What To Do If You Can No Longer Keep Your Pet?
There are many things that you need to consider before you decide to surrender your pet to a shelter. Millions of pets are surrendered each year for a variety of reasons. The primary reasons that lead a person to surrender a pet are either medical or behavioral related. It is important to know that you have options when you are surrendering a pet. Those options center around solutions that would allow you to keep your pet or solutions regarding where your pet will go if you cannot keep them.
Keeping your Pet – Before you Give Up
One of the primary reasons that people choose to get rid of a dog or cat is bad behavior. It is very important to note that almost every dog is trainable. Even if you need to enlist the help of a qualified trainer, chances are with the right techniques you can break the bad habits that are leading you to despair. There are also many training tools that you can purchase online or in a pet store that may help curb some negative habits.
If your pet’s medical expenses are overwhelming and this has led you to consider surrendering your pet you are not alone. Veterinarian expenses are unmanageable for many pet owners. Before you get rid of your pet consider purchasing pet insurance to defer the veterinarian expenses you incur annually. If you are in a current crisis you may consider applying for financing through Care Credit for your veterinarian expenses. Additionally, many vets will also allow payment arrangements if you are struggling to avoid medical care for your pet. You can also launch a GoFundMe campaign and promote it via Social Media sites.
Pet Surrender Options
What to do if you can no longer keep your pet? Contrary to popular belief you do have options when you surrender a pet. Many people are under the false illusion that you can only surrender a pet at the local pound or shelter. The fact is, many organizations take unwanted pets or pets that need to be placed in new homes. You just need to do a little research to find the ideal place to surrender your pet.
The first thing to look for when you are considering surrendering your pet is an organization that does not euthanize. Many shelters and pounds euthanize pets when they have no room for them, so it is important to ask about an organization’s policy before leaving your pet with them.
You can also look for breed or species specific rescue groups. Often if you are having a behavior problem this is your best option. Breed specific groups will foster and train unruly dogs before placing them in a new home.
Tatiana is a Los Angeles, CA based dog care and behavior counselor with 26 years of experience working with dogs and their families. She holds a M.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Animal Behavior.