Re-homing your dog is never an easy decision to make, especially if the circumstances to do so are beyond your control. You adopt a dog with the best intentions, planning on being his forever family, but sometimes re-homing becomes a necessity. While we advocate doing everything possible to keep your pooch with you, we do realize that sometimes it’s just not feasible. So how do you make the re-homing transition easier at least for your dog? Let’s talk about nine things you need to know about finding a new home for your pet.
What you need to know about re-homing your dog
There are many ways to re-home your pet, although, they always end up with you in tears for having to give up your fur baby, but finding the right person to become their new mom or dad may help with your grief, knowing that they are going to a good forever home always helps. We did some research due to our love of fur babies, and came up with a handful of ways you can search for their new owners. These aren’t necessarily in any specific order.
- Avoid Craigslist or personal ads–this may seem like the easiest way to re-home your dog, but it’s not the safest. Many people on CL run puppy mills, or dog fighting rings, or even animal sacrifices. No, that’s not a joke! That’s not so say that everyone on CL has an ulterior motive, but the risks are just too high.
- Check with Family-Reach out to family and friends that you know are good dog parents. One of them may be thrilled to take in your pooch, and chances are Fido will already know them and be more comfortable with them.
- Check with Shelters–checking with your local shelters or veterinarians should be the next thing you do if no one in your “inner circle” can take your dog. They are the experts, and they may know someone trustworthy that is looking for a new pet.
- Give yourself plenty of time–do not try to re-home your pet overnight, because it might not be long enough for you to know that the person that is taking your baby would be worthwhile.
- Take Good Pictures–be sure to take great photos of your pet, so that you may show prospective new owners.
- Vaccination records and history–have available all of their vaccination records, a short history of their likes and dislikes, tricks, talents, and more. Having your pet spayed or neutered is also a great idea and can help in finding the right home.
- Know their needs–if your pooch is a highly active dog that needs plenty of space to run, then a 1-bedroom apartment in the city may not be the best bet. Be sure to list to potential parents as much about them as you can, including size, if they like to run, if they like to play, how much room they need, etc.
- Do consider social media-While you’re not going to just give your dog to the first person to respond on Twitter, your Facebook and other social media accounts are a good place to get your dog out there and let people know that you’re looking for a good home for him.
- Avoid charging a fee- While you might think that charging a re-homing fee will make it easier to weed through the people who want a dog for nefarious reasons, it can actually turn off some amazing prospective dog parents. It sends a message (albeit a perhaps erroneous message) that you are “in it for the money.”
Like I said, re-homing your dog is never an easy decision (or at least it shouldn’t be). It’s heartbreaking to have to give up a beloved family companion for circumstances beyond your control. If your reasons are financial, I urge you to check out this post on how to afford your dog even through the roughest times.
