Rehoming Your Pet

You are most familiar with your pet's behaviors, likes and dislikes, and would be most successful at finding a well-suited home. Any effort you can make to rehome your pet yourself gives your pet a greater chance at finding the perfect home...and leaves one more opening at our shelter for the next animal that needs our help.

Rehoming Resources

• List your pet with our rehoming service.
• Ask local veterinarians if you can post signs in their clinic.
• Ask local pet-related businesses if you can post signs in their store.
• Talk to friends, relatives, neighbors, and co-workers to see if they are looking for a pet.
• Place an ad in the paper or online.

Questions for Potential Adopters

It can be difficult to know the right questions to ask potential adopters. Oftentimes, the way they answer questions can be more informative than what they actually say. Some people may be resistant to answering your detailed questions, but the best candidate is someone that wants to convince you that they can provide love and care for your pet. Here are some questions that the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University suggests:

1. Why do you want this animal?
2. Have you had an animal of this breed/type before?
3. What general experience do you have with this type of animal?
4. Have you ever trained this type of animal? What type of training methods would you use?
5. Do you own or rent your home? If renting, does the landlord permit pets?
6. (In reference to a dog) Do you have a yard? Is it fenced? How securely?
7. What other pets do you have?
8. What other pets have you had in the past and what became of them?
9. Do you have children? Grandchildren? How many and what ages?
10. How much time will you spend per day with this animal? What is your daily routine like?
11. Who will be the primary caretaker of this animal?
12. What activities and exercise do you plan for this animal?
13. Can you afford the care this animal will need or will it cause financial hardship?
14. Who is your veterinarian? May I call your vet for a reference?

Surrending Your Pet to RCHS

People bring their pets to Rock County Humane Society for many reasons. They relocate, develop allergies, or there is a change in the family situation that doesn't allow proper care of the family pet. Whatever the reason, please call us and ask for advice before bringing your pet to the shelter. We can hopefully give you some advice, referrals, or helpful hints over the phone that may allow you to continue living with your pet.

Surrender Process

• Call for an appointment. An appointment helps ensure that we have space for all animals entering our shelter. Please be prepared to spend some time with a staff member when surrendering your pet so that we may get as much background information as possible.
• Please bring your pet to the shelter yourself. Owner information will be very helpful in placing your animal in a home that matches your pet's needs. You will be asked to fill out a personality profile about your pet.
• Bring veterinary records. Your pet will be placed more successfully if we have full disclosure of all medical records. Also, this saves the expense and potential over-vaccination of your animal.
• Keep pet supplies and toys. Unfortunately, we do not have the storage space to hold your pet's supplies and toys. You can note your pet's preferences when completing the personality profile so his/her new home can purchase these favorite items.
• Come during shelter hours. Please DO NOT leave your pet outside the shelter when the facility is closed.  It is VERY dangerous to your pet's well-being to leave them unattended and with no protection.
• Bring a form of payment. A fee is required to surrender your animal to help defray the considerable cost we incur in caring for him/her, and additional donations of money or supplies are always welcome.

Surrender Fees with Appointment

Surrender fees are doubled for animals surrendered without an appointment.

Out of County surrenders will be charged the doubled surrender fee plus an additional $30.00 service fee.