 Surrender
FAQ
While obtaining a dog should be done with the same devotion as bringing a
child into the world, the reality is sometimes life brings us little
surprises – not all of them happy. If something has happened in your life
and you can no longer keep your small dog, SOS DOGS is here to find a new
home for your dog. While we primarily rehome Yorkies, Bichon Frise, Maltese
and Westies, we will also try to help with other small pure breeds that are
under 20 lbs.
Knowledge and extreme caution must be used when rehoming. Rescues have this
knowledge that the average person doesn't. Please DO NOT give a pet away free or a "small
adoption/rehoming fee" and Craig's list or similar site. There are people going
around (a pretend grandmother and granddaughter or fake
"perfect" families) getting free pets to sell for dog fighting, medical experiments or rituals. Small pets go for snake food!
There are even those who consider small animals a source of meat! These
people make their living getting these free pets and selling them. They can
get a few hundred from labs, etc. See the official NJ site telling you not to give a pet away here http://www.theanimalspirit.com/free.html
From the above article:
Beware of "bunchers!" A buncher is a person who either steals
or "adopts" for the purpose of selling the animal (e.g.
medical research labs, bait to train dogs for fighting
rings, breeding stock for puppy mills or catteries).
Bunchers can be very deceptive. They will sometimes use
children as part of the ploy and present themselves as a
perfect family. Beware of ads in the paper that say
something similar to: "Looking for a new home for your
pet? We can help. We will pick up your pet and find it a new
home. Call now!"
At the very LEAST, if you choose to find a home for your pet yourself, please go to the home, inspect it, talk to their vet and
neighbors to see if they chain dogs to trees, leave them out
in the cold, if pets come and go or if there is any other kind of abuse or
suspicious behavior. Don't just trust what
people tell you!!!! Bunchers are professional liars
and can make you believe anything. You must investigate
them. If you are unable to do this, find a rescue who will take your pet.
They make sure they go to safe, investigated homes and there
is no cost to you.
Here's an example of the notices we get all the time:
URGENT-Don't let this woman adopt!
Her name is Nancy XXXXX. She answers free to good home ads and sells
the animals to labs for experimentation. She admits to getting up to
$300 for a beagle. All I have is her name & email address. We are in the
process of trying to locating this evil woman. She is in New Jersey.
In order for SOS DOGS to rehome your dog, we must have information on the
dog and legal permission to do so. The information that we need is given to
us a SURRENDER form which is printable from this website under FORMS AND
APPLICATIONS. This one “form”
includes three pages: the Surrender Agreement, the Dog for Adoption Form,
and an information page to be given to the adopter. We also request a
picture and all paperwork and medical records pertaining to the dog.
- The Surrender Agreement is the legal surrender of the dog to
SOS DOGS. This makes SOS DOGS the legal owner and gives us the legal right
to then adopt the dog to new owners. You can write to us and we'll send you
one you can fill out right in the email, or there is a printable one on the
website that you can fax or scan and email.
- The Dog for Adoption form contains the basic information we
need to know enough about the dog to find the right home. The age, sex,
breed, medical status, behavior, like and dislikes and personality are all
important, as is the type of home the dog has experienced in the past. A
dog who is used to children might want a new home with children. A dog who
is used to being alone while the owner works can go to a working home,
while a dog who has never been alone cannot. We ask all the questions; all
you have to do is fill in the answers.
- The information page asks similar questions, but this page goes
to the new owner. It asks questions like whether or not the dog is used to
sleeping in a bed, jumping on furniture, if s/he likes baths, on and on.
Whatever will help the new owner to "get to know" the dog quicker is the
goal here.
- A photo of the dog is highly desirable. People are reluctant to
commit to an adoption without at least seeing the dog, and a photo makes
the process go faster and the adopter feel more comfortable.
- Medical records and all other paperwork pertaining to the dog
should be included with these forms. It should all be mailed as directed
on the form.
- A donation is appreciated, but not mandatory.
All of these above noted papers can be sent to you in an email and you can open
it, fill it in and email it right back. In this case, however, you would
have to print one page and mail it to us. That pages contains your legal
signature. You can also do the printed form from the website, then after
it's filled in, you can scan and email it or fax it. Write to us for the FAX
number. No additional signature page needed there. We will need 4 or 5 good
pictures of the dog and all medical records which your vet can also fax to us.
