Rehoming

Welcome to the Chance Shelter Re-homing Page. Here you will find a variety of information that will, hopefully, help guide you through this difficult decision.

Chance Shelter understands that there are many reasons that you may need to re-home your pet. While we very much care about your situation, Chance Shelter is not a public intake facility, our primary mission is to work with pets in emergency situations.

For people looking to re-home their pet, our goal is to help you keep your pet, or provide the right information to responsibly find a new forever home for your pet. Remember, your pet is counting on you to provide them with the best home possible… whether that is in their current home or with another family. If you would like assistance from Chance Shelter on Re-homing your pet, please complete the Chance Shelter Re-Homing Assistance Application and Authorization to Courtesy Post. For questions or to talk to someone about this process please email Christine.barksdale@chanceshelter.org or call 360-608-8459.

Before you Re-home your pet?

Before you re-home, ask yourself why you want to get rid of your pet. Knowing the reason is the first step. If you really want to be able to keep your pet but feel helpless, perhaps there is a way that Chance Shelter or another organization could help keep your pet?

Behavior Issues
If your pet has a behavior issue, perhaps one of our dedicated volunteers that is skilled in training animals can provide the right training tips to break your pet of the unwanted behavior.

Moving and can’t find a pet friendly apartment or home
Click here to try Zillow.com. Type in your city, click on Rent”, and scroll down to “Pet-Friendly Rentals.” You will find descriptions and photos of pet-friendly options in any state in the U.S.A., including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

When searching for a rental for you and your pets, consider the following:

“Sell” your pet (and yourself!) to a new landlord by suggesting a meet-and- greet with you and your pet. You might also offer to provide references from your pet’s veterinarian and/or from your previous landlord.
When you have received approval for your pet from the manager or owner of the property, be sure this is included in your written rental document
With any new move, make sure your pet’s ID tags and microchip information are current.

Pet Medical Issues
Do you want to keep your pet, but your pet has a medical issue that is outside of your financial means?

Did you get a second opinion?
Did you know that there are low cost spay/neuter programs and vaccinations clinics available?
- https://spayaz.com/
- https://www.drkellysmobilevet.com/
Would a one-time financial assist help? At times, Chance may be able to work with a local veterinarian or provide minor financial assistance to help you and your pet through a crisis. Click here to send an email.
Military Deployment? For those in the military and faced with deployment, we recommend an online service – Dogs on Deployment – to help you find a long term foster home to care for your dog while you’re away.

If none of these situations applies to you, and you are simply unable to care for your pet, we understand, so we want help you responsibly place your pet.

Ready to re-home?

Whatever your reason is, if you are ready to re-home your pet, make sure you are ready and willing to dedicate the time it will take to find your pet a new forever home. We all lead very busy lives, and taking the time to find a good home for a pet isn’t always quick or easy.

To help you better understand the process and get started here are some sample forms that you may find helpful:

Re-Home Application, which will help you with good questions to ask an applicant
Pet Information Sheet, which will allow you to provide helpful information about your pet to his/her new family.
Cat Re-Home Contract, Dog Re-Home Contract which you can ask the adopting family to sign.

If you are in a hurry or want help, if your pet is breed-specific, (For instance, your dog is a German Shepherd or your cat is a Siamese), then look online for a rescue group that specializes in that breed. The organization doesn’t necessarily have to be local… sometimes breed-specific rescues have contacts in several states. They have experience with the breed and could prove helpful in finding the right home, and people seeking that breed will often go to them when they want to adopt. Regardless of how you connect with the rescue, it is still important that you confirm that you are dealing with a reputable rescue! Ask them for the name of the veterinarian they use, so you can call for a reference.

Preparing to Re-Home

Obtain several photos of your pet. Be careful to get a close up of their face and eyes. Then get all angles including while they are playing or sleeping.
Complete the Pet Information Sheet
Establish a small re-homing fee to reduce the chances of placing your pet with someone that won’t have your pet’s best interest in mind. Many people look for free pets that they can re-sell and make profit. It is also important to keep in mind that if someone can’t afford to pay you an appropriate re-home fee, then they may not be able to afford the basics for your pet, such as a veterinary care, grooming care, quality food, plus all the other things that will keep the pet healthy and happy. When deciding on a re-home fee, you can check with your local animal shelter, rescue groups, or breed-specific rescues. If you can find out what their adoption fee would be for a pet like yours, then your re-home fee should ideally be at least equal to their adoption fee.
Obtain copies of Veterinary Records, by contacting your pet’s veterinarian. This is also an opportunity to explain what you are thinking and see if they have additional suggestions.
Decide what accessories you will send with your pet – leash, collar, food bowl, litter box, toys etc.
List your pet Your own Facebook page – sometimes your friends and family are the best way to find a new forever home for your pet. Or, if that is not an option or you have already tried that avenue, you may want to list your pet on a reputable re-homing site, some examples:
1. https://re-home.adoptapet.com/
2. https://re-homeyourpets.com/

NOTE: If you are a Surprise, AZ resident or live in a neighboring community Chance Shelter will courtesy post your pet on Facebook. Click here to email the Re-homing Committee for assistance. (INSERT LINK TO EMAIL Christine.Barksdale@chanceshelter.org)

Think You Found a New Forever Home?
Once you have found a potential new home for your pet the next steps can happen over a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Here’s a basic road map on how things could go after that first contact.

