What to ask when you need to find a home for your pet

Aug 6, 2013 | Animal Welfare | 0 comments

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When you need to

Find a home for your pet

you want a responsible,

loving home.

Unfortunately,

for your pet’s sake,

You can NOT

trust every one

.

Author, Dorinne Whynott, Owner of Professional Pet Sitting Etc.

Hopefully, you will never have to be in the position of finding a home for you pet. It is a hard decision for many people every year. When you absolutely need to find a home your pet, here are some things to think about.

You have been going back and forth on re-homing your pet. Maybe your child has severe allergies, you must move and the apartment does not allow pets, money is tight and you just can’t take proper care of your pet, you have disability and its getting worse, you have an illness or you have surgery coming up and no one can help take your pet in. It could be a million reasons. Before you make your decision, please talk to a few animal professionals, such as myself. Many of us may have ideas that may help solve your problem. For example, if you feel that you aren’t exercising your pet enough and he would be better in on a farm, have you thought of hiring a dog walker while you are at work, or if your child has allergies, have you researched the things you can do to help ease those allergies so your pet can stay. Maybe you are right and the best hing is to re-home your pet but maybe there is an alternative.

If you absolutely must find your beloved pet a new home for whatever reason, here are some tips to help keep your pet safe.

What to ask when you need to find a home for your pet –

  • Consider a shelter or rescue league – This is my first choice for you, if you absolutely must give your pet up. Give your pet to the professionals. If you have a purebred, chances are there is a purebred rescue league that may be able to help you. Look online or ask local animal companies. If you don’t want to do that, most animal rescue leagues and shelters are a great place to help find your pet a new home. Many people try to shy away from these because they believe that their pets will be euthanized. Not any more. Many shelters have adopted a No Kill policy. Meaning they will keep an animal until it finds a home. Many shelters may ask for a “surrender donation”. If you can afford to do this, please do. It helps defray the cost of your pets care until they find a home. The HUGE benefit of a shelter is that they will do a complete medical on your pet before they go up for adoption – physical, vaccines, parasite check, heartworm check, leukemia, etc. Once your pet goes up for adoption, these organizations have a protocol for interviewing potential homes to ensure as best as they can that the home YOUR pet goes into will be safe, loving and for the rest of your pet’s life.
  • Make sure your pet is healthy and up to date on all vaccines and medical
  • DO NOT falsify or withhold any information
    • For example, if your dog destroys furniture and you do not tell the new owners: At his new home your dog destroys their new thousand-dollar couch, your dog may end up homeless somewhere. Your pet will find a better home if the new owners know all the bad stuff and still want him. It may take longer to find the right home, but it will be worth it.
  • Put a price on your pet. NEVER give any animal away for free.
    • There are many horrible people out there who make their living selling animals for experimentation, or using pets (small and large) to train dogs for fighting and guard duty. They want free pets and will say whatever is necessary to get them. * Also, pet ownership can be costly. Most people who are willing to pay for a pet will think about pet responsibility before buying and care for them better in the long run. Of course, if you know the owners well, use your best judgment. Putting a price on your pet may also make it take longer to place it, but your pet’s welfare is worth it. If you follow the NH State law and get your pet up to date on vaccines, use that as your price or if you get your pet spayed.neutered, use that for your price.
    • Click Here to know why you do not want to offer your pet free – Free Pets, Are They Safe?

