SURRENDERING YOUR PET
If there is a way we want to help you keep your pet!
Why do you feel you can't you keep your pet?
Moving - One of the most common reasons we hear from people surrendering their pets is that they’re moving and are unable to take their pets with them. Our first goal would be to help families figure out how to stay together. Start off by asking yourself, “Why can’t I take my pet with me?” Is it because the pet would have inappropriate living conditions, a costly pet deposit, or maybe an inability to find housing where pets are allowed? Let’s tackle each challenge. Inappropriate living conditions can often be overcome by finding a new exercise program for your furry friend. Consider frequent trips to the dog park, regular walks, doggy daycare, or hiring a responsible neighborhood teen to take your dogs out for a stretch. The old perception that large breed dogs cannot comfortable live indoors, or even in apartments, is simply not true. With a constructive exercise plan, large breed dogs can be quite happy. And if your living arrangements are only temporary, then it’s far better to make some healthy adjustments to your lifestyle than allowing a friend to wind up in a shelter. As an added bonus, you’ll also enjoy benefits from getting up off the couch and being more active.
Pet deposits can often be paid in payments; if you ask it might be an option. If you know you are going to move, try saving up some money in advance to help make the deposit easier to pay.
When searching for a place that will allow your pet, the Internet is your best friend (next to the one you are trying to keep with you). Simply run a search for “pet-friendly apartments” and a great selection comes up. If you have a large breed dog, especially a bully breed, take them to a training class to work on basic obedience and manners. Take your completion certificate with you when you apply for your new home. If your dog is well behaved or, even better, certified as a licensed therapy dog, it will be much easier to secure a pet-friendly home.
Can't Afford to Feed - Contact Halo Cafe for assistance, http://halocafe.org/Home_Page.html
I Have Too Many - We can possibly help with your numbers, but we can also help to spay & neuter the animals that you are planning to keep so that your numbers do not spiral out of control!
Lack of Training - ACT offers some behavior advice to individuals trying to find a way to resolve a problem. We offer a wonderful loving training approach and are dedicated to the well-being of our rescue friends. Most animal behaviors can be understood and corrected with dedication and the experience of a loving trainer. Understanding why your dog is doing certain things will help you to better understand how to correct it.
If you still can't keep your pet, please fill out our online surrender request form at the bottom of this page and someone will contact you as soon as we can your pet is approved or we have further questions. For the health and safety of all animals, ALL SURRENDERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF CURRENT VACCINES or get their pet vaccinated at least THREE DAYS PRIOR to surrendering the your pet. There are NO exceptions (this is for the safety of your pet). Vaccinations can be done at The HOPE Animal Foundation :http://www.hopeaf.com. Please note that we are limited to the amount of space we have in foster homes and in our shelter and cannot guarantee that we will be able to accept your pet(s). We take into consideration, the pets likelihood of adoption. We are not looking for a perfect pet by any means but they must be friendly with humans and other pets. Overcrowding in the shelter environment leads to high levels of stress and illness for pets. We may ask you to bring your pet in for an evaluation, at that time we will access your pet’s ability to meet new people and animals.
Strays
When you find a stay animal, the goal is to reunite the animal with their owner. A "reasonable effort" to find the owner includes: posting flyers, putting a found ad on websites like Craigslist and Facebook, placing a found ad in the Fresno Bee, and filling out a found report at any local animal control agencies in the area (make sure you check the bulletin boards and lost binder for a dog / cat fitting the description of the one you found). You should also make an effort to look through the "lost" sections on various websites and in the newspaper. It is never safe to assume that matted, thin, and/or dirty animals have owners that do not properly care for them. It does not take long on the streets for an animal to become in poor condition. Remember ID tags can come off, and animals can travel a long distance in a short period of time. The dog that initially appears neglected, may, in fact, have very loving owners who are searching desperately for them. In an animal shelter situation, the legal hold is 72 hours, but, as a private citizen trying to help a stray animal, your goal is to provide the animal with a safe place and enough time for the owner to locate them. There are no set legal requirements for a private citizen trying to find a stay dog / cat's owners; only that you make a "reasonable" and "good" effort to find the animal's owners. You are also not legally required to turn the animal into a shelter. However, the animal control agency can often provide the quickest way for an animal to be found, but it also puts the animal at great risk for being euthanized if they are not reclaimed.