Rehoming When Your Home is No Longer an Option
“Keiko and Shelby were sisters of sorts. They were miniature poodle and Bichon blends sprung from a life of horror in the same puppy mill where they lived in kennels just big enough to stand and turn, stacked one on top of another with feces and urine dripping from top to bottom.
They were breeding females in a factory farm, incubating puppies sold for profit on the internet or in pet stores. One thousand females had already been killed. Keiko and Shelby made it out alive through a network of animal welfare groups negotiating with the puppy mill’s owner to save the living.
Shelby graced our home for three months, learning to be a companion animal rather than a commodity. I knew she was ready for adoption the day my daughter called to me with breathless excitement, “Mom, Shelby is throwing a toy in the air and barking at it!”
Keiko was fostered by my neighbor, Sue. She quickly went from foster dog to resident pet as Sue, her family, and Rocky the Yorkie fell deeply in love with the little white mop with glossy marble eyes.
Any animal that ends up in Sue’s home is lucky. With a heart of gold and mind for problem solving, Sue gets down to business to determine what an animal needs to thrive.
That’s how Sue and her husband, Charlie, ended up with their daughter's dogs when life threw her a curve ball. The eight-year-old bonded pair of Buster, a brown-lab mix the size of a small teenager, and Dexter, possibly Min-Pin and Chihuahua, were rehomed next door.
Not everyone is so lucky to have an easily accessible safety net. For that reason, cats, dogs, and all sorts of pets are surrendered to shelters, left behind in empty homes and apartments, booted out the door, or abandoned on the edge of farms in hopes someone else will take over.
That need for a safety net is driving a shift in shelters, rescue groups and animal welfare organizations: if animals can be kept in the homes of the people who love and want to keep them, then more resources will be available to help animals like Keiko and Shelby move from bad to good.
Look for Help Before Rehoming
Oftentimes people don’t want to let go of their pets but don’t know where to turn for help. Thankfully, the list of options for assistance is increasing.
Start by reading through this chart of rehoming issues and possible solutions by Petfinder. While it focuses on dogs, it could easily be applied to other pets and may help you find a solution to keep your pet in your home rather than finding it another.
Is feeding your pet a challenge? Ask your community food shelf, or food pantry, if they provide pet food to visitors. Many do.
Do an internet search for a pet food shelf or pet pantry in your area. Pet food shelves are growing in popularity as a simple way to help people manage the care of their pets.
The pet food shelf, People and Pets Together, provides food for dogs, cats, birds, fish, and pocket pets like rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs.
Ask a local humane society or rescue organization if they provide pet food assistance. Many do!
While doing research and making phone calls, look for organizations that provide free and low-cost pet care services. Many focus on the basics – wellness exams, vaccinations, toe nail trims, and spay and neuter services or vouchers to partner organizations that provide them.
Check the websites of local and national pet supply stores and their philanthropic foundations. Many have begun offering grants to organizations to provide pet support services. The foundations may be able to direct you to locally available help.
Many foundations and charitable organizations are beginning to support programs that assist people experiencing housing insecurity, domestic violence and military deployment. You may be able to find temporary foster care.
Here are links to some additional blogs on this site that may help you find a solution to keep your pet in your home.
Helping People in Crisis Keep Their Pets
Do It Yourself Pet Rehoming
Gather all medical records. Ensure your pet is current on vaccinations. Consider getting your animal spayed or neutered, if possible. This will most likely be a requirement if you end up hiring an organization to help with rehoming as discussed below. It will also ensure your pet isn't used as a breeding adult to create profit for its next owner.
Groom your pet. Clip toenails.
Develop an online profile and take plenty of pictures to show off your pet’s personality.
Harness your social media network, your email list, your text groups. You never know what friend of a friend is looking for a pet like yours until you put your need out there. My foster cat, Loki, found his forever home when a former colleague forwarded my Facebook post about him to a friend.
Have a process in place to screen potential adopters on the phone, in a neutral public location and in the new home. Harness your inner helicopter parent. What do you want to know about the person interested in adopting your pet that will provide you with peace of mind and keep your pet safe?
Will they provide a name, phone number and address?
Can they provide personal and veterinarian references?
Are they willing to let you and a buddy to do a home check?
If so, be prepared with a list of items to scope out while in someone’s home. Is there a fence or containment system? Is it secure? What is the security of the neighborhood if your dog is accustomed to walks? Is there space for the pet? Are there other pets in the home?
Do they have children? If so, what is their experience with pets?
How many hours will the pet be alone each day?
Will the pet be kept inside or outside? If outside, how will it be sheltered?
If the pet has an accident in the house, what type of response and correction will be used?
How do they envision introducing your pet to their home? To family members? To guests?
If you’ve never fostered before and haven’t been through the screening process, Petfinder created a comprehensive list of screening questions to ask.
Make time on your calendar to focus on rehoming. You’ll need to return calls from interested adopters, check references, meet people and keep current on social media.
Create a contract to protect you and your pet.
Will you offer a trial?
Will you charge an adoption fee?
Will you offer a refund?
What happens to the pet if the adoption doesn’t work out?
What kind of contact will you maintain after the adoption is complete?
Can you have someone conduct an in-person well-being check on your behalf?
Can you contact the adopter? How often? For how long? When I foster, I always follow up with the adopter at 24 hours, 48 hours and several weeks after adoption. The rescue agencies I foster through maintain the contract and long-term contact
Rehome Your Pet Through an Online Organization
The list below is provided as a place to start your research. None of the organizations are endorsed nor have they been vetted. Their listing below provides no guarantees or warranties on services and outcomes.
The safety and wellbeing of your pet and your peace of mind is a product of your research, asking questions, weighing responses, and trusting your intuition.
Rehome by Adopt-A-Pet.com is a site that brings together people looking for adoptable pets with pets in need of rehoming. The application process is online and plenty of assistance, such as posting your pet’s profile online, screening of potential adopters, and resources to protect you and your pet throughout the process, is provided. It is a free resource for people looking to rehome their pets. Adopters, however, pay an adoption fee directly to Adopt-a-Pet.com. (The original owner receives no money.)
Get Your Pet is another online community that brings together pets in need of rehoming with people looking to adopt a pet. It is a free resource for the person looking to rehome the pet while adopters pay an adoption fee. The fee includes legal documentation of the adoption, a voucher for a free vet exam by a participating vet partner, and a host of other support services.
Pet Adoptions Network is a network of individuals across the U.S. and Canada who work directly with pet owners to assist with the rehoming process. The pet owner is charged a fee for the rehoming service and the side-by-side assistance provided throughout the process, plus a year of follow up once the adoption is complete. The organization’s website says they will work with people facing financial difficulty by adjusting services for a lesser fee.
Rehoming is Hard but it Can be Healing
I’ve fostered dogs and cats for more than a decade. I know how hard letting go can be. I’ve also learned the world is filled with many good-hearted people who prefer to adopt a pet over purchasing one through a pet store or breeder.
The process of rehoming may feel heart wrenching, but it can be healing. Doing the work and trusting your intuition will help you find comfort. You’ll know where your pet will be and who will be loving him when you say goodbye.
Best wishes on a difficult, but purposeful, journey.