dog!

If you do place your pet with a private adopter, for your protection do not let the people come to your home. Take your pet to their house. This is also a way for you to see the conditions where your pet will be living.

If your dog came from a breeder, call your breeder and see if they will work with you. Responsible breeders care what happens to their dogs.

If your dog came from a shelter or a rescue organization, chances are they expect the dog to be returned to them if you signed a contract. Connect with them and see if they can offer you help.

If you find a rescue group and think they might be able to help - great! Be aware that many groups are unable to take owner surrenders. Groups are usually full and sometimes we cannot even cover all the dogs in the pounds. We all suffer from limited resources, foster homes, and funds. We try to do all we can. If you do find a group with space make a donation to help. Each rescue group operates differently. Be sure that you are comfortable with how they interview, screen, and place the dogs in their care. Do they have a contract with their adopters? Do they insist that the dog is returned to them if at any time the adopters are not able to keep the dog? Be persistent in getting your questions answered to your satisfaction. We have information on selecting a rescue group, click here.

If your pet is older it may be harder to place him/her. It is unlikely that your pet would make it to the adoption floor if you turned him into a shelter. Older pets are more vulnerable to stress, illness, and emotional deterioration in a shelter environment. Larger older dogs are harder to place than smaller older dogs, so please be aware of this as well.

If your pet has a behavior problem, please seek the advice of a qualified trainer or behaviorist. Many problems can be fixed and your pet can become a welcomed member of the family once more. We can offer referrals.

If you are thinking of taking your pet to a shelter, do some checking first. Many have a high volume of animals coming in every single day. In some cases your pet might not make it to the adoption floor, but make it straight into the euthanasia room instead. Find out how long your pet might have and see if you can live with what that might be.

Regarding No-Kill shelters, most are full and very hard to get into. Some house dogs long term and the dogs are under tremendous long term mental and emotional stress. Under this stress they can deteriorate mentally and become un-adoptable. It's a sad thing, but any shelter can be a horrible place for a dog under long-term conditions. Go visit the shelter. Do the dogs living there seem relaxed, happy and content, or agitated, restless and depressed? Be sure that you can live with the fact that your dog may spend his entire life there....

If your dog bites and you can't live with him/her, can you really expect anyone else to live with the biting as well? Biting dogs don't get placed/don't stay placed. Consult a behaviorist. If you do not wish to work with this you need to seek euthanasia at your veterinarian's office. It is much better to die surrounded by family than by the hands of strangers or alone. By placing a biting dog you are putting yourself and others at tremendous risk - ethically, morally, physically, and legally.

Whatever you decide to do make sure it feels right. You don't want to do something rash and regret it for a long time. If you need help, seek it out. There are a lot more resources available for people seeking help with a pet, rather than seeking a new home.

Best of luck to you and your pet.

The following links may help (they will take your away from our site, to return hit the back button).
Senior Dog Rescue
Metro Animal Resource Services, Inc.
Petfinder
American Kennel Club's national breed rescue contacts

Surrendering Your Dog (Owner Relinquishments)

There are some situations where families may not be in the position to keep their dogs. FTCR's mission in part is to help in these cases. If we can assist you in finding solutions to problems that have lead you to consider surrendering you dog, please contact us. We have resources available such as veterinarians and behavior & training professionals that may help your family stay together.

We understand that this may be a stressful and heart wrenching time for your family. We try to make the process as easy as we can. Please understand that there are times when we must delay accepting owner surrenders. Shelter dogs always take priority, as they will often be euthanized due to space limitations at most facilities. If you must surrender your dog immediately due to an emergency, please let us know and we will try to work out an arrangement with you. It may be possible to board your dog until we have an opening in our foster program. If boarding is necessary, we would be grateful to receive a donation to help us cover this cost.

At the time of surrender please have your paper work in order - vet records, pedigree, microchip registry, training records, etc. Please send along food your dog is used to eating to minimize stressful change. We would appreciate any toys, leash, collar, crate, etc. that you send along as well.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE THE SURRENDER PROCESS IS COMPLETE IT IS IRREVOCABLE.

It is our policy not to release personal information from surrender documents except as required (state licensing, etc.). FTCR is not able to provide future updates or release information back to the surrendering party about the dog once accepted into FTCR's program.

In accordance with our program policies and due to liability issues, we are not able to accept dogs that have a history of biting. FTCR will be happy to talk with you about your options should this be the case.

Our program is not subsidized and relies solely on donations to provide for the dogs in our care. We utilize the service of veterinarians, trainers and other professionals when needed. While there is no fee for surrendering your dog, a donation at the time of surrender would be appreciated.