How to re home your pet responsibly

If the worst happens and you feel you cannot care for your pet anymore please re home responsibly. Many animals suffer greatly through anxiety and even physically by going to the wrong home.

Here are some tips, in my opinion (from 6 yrs experience with the stories of how and why pets were lost and being asked to re home people pets), that help weed out impulse takers who want to “rescue” an animal but really have no idea or means to care for it for its lifetime.

· Never say need gone now. . Give yourself plenty of time to find the right home. Put your name down on the rescue waiting lists because it may seem forever away but that time will come. And follow up with the rescue every month. You can always pull their name off the list if you rehome in the meantime.

· ALWAYS ask an adoption fee. Their life has value and anyone not willing to pay for it is not committed and cannot afford an animal. This helps weed out the impulse taker if they have to commit financially. I would always start at $80, more if desexed and vaccinated and chipped.

· Make sure you tell their story. Describe what type of personality they have, what they like to do, what are they scared of. Are they scared of loud noises? Do they love or hate water/baths? Do they like to be inside or happy outside? Have they been around other animals? ( this is tricky as they may like your cats or birds but cld easily kill others, so I would never state absolutely they are fine around them).

· Have decent pictures showing their colouring, height, happy face, wagging tail etc. Video is good too.

· Ask potential adopters to PM you or email telling you a bit about their family and life. Will their lifestyle suit the pet? Then ask them to come and meet the animal but not to take the same day. After a successful meet I always say – lets take a few days to think on it and if you still really want to adopt we can go from there. You will be gobsmacked how many people need to have a pet right this second. Its scary actually. If they can’t wait 3 days for that pet then it means they’ll take whatever. If you did not feel good about the meeting you can say you have other potential adopters to see and you’ll get back to them.

· I always ask for ID to make sure they are who they say they are. I always do a property check as well. Is their fence secure enough? Do they have screens on their windows to keep cats contained? Anyone who does not want to prove who they are or where they live and if its pet appropriate should not have pets.

Yes, this takes some time. But if you love your pet and want it to be safe you will make the effort. I’m sure others have given pets away and they are living their best life……but I can assure you there are many more that have been passed around from owner to owner developing anxieties or have been lost never to be seen again or hit by cars etc.

Remember – this is a life you are dealing with. A life that depends on humans for safety.