Few things are more traumatic for a dog or cat than losing his/her family. Regardless the reason, you should follow a few guidelines to ensure your pet is placed in a safe home.
If you are considering surrendering your pet because of problem behavior:
- Is your pet spayed or neutered? This simple procedure can have a dramatic impact on some behaviors, and there are low-cost spay/neuter options in the Aiken area.
- Consult with an animal behaviorist or trainer. Many of these classes and consultations are very inexpensive and yet have amazing results. Also be sure to check out our pet behavior section where we link to helpful materials on just about every behavior problem imaginable.
- Discuss the problem with your vet. Your vet may be able to suggest a training method or even a medication to eliminate the problem.
- Keep in mind that if you don’t want to deal with the problem, a stranger won’t want to deal with it either — and might even become abusive to the dog or cat. In the end, if you don’t solve the problem, the dog or cat might be considered unacceptable and euthanized.
If you are considering surrendering your pet for any other reason:
- Place an ad the local newspapers. Be responsible to have any pet spayed/neutered before he/she leaves your care. Even puppies at 8 wks can be spayed/neutered. Things to remember are:
- Don’t give a pet away for free. People collect free dogs and cats and sell to research, dog fighting groups etc. Charging an adoption fee is like giving your pet an insurance policy.
- Do a home visit, vet reference check to anyone who is considering adopting your family member.
- Post a flier with your pet’s picture, height, weight, breed, personality traits, at your vet office, groomers, pet stores, grocery stores, coffee shops, work place etc.
- If it is a dog, contact a dog rescue group for assistance and advice. There are breed specific rescues. Be aware that rescue groups get many calls every day from people wanting to surrender their dog who is like their “child” and must deal with good and bad reasons for surrendering of dogs… You must help yourself to help this dog. Rescues can only do so much and are often all volunteers.
Remember, if you must place your pet in another home, you are in a better position to do this than most rescue groups. Knowing the pet’s temperament, you can screen potential families and identify the best match for your pet. And you can ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible, without any time spent in strange and traumatic circumstances.
If you still feel you must surrender your pet, please call the Aiken SPCA at 803-648-6863 for more information.
