I am an animal lover. Big shock, right? If you’ve been around my blog and social media channels, you already know this! Something that is very important to me is adopting pets. I recently was introduced to Get Your Pet, a site that deals directly with rehoming dogs and cats. Let’s talk about why rehoming dogs and cats is important. Thanks to Nakturnal for sponsoring this conversation. This post contains affiliate links.
We adopted our dog, Duke, from the dog warden and our cats, Indiana Jones and Sammy Dean Winchester, from the humane society. Smokey Lonesome, another of our cats, was a former feral cat. After he and his siblings were abandoned by renters, we started feeding them and found out how to TNR (trap, neuter, release) them since we didn’t want more feral kitties around. Well, a couple of winters ago, Smokey decided he wanted to live inside, and he’s been happy to be inside with his new BFF, Indiana, ever since. His siblings are still happy living outside.
Our cat, Boo Boo, came to us in a different way. She had lived with my nephew’s girlfriend, and they weren’t able to keep her when her parents moved. I fostered her with the intention of returning her to his girlfriend when she got her own place. Well, her place wouldn’t allow pets either, so I told them I’d keep her since she had already bonded with us. And, we’d bonded with her! I can’t imagine having to move and not being able to take my pets, but I know that it happens a lot.
Rehoming dogs and cats
While shelters do their best, oftentimes the animals get sick from each other, and they don’t get all the attention they crave. Fortunately, we can keep pets out of shelters by directly rehoming dogs and cats. 7.5 million animals are put in shelters every year. 2.5 of those are from people that had to give up their pet. By helping keep pets needing a new home out of shelters, we can potentially save 2.5 million pets a year! Many people find themselves in a situation like my nephew’s girlfriend’s where they have to move somewhere pets are forbidden. Or perhaps only small pets are allowed.
That is sad news for you if you own a larger dog like a German Shepherd. But the good news is that there are always people who want to adopt German Shepherds. There is an older man in our neighborhood who had German Shepherd for years. When the weather was nice, he’d be out walking, and I’d say hello if I was outside. This past fall, I noticed that he had a smaller German Shepherd, so I asked about his other dog. Sadly, his dog had died, so he adopted another German Shepherd. I am sure that the person who needed to rehome their dog was so happy he could go to someone who had owned German Shepherds before, knew what to expect and wanted another one to love.
How does rehoming dogs and cats work?
First, you’ve got to go with a trusted site like Get Your Pet. Not everyone who wants to adopt a pet is doing so for a good reason. Or they may truly be a good person, but they may not know what to expect or how to properly care for the animal. You want to know if they’ll feed them quality food like Wysong Natural Pet Food. They may end up giving up on your pet, and your pet may end up at a shelter when that was the very thing you wanted to avoid.
Get Your Pet allows the people who are rehoming dogs or cats to check out potential adopters beforehand. When you list your pet on the site, potential adopters can contact you with questions, and you can ask them questions too. You want to know that your pet is going to a good home. Maybe your pet is not good around children. Put that in your pets profile, and potential adopters with children will know not to contact you.
Perhaps you’re rehoming dogs that are a bonded pair, so you don’t want them split up. That’s something potential adopters will want to know. Some animals have allergies or can only eat a certain type of food. Make that clear since it may be an added cost that some adopters won’t be able to handle. You can also ask questions of the potential adopter to see if they are prepared for your pet.
Adopting through Get Your Pet
If you are looking to adopt a pet, Get Your Pet is a great place to search because of all the above reasons. Pet owners who are rehoming their dogs or cats want to get to know you just like you want to get to know their pet. Browse the list of pets to find a pet you may want to adopt. Contact the owner who is rehoming the dog or cat, and arrange to meet with them. Once you and the owner decide that you are the perfect match, you will have the animal examined by a local Get Your Pet veterinarian for no extra charge.
Remember that directly rehoming dogs and cats keeps them out of shelters, and that is a great thing! So, if you are looking to adopt, check them out first!
How many animals do you have and how did you come about acquiring them? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
I think this is a wonderful initiative. If I were to get a dog or a cat, I would definitely check out this site, rather than a shelter. I’ve been to some shelters before, and just felt sad that the animals weren’t getting the care and affection they need. This way, I know that they’re being cared for in a more one-on-one situation.
I agree! It breaks my heart when I go to shelters. I just wish I could take them all.
Let me know if anyone in the DC metro area (northern VA) needs to rehome their dog.
Hi, Anita! Did you do a search on Get Your Pet yet?
every article is so great here- im sharing it with a few friends who are interested in adopting cats and dogs ha- thanks for sharing my friend!
Thank you! I’d adopt them all if I could!
Yes, I always hope to keep animals out of shelters. I got our cats from the shelters though. We always rescue our animals.
Rescue animals are the best!
I’ve never heard of “Get Your Pet” before! What a great idea for people who need to rehome their pet and for those looking to adopt a pet. I love this!
I agree! I love their mission.
So much great information! Thank you! We are looking to introduce a pet to our home in the next few years and this will help so much in where to start with the process.
Definitely! It’s nice to know where your pet came from.
We have two cats that we adopted from a cat rescue group. When our old cat died, we decided that we would adopt from a rescue, and that we wouldn’t get kittens. Instead we wanted to get older cats that might have some trouble being adopted. The pair that we got had been in foster care for a couple years, and I’m so glad we were able to give them a home. One of them has a few issues and it’s good to know that we can provide for her.
Oh, I love this! Thank you for adopting older cats!
I agree! We adopted our dog and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Every pet deserves a loving home.
Yes, they do!
This is so great to show people how to help keep dogs and cats out of shelters. I didn’t know about rehoming but it is definitely a great thing.
It definitely is!
It’s so sad when people have to leave their pets, but it’s great that Get Your Pet exists. It can fill a gap in services and keep pets out of overcrowded shelters.
Yes, it is. I feel so sad for people who have to give up their pets.
We live in an area where EVERYONE has a dog. From time to time we see that one of our neighbors has to rehome the dog. It’s so sad. Sometimes people get ugly about it but those families are already in enough pain.
So true! Sometimes finances dictate that you have to move to a rental where your fur baby isn’t welcome.
I currently do not have any animals in my home. My last fur baby was a rescue dog.
Rescues are the best!
Cute pets name! I am really great reading article like this and I agree for the keep dogs and cats out of shelters. I love to support this!
Thank you! It’s a great program.
Rehoming is the ideal option if a pet cannot stay. Shelters can be traumatizing for pets and finding a good home so dogs and cats can transition from loving home to loving home is a good idea. Thanks for sharing this with us.
I agree. If they’re in long term, their personality changes a lot!
There are lots of abandoned pets around here. I wish there is something like that here. It will be a great help!
I feel so badly for pet without homes. I hope they can get something like this started around you!
This is SO great!!!! I wish we knew about it when we had to rehome our cats a couple of years ago. Great to know now for the future!
It definitely is a great program!
What a great program for every deserving animal!! This is something my best friend would love to read up on so I’ll pass it along.
Thank you! I hope she enjoys it!
My mum will be doing this very soon. She plans to rehome a cat. The kids and I can’t wait and it’s great as the cat will be in a loving home where it will be very well looked after and loved.
That is great! It’s a great feeling to be able to give an animal a loving home.
This is such an important read. Helping animals when they can’t help themselves is something that all of us can do.
I agree! They need us.