Please consider all of your options before you surrender your animal.

1. Keep Your Pet &Work on Behavior Issues.

If you are giving up your pet because of a behavior problem, such as roaming, barking, scratching, or fighting, please talk with us (603)472-DOGS. We can either offer some tried and true suggestions, or refer you to knowledgeable trainers in the area.

2. Keep Your Pet & Try Allergy Remedies

Being allergic to your cat or dog can be quite a problem to pet owners, sometimes resulting in having to place a pet in a new home or surrender the pet to the Animal Shelter or euthanasia. There is an easy way to allergy-proof your cat or dog. Humans, if allergic, are basically allergic to the pet's dander or dandruff, not the hair. The animal's skin should be kept in tip-top condition, avoiding excess dryness and shedding.

• There are food additives to add to your pet's diet that helps keep skin moist. Pet supply stores and your veterinarian can recommend such a product. It will take a few weeks for it to take effect.

• Brush your dog and cat often to remove dead hair, doing so in a room you do not enter often or outside so loose dander will not fly about in your living area.

• Vacuum thoroughly as often as possible, wash all bedding, wipe counters and wash throw rags. This may have to be done a few times until all loose dander is removed from your house.

• Give your pet a bath. Comb and brush your pet well and bathe your pet in a good quality, watered-down tearless protein shampoo for pets. Bathe twice, rinsing thoroughly (if you think pet is rinsed well, rinse again). Towel off excess water while pet is in the tub. Then pour over pet . . saturating the coat completely . . a solution of one part fabric softener and four parts water. Work it into the coat...DO NOT RINSE OFF. Dry your pet with a towel or dryer. It is recommended this procedure be done every 8 to 10 weeks to keep dander down. Of course, consult with your veterinarian or your physician regarding this procedure. 

3. Need to Move? Find Pet Friendly Apts!

• Find Pet-Friendly Housing by looking at this apartment website, or view our list of pet-friendly apartments on this site.

4. Try to Find a New Home For Your Pet

• Look for a new home among friends, co-workers, and acquaintances that you can screen.

• Contact a breed rescue group. If you have a specific breed, there could be a local rescue group or club that has a list of people looking to adopt your specific breed of pet. Some breed rescues are even willing to place a mix, as long as it is close to the purebred.

• Ask your veterinarian, groomer, or boarding kennel about clients who might be looking for a pet to adopt.

• If you are trying to find a new home for your pet, start by writing a "personality profile" for it. This helps tell prospective adopters about your pet's unique personality and its needs, as well as its fears, training, and unusual habits. Include information about where the pet sleeps, what it likes to eat, and the types of animals or people to which it is accustomed. Be honest; include information about the pet's bad habits.

• Post your animal on Petfinder's Post-A-Pet! By filling out a simple form, you can post your pet on the internet. You can leave your email or phone number as a contact point. Hundreds of people will view your add, who are looking for a new pet. Best of all... It's Free!

• Browse Petfinder's Pets Wanted Classifieds. Many people post breeds of animals that they would like to adopt.

• Advertise in the Pet section of local newspapers. Charge a reasonable fee, rather than offering the animal "free to a good home".

• Refer to the "Best Friends Animal Sanctuary's Guide - How to Find Homes for Homeless Pets, for more info on Finding your pet a new home. This guide includes info on How to make flyers, How to interview applicants, and also contains a sample adoption contract. This file is in PDF format, fully formatted, with photos and illustrations, and is ready to print out for yourself or other people.You'll need Adobe Acrobat in order to read and print them. Acrobat is available free at the Adobe site for Windows, Mac, and other platforms.

• Finding a good and permanent home for your pet can take weeks or even months. Don't be tempted to give your pet away at a shopping center or abandon it in another neighborhood. If you need additional assistance, please call us at (603)472-DOGS, or call one of the other area shelters.
  
  If you have determined that you do need or wish to bring your pet to the shelter, please review our information on Admissions and then call for an appointment.
  

5. What To Do With A Stray Animal. 

If you find an animal, please first be sure it is truly homeless, and not simply lost. Make every effort to locate the animal's owner before you place it in a new home.

Check the Lost and Found ads in the area news papers.

Call your local police station and make a report. (Please make an effort to house the animal instead of turning them over to the pound.)

Call or visit local shelters to complete "found pet" reports.

• Place posters and flyers in the vicinity where the animal was found.

• Post your found pet on Petfinder's Found PetsClassifieds. By filling out a simple form, you can post your found pet on the internet. You can leave your email or phone number as a contact point. Hundreds of people will view your add, who have lost their pets. It's Fast, Easy and Free!

• Refer to the "Best Friends Animal Sanctuary's Guide - How to Find Homes for Homeless Pets, page 9 for more info on what to do when you find a homeless pet. This file is in PDF format, fully formatted, with photos and illustrations, and is ready to print out for yourself or other people. You'll need Adobe Acrobat in order to read and print them. Acrobat is available free at the Adobe site for Windows, Mac, and other platforms.