Owner Surrender Program
Although many people think that it will be easier to find a home for a dog if they give the dog away for free, this is very risky. Please read this article about why "Free to Good Home" is not a good idea for your pet.
Can You Take My Dog into Foster Care?
We receive many calls and emails each week from people asking if we can take their dogs. We are an all volunteer organization, and do not have a kennel or shelter facility. Our foster dogs stay in our volunteers' private homes. Unfortunately, it would be impossible for us to take every dog that needs a new home into foster care. Summer is an especially difficult time - many people turn their dogs in at shelters during the summer. Shelters fill up, and as a result, so do rescues. We have an Owner Surrender program that can help find a new home for your dog while your dog stays with you.
If your dog can stay with you for a while*, we will need some information from you, and we will then post your dog on our web site, as well as Petfinder.com, Pets911.com, 1800SaveAPet.com, and Dogster.com, and invite you to bring your dog to adoptions where we think they may be a good match. We will have one of our volunteers either come to your home or meet you before the adoption to do a temperament evaluation of your dog.
* If you cannot keep your dog long enough to work with our Owner Surrender program, see the "Rescues by Breed" section at the bottom of this page.
What We Need
You will need to fill out our online Owner Surrender form. All dogs must be neutered or spayed and current on rabies and DHLPP vaccines. You must have your dog's vet records faxed to us at 866-657-3728. You will also need to email us some photos of your dog. If you have photos that you cannot email, you can send them to our PO box via postal mail and we will scan them in. Please let us know if you want the photos returned to you.
If your dog is not neutered, spayed or current on vaccines and you would like information on low cost clinics near you, please click here to search by zip code. We cannot adopt out dogs that have not been spayed or neutered or are not up to date on rabies and DHLPP vaccines.
How it Works
Once we have the form, photos and vet records, we will list your dog on our site and on Petfinder.com, Pets911.com, 1800SaveAPet.com, and Dogster.com. Anyone who is interested in adopting your dog will need to go through our adoption process so that we can talk to them about being prepared to adopt, check their references, and do a home check before the adoption is scheduled.
Once an adopter who is interested in your dog is approved, one of our volunteers will contact you about scheduling an adoption. You will need to bring your dog's vet records and supplies: collar, leash, tags, bed, toys and crate, to the adoption. At the adoption, you will have the final say about whether or not to leave your dog at that home. You will be able to discuss any concerns or questions with the volunteers running the adoption.
If you have any additional questions about this process, please feel free to contact us. Email is preferable, it's easier and faster to reply to.
Rescues by Breed
If our owner surrender program will not work for you, we have provided some information about breed rescues.
You can also try to rehome your dog on your own. Here is some helpful information that will help you to look for good homes and screen possible adopters.
Why "Free to Good Home" is not good for your pet
Places to advertise - don't forget Dogster.com!
Guidelines for Finding a Resposible Home
Phone Screening Script - questions to ask potential adopters