First Impressions
Review the adopter’s message carefully to see if there’s a basic fit. If yes, send the Re-home Application to the interested party. If they are truly interested, they will have not problem taking the time to answer all of your questions.

It Seems Like a Fit, Start the Conversation
If there’s the possibility of a good fit here, you can reply back with a first round of specific questions, provide email and or a phone number to continue to dialogue further. Some great questions to ask include:

What in particular appeals to you about my dog/cat?
How would you envision spending time with “Pet’s Name”? What activities? Dog park, traveling, cuddling on the couch, hiking, etc…
When you travel, who would care for “Pet’s Name” while you’re away?

Check References – IMPORTANT
Checking references is absolutely ESSENTIAL to finding a great home. Unfortunately, not all people interested in your pet have their best interest in mind. Plan for 30 minutes to connect with the interested family’s vet or family and friends, to understand a little more about them. Make reference checks before setting up your meet and greet (see below) so that concerns or red flags are discovered early. We can’t overemphasize how important this step of checking references is to the future well-being of your dog, and to your own peace of mind. Here are some tips on checking references:

WHERE TO START?

Ask the adoptive family for references to call on as part of the re-homing process. 3 references is a good number:

1 “pet professional” – like a vet, groomer or dog care professional
2 friends or family members, or neighbors who know the adopters well

For some families this may be their first pet, in which case you will need to rely on references from Friends and Family.

Before you make your calls, have a list of questions ready!! Let them know you will need about 10-15 minutes of their time.

QUESTIONS FOR PET PROFESSIONALS

Begin your call by explaining about possibly re-homing your dog to the client and request a few minutes of the vet tech or office manager’s time. Questions you might ask include:

How long has “the Smith Family” been a client?
Have you ever known them to delay reasonable care or treatment for any reason?
Are they current on vaccinations?
Are their current pets fixed or microchipped (no judgments here, but generally shows good care and concern for their pets)?
Describe your dog briefly… ask if they would consider their client’s home a successful environment for such a dog.

NOTE: If there are pets already (or previously) in the family’s life but no veterinary care reference of any kind, this should be a red flag

TO CONSIDER – FROM THE VET: The ‘bar’ on what’s reasonable for treating one’s pet at the vet is different for different people. For example, it may not be reasonable to expect someone to spend $4,000 on life saving measures for one of our older dogs. But failure to care for a chronic skin condition, or an aggravated hot spot, or overall discomfort – this should be a red flag.

QUESTIONS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

We have always had positive, good reception on the other end around these phone calls – and expect that you will too. Questions that you might ask:

Do you know where do their current pets sleep at night (indoors/outdoors)?
Do you know if the they have ever surrendered a pet to a shelter, and if so do you know the circumstances why?
Do you know if they travel a lot? When they do travel do they take their pets with them or do they have a kennel or in home care provider?
Do they have other pets now, or have had them in the past, and what can you share with me about this?

TO CONSIDER – FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Every re-homing family will have different ideals of what’s the right fit for their pet. Think about your own ideals before these phone calls. Knowing this information will help to guide you with the conversations.

In the end, trust your instincts
At the conclusion of these important conversations you should feel encouraged and optimistic about the planned Meet and Greet – meeting the new family in person – that this is a family who will be interested and able to meet your friend’s need for a good long time.

If you have doubts or uncertainties after these conversations, you should consider ending the inquiry. Thank the family for their interest, and let them know nicely that knowing your dog’s needs as you do, that your dog just might not be a good fit for their particular home.

Schedule a Meet and Greet
Like what you have seen and heard so far. Now is the time to set a meet and greet. Encourage the interested family to include the whole gang – spouses, children and especially any other dogs who might also be in the home to ensure that there’s a fit for everybody. Here are some important aspects to consider when scheduling your meet and greet:

When and Where
You should plan for at least 30 to 60 minutes together.

FOR DOGS: Ideally, you’ll meet in a neutral, outside setting – a place without a lot of distractions, activities or other dogs. For safety sake, we recommend somewhere in public too – like a quiet park or even a sports field. NOTE: Dog parks are about the worst place for a meet and greet for dogs. There’s usually too much going on, and frenetic energy from other dogs and people that will negatively affect your introductions.

