Getting Ready to Rehome Your Pet

Call the person you got the pet from

First call the breeder, rescue, or person you originally got your pet from. Responsible breeders will either assist you in finding a new home or take the pet back to rehome themselves. Many rescues have in their contracts that the pet is to be returned no matter how much time has passed.

If the pet can not be returned - evaluate your pet's adoption potential

You need to be realistic - older pets, large breed dogs, pets with health issues or those who are unfriendly towards strangers usually take a long time to find a new home, possibly many months. Realise that a new home won't happen immediately.

Work out who you're looking for

Make a list of what you feel is most important for your pet. What kind of environment does he need? Is he ok with children? Other pets? What kind of people would he need?

Once you have a firm idea of what you're looking for, it will be easier to plan your search and get the results you want.

Getting Your Pet Ready

The first step in rehoming your pet is to have your pet desexed.

There is a million dollar pet-production industry in Australia that gets it's breeding 'stock' by duping people out of their unsterilised animals and breeding them for profit. They receive little or no medical care, are kept penned and are over-bred until deemed unusable and are disposed of.

These people target both cross-breed and purebred pets, but especially sought are small breeds like maltese and popular breeds such as labradors.

You can be certain your pet does not meet this fate easily and eliminate all bogus callers by having your pet desexed and advertising it at such.

If you are unable to afford the cost of desexing, there are many organisations offering discount programs. Visit the National Desexing Network for more information.

Health Check

While he is at the vet he should receive a full check up and get up to date on his shots (and for dogs heartworm). Your pet will be much more appealing to adopters if he's healthy.

Ask your vet for a printout of his medical history and start a folder of information about your pet.

Prepare a General History

You should also prepare a general history of the pet. Include as much information as possible about the pet's likes and dislikes, current food preferences and favorite treats, relationship to other animals, and preferred types of toys.

All this information will help the adopter get acquainted with the pet and make the transition easier on the pet.

Grooming

Groom your pet - a bathed pet with trimmed nails and clean ears is much more desirable to potential adopters than a smelly one.

Take a great picture

After you've groomed your pet, take his photo to use in posters and on websites. Since photos help potential adopters connect with your pet, make sure the pet is relaxed and that the animal doesn't look anxious or scared.

Keep the photograph simple and use your hand or some other item in the photo to show the pet's size. Ideally the animal should be looking at the camera, with a focus on the face of the pet (don't use photos with red eye as it makes the pet look possessed!).

Adoption fee

Set an adoption fee. You can't expect the new owner to pay the same price for a 'used' pet as they would for a brand new puppy or kitten - but it helps ensure that they are really ready for the cost of pet ownership. A reasonable range might be between $75-150, which helps offset your advertising and veterinary costs. If they aren't willing to pay an adoption fee or complain that it is too high - will they spend the necessary dollars if the dog has a minor injury or illness?

Never include the phrase 'free to good home' in your advertisement -
even if you're not planning to charge a fee.
You will attract people looking for a free pet to on-sell themselves for a profit.

Continue to page 4 of this article - Advertising Your Pet