Sometimes situations arise beyond our control and we aren’t able to keep the dog or cat to whom we’d promised a forever home. If you find yourself in this situation, CCHS would like to help you re-home your animal rather than leaving you no other option but to surrender it. For community members throughout the Bay Area, CCHS offers a Re-Homing Assistance Program. If you’re unable to keep your dog or cat long-term but can keep him or her during the time it takes to find a new home, CCHS may be able to help.
What does the Re-Homing Assistance Program do?
- CCHS will post a picture and biography of your animal on our website to advertise your animal’s adoptability.
- Adoption applications are accepted for your animal and forwarded to you to make contact with the applicant.
- You have the ability to screen potential adopters with criteria provided to you, set up adoption meetings, and determine who adopts your animal.
- You keep the adoption fee for the animal.
To qualify for the Re-Homing Assistance Program, your animal must meet the following requirements:
- As required by California State Law, your animal must be spayed or neutered in order for us to assist in the adoption referral.
- Your animal must be current on vaccines. This includes Rabies and DHLPP (or DHPP) for dogs and Rabies and FVRCP for cats. A current FeLV/FIV test is recommended for all cats allowed outdoors, though not required.
- If your animal has engaged in any physically threatening behavior (defined in Section 416-12.402 or 416-12.404 of the County Animal Control Ordinance), s/he will not be eligible for our program.
- You must be able to continue to house your animal while being advertised – preferably a minimum of two months.
Re-Homing Assistance Program specifics:
- There is no fee for this advertising service.
- Enrolling your animal in the Re-Homing Assistance Program covers 60 days or until the animal is adopted or placed in another home, whichever is first. After 60 days, or should the adoption not work out, you will need to re-list your animal through the Re-Homing Assistance Program.
- This is a referral service only and CCHS acts only as a third-party resource for those looking to re-home their animals.
- Descriptions of the animals available through CCHS’s Re-Homing Assistance Program are provided by the animals’ guardian. Re-Homing Assistance Program animals have not been personally evaluated by a CCHS staff member.
Changing human companions can be very stressful for animals. Therefore, our first inclination is to ask you to look at the situation differently: is there any adjustment you may be able to make to allow you to keep the animal? If the concern is behavioral, have you spoken to or worked with a behaviorist or trainer? If you have to move, have you looked into housing that allows animals? Have you contacted any breed-specific rescue groups? Have you asked friends, family, neighbors or trusted co-workers to adopt your animal?
To begin the rehoming process, please email Chriss at rehoming@cchumane.org
