Re-homing a pet

Updated: February 23, 2022
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Keep your pet if you can.  There are more pets than homes.

Some rescue groups and no-kill shelters will take back any
animal adopted from them.  If yours is from such a group,
and you trust them, contact them first.

In the Austin area, try other groups listed on the
Thundering Paws website, 
http://www.thunderingpaws.org/rescue/rescue-groups
Not all of them take owner-surrendered animals.

Be wary of any person or group that will readily take your
animal. 

Try other groups listed on http://PetFinder.com.
Look under Shelters & Rescues on that website.
Both no-kill and "open-intake" (kill) shelters are listed there.

Search for rescue groups and shelters by zip code at
http://theshelterpetproject.org/shelters

A list of no-kill rescues is at http://www.nokillnetwork.org

If your animal is a specific breed, it might help to
look for a group that specializes in that breed.
For cats, there are rescues that specialize in
Siamese, Persian, Maine Coone, and others.
Blue-eyed cats are considered part-Siamese.

The AKC has links to rescue groups for some of their breeds:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/

Search for rescue groups in the Best Friends Network:
http://bestfriends.org/our-work/supporting-network-partners/network-partners

Privately-run no-kill shelters need adopters, money, and
volunteers. They are usually full, and often cannot
take in more animals.  Many will turn you down, or just won't
answer. Sometimes it helps to offer a large donation, if you
can afford it.

Responsible people know their own limits, and that's why
they might not take your animal.

Some city or county shelters are very likely to euthanize
the animal.  They are dealing with limited resources and
large numbers of abandoned and surrendered pets.
Sometimes they make little effort to find animals new homes,
and some are not careful enough to use humane methods of
euthanasia.

Any potential adopter, shelter, or rescue group will want a
description. Include age, behavior around other animals,
things that your pet likes/dislikes, whether spayed or
neutered, whether current on vaccinations, and photos. For
dogs, include the breed if known, and estimated size in
pounds.

On behavior problems, see 
DDFL behavior help services, ASPCA cat behavior and dog behavior, 

On aggression in cats, see
Cornell Feline Health Center
and
http://www.petfinder.com/pet-training/cat-aggression-part-1.html
and write to me for more good sources of information.

Concerning aggression in dogs,
http://www.petfinder.com/pet-training/why-dogs-bite.html

Regarding human allergies to pets, see the advice from
the ASPCA

General advice on rehoming, and from Best Friends Animal Society --
Rehoming a Dog or Cat

Carefully screen any potential adopters, to avoid
cruelty, intentional or not, to the animal.

You might be able to advertise at your veterinarian.

Try posting to
http://rehome.adoptapet.com

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Specific shelters in Central Texas
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The Austin Animal Center (AAC), the municipal shelter for
the City of Austin and Travis County, is located on Levander
Loop in Austin Texas. They accept animals from all of Travis
County. AAC calls itself "no-kill" because in recent years
(2012-2022) less than 10% of animals have left by being killed.
Their policy on surrendering an animal is described at
http://www.austintexas.gov/department/surrendering-pet.


The Hays County shelter, in San Marcos, is called 
San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter.  As of February 2022,
their statistics on intakes and outcomes are posted online.
Their policy on surrendering an animal is at 
https://sanmarcostx.gov/1559/Surrendering-a-Pet.


Austin Humane Society:
Surrendering a pet
By appointment only. Austin Humane Society (AHS) is a
no-kill cat and dog shelter at 124 W. Anderson Lane in
Austin, TX. They are not the same as Austin Animal Center
(see above).

Texas Humane Heroes humaneheroes.org.
You can surrender a pet to them ONLY if adopted from them.
They are in Leander, TX and Killeen, TX.

The Williamson County Regional Animal Center
(http://pets.wilco.org) is the "open intake" shelter in 
Williamson County. They are in Georgetown. Their statistics on 
intakes/outcomes are posted online; look under "About" on their
website.

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