Finding a New Home for Your Pet

1. Pets that have had necessary veterinary care are the easiest to place. Is your pet up to date on shots? Has it been wormed and treated for fleas and heartworm? Has it been fixed? 

2. By far the easiest way to place a pet is by advertising in the paper. Most papers do not charge for free ads; they may limit you to one a month. Say if the pet is fixed, has current shots, house-broken, good with children.

Salisbury Post classified: 704 797-4220
Lexington  Dispatch: 336 249-1637 

3. Put up flyers, preferably with pictures, at local vets and anywhere with a bulletin board, e.g., post office, drug store, grocery store, library. 

4.  If you have a special breed, do a computer search for rescue groups in NC for that particular breed.

5.   Any one can post a classified ad on petfinder.com: http://www.petfinder.com/local.html

Don’t be fooled by “bunchers”! If someone shows up and wants more than one puppy, kitten or cat, there is a good chance they are selling them to dog fighters to use as bait!   Others sell them to research labs for experiments. They are often couples who may bring their kids or their mother along.  

Interview potential adopters on the phone before you let them into your home. Don’t waste your time talking to children; talk to the adult who will be responsible for the pet.
Does your landlord allow pets? Have they had pets before? What happened to them? What vet do they use? Is the dog going to be on a chain as a watchdog? Is it going to be in a small pet in the back yard alone all the time? Is the cat going to be put outside to be a mouser (and perhaps not fed or cared for)?  Is the cat going to be declawed? Declawed cats will bite if annoyed by children since they can’t put out a warning claw. They often get dumped outside where they cannot defend themselves. 

No-No’s:  Do not adopt young kittens to a home with children between the age of 2 and 5. They are not capable of distinguishing the difference between a living animal and a stuffed one, and far too often injure or kill the kitten. When — not if — the child gets scratched or bit, your pet might end up abandoned or at the pound.  

Do not adopt an animal to one person that is meant for someone else. It’s like having someone else adopt your child for you! Giving a pet for a gift is a very bad idea. Young adults move around a lot, frequently to apartments that don't allow pets. If you want a permanent home for your pet, avoid adopters below the age of 25.  

It might be better to deliver your pet to them so you see where they live and if it is suitable for your pet. Often people will tell you they have a fenced yard, or use a particular vet but it is not true. Check before they come, and have your excuse ready if you see it’s not going to work — “ Well, someone else is coming today, so I’ll have to call you back  about this.” 

Trust your gut. Your pet’s safety and happiness depends on the decision you make. 

By having the new owner sign an adoption agreement, you have the legal right to take the pet back if it is not being cared for as you would wish. Give them a copy of the agreement, but keep the signed copy for yourself. Here is a generic contract: click here to download