Unfortunately , adopting a pet does not always go as planned.
You wanted it. Better, becoming a parent of a dog was a sweet dream that you cherished for a very long time.
When you were finally able to welcome her into your home, this little ball of fur quickly became a friend so dear to your heart, the companion you so desired.
However, after a few months or several years of happiness spent in his company, you can no longer keep your dog . The reasons are up to you.
Either way, don’t blame yourself.
If you feel that you are no longer able to properly care for a pet, it would be best to give it the opportunity to be adopted by a family that has the means, and in which it can be fully fulfilled.
Just be responsible .
Do not abandon your canine on the side of the road, in the middle of the forest, or even in front of a refuge.
Evaluate each of the solutions presented below and settle on the one that works best for you, not only you, but also your dog.
Can’t keep your dog anymore? Here are our tips.
Abandonment of dogs: the main reasons
There are certainly as many reasons for abandoning dogs as there are dog owners.
However, some reasons are more common than others.
Number one: going on vacation .
The summer season is a dark time for many of our furry companions.
According to the 30 million Friends Foundation, 60,000 dogs and cats , suddenly becoming too bulky, are cowardly abandoned in summer, sacrificed on the altar of their master’s departure on vacation.
Behavioral disorders : aggressiveness , socialization problems, bites, unsanitary conditions, running away , etc. are also among the main reasons why people decide to part ways with their pets abruptly.
The lack of financial means (yes, let’s admit it: taking care of an animal requires a certain budget), the decline in the master’s capacities (long illness, aging, departure to a nursing home or abroad) and the development of a pathology difficult to treat in the dog can also constitute causes of abandonment.
Finally, the “abandoners” also mention reasons such as moving house, divorce of the adoptive spouses, allergy, etc.
I can no longer keep my dog: are you sure?
Adopting a pet is an engaging action , which is probably why it must be done after careful consideration.
As a master, our responsibility is to offer our little companions the best possible living conditions, and an equally dignified end of life .
Giving up custody of your dog should be the last resort after all possibilities have been considered to keep it.
1. Going on vacation
Going on vacation should no longer rhyme with dog abandonment.
If you want to give yourself a well-deserved moment of rest, away from home and without the company of your companion, you can, of course.
Simply, note that there are solutions to keep your pet during the holidays , and this does not necessarily require breaking the bank.
You can :
- Put your canine in a kennel or boarding house. Choose your dog’s boarding house or kennel with great care. Some of these animal housing places are full of parasites.
- Leave your pet with a foster family. Foster families are pet owners at the base. They welcome your companion into their own home.
2. Behavioral disorders
Behavioral disorders do not constitute a priori a valid reason for abandoning a dog, because the help of a professional could be enough to modify the behavior of the animal and establish a relationship of trust between him and his adoptive family.
Veterinarians, canine behaviorists, are your privileged interlocutors in case of behavior problems in your doggie.
3. Financial difficulties
Caring for a pet costs money.
Sometimes, certain masters are reduced to having to choose between plague and cholera.
Either they watch their canines suffer without being able to get them treated by a veterinarian, or they abandon them in the hope that other people can relieve them.
In order to limit the number of canine owners faced with this sad alternative, several structures, such as the Animal Assistance Foundation , have launched the “ care for all ” movement and opened care clinics in several French cities.
Every day, they provide, against the sole reimbursement of costs, the:
- Consultations
- Vaccinations
- Radios
4. Going to a retirement home
Aging is a natural phenomenon of life. And old age is always accompanied by its share of health problems, sometimes disabling.
The good news ? There are also retirement homes for animals .
Dogs that have reached old age, like the elderly, generally suffer from chronic diseases: osteoarthritis, cognitive disorders, and can become incontinent.
Result ? They are difficult to adopt, and clearly have very little chance of ending their life in a new home.
If you have to go to a nursing home, go there with a light heart, without worrying about the future of your faithful companion.
Don’t give it up. Entrust him to a retirement home for dogs, in which he can find a family environment and live in total freedom.
I can no longer keep my dog: the procedure to follow
Does separating from your dog seem unavoidable to you?
Good. It is probably just as difficult for you.
Many canine owners are indeed forced to abandon their pet, which is heartbreaking.
In such a situation, several solutions can be envisaged, the aim being to respect the animal and promote its well-being .
1. I find a new home for my dog
The SPA (Animal Protection Society) is overwhelmed by the galloping number of pets that are abandoned each year in France, around 100,000 dogs and cats.
Associations and volunteers are just as important.
If you can no longer keep your little furball, the optimal solution is to place it yourself in a new home.
This would allow you:
- To help relieve the congestion of the services that work for the defense and protection of animals.
- To avoid your future -ex-companion an often long and stressful, even traumatic adoption process, made of confinement.
- To prepare for the separation, for example, by alternating short stays, when possible.
How to find new masters for a dog ?
You can talk about it around you, to your veterinarian, and try to find out from traders to find potential adopters.
One of the things that might also help you is to post on social media, along with beautiful pictures of your pet. The Arabic telephone 2.0 works in many cases.
