What does placement of a pet mean?
We understand that parting ways with an animal can be especially difficult and we’re committed to working with you to ensure the best possible solution for you and your pet. Keep in mind it is always best to first try and find a home for your pet, as it’s much easier to find a home for one pet, than the dozens we have available each and every day. We will give you some great suggestions to help you take control and find a home before surrendering is what you decide to do.
Can you no longer take care of your pet? Or perhaps you have found a stray and need to find him/her a home. Maybe a relative has died, leaving a pet to be placed in a new home. You want to be able to help find a new home, but what to do.
Also, did you find a stray dog or cat? Here are some immediate steps to do if you found a stray, as often times there is an owner desperate to find their furry friend. Do the obvious first – check for a tag. If there is a tag, and the owner’s name is on it, call and arrange for a pickup, and know you have done your good deed for the day. If the tag gives the name of a veterinarian’s clinic, call during business hours and get the name and phone number of the owner using the code number on the tag. Then follow up to return the dog or cat. If the animal has no tag, there may still be a way to identify the stray if he/she has been microchipped. A veterinarian (most all will do this with no appointment) can help you find out as they will scan (make sure with a universal scanner to pick-up all types of microchips) the pet, at no cost to you.
If a tag or microchip scan didn’t work out, take these steps. There are different laws in each city regarding strays. In some, finders of lost pets are legally required to either surrender to an animal shelter or report to the shelter that they have a stray. Check with your local animal control to find out what your legal obligations are; however, you’ll still want to let them know that you have a stray. If the owners of the animal are looking for their pet, they will most likely start by calling the shelter, so it’s very important they know you have found the pet. Also, some shelters have bulletin boards, social media sites, even city wide lost pets site they in most areas are extremely active, people can list lost and found pets, so it’s a good idea to post a good photo of the pet at the shelter.
Always keep in mind that just because an animal is injured, scared, or without identification does not mean that they have a “bad” home. They might have lost their identification; been lost for a long time (and therefore lost a lot of weight); they might have even been a rescued pet who was scared when initially adopted and just got away. Please don’t judge these pets, and keep them from their owner. This is very important.
There are other things you can do to try and find the owner; such as post flyers around the area you found the lost pet. Make sure the ‘said’ owner has photos of this pet, has veterinarian records (even ask who their vet is and call them to verify this is the owner), etc. Basically you want to truly confirm this is in fact their pet; unfortunately some people do ‘try’ and claim pets that aren’t in fact their own. If you must take the animal to a shelter or wish for our support, you can claim last rights. Claiming last rights gives you adoption privileges if the pet is not claimed within a given time period. It is a good idea to call the shelter daily to let them know that you are interested in the animal’s welfare. If you wish to turn the pet over to Furry Friends Network, please complete our stray pet surrender form below. Note: Furry Friends Network will only consider owner surrendered or stray from the Central Pennsylvania area.
If you must surrender your own pet, first try and find a new home yourself, as this truly helps us focus on finding homes for other shelter pets, which may in fact be euthanized due to overcrowded shelters. Contact breed specific shelters if you know the breed; post on social media; reach out to family and friends, carefully explaining your situation and why you can’t keep that pet. Word-of-mouth will be your best in finding that particular animal a new loving home.
Our goal is to find a happy home for every healthy and treatable animal, which we can achieve by knowing more about the animals that come into our care. If we agree to discuss more about the pet you wish to surrender, please remember to bring a driver’s license or government issued ID, a completed owner surrender form (found below), your pet’s veterinary records, the fee we’ve given you based on what we believe the care of this pet initially will cost (note: surrender fees vary and are based around your pets age, if they are spayed/neutered, age, skin issues, etc.)
There is a fee to surrender an animal to Furry Friends Network, as this helps to offset a small portion of funds we will more than likely put into the care of this pet, not to mention we may have this pet in our care for months before a new home is found. If you can donate even more than the required fee, please do as it’s greatly appreciated. Please complete our owned pet surrender form and we will get in touch. Please be patient as we are serving many pets in need, and are extremely busy.
