25/10/2025
Rehome your Pet over Shelter Surrender. This is the best way to rehome your pet and nationwide becoming best practices in Animal Welfare and Sheltering.
Animal Shelters and Foster Based Rescues are at Capacity in our community, in the state and nationally, this is a ongoing situation.
If you cannot keep your pet you need to take action on your own to rehome directly.
A reminder that as a community we need to eliminate judgement on individuals who need to rehome their pet and instead be helpful and supportive with resources.
How to Safely Rehome Your Pet:
1. Reach Out to Your Network
Connect with trusted friends, family, and neighbors who might be interested in adopting or know potential adopters. Personal connections often lead to the best outcomes since you already know and trust these individuals.
2. Leverage Online Resources
- Share detailed posts on social media platforms, especially in local community and pet rehoming groups
- Utilize dedicated rehoming websites like Adopt-a-Pet, Home-to-Home, Find Benji
- Include high-quality photos and information about your pet
- Ask your network to share your posts to increase visibility
-Share frequently and update photos and video of your pet
- Links to these Rehoming platforms in the comments
4. Create a Complete Pet Profile
Document essential information including:
- Age, breed, weight and physical characteristics
- Personality traits
- Medical history and vaccination records
- Dietary needs and preferences
- Activity level (Couch potato, Triathlon or somewhere in between)
- Cues they know
- Favorite activities, toys, enrichment
- Behavioral quirks or special needs
- Compatibility with children, other pets, or specific living situations
- Ideal home and environment for your pet
5. Screen Potential Adopters
- Arrange meet-and-greets in a comfortable, neutral setting
- Ask about their pet history
- Discuss their living situation and lifestyle (other pets, children, elderly, busy or quiet and routine home)
- Verify their ability to provide proper care
- Trust your instincts about potential matches
6. Support the Transition
- Provide familiar items (toys, bedding, food) to ease the adjustment
- Share detailed care instructions and routines
- Transfer medical records and microchip information
- Remain available for questions and support during the initial weeks and potentially longer, perhaps you can assist with pet sitting in the future
- Consider a trial period before finalizing the adoption
Key Considerations
- Start soon rather than later 24 hours, a week, even 2 weeks is not enough time to rehome a pet
- Prioritize your pet's well-being over a quick placement
- Be transparent about any behavioral or health challenges
- Document the transfer of ownership in writing (Rehoming platforms such as Rehome by Adopt a Pet provide adoption materials)
- Understand that adjustment periods are normal for pets in new homes
Remember, taking time to find the right match is crucial for both your pet's future happiness and your peace of mind. A thoughtful, thorough rehoming process helps ensure a successful transition to a new loving home.