Affordable Pet Food Programs

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Many suppliers of pet food and supplies offer manufacturer’s coupons!

You can find petrelated manufacturer’s coupons from Coupon.com and Walmart.

Additionally, TheKrazyCouponLady has lists of coupons for cat products and dog products.

 

 

Why DIY Rehome? 

 

Competition 

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Even in a “no-kill” shelter environment, your pet will be alongside many other pets, all waiting for homes. Shelters can be noisy and frightening, and sometimes excellent pets aren’t able to show their best qualities to the people who’ve come to choose a new companion.  If your pet isn’t the most beautiful, the best behaved, and the closest-to-perfect one in the whole facility, he may very well get overlooked and repeatedly passed by. Time in frightening, noisy environments is hard on pets, and the longer they spend in kennels wondering where their families are, the more stress they can experience. Stress can cause unattractive behaviors, and unattractive behaviors can cause stressed animals in shelters to continue to be passed over. For some pets, ending up in a shelter – even a really great shelter – can turn into a vicious cycle in a competition they become less and less likely to win. 

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If you look for a new family for your own pet, he can stay with you during the process, and the people who come to see him are interested in meeting him. If all goes well and the adoption takes place, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with meeting the people who are bringing your pet into their lives, and your pet can have the peace of mind that comes with staying out of the shelter system altogether. 

Owners know pets best.  Nobody in the world knows your pet better than you do. You know his favorite foods, his feelings about vacuum cleaners, and which television shows he likes best. You know where he likes to be scratched, how he likes to be spoken to, and what sorts of mischief he gets into when he’s bored. You’ve been your pet’s family for as long as he’s known you, and so you’re more qualified than anyone else to know what he’s going to need from his new human friends. 

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Space is limited! Many shelters operate on an Open Admission basis, which means they don’t turn any incoming animals away, regardless of how much space there is to house them in the facility. Sadly, many animals are euthanized in order to make room in the kennels and cages for the new arrivals. In Virginia and North Carolina, shelters are required to keep stray animals for three days before choosing what step they’ll take next in their journey, but if an animal is surrendered by his legal owner, the law does not require any “hold time” at all. Because these shelters are obligated to make sure the pets in the community that have been picked up as strays have a place to stay while their families try to locate them, it’s possible that on a busy day in a busy shelter, pets surrendered by their owners might be euthanized before ever being placed in a kennel, since they’re not lost and nobody is going to come searching for them. 

If you know you can’t keep your pet forever, please consider going through the rehoming process yourself instead of bringing him into the shelter system. Surrendering him may cost him his life almost immediately, or, perhaps another healthy, adoptable animal will have to lose her life because she’s come to the end of her 3rd day, and the shelter wants to put your dog in her kennel.

 

DIY Rehoming Tips – When you can’t keep your pet First - Where Did You Adopt Your Pet? 

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Lake Country SPCA requires that the pet be returned to them. If your pet was adopted from a breeder or rescue, reach out to them first to ask about their pet retention resources and their return policies. Breeders may also have a list of individuals interested in adopting an adult dog from their breeding program. 

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How to Network Your Pet and Utilize Social Media 

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• Ask friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers if they or anyone they know would be able to take in your pet, either to adopt or even to foster temporarily while you find a more permanent solution. 

• Create eye-catching flyers to promote your pet to potential adopters and ask if you can post them in vet’s offices, pet stores, or other high-traffic community areas. 

• Some rescues can post courtesy listings for owned pets that are in need of new homes. Contact rescues in your area to ask about sharing your pet’s information. 

• If your pet is not already spayed/neutered and up to date on vaccinations, consider having these things done prior to rehoming. Pets who are spayed/neutered, fully vaccinated, and microchipped are considered more “adoption-ready” and may be more attractive to potential adopters. 

• Write public posts to your Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter accounts advertising your pet, including pictures & a short written profile of your pet. Be sure to specifically request that readers share your post with their own social networks! 

• Write posts in Facebook groups for pet rehoming in your area. These can sometimes be called “rehoming networks” and may be helpful for finding short-term foster as well. 

• Great pictures can make a huge difference for catching the eyes of interested adopters! You can read about basics for taking good pictures of your pet, and view some before-and-after examples of pet photography. HeartsSpeak has some free resources for photographing pets and writing pet bios. 

 

Online Rehoming Websites 

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Online adoption services can be a much safer alternative to classified advertising. The websites listed below allow you to post your pet as available for adoption where they can be seen by millions of potential pet adopters, and some even provide adoption contracts, free vet exams for adopters, and matchmaking services. 

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Rescueme.org allows you to promote your pet online with a self-published profile & pictures and allow interested adopters to find your pet by searching by breed and location. 

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Rehome is a service provided by Adopt-A-Pet with support from the Petco Foundation. With this site, you can create a pet profile, review applications, meet potential adopters, and finalize your pet’s adoption with a provided adoption contract. 

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Get Your Pet is an online service that connects owners with interested adopters and provides guidance on careful vetting, tips on what to ask, where to meet, and even lists participating veterinarians who will provide a free pet exam upon adoption. Screening Potential Adopters When searching for potential adopters for your pet, it’s important to ask the right questions to ensure adopters will provide a loving home and have an environment that is well-suited to your pet. Be open and honest about any medical/behavioral considerations your pet may have. In the links below, you can find suggestions for what sorts of questions to ask potential adopters and how to ensure their home will be a good fit and their intentions are good. You should not rehome your pet to a family if you are not completely comfortable about being a good fit. 

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Here is a list of questions to ask a possible adopter.  Here's what you'll want to know:

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• Do they have experience caring for this type of pet? Otherwise, are they well-researched and understanding of the responsibility involved?

• What kind of life will your pet have with its new owners? Will it have daily exercise, appropriate food, regular vet care? How much time will it spend in a crate or in the yard alone? Will they view it as a member of the family or just a dog/cat?

• What will they do if it gets sick, or tears up their house, or doesn't get along with their other pets? Get’s along with other family members?

• Do they have experience or a plan for your pet's breed or specific needs?

• How do they plan to train it? What are their views on discipline?

• If they have cats, dogs, or children, will they get along with your pet and vice versa?

• Consider asking for their current veterinarian's contact information as a reference.

• Ask open-ended questions and really listen to the answers. Be non-judgmental and you will get more honest answers.

• Be sure to discuss a backup plan in case they realize shortly after adopting that the pet is not the right fit. Would they attempt to rehome, surrender to a shelter, or just let the pet loose outside? If possible, consider offering to take the pet back into your care in this circumstance. 

• Remember, you know your pet better than anyone and are in the absolute best position to advocate for them and find safe and appropriate placement for them.

 

NEVER advertise a pet as “free to a good home”. In order to prevent your pet from being taken by someone who may treat them inhumanely or use them in illegal activity, you should always conduct an interview with the adopters (in person, via zoom meeting) and ask for a small rehoming fee as part of the adoption process. 

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• If possible, ask adopters if you can visit their home to see where your pet will be living and ensure that the environment is appropriate for them to live there happily. 

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• Consider asking interested adopters for their veterinarian’s name to contact as a reference. 

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• You may wish to ask for a copy of their photo identification, such as a driver’s license, for future reference.