FOR CATS: Many you will meet in a quiet room, so ideally you will meet in a place where they are comfortable. A quiet room, or possibly at your home.

Whom
Encourage the new home to bring all of their family members, and especially including other dogs they might have. How your dog gets on with these other furry family members could largely determine the success or failure of a new home arrangement. For details on introductions:

For dogs, we recommend you read the Best Friends resource on dog introductions.
For more about introducing dogs and cats, read Best Friends resource on cat/dog introductions.

It’s a Fit – The Paperwork
Once you’ve decided to re-home your pet with a family we strongly encourage families to use a Re-homing Agreement in order to document the exchange. In most states around the country dogs are considered “personal property” and it’s smart to have a written record of the transfer. Your pets new family also may also need written proof of the exchange in order to transfer pet ownership of a microchipped dog. Some sample forms may be found here: Cat Re-Home Contract, Dog Re-Home Contract

Saying Goodbye – What to Expect
We know that saying goodbye to a family friend isn’t easy. But we also know this as a time of relief, gratitude and excitement for your pet going into a new family better able to meet his needs.

After Adoption
Our experience is that any significant issues, challenges or incompatibilities generally surface within the first 2 weeks after re-homing. Understand that this possibility might exist, and consider whether you would be able to bring your friend back home if things don’t work out. If yes, we suggest a follow up call to the adopting person/family to see how things are going.

For more information on re-homing a pet, please visit Best Friends Re-homing Page.

Welcome to the Chance Shelter Re-homing Page. Here you will find a variety of information that will, hopefully, help guide you through this difficult decision.

Chance Shelter understands that there are many reasons that you may need to re-home your pet. While we very much care about your situation, Chance Shelter is not a public intake facility, our primary mission is to work with pets in emergency situations.

Before you Re-home your pet?

Before you re-home, ask yourself why you want to get rid of your pet. Knowing the reason is the first step. If you really want to be able to keep your pet but feel helpless, perhaps there is a way that Chance Shelter or another organization could help keep your pet?

Behavior Issues If your pet has a behavior issue, perhaps one of our dedicated volunteers that is skilled in training animals can provide the right training tips to break your pet of the unwanted behavior.

When searching for a rental for you and your pets, consider the following:

“Sell” your pet (and yourself!) to a new landlord by suggesting a meet-and- greet with you and your pet. You might also offer to provide references from your pet’s veterinarian and/or from your previous landlord.

When you have received approval for your pet from the manager or owner of the property, be sure this is included in your written rental document

With any new move, make sure your pet’s ID tags and microchip information are current.

Pet Medical Issues Do you want to keep your pet, but your pet has a medical issue that is outside of your financial means?

Did you get a second opinion?

Did you know that there are low cost spay/neuter programs and vaccinations clinics available?

https://spayaz.com/

https://www.drkellysmobilevet.com/

Would a one-time financial assist help? At times, Chance may be able to work with a local veterinarian or provide minor financial assistance to help you and your pet through a crisis. Click here to send an email.

Military Deployment? For those in the military and faced with deployment, we recommend an online service – Dogs on Deployment – to help you find a long term foster home to care for your dog while you’re away.

If none of these situations applies to you, and you are simply unable to care for your pet, we understand, so we want help you responsibly place your pet.

Ready to re-home?

Whatever your reason is, if you are ready to re-home your pet, make sure you are ready and willing to dedicate the time it will take to find your pet a new forever home. We all lead very busy lives, and taking the time to find a good home for a pet isn’t always quick or easy.

To help you better understand the process and get started here are some sample forms that you may find helpful:

Re-Home Application, which will help you with good questions to ask an applicant

Pet Information Sheet, which will allow you to provide helpful information about your pet to his/her new family.

Cat Re-Home Contract, Dog Re-Home Contract which you can ask the adopting family to sign.

Preparing to Re-Home

Obtain several photos of your pet. Be careful to get a close up of their face and eyes. Then get all angles including while they are playing or sleeping.

Complete the Pet Information Sheet

Obtain copies of Veterinary Records, by contacting your pet’s veterinarian. This is also an opportunity to explain what you are thinking and see if they have additional suggestions.

Decide what accessories you will send with your pet – leash, collar, food bowl, litter box, toys etc.

List your pet Your own Facebook page – sometimes your friends and family are the best way to find a new forever home for your pet. Or, if that is not an option or you have already tried that avenue, you may want to list your pet on a reputable re-homing site, some examples:

https://re-home.adoptapet.com/

https://re-homeyourpets.com/

NOTE: If you are a Surprise, AZ resident or live in a neighboring community Chance Shelter will courtesy post your pet on Facebook. Click here to email the Re-homing Committee for assistance. (INSERT LINK TO EMAIL Christine.Barksdale@chanceshelter.org)

Think You Found a New Forever Home? Once you have found a potential new home for your pet the next steps can happen over a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Here’s a basic road map on how things could go after that first contact.