That being said, beware:
- Do not give a sick or problematic dog to new parents. At least, take the time to explain to them the reasons for your abandonment, and give them an honest story about the health situation of your friend at 4.
- Do not give your animal to the first comer. Make sure of the good intentions of the future owners, but also of the good living conditions that await Médor.
2. I contact associations
If you were unable to anticipate, several weeks or even several months in advance, the decision to give up custody of your dog, you can contact one of the many French associations whose vocation — among other things — to collect and then place abandoned or abused pets in a new family.
Some of them are local in scope, others are more national. If you wish to abandon your dog for valid reasons, they will be able to accompany you.
Several associations only work with foster families where the animals are placed until they find an owner. Others, better off, have shelters located throughout France.
Do you have a category 1 or 2 dog ? Sorry. Finding an association that will accept to support it will be a little more complicated. Some of them, especially those who work with foster families, logically avoid putting them in danger by entrusting them, even temporarily, with so-called “dangerous” dogs.
Do you have a purebred dog ? Refer to specialized structures, such as breed clubs.
Do you have an older dog ? There are also reception and travel centers for senior dogs and cats.
3. I am approaching a refuge
SPA shelters and shelters of animal protection associations and foundations face too large a dog population .
Pounds: public service in charge of collecting animals wandering on public roads, are also flooded.
If you want to abandon your dog in a shelter, you will have to offload a few euros.
Depending on the structures, the cost of abandoning animals varies between €100 and €200.
But some shelters are completely free in order to limit barbaric abandonment on the public highway.
In the interest of the animals, the requests for abandonment are the subject of long discussions and various solutions are proposed by the professionals to keep the dog or the cat in its home.
After laborious conversations, canine or feline owners and informed interlocutors very often manage to resolve the problems that motivate the renunciation.
Namely : abandoning your dog or cat without officially placing it with a third party is considered an act of cruelty towards domestic animals.
Under the terms of article 521-1 of the Criminal Code , this offense is punishable by three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros.
In the event of the death of the animal due to this abandonment, the penalty is increased to 5 years’ imprisonment and the fine can reach up to 75,000 euros.
4. I always sign a transfer certificate
Why ?
The responsibility of the master can be engaged in different situations.
For example, your dog — whom you left behind because you couldn’t keep him — catches canine rabies and bites someone in the street.
Another example ? You are recognized as a “barbaric abandoner” – thanks to the tremendous work of animal protection and defense associations – and prosecuted for cruelty to your dog or cat.
Do you now understand why it is essential to always sign a transfer certificate when you permanently entrust your canine to a third party?
Besides the former owner, the contract also protects the new masters.
Indeed, they are not immune to a possible claim from previous parents.
What should a transfer certificate contain ?
You must mention, for the document to be legal, at least:
- The name, address, phone of the dog’s current owner.
- The name, address, telephone of the buyer.
- The name, sex, breed, identification number, date of birth of the animal, as well as information relating to its sterilization.
Also remember to settle the question of insurance, if you have taken out one or more insurance policies for your dog.
Abandonment of dogs: what consequences for your animal?
Abandoning a dog is a painful ordeal for owners who are forced to do so for justifiable reasons.
But for the dog, it is even more heartbreaking.
Imagine…
You live with a family, your family, for months or years. You are accustomed to the warmth of its limbs, and, overnight, you go from an ideal living environment to a life in a cage or box, in the desperate hope of seeing, one day, the people you love.
Despite the dedication of the professionals who are at the head of the shelters, despite the selflessness of the volunteers who have the animal cause at heart, such an experience can only be traumatic for the animal.
By abandoning your dog, you also expose him to certain death. Because reluctantly, many overwhelmed shelters euthanize some of the animals they take in in order to reduce their number. This is called convenience or excess euthanasia .
Adopt, rather than buy
Refuges are overloaded , as we have just seen.
They hold open days, press calls, outdoor events, etc., with the aim of encouraging future parents to favor adaptation rather than the purchase of pets .
However, the selection of adopters is done rigorously. It aims to avoid capricious adoptions and questionable motivations.
If you want to collect a dog or a cat, you are about to do a very good deed, but you will have to answer a detailed questionnaire. Your family, your way of life, your work, your schedules… will be evaluated with a magnifying glass before validating or not your application for adoption.
Three objectives — at least — are pursued by this administrative rigour:
- Provide the animal with a living environment adapted to its needs.
- Avoid a placement failure.
- Make sure, as much as possible, that the dog or cat will not experience a new trauma related to abandonment.
How to relieve a dog who suffers from the fear of abandonment?
A dog abandoned, either suddenly on the street or in a shelter, can develop a behavior problem .
He may find it difficult to trust the man again, become aggressive – sometimes you have to bare your fangs in the street to survive, have an increased fear of abandonment.
Animals that land, or rather get landed, suddenly in a place that was previously unknown to them, can also suffer from stress or anxiety.
If the intervention of an animal health professional may be necessary in such a case, you can also use natural solutions to support an abandoned or recently adopted dog.