Once we received the signed Surrender Agreement, legally giving us the
right to place your dog, we will immediately survey our applicants to find
the right home for your dog. SOS DOGS has nearly 200 applicants ready and
waiting for dogs. We take only applicants who have a GREAT vet history, no large
dogs that can be a danger to small dogs and no small children, both of whom can hurt a small dog.
We will also post the dog, the description, picture and type of home
wanted on our website which brings in new applicants who have to meet the
same strict criteria for acceptance.
 First, we speak to their vet about the care they gave/have given current
or previous animals: Were all shots, etc., maintained? Was the dog in for
teeth cleaning and other extras? Were there any injuries indicating neglect?
If their dog died of an illness, did they take every step to provide care
for the dog while ill, like surgery, chemotherapy, whatever? In other words,
we're looking for the exceptional home that goes all out for their dog,
indicating they feel the dog is a member of the family. Once there is vet
approval, we move to the next step.
Next, we do a home inspection, looking for safety and cleanliness. We
check fence safety (and don’t approve homes with invisible fences that
employ shock collars). We look for doors that don’t close fast enough,
thereby letting a little dog slip out. We check for safety in the home,
including small objects that a dog can choke on, railings or steps that are
dangerous, etc. We look for dangerous chemicals at dog level, on and on.
There is a detailed six page checklist that the home inspector follows.
We also sometimes talk to the neighbors on either side of the home,
making sure the home is quiet and safe and there are no issues where a
neighbor thinks a small dog might be in any danger. In other words, we do
our homework to make sure this is a safe, loving home for your dog.
Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.
This is why we require a vet history and do not adopt to first time pet
owners or people with inadequate vet histories. We ask the vet if s/he recommends this
home for a new small dog.
The adopter also signs a very extensive contract (you can see this on the
website by clicking on the Adoption Contract ) providing specific rules for
the care and maintenance of the dog. It provides that we can call the vet or
stop in unannounced to see the status of the dog, and we have done both. We
stay in touch with the new adopter for several weeks after the adoption,
making sure the transition is going well. In many cases adopters have become
friends and volunteers and they remain part of the SOS DOGS active family of
rescuers.
In very very rare instances, something
may happen to the adopter in the future that makes it impossible for him/her to keep the
dog, even years later. The contract provides that the dog comes back to this
rescue if the adopter cannot keep the dog. This has happened very rarely. We
usually contact the former owner to see if their status has changed and if
they would want the dog back. Twice dogs have gone back to their original
owners for tearful reunions. If not, we repeat the same process to find a
new loving home.
SOS DOGS is not a shelter. We don’t have a facility with cages to take in
dogs. If you can keep your dog in your home, we can do the adoption from
there. If you have to bring your dog to us,
we can put your dog into a volunteer foster
home until adopted. However, it is best for your dog to stay in his/her own
home until a new home is found, if that is possible. Limiting the transfer
to one new home rather than two (yours to foster to new home) minimizes the
confusion and trauma. Dogs appear to be much happier when making only one
transfer. However, if this is absolutely not possible, we do have foster
homes and transfer of the dog would be arranged with the foster parent.
We will find the proper home for the dog based on what you tell us about
him/her. If you would like input, that is acceptable to us. Unlike many
other rescues who take dogs and you have no idea what happens, you can be
part of the adoptive decision making process at SOS.
Once we find the right home (takes a few weeks in most circumstances)
and then do the approvals and home inspections, we connect the two of you
for the transfer of the dog to his/her new. The transfer can be done in any
number of ways, to be determined between the original owner and adopter.
Often friendships have developed, with the old owner getting pictures and periodic updates.
NO. You have signed a legal surrender which forfeits any rights to the
dog. The only way you might get the dog back would be if the new adopter
decides he or she cannot keep the dog, in which case we would contact the
old owner before beginning to search for a new home. We are not a long term
kenneling service or fostering service. These are permanent adoptions, and
the new mom and dad legally own the dog.
While there is no “charge” for this service, it is customary to include a
donation to help the rescue. Donations vary from $25 on up, but the usual is
about $100. Of course, this is totally discretionary and not required, but
very appreciated.
Please feel free to email us at
email@sosdogs.org if you have further questions. |
