Best Practices: Owner Surrender

Shelters Have No Obligation to Accept Surrenders

Neither public nor private shelters are obligated to take owned animals (absent a local contract requiring acceptance, which is extraordinarily rare). To the extent that they do without managing intake, the shelter is:

Causing the shelter to become overpopulated and perpetuating the myth of pet overpopulation as the reason why shelter animals die. (Pet overpopulation is not the same as shelter overpopulation.)
Unduly burdening staff and taxpayers with the individual’s responsibility.
Perpetuating a cycle of surrender, acquire, surrender.
And sometimes, killing an animal to ‘make room’ for an animal they are not required to take.

Empowering — Not Enabling

Animal problems are people problems. While there are certainly people who should never have pets, most people want the best for their pets no matter where they live, what job they hold or how much money they make. Our bonds with animals are emotional and when we are stressed or going through difficult times, we rarely think clearly. Add to that the fact that very few people have any idea how their local shelter functions, how the shelter system is affected by surrenders, or how surrender may lead to the death of their pet.

It should come as no surprise that shelters that treat the public as the enemy will never gain the full cooperation of or support from the public they serve. In some cases this leads to intentional abandonment of animals on shelter grounds as an act of desperation because people are afraid to ask for help. It makes more sense for shelters to create a culture in which they are seen as places that offer help, guidance, and solutions by working with the public to limit owner surrenders and to form relationships within their communities.

Surrendering should be a last resort, but in the moment, the owner can see no other option. So, instead of immediately taking an animal, we first seek to understand why reliquishment is seen as the only option. Then, responsible shelters encourage the owner to find another solution to the life crisis they are facing:

Referrals: Refer the person to information on available resources: pet food pantries, low-cost sterilization options, temporary fostering, dog trainers, how to work with landlords, places to post their pet for rehoming. See this example from Huntsville Animal Services.
Appointment: Offer an in-person counseling appointment at the shelter, scheduled for about two weeks out. During this waiting period, panic can give way to clearer thinking. Sometimes problems resolve themselves, and appointments are no longer needed.
Counseling: A staff member or volunteer speaks with the resident about the crisis and how it may be addressed. If surrender is still requested, the shelter can share the owner’s Facebook post to help find a home, and then take the animal (along with a full history to help place the animal) only when space is available.

By implementing a waiting period and surrender counseling, the shelter can continue to serve the community while making surrender a last resort rather than an easy fix. Studies have shown that the existence of a surrender counseling program helps people keep their pets more than half of the time, per Paws4Change.

When Should Shelters Immediately Accept?

In extraordinary circumstances, such as an owner dying or moving into assisted living with no family in the state, a shelter might immediately accept an animal. In all other cases, we recommend a procedure such as outlined above.

Shelter Concerns

Some shelters fear that delaying surrenders will result in abandonment or in people passing off their pets as found animals.

The fear that owners will abandon if denied immediate intake has not been demonstrated by research. In fact, the opposite was found: the number of stray animals actually declined. Most owners would not abandon, and any that would consider it are deterred by being offered assistance, being informed that dumping an animal is cruel and criminal, and having already given the shelter information about their pet.

We suggest that the shelter commit — even as a short-term experiment — to having direct, honest conversations about the reason for the surrender. Most people who care at all about their pets, even when desperate, will want the best for them. That includes providing information to help place the pet, including diet, activity level, health concerns, and how the pet gets along with children or other dogs or cats.