Giving up a Pet

Giving up a pet is often a really tough decision, which may well be out of your control. For many who surrender their pets, they are doing the responsible thing and putting their pet’s needs first. We don’t judge anyone for reaching the difficult decision to rehome a cat or dog.

If you have made the decision to give up your cat or dog, here’s what to expect.

Step 1 – Contact Us

Give us a call and we’ll take some details over the phone. Please note that we cannot accept every animal; for example, we are not in the best location to accept dogs that chase cars; also, as a small Shelter, we have very limited spaces for animals that need longer-term support and training. If we can’t help at the time, we’ll suggest other Shelters or organisations that may be able to.

Step 2 – Assessment

Our animal care team will contact you to gather more details about your pet. If we are able to help your pet, we will. We may wish to meet your pet to undertake an assessment in the home before making a decision. We may ask for your pet’s veterinary history and it is helpful if you can provide permission for us to request this from your vet. Provided we feel we can help your pet, we shall give you an appointment to bring your pet into Shelter.

Step 3 – Preparation

It is really helpful if you can ensure that your pet is fully vaccinated and is in date with flea/worming treatments before coming to Shelter. Please bring in any relevant paperwork, e.g. pedigree, vaccination records, etc. This is the time to take a moment to consider if rehoming is the right decision for you and your pet, as once you have surrendered your pet, it cannot normally be returned.

Step 4 – Bringing your pet to us

When you bring in your pet, we will ask you to sign some paperwork to transfer legal ownership to the Shelter. Some owners wish to know how their pet is settling in and we ask that you wait for 2-3 days before calling for an update. It’s only natural to worry, but we’ll take good care of your pet. You will be asked if you could make an intake donation towards the cost of veterinary checks/treatment and caring for and rehoming your pet.

Step 5 – What happens from then onwards?

Your pet will be health checked on arrival, and then given time to settle into new surroundings. Each day, every animal is assessed by staff and, where appropriate, a training plan is put in place. Our dog walkers will walk each dog 4 times a day and our cat cuddlers will provide play and attention for cats each day. All animals will be seen by our visiting vet on a Wednesday and booked in for any necessary treatment. Once the vet is happy that animals can be re-homed, they are advertised for adoption. From the enquiries for each cat or dog, we select the very best match and invite the prospective adopter for an appointment. If you wish, we can let you know when your pet is happily rehomed.