On this page you will find many invaluable tips for re homing your pet.

Place posters in your local veterinarian's office, or humane society or  animal shelter if they will  allow it....always ask first. Place an ad on CraigsList.com in the NYC pets area: http://newyork.craigslist.org/pet/ Be careful about putting an ad in the paper. At the  very least - do not  put a "free dog or cat to good  homes" ad in the paper. 

Here are some of the people that might answer those ads: 
Third-class dealers who sell the cats or puppies for  about 30 dollars  a piece to labs that perform medical experiments on them. 

Although animal labs typically get their "subjects" from breeders (and some breeders make a lot of money selling kittens and puppies and other animals to  labs), some protocols also call for an "unknown" group of animals, to be used as a control group in the experiment. 

You may also get a visit from a fighting dog trainer.  Sadly, some dog  owners train their dogs to be killers  by using live animals as targets.

Then, there are the just plain mean people who abound.  Of course, none of these types of "adopters" will identify the true nature of their interest.

Talk to trusted family members and close trusted friends who are  interested in adopting a pet. Preferably you want them to live with someone  whom you would trust with your own pet, and  who has had  pets before. Granted, this isn't always possible.

Once You Get A Contact--

Screen adopters carefully! Grill them all you want. See if they've had  pets before. Find out why they want a new pet.  Ask for identification  and get an address. If at all  possible, try to visit their home to observe the condition, particularly of other animals in the house. 

You can draw up a small contract - it is legally binding, in fact although enforcing it may be a problem.) You can call a shelter, rescue group, or breeder organization for guidelines.

In writing, the adopter should commit to the following:

They will spay or neuter the animal if it is not already.  They will give the animal proper veterinary care - yearly exams, vaccinations, and visits to examine suspected health problems

The adopter will make the pet a member of the family. That means a companion FOR LIFE.

Click on our adoption contract which you can modify on your word program by clicking here.

"Red flags" to watch for. These certainly aren't automatic disqualifications, but they do merit additional investigation.

• Many young kids in the house
• Frequent traveling or business trips
• A small apartment that already has other animals
• College students living on campus
• Military families

Sadly, the latter two categories contribute heavily to  the feral cat colonies that abound college campuses  and military bases, because of their transient nature.

Don't be shy about requesting a follow up visit or three.

Screen people very carefully over the phone and check all references before allowing them to come to your home to see the animal. The best reference is one from a veterinarian. It's very easy for a person to list their friends, who may not be honest, as references. A veterinary reference is the best way to check the person you are dealing with. 

Don't hesitate to say "no" to someone who doesn't "feel right," even after they have visited the pet. If no is difficult to say, tell them that other interested people are coming later, and you'll call them.

You should ideally leave time to visit the home of the new owner before giving up your pet; this allows you to see the pet's new surroundings and to see if the person in fact resides at the address given.

Make a Flyer

Want to make a great flyer for an adoptable pet? Or maybe for a pet that has been lost or found? Click here for this valuable resource at BestFriends.com. Just fill out the form then hit the "Create Flyer" button to view a printable page. You can also save the page to your hard drive for future use.