 

Things to ask and do when you need to find a home for

your pet (cat/dog, etc) a new home

  • Ask the new owners if you can visit in the future.
    • If they say yes, chances are the home will be okay. You can then decide whether to visit or not. After the pet leaves for his new home, it may be hard on both your family and your pet to see each other again, especially within the six months breaking-in period. NEVER find your pet a new home with the intention of asking for him back in the future. Your pet needs stability and a permanent loving home. Bouncing from home to home is just as bad for a pet as it is for a child. Make sure you get their information, Full name, address and phone number. You should get this BEFORE they visit. You can even check the home out prior. Don’t feel funny about this, many rescues and shelters do a home visit to make sure people are telling the truth.
  • Ask the potential owners about pets they own now or have had in the past.
    • You can learn a lot about how they will care for your pet by how they have cared for their pet(s) in the past. What kinds of pets have they owned? If the pets have died, how and what happened? Old age? Hit by a car? (Are they going to be more careful so this doesn’t happen again?) Have their pets been neutered (both males and females), up to date on vaccines, heartworm check (dogs), leukemia tested (cats)?
    • Are their cats inside or out? All cats should be INSIDE cats for safety or have safe enclosures. If your inside cat is declawed, for its safety it must never be allowed out. If not declawed, are the new owners planning on de-clawing? (de-clawing is not recommended by animal welfare — if you are having problems, BEFORE de-clawing, call our office for suggestions. There are special cat fencing, that allows your cats to be outside safely during the day). Here’s more information – 2 Ways to keep your cats safe outside
    • Do they have a fenced-in yard? If no, are they going to walk this dog daily?
    • Ask to speak with their veterinarian – call their veterinarian and state that you are considering them for adoption, ask them how many pets they have.  Are they up to date on vaccines? Are they spayed/Neutered?  Do they think they would make good owners? This is a good way to verify some of the information.
  • Ask to do a home check.  Many may consider this an invasion but this is a good way to see where your pet will be living.  Is it a hoarding situation?  Is it a place you would like your pet to live?  It will also be a way to see how their current pets look – clean, well fed, etc.  You can do a drive by and check it out first and if you like what you see then schedule a home visit.
  • Ask to do a vet check – obtain the name and phone number of the prospective owners.  Call the animal hospital and let them know that you have someone interested in adopting your pet and want to know if they have kept their past and current pets up to date on vaccines and cared for them medically when needed.  I can not tell you how many people were rejected for adopting because pets were just not cared for basic health checks and vaccines.  Many people get rid of their pets when they become ill. 
  • NEVER RUSH your decision. If your gut is not happy, do NOT let this pet go. State that your pet wasn’t feeling well and you just want to watch them overnight. Do not let anyone RUSH you. These are people who are looking for lots of free pets for whatever reason. yes, it could be an excited person, but its always better to be safe. This is your pets’ life at stake.
  • Ask and retain the new owners’ name, address and phone number
    • Check in a few weeks to see if the new owners are having problems. Sometimes pets run away and come back to the old home; it is good to be able to call the new owners so that they are not worried.
  • Always offer if they ever have to get rid of this pet, that you will take it back
    • Also, if possible, tell the new owners if they ever do not want your pet anymore that you would like for them to call you and you will take your pet back.
  • But remember: NEVER place your pet with the intention of taking it back. This placement should be for life!

 

NH Law for selling pets or giving them away free to another home

Here is what NH law requires for all dogs and cats, mixed or purebred, gift or sale, planned or accidental litters:

 

 

 

 

 

About the Owner/Author

Dorinne Whynott, is a long time animal professional.  She is a successful business owner establishing one of the largest pet sitting companies in New Hampshire since 1990. Click to Read her complete History. 

Professional Pet Sitting Etc. is a leading business in the pet care field and continues to grow since 1990.  It boasts 30+ amazing pet sitters on staff, over 3000 clients in 38 cities from Nashua to Concord, NH.  Hundreds of satisfied client testimonials can be found on their website and more 5 star reviews on their Facebook page, Google+ page and more.  They have sustained an A+ rating with the BBB and are unmatched in the Pet Sitting Industry in New Hampshire.

Click For a Complete List of all of our educational Blogs

Go to Professional Pet Sitting Etc. Website for more information on the best pet sitting company or click on “New Client” to contact us or register for dog walking or pet care.

Contact us by phone at 603-888-8088

Email Profpetsit@aol.com

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