Pet Rehoming
Rehoming your pet is a difficult decision and we understand you may find yourself in a situation where you feel that you have no other options. Before making the decision to rehome your pet, please review our Pet Retention Resources for assistance with many of the issues that cause pets to be rehomed or surrendered. Whether you’re experiencing financial challenges, moving or housing issues, allergies, house-soiling, behavioral issues, or one of many other challenges, we may be able to help you find a solution that allows you to keep your pet.
Sometimes situations are beyond your control. If you have reviewed our pet retention resources and find that you are still in need of assistance with rehoming your pet, there are a few options available.
Rehoming through Home To Home
Regardless of the facility or quality of care, a shelter is a strange and unfamiliar place for any animal. Remaining in their home will always be less stressful for your pet. If you are able to keep your pet at home while you search for an adopter, then please consider using Home To Home. Through the Home To Home program, you can list your own pet for adoption on our website while you keep them in your home. This allows pet owners to try and find a direct adopter for their pet and eliminates the need to place them in a shelter. This also means that an owner—who knows their pet better than anyone else—is able to select an appropriate home for them.
If you are interested in finding a new home for your pet through the Home To Home program, please visit our Home To Home page for more information.
Rehoming through the Shelter
If you are unable to rehome your pet through Home To Home, you might decide to place them in a shelter. Unfortunately, we do not have the space and resources to shelter every pet that needs to be rehomed. So that we can help as many people and pets in our community as possible, we have established the following procedures for those requesting to surrender a cat or dog to our shelter:
1. Please begin our surrender process by completing a questionnaire to tell us about your pet.
2. We will review your completed form and respond within 72 hours.
3. Priority response is given to cats and dogs previously adopted from Homeward Pet, regardless of length of time since adoption.
4. If your pet appears to be a good candidate for our shelter adoption program, we will schedule an intake appointment where you will bring your cat or dog in for a behavior assessment and examination by our staff veterinarian. Please note that every animal must pass these evaluations to be accepted into our adoption program. We must also determine if our kennel environment is appropriate for your pet.
5. If we are able to accept your pet after their behavior assessment and veterinary exam, they will remain in our care immediately following the appointment.
FAQs
You may also see our list of other local shelters and rescues.
If you are interested in finding a new home for your pet through the Home To Home program, please visit our Home To Home page for more information.
Our Companion Legacy Program asks for a one-time, tax-deductible gift of $1,000. Acceptance into this program is dependent on review of your pet’s needs, and their medical and behavioral history.
Please see our handout on animal control services for more information on where to take a stray animal.
However, being confined in a shelter is very stressful for a feral cat, and most are thriving where they are. For information on how you can help these community cats live happy lives outdoors, see our info sheet on community cat resources.