r/rescuedogs • u/One-Aioli-5265 • 16m ago
Advice How the heck am I supposed to properly rehome my dog?
Hey y'alls,
I need some good, reliable advice. I've been trying to rehome my dog for about six months at this point, and I think I'm starting to run out of options.
I want to know the most ethical ways to rehome my dog. I don't want to put my dog in foster care. I refuse to just give up on them and just ditch them at some shelter. It would honestly be unbelievably cruel and is not something I wish to explore. I need to know if there's a safe and responsible method that would allow me to essentially pass my dog directly from my home to another home, which is what I think the essence of rehoming is.
I won't go into the specifics of why I need to rehome my dog, but I'll just say it has everything to do with life circumstances. It isn't because of behavioral issues or some medical condition. I can still care for my dog for some time to come, but it will become increasingly more difficult the more time goes on.
That's why I'm reaching out to you. Before answering, here's some context for what I've already tried.
- One, I've tried using independent hosting sites (like Home-Home or Adopt-A-Pet). When using those sites, I would have only used them to advertise my dog. I still would have sought professional advice on how to properly handle the adoption process (like doing an interview, a home visit, and asking a buttload of questions).
However, in the many months I've used these sites, I've only gotten 2 inquires, and I'm pretty sure they were both from grifters. I no longer trust these sites, and I refuse to use them any longer. In fact, I think I'd only be willing to use dedicated PROFESSIONAL services at this point (like a rescue shelter).
- Two, I've tried talking to family members about the possibility of taking my dog. Unfortunately, none of them are looking for a dog/don't have the means to care for a dog at the moment. There are potentially some family friends I could try, but I'm not counting anything at this point.
- Three, I've actually tried reaching out to a specific rescue already. For context, my dog is a Shepard/husky mix. I've tried reaching out to both a Shepard and a husky rescue. So far, only the Shepard rescue has reached back to me, but that was a long while ago. I wasn't prepared at that point to properly explain my situation and reason for wanting to rehome my dog. Though, given it's been long enough, I'm willing to give it another go.
- Four, I can't give my dog back to the original shelter I rescued them from. They had my dog shipped in from a shelter in Texas, which is quite a ways away from me (who lives in Massachusetts). It is also their policy that after homing a dog to an adopter out-of-state, after a month, they can't take the dog back or help get it placed into another home. The best I can do is maybe ask them for advice, but nothing else.
So, given all of this, what options do I have at this point? Is a dedicated shelter still the best way to go? Are there any common local options an owner like myself can look out for? Any unhinged ideas?
I appreciate any help you can offer.