Rehoming your dog or puppy
Giving up your puppy or dog is a decision that no one wants to make, but sometimes you can feel like there’s no other option. Your life plans can change, you can move into a new accommodation and your financial situation can be affected.
Other problems that owners may face could be behavioural problems with their pets, and this needs to be considered when a baby is brought into a family.
In the last few weeks, there has been a 35% increase in the number of calls related to giving up their dogs, according to Dogs Trust.
The main reason for the calls had been said that owners had changed their position on owning their pets post-lockdown, due to returning to work and not having time to care properly.
Coping with guilt
Feeling guilty about rehoming your dog or puppy is a normal feeling, but this will get better. Instead of thinking about what you could’ve done better, think about the positive out of this.
Your pet will go on to find a new family who are currently in a better position to care and they will be thankful for you doing the best you could’ve done, and that you were able to take responsibility and find them a new home where they will be loved and cared for!
Your Options
Regardless of the reasons that you are giving up your pet, there are a number of options that you can take.
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Contact the original seller to see if they would take them back
Some sellers may consider taking back their dog if you are unable to care for them anymore. This option should be considered as it will take a quick call and usually leads to a yes or no answer. By rehoming your pet this way, you know that the seller is a responsible owner of dogs, as they were the ones who allowed their dog to be sold to you, and you can feel safe that they will be able to find a new suitable owner.
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Contact a local pet shelter
If contacting the seller leads to disappointment, don’t stress, it’s not the only option. The most popular route when rehoming is giving up your dog to a local pet rescue and shelters. These rescue centres have all the resources they need to make sure that your pet is in safe hands and looked after well.
Not only do the shelters and rescue centres have the resources to ensure that the dog or puppy is looked after, they have a thorough process that they use to make sure that the pet will go to the right home, with the right people.
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Private selling
Another option to rehome your dog is to sell privately by offering them to people you know in your area, or via a pet selling website (such as foreverpuppy.co.uk). Rehoming your pet this way comes with a lot of responsibility, and you should always make sure you’re selling to the right person. One tip from us is to not advertise your puppy as “free to a good home”, as this can attract the wrong type of owners, such as resellers who have no interest in keeping your dog. Attaching a price to your pet can deter these types of people.
You should also make an effort to complete a homecheck of the new owners, to make sure that their home is fit for a new member. This can also be used to check that the family is well suited to their potential new pet.
You can list your dog for rehome or puppies for sale here.
Whether or not you use our services, or get help from others, you’ve taken the right step in helping your pet find their new forever home.
Here are some organisations that offer rehoming services and advice:
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/giving-up-your-dog/
https://www.rspca.org.uk/findapet/rehomeapet