Most households in the United States have pets. Unfortunately, large numbers of these animals end up suffering because circumstances prevent many animal guardians from carrying out their responsibilities. Lost, surrendered, abandoned, or given away, many pets end up in places where they are abused, neglected, or euthanized because their guardians could no longer care for them.
While even the most responsible pet guardian can sometimes be placed in situations where they must forfeit their animal, this article talks about what issues to look out for to make sure your pet ends up somewhere safe.
While it is undoubtedly true that individuals and families should seriously consider if they are prepared to care for an animal for the duration of its life (and closely evaluate their own capacities and the requirements of individual animals before they make such commitments), there are several common circumstances where guardians may feel compelled to choose their lives over those of their animals.
- Unexpected or unanticipated costs
- Animal Behavior issues
- Loss of income or housing
- Issues of Personal Safety
The end of this article will discuss these issues more closely, provide alternatives to guardians who are considering surrender in these circumstances, and provide some links and warnings for individuals and families to consider before taking on the responsibility of an animal.
Giving up a pet, especially to someone unfamiliar, can be very difficult. Without knowing what will happen, responsible guardians are worried about the care their pets will receive. The reality is that animals can suffer greatly when surrendered without caution and diligence. Elderly pets forfeited to shelters may be quickly euthanized. Valuable pets may be resold to unscrupulous buyers as food, to fight, or be otherwise exploited. Others may be obtained by neglectful and abusive guardians.
Forfeiture of an animal absent any other agreement leaves little recourse should these things happen. In extreme circumstances where animals are surrendered under false pretenses and promises, claims of civil or criminal fraud may apply.
However, there are some legal protections an animal can be given when being surrendered. Contractual arrangements can be made in order to limit what happens to pets when given away. A principle of contract law known as the Right of First Refusal can protect animals from being traded or sold to third parties without giving the original guardian a chance to take an animal back. A guardian can make this type of contractual arrangement with whoever is taking the animal from them in order to ensure that the animal will not be sold for a profit. For example, if a pet is being given to another individual, requiring the new guardian to pay a “rehoming” fee may be enough to deter those with bad intentions for your pet.
There simply are not many legal avenues to protect animals that have been surrendered, which makes some of the best protections non-legal.
The best way to protect an animal is to engage in thorough due diligence. Before surrendering a pet to a shelter, a rescue, a friend, or stranger, look into that person or organization first. Take a tour of the facility and look through the guidance documents of a shelter or rescue to see what their policies are for adoption. Look for the following:
- Shelters and Rescues
- Does the rescue or shelter euthanize animals and if so under what conditions?
- What are the standards that the shelter or rescue sets itself for adoption?
- Do they engage in home inspections?
- Interviews with adopters?
- Background or financial checks?
- Does the shelter or rescue ship animals off to other facilities with the same standards?
- People
- Do they live in a place where it is legal to keep your animal?
- Do they have the finances to support Fluffy including medical treatment for injury or sickness?
- Do they have the knowledge or training to care or provide for Fluffy?
- Do they have a history of abusing or neglecting people or animals?
- Do you have personal knowledge of these things beyond their word? Have you visited their home or talked with their spouse/friends/neighbors?
Finally, before you consider surrendering or forfeiting a pet, consider the reason why you feel compelled to surrender and then take a look at ways in which you can address the issue. Many behavioral issues can be resolved with the help of a professional trainer or behaviorist.
For instance, Denver Dumb Friends League has a webpage devoted to individual issues that cause people to surrender their animals and has resources to help guardians overcome them.
Finally, and with a special note during the Holiday Season, make sure when you bring an animal into your home you have the capacities to care for them. Too often does surrender become necessary because individuals and families rush into obtaining a pet as a gift. While our domestic companions can certainly be a treasure, gifting animals to those who are underprepared can ultimately be the cause of later suffering. Make sure that the animal is wanted and the person receiving the animal is ready and able to care for them. If you are a parent, make sure that you are able and willing to care for the pet for the duration of its life when presenting them as gifts to children. A pet is not a tool to teach responsibility but a treasure to those responsible enough to care for them and plan for ensuring a happy life for the animal in the event of unforeseen circumstances.