Thinking about giving up your dog or cat?

It’s the hardest decision you may ever face as a pet owner: Should you give up your beloved animal? Certainly no one enters into pet ownership expecting to have to make such a gut-wrenching choice. Sometimes, though, pet owners find themselves dealing with far more than they could have anticipated with their four-legged companions. If you can relate, you are not alone. Cats and dogs are surrendered to animal shelters every day by owners just like you. The good news is that many of these situations – perhaps even yours – can be prevented.

Reason #1: Finding pet-friendly housing

One of the biggest reasons pets are surrendered to shelters is a lack of pet-friendly housing. Maybe when you bought your puppy, you owned your own home – or lived in an apartment that allowed pets. Countless animals are just one move away from becoming homeless. Job transfers, divorces, and the ever-worsening economy can all force pet owners into a housing situation that makes keeping their animals a challenge at best.

If you find yourself in such a situation, the first step is searching for an apartment that will accommodate both you and your pet. Some landlords will consider allowing a single cat or dog (especially a small one) if the owner is willing to provide an additional security deposit to cover any damage that the animal may cause. You may also contact your local humane society to request a list of apartments that allow pets in your area.

An even quicker way to find pet-friendly rental property is by searching online. Several websites are dedicated to helping pet-owning tenants find a place to call home. These include HomeWithPets.com, PeopleWithPets.com, and PetsWelcome.com. Even Craigslist can lead you to new digs.

Reason #2: Pet allergies

Another common reason pets are surrendered is allergies. About 15% of the population is allergic to dogs or cats. Perhaps you have lived comfortably with your cat for years, but it is a new household member who is finding it difficult to share space with your pet. Believe it or not, approximately one-third of people who are allergic to cats live with at least one anyway.

If you are dealing with an allergy, take a few simple steps to make your home more comfortable for the allergy sufferer. Using a high-efficiency HEPA air cleaner and a vacuum cleaner with similar technology, for example, can remove an enormous amount of allergens. Bathing your pet weekly can reduces allergens on fur by as much as 84%. Think cats and baths don’t mix? Guess again. Even this landlubbing species can come to actually enjoy regular dips in the tub. Ask your vet to recommend a shampoo that won’t dry your pet’s skin.

Also, be sure to get the allergy sufferer to a doctor to confirm the allergy. Sometimes a person assumes that an allergy is pet related when in actuality the trigger is something else entirely. Dust, pollen, and cigarette smoke are other common culprits. If pet hair and dander are indeed the problem, ask if allergy medication could help.

Reason #3: Training and behavior issues

If behavior issues are causing you to consider surrendering your pet, help is literally just a phone call away. First, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out a physical cause for the problem. Many health issues can disguise themselves as behavioral problems. If a once litter box trained cat, for instance, is suddenly having accidents, he may be suffering from a bladder infection.

Once you have ruled out a physical cause, you can then get started on remedial training. Your vet can recommend a professional trainer or animal behaviorist in your area who can help with this. Dogs that bark or howl excessively or chew inappropriate items, for example, may be suffering from separation anxiety. As daunting as it might seem, this problem too can be resolved with a solid training strategy in place.

Reason #4: Aggression

If your dog is acting aggressively, you must take action immediately. No situation is more serious than this one, but even aggression can be corrected. As with other behavior problems, you must eliminate a physical cause for the problem before moving on to a behavioral approach. Many forms of aggression, however, can be resolved through careful training. Until the situation is under control, it is imperative that you limit your dog’s contact with others, particularly children.

The input of a professional trainer can make all the difference in reversing aggression. There are many different causes for canine aggression. A trainer can help you properly evaluate your dog’s situation – and give you a realistic idea of your chances for success. Oftentimes the problem isn’t as difficult to correct as owners fear.

When all else fails...

Sadly, surrendering a pet cannot always be avoided. If you cannot afford to keep your pet, you must consider what is best for him. Low-cost vaccination clinics and home grooming can cut costs tremendously, but every pet needs an annual checkup and preventive medications for deadly diseases like heartworm. Every cat and dog also needs to eat every day.

If you cannot keep your pet, check with family members, friends, and even coworkers to see if anyone would be willing to take your animal. As tempting as it might be to place a “Free to Good Home” ad for your pet, don’t go this route. Many insidious individuals answer these ads only to sell the pets to laboratories that offer cash for unwanted animals. Although they may seem like regular people, these despicable opportunists have perfected the art of deceiving pet owners in desperate situations. If you must advertise your pet, always ask at least a small price for it for this reason.

If your must give up your pet, the best place to turn is a rescue group. These organizations consist of volunteers who work to find new homes for animals while providing foster care and even training. Breed rescues exists for nearly every breed of dog and cat. Some even work with mixed breeds. You local humane society can direct you towards a rescue group for your pet, or you may find one by doing an online search.

If you adopted your pet through a breed rescue group, you probably signed a contract stating that you would relinquish the animal back to the rescue if at any point you could no longer care for it. Even if you know someone interested in adopting your pet, you must honor this agreement. Certainly you can tell the intake volunteer about the person who wants your pet, though.

Surrendering your pet to a shelter should always be your last resort. Most shelters simply cannot keep pets that are not adopted after a certain amount of time. They have little choice but to euthanize these animals. No-kill shelters may seem like a smart alternative, but since these facilities make such a long-term commitment to each animal they take, they must use the strictest criteria. If an animal is sick, old, or has an aggressive past, most no-kill shelters won’t accept it.

Sources

Berkeley East Bay Humane Society – “Surrendering Your Pet”.

Campbell-Thornton, Kim. “Pet Owners Skipping Vet Visits as Economy Sinks,” MSNBC, November 12, 2008.

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) – “13 Steps to Finding Animal-Friendly Rental Housing”.

HSUS – “Allergies to Pets”

Robert-Hamilton, Daphne, CPDT. “On Behavior,” The APDT Chronicle of the Dog, January/February 2006 Vol. XIV, No. 1 (Association of Pet Dog Trainers newsletter)