First Impressions Review the adopter’s message carefully to see if there’s a basic fit. If yes, send the Re-home Application to the interested party. If they are truly interested, they will have not problem taking the time to answer all of your questions.

It Seems Like a Fit, Start the Conversation If there’s the possibility of a good fit here, you can reply back with a first round of specific questions, provide email and or a phone number to continue to dialogue further. Some great questions to ask include:

What in particular appeals to you about my dog/cat?

How would you envision spending time with “Pet’s Name”? What activities? Dog park, traveling, cuddling on the couch, hiking, etc…

When you travel, who would care for “Pet’s Name” while you’re away?

WHERE TO START?

Ask the adoptive family for references to call on as part of the re-homing process. 3 references is a good number:

1 “pet professional” – like a vet, groomer or dog care professional

2 friends or family members, or neighbors who know the adopters well

For some families this may be their first pet, in which case you will need to rely on references from Friends and Family.

Before you make your calls, have a list of questions ready!! Let them know you will need about 10-15 minutes of their time.

QUESTIONS FOR PET PROFESSIONALS

Begin your call by explaining about possibly re-homing your dog to the client and request a few minutes of the vet tech or office manager’s time. Questions you might ask include:

How long has “the Smith Family” been a client?

Have you ever known them to delay reasonable care or treatment for any reason?

Are they current on vaccinations?

Are their current pets fixed or microchipped (no judgments here, but generally shows good care and concern for their pets)?

Describe your dog briefly… ask if they would consider their client’s home a successful environment for such a dog.

NOTE: If there are pets already (or previously) in the family’s life but no veterinary care reference of any kind, this should be a red flag

QUESTIONS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

We have always had positive, good reception on the other end around these phone calls – and expect that you will too. Questions that you might ask:

Do you know where do their current pets sleep at night (indoors/outdoors)?

Do you know if the they have ever surrendered a pet to a shelter, and if so do you know the circumstances why?

Do you know if they travel a lot? When they do travel do they take their pets with them or do they have a kennel or in home care provider?

Do they have other pets now, or have had them in the past, and what can you share with me about this?

TO CONSIDER – FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Every re-homing family will have different ideals of what’s the right fit for their pet. Think about your own ideals before these phone calls. Knowing this information will help to guide you with the conversations.

If you have doubts or uncertainties after these conversations, you should consider ending the inquiry. Thank the family for their interest, and let them know nicely that knowing your dog’s needs as you do, that your dog just might not be a good fit for their particular home.

When and Where You should plan for at least 30 to 60 minutes together.

FOR CATS: Many you will meet in a quiet room, so ideally you will meet in a place where they are comfortable. A quiet room, or possibly at your home.

Whom Encourage the new home to bring all of their family members, and especially including other dogs they might have. How your dog gets on with these other furry family members could largely determine the success or failure of a new home arrangement. For details on introductions:

For dogs, we recommend you read the Best Friends resource on dog introductions. For more about introducing dogs and cats, read Best Friends resource on cat/dog introductions.

Saying Goodbye – What to Expect We know that saying goodbye to a family friend isn’t easy. But we also know this as a time of relief, gratitude and excitement for your pet going into a new family better able to meet his needs.

For more information on re-homing a pet, please visit Best Friends Re-homing Page.

Behavior Issues
If your pet has a behavior issue, perhaps one of our dedicated volunteers that is skilled in training animals can provide the right training tips to break your pet of the unwanted behavior.

Pet Medical Issues
Do you want to keep your pet, but your pet has a medical issue that is outside of your financial means?

Think You Found a New Forever Home?
Once you have found a potential new home for your pet the next steps can happen over a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Here’s a basic road map on how things could go after that first contact.

First Impressions
Review the adopter’s message carefully to see if there’s a basic fit. If yes, send the Re-home Application to the interested party. If they are truly interested, they will have not problem taking the time to answer all of your questions.

It Seems Like a Fit, Start the Conversation
If there’s the possibility of a good fit here, you can reply back with a first round of specific questions, provide email and or a phone number to continue to dialogue further. Some great questions to ask include:

When and Where
You should plan for at least 30 to 60 minutes together.

Whom
Encourage the new home to bring all of their family members, and especially including other dogs they might have. How your dog gets on with these other furry family members could largely determine the success or failure of a new home arrangement. For details on introductions:

For dogs, we recommend you read the Best Friends resource on dog introductions.
For more about introducing dogs and cats, read Best Friends resource on cat/dog introductions.

Saying Goodbye – What to Expect
We know that saying goodbye to a family friend isn’t easy. But we also know this as a time of relief, gratitude and excitement for your pet going into a new family better able to meet his needs.