At the Windham County Humane Society we understand there are many reasons why a
pet owner may need to give up a pet -- from a change in housing or financial
situation, to animal behaviors that the owner feels he/she cannot accept or
modify. WCHS accepts pets surrendered by their owners without judgment. If you
are no longer capable of providing a home for your pet, we want to provide
him/her with a good home until we can find him/her an adoptive parent.
If you wish to surrender your pet to WCHS, DO NOT COME TO THE SHELTER WITH YOUR
PET BEFORE YOU HAVE MADE AN INTAKE APPOINTMENT WITH THE APPROPRIATE ANIMAL
SPECIALIST.
WCHS is not able to take in every pet, as we are limited by our
shelter and foster home capacity. If we are not able to take your pet at this
time, you will have the option to place your pet on our waiting list. We cannot
promise if or when we will be able to take pets from our waiting list. However,
we will contact you if we have space available.
Please contact our Feline Specialist (Keri Roberts at
keri.wchs@gmail.com) or our Canine Specialist (Anna Mefford at
anna.wchs@gmail.com) to see if we are
able to take in your pet at this time. If the specialist agrees to
accept your pet, please follow see our
Pet Surrender Process for your next steps.
If WCHS is full, another shelter or
rescue group may be able to take your pet. If all local shelters and rescue
groups are full, you should use the following tips to find a suitable home for
your pet on your own:
- Give yourself
as much time as possible - When it is clear that a
change in your living situation means that you must find a new home for your
pet, start spreading the word immediately. The more time you give yourself the
more likely you will be able to find a new home.
- Advertise
- You need to have as many people as possible hear about your pet. Some of the
best online resources are www.petfinder.com and
www.pets911.com. Another
really great on-line resource is www.craigslist.org in your town's pet
section. You might also consider actual classified ads in your local newspaper
or community paper.
- Great Photos
and Great Descriptions are the Key - It is critical to submit a
compelling photo and write a moving description of your pet for any on-line
advertising. There are literally hundreds of thousands of pets being
advertised on the internet; you need to make your pet stand out. Be very
detailed about all of the cute things your pet does, how important he or she
has been to you, etc.
- Always charge
an adoption fee - You NEVER want to offer your
pet "free to a good
home." Free pets are quite enticing to nefarious people who may be interested
in selling animals for medical research (yes, it still happens) and in general
a nominal fee is never an impediment to someone wanting to adopt your pet. If
you do not want the funds, you can always let the adopter know you will donate
their funds to a local shelter/rescue. A good minimum
adoption fee is $35 to $60.
- Send your
on-line ad out to friends and family - After you've created your
online ad on craigslist or a pet site, forward the ad to friends and family
and encourage them to forward it to their friends. Don't be embarrassed that
you are trying to find a new home for your pet; people will definitely
appreciate the level of care and concern that you are showing towards your
pet.
- Print your ad
and post it at vet offices and pet store bulletin boards - Many vet
offices and pet stores will allow you to post notices.
- Pre-screen
candidates and be selective -
Especially with outlets like Craigslist, you might get more than your share of
oddballs calling you. Have a simple set of questions ready concerning issues
of importance to you so you can screen out potential bad adopters. Questions
such as "Do you plan to declaw?" "What would you do if the pet gets sick?" "Do
you currently have a veterinarian?" "Do you have permission from your
landlord to own a pet?" etc.
- Follow up on
the adoption - Call the new adopter periodically after the adoption
to see how it's going. Ask them if there are any behaviors that they are
concerned about and offer help and suggestions.
