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Need to find a new home for your pet? |
| We would urge you to do everything you can to keep your pet and
if that is not possible, try to find a new home through friends and
family, and only as a last resort relinquish your pet to a shelter.
Please do not dump your pet at an apartment complex thinking someone will take it in, or along a rural road. Abandoned animals (i.e., dumped dogs and cats) usually do not find their way into caring homes. Instead they are often subject to lack of food and/or water, exposure to extreme heat and cold, or human cruelty if not killed on the streets. Abandoned animals starve or become ill in a short period of time. If you think that dumping your dog or cat in a community–rural or urban–is a good alternative to taking him to the shelter, please, think again. If you have reached a point in which you have exhausted all means to re-home your animal, please feel free to contact us. But please read the following first: I don’t have time for my pet anymore If you’re concerned that your pet is lonely because of your busy schedule, consider getting another pet. And if you live in an apartment and think Fido must have a yard, don’t worry. Happily, daily walks suffice for most breeds. Owners who have yards find their dogs spend the bulk of their day sleeping in the space, not gallivanting around it. Many people assume that their pet will be happier elsewhere. Sadly, they’re often wrong. Adjusting to a new home can cause stress, which in turn can cause separation anxiety, fearfulness, destructiveness and other behavioral issues. These problems may lead the pet’s new owner–the person you thought would solve your problem — to likewise abandon the animal as well. Consider a Pet Sitter or Doggie Day Care. They can be affordable and your dog can have loads of fun playing and come home exhausted! Do you have a neighbor or a responsible child available for a small fee? Maybe they would like the extra money and enjoy walking your dog. I am moving and cannot take my pet. If you search hard enough, you can always find an apartment or
temporary housing that will allow pets! There are many apartment
complexes that allow animals. Through http://www.dfwapartmentguide.com and http://www.rent-dallas-apartments.com you can submit a search form and they can let you know which apartments are pet-friendly for the Dallas / Ft. Worth and surrounding communities area. Please visit http://www.hsus.org/ace/11819 and http://www.petrent.net for links to sites that list pet-friendly apartments around the country. There is also http://www.peoplewithpets.com which provides valuable links to pet products and services for your dog, cat, rabbit, snake, bird, etc, including a pet-friendly apartment directory. I’ve had a baby, and I cannot keep my pet Yes, it can be more challenging and more work. People often abandon pets for behavioral problems that could have been solved with help from a trainer and a commitment of time and effort by the owner. Toxo plasmosis is not a real threat, but if you are concerned you can always have you’re animal tested for it. Consider putting up a baby gate to keep your dog confined to certain areas when the child is awake. Also, studies show that children who grow up with two or more pets have less allergy related problems. If the dog is exhibiting behavioral problems, consider consulting with an animal trainer/behaviorist. Remember, you took responsibility for your pet before you had your child. Would you re-home your first child when you have another baby? Do you have friends or family who could temporarily take the pet until your child is older? My pet’s behavior is disruptive Most behaviors can be redirected to positive activities. Most poorly behaved dogs are simply unhappy dogs who are “acting out.” They are trying to get your attention; to tell you what is wrong. Most of these issues can be dealt with by crate training, obedience work, and time. These animals can be worked with and their place in your family preserved. Please let us assist by directing you to a personal or group training class. Please give your dog a chance and do the work necessary to keep him in your home. My pet is very old and/or very sick These animals are harder to find new homes for. Please understand that when these animals are taken to shelters, they are overlooked in favor of healthier, younger animals. This means that the animal sits in a kennel surrounded by concrete until it is put to sleep. If your animal is ill or older, please consider being with him/her while you and your vet humanely end his life (consult your veterinarian). My cat is spraying First, is there a reason your cat is upset? A new member of the family or a move? Time can make a difference. There are many great products available to help with this problem. We have heard favorable comments about Feliway which emits a hormone that calms the cat. This product is available at PETSMART. For problem spots, a swimming pool product called Pool Perfect is very effective at taking away odor. Mix it with water. Your local pet store has many products as well. Please try these products before giving up your pet and realize it could take a month to effectively work. You may also need to take your pet in for a check-up with your veterinarian to see if there may be an underlying medical condition that can be easily treated if your animal is displaying disruptive behavior or eliminating inappropriately. If you can give just a little extra time and effort, you will not only save the life of the pet that you took responsibility for, but the one in the shelter who would possibly have been euthanized to make room for yours. If you must re-home your pet, please contact the following shelters and rescue groups. At Paws in the City we work exclusively with the City of Dallas shelters at Forney Rd. and in Oak Cliff. We are dedicated to increasing their adoptions rates ( of almost 30,000 animals taken in each year, only 1900 are adopted) by providing off-site adopt-a-pets for them. Therefore we do not work with the public on re-homing their own pets or strays they have found. If we have animals in foster care, they come from the city shelters only. We do suggest when contacting these organizations that you consider keeping the animal in your home as a foster until a new home can be found (at least temporarily). Most rescue organizations and shelters are full but they would be happy to help you find a home by letting you bring the animal to their adopt-a-pet locations on weekends and posting the animal on their website and petfinder.org. They can usually help defray some of the costs of fostering as well as help you with screening potential new homes. Please have your animal spayed or neutered as soon as possible as it may increase the possibility a shelter will take in your animal….and please, please, never adopt your animal to someone without having it “fixed” first. Low cost and/or free spay-neuter is available at the HSUS Clinic (972 488 2964/ http://www.hsus.org) and through Spay Neuter Your Pet (http://www.wwoww.com/snyp) and the Metroplex Animal Coalition (214 343 3666/ http://www.metroplexanimalcoalition.com) If you do want to try to re-home your pet or a stray on your own, we highly suggest that you screen potential adopters thoroughly and charge an adoption fee of at least $50. There are people out there trying to make a buck and will look for FREE dogs and cats. They know just what to say and come across as very friendly animal lovers, but will turn around and sell that animal to a research lab or backyard breeder and the animal will live in deplorable conditions or worse, be killed, usually suffering. These people usually find their victims through ads in the paper for FREE dogs or cats. Here is a list of organizations to contact: Animal Rescue League Little Orphan Angels Treasured Friends Dog & Kitty City ( no kill shelter) Operation Kindness ( no kill shelter) SPCA of Texas ( shelter) Animal Refuge Foundation (sanctuary) Companion Pet Rescue DFW Humane Society of Irving ( shleter) East Lake Pet Orphanage Lexee’s Legacy Metroport Humane Society Serenity Springs Sanctuary Cat Specific Rescue Feral Friends Texas Cares Kittico Kool Kats Feline Rescue |