Things to consider when rehoming your dog

Even though we are not a rescue, we receive a number of emails about rehoming of pets. It is concerning that many of these inquiries allude to challenging behaviour issues and even bite histories, and it makes us nervous thinking about where these dogs may end up.

Let us start by saying that we don’t judge anyone for considering rehoming of an animal. We are not here to shame anyone and ask that our followers keep this in mind before commenting. There are many scenarios where people simply can’t provide care for their pets anymore and rehoming is the only favorable outcome for the dog. Common reasons include changes in housing and lifestyle, behavioural issues and medical requirements.

Ideally, pet owners should acknowledge and research the responsibilities involved in owning a dog, including potential financial burdens. But people make mistakes, and living situations change, and if you can’t keep a dog in your home, you are faced with the following options.

Private rehome
Shelter or rescue
Behavioural euthanasia

Now, one thing should go without saying – if your pet is displaying behavioural issues, your first step should be a vet check and sourcing a certified, humane, professional dog trainer. A veterinarian can help you narrow down the cause of the behaviour and rule out any medical issues that may be causing problems. A professional trainer can help you understand the reasons behind the behaviour and give you management solutions to make life easier. Choosing a humane, certified trainer (not a guy that your neighbour knows who whispers to dogs) is imperative and we can do a follow-up post on this.

If you consult the professionals and still feel that re-homing is the best option, this does not mean your investment was in vain. A behaviour assessment and vet check is an invaluable tool to have when searching for new adopters.

Private rehoming

You may choose to rehome the dog yourself so you can hand-pick the new family. The downside is that private rehoming is incredibly challenging if your dog has any behavioural or medical issues. There are not a lot of people willing to take on a behaviourally challenged dog. Most people are looking to add a reliable, fun, happy and healthy family pet to their lives - not a project.

With re-homing there is also the risk of poor screening. You do not know who these people are, what skill set they have, how they handle their dogs and what intentions they have. If you are lucky enough to find someone who is willing to take your dog, your responsibility is to make sure they understand THEIR new responsibility. You may be liable for any incidents that occur with the dog in the future if you cannot show that you performed all due diligence in transferring ownership. For example, if the dog had known reactivity or aggression and was misrepresented as being safe you could be held criminally or civilly responsible in the future.

If you are considering this option, Wild West Animal League has put together a helpful resource that takes you through practical steps for rehoming:

https://www.wildwestanimals.ca/rehoming

Shelter/Rescue

If you do not find options privately, or you do not have the time or resources to screen homes, you may look at a shelter or rescue.

Unfortunately, at this time there are not a lot of rescues or shelters doing open admissions, or taking in owner surrenders. If you find one, they will likely ask you to provide a background on everything known about your pet, to assess whether they can accept the animal.

Unfortunately this is where we see the most problems with owner transparency. People may hesitate to disclose a history of aggression, resource guarding, reactivity or prior incidents, assuming (correctly) that will be a strike against their dog.

One may think this is in the best interest of the dog, but in fact this is failing everyone involved, including your pet. You are transferring liability to an organization that doesn’t necessarily specialize in behaviour modification or so called “rehabilitation”.

Most shelters do not have full-time behaviour experts and cannot “fix” the dog in the shelter environment. Most foster homes are not equipped to take on behaviourally challenged dogs and nor should they be – they signed up to open their hearts and homes to a dog that needs to decompress and perhaps work on some basic skills.

Rescues and shelters are already strapped for staff, volunteers, training help, medical help, foster help, supplies and space. It is unfair to manipulate, trick, or guilt them into taking challenging dogs when they are receiving these inquiries daily.

Sadly, the reality is that there is simply not enough space, homes or resources to meet the demands of the severely behaviourally challenged dogs we see in the system.

To clarify, we are NOT talking about run-of-the-mill behaviour issues we see with a typical dog – a puppy who nips and is learning bite inhibition, or the adolescent who is lacking manners, or the dog who is jumping or barking. We are talking about dogs who are shut down and have severe anxiety, fear, or serious potential for aggression to humans or other animals.

These are the cases that take time, effort, resources and needs well beyond the average pet owner’s capabilities. These are the cases that may or may not see change even with management solutions in place. These are the cases where, if we cross our fingers and place them in a home because we need to “save” them at all costs, we may be taking chances with the safety of others.

Dog trainer Trish McMillan points out that by bouncing dangerous dogs through different parts of the shelter/rescue system or placing them in unequipped homes, we are simply “outsourcing euthanasia”. The responsible, brave, and kind thing to do may be to step up and make a hard decision.

If you have a dog in your home that fits the description above, please think carefully and rationally about what rehoming them looks like.It is heartbreaking to think about, but behavioural euthanasia should be considered as an option if you can’t reasonably find a home that will keep them safe with all their needs met for the rest of their life.

For more thoughts on this please see our post on behavioural euthanasia:

https://justice-for-bullies.myshopify.com/pages/behavioural-euthanasia