I want to start out by saying, I will never judge anyone for having to rehome a dog. If you are here because you are wondering if you should rehome your dog, please feel comfortable knowing you are in the right place.
Sh** happens. Life changes, people get new jobs, get sick, pass away, dogs develop health or behavior issues. When adopting a rescue dog there are never guarantees. Heck, life is never a guarantee!
This site has loads of helpful information that could help you through some health and behavior issues. If there is anything I can do to help you through this hard time, please feel free to contact me.
Rehoming a Dog Guilt
If you are unsure if rehoming your dog is the right choice, you may be feeling guilty that you cannot take care of her anymore. Or that you made a bad decision on adopting him in the first place. I can’t take away that guilt, but you can help yourself and the dog by doing some research before giving your dog away.
As hard as it may be to understand from the perspective of an outsider, sometimes a situation arises when you need to rehome your dog. As a volunteer for a local rescue, I see owner surrendered dogs all of the time.
In fact, our very first foster dog was a 10-year-old black lab, Silla, that was surrendered by her family. I admit I was confused as to why anyone would let such a sweet lab go. I didn’t know the family, but I do know they didn’t make the choice to rehome their dog lightly.
From what I do know, they lived on a farm and adopted two new herding breed dogs. The two new dogs did not get along with Silla and fights broke out. They felt that giving Silla a quiet home to retire in was in her best interest. Again, I am not here to judge. Did they feel guilty? I’m not sure, but I can only imagine how difficult that decision was for them.
Rehoming a Dog Tips
So, let’s start by ensuring you are making the right decision to rehome your dog. Why have you decided you need to give your dog away?
Rehoming a Dog Because of Life Circumstances:
- I have become too sick to take care of my dog.
If your situation is temporary, can you find a friend or family member to help by taking your dog in for a few months until you get back on your feet? - I can no longer afford my dog because of job loss.
Same as above, see if someone will help you and your dog out until you find a new job. - I am moving to an apartment that does not allow dogs.
Find an apartment that does allow dogs. I’m sorry but this is one that you do have control over. I know sometimes it can be hard, but there are plenty of landlords that do allow dogs. - We just realized my child is allergic to dogs.
Are you certain it is the dog your kids are allergic too? Have you tried bathing your dog? Brushing him more often? Keeping the dog out of the areas your child sleeps and plays? - We just had a new baby and no longer have time for a dog.
A baby may keep you busy, but it has been proven that kids who grow up with a dog are healthier. Children that grow up with a dog learn responsibility and compassion for animals. You will make time for both baby and dog. Many activities you can do with your dog and child… go for walks or play ball in the backyard together. - I cannot afford my dogs health care, because of an illness or injury.
Talk to your vet about payment options or look into Care Credit. I understand the thought of spending hundreds or thousands on your dog is daunting… trust me I do, I’ve been there. And sometimes we have to make tough decisions, but there are options out there, you just need to find them. - I got a new job and no longer have time for a dog.
Consider doggy-daycare or a dog walker. You did make a commitment to your dog when you first adopted him. Do your best to make it work.
Rehoming a Dog Because of Behavior Issues:
- My dog has bitten a child.
I understand it is really scary if your rescue dog has bitten your child. This should never be taken lightly. But please look at the situation with a clear mind. Read Why Do Family Dogs Bite and make your decision from there. - My dog has bitten another dog.
If you adopted a new dog and he isn’t getting along with your other dog, then take a few steps back and start over. Read The Best Way to Introduce a Second Dog and see if you can fix the relationship. - My dog has severe separation anxiety and has destroyed our house.
What have you tried to help your dog with his anxiety? Please read Solutions for Separation Anxiety to see if there are steps you can take before giving up on him. - I just adopted this dog and he isn’t what I expected.
How long have you had the dog? Have you given her enough time to adjust? Did you know that it could take up to 3 months for a rescue dog to feel completely comfortable in her new home? If you are certain you adopted the wrong dog, talk the rescue or shelter you got the dog from. Many times, they will take the dog back if it just isn’t a good fit.
An important note about rehoming a dog that has bitten a child or dog. Please disclose this information before giving your dog away. No matter how desperate you are, do not allow another child to be bitten. Do you really want another family to go through what you have?
Where Can I Give My Dog Away
If you are certain rehoming your dog is the right decision, where and how should you give your dog away?
No matter which option you choose, it’s important to be honest about all your dog’s issues and health concerns. Finding someone that is prepared to take care of all of your dog’s quirks, big or small, is important… or else he will just end up being returned to you or worse, euthanized.
Option 1: Contact the Rescue You Originally Adopted Your Dog From
If you adopted your dog from a shelter or rescue, start by asking them about taking the dog back. The rescue I volunteer for actually requires their adopters to surrender the dog back to them if needed at any time.
Some rescues will even post your dog on their website and let you keep him until you find a good home.
Option 2: Turn to Friends and Family for Help
I recommend you start by asking friends and family, even co-workers if they would be willing to take in your dog. This way you know the dog will be well taken care of.
Option 3: Post on Social Media
Posting a photo and your dog’s story on Facebook could be a great way to get the word out he needs a new home. I understand you may be afraid of being judged by your peers, but you’d be surprised how fast you could rehome a dog using social media.
Option 4: Ask Your Veterinarian
Your vet may have adoption resources you could turn to, or maybe even know someone looking to adopt a new dog.
Option 5: Rehoming a Dog on Adopt-a-Pet Website
Adopt-a-Pet is a well-known online adoption website, and they have a rehoming listing service too! Adopt a pet makes it easy to list by simply filling out the form online and uploading pictures. Rehome at Adopt-a-Pet also has a ton of resources for you to try and keep your dog!
Option 6: Rehoming a Dog on Craigslist
I love Craigslist, I use it to buy and sell everything from toys to furniture. But when it comes to dogs, it can be sketchy. Some very bad people lurk on the social selling site.
Let’s face it, we’ve all heard the horror stories of people getting scammed out of their houses, kidnapped or shot over a computer. And dogs being bought for reasons I’d rather not think of… bad reasons… for fighting and bait dogs.
There are also stories of puppy mills posting on Craigslist, so again, please do your research before buying or selling on this platform.
Now that I scared you, I have to admit something… we adopted our yellow lab Bear from Craigslist. Yup, that’s right we adopted an 18-month-old pure breed English Yellow Lab on Craigslist! We got lucky, the family rehoming him got lucky.
Bear grew much larger than the family thought he would… at a whopping 97 lbs, he was too big to live in a small trailer home with no yard. Plus, Bears’ previous owner was aging, had bad knees and couldn’t walk him. He was bursting at the seams with built up energy and was not a happy dog.
She realized this and came to the difficult conclusion that they needed to rehome Bear. She cried as we packed Bear’s belongings into our car, so I knew she cared very much for him and I am sure she felt guilty for letting him go.
A happy ending can happen, but you need to do your homework. Ask a lot of questions and meet the family before agreeing they can adopt your dog. Ask for a rehoming fee to ensure the new family is serious.
Option 7: Contact Your Local Humane Society or Shelter
I’d say this should be your last resort. Dogs become very stressed when dropped off at a shelter. A shelter can be a scary place for any animal. And you have no idea how long he could end up staying there.
Call ahead and find out the shelters process of surrendering a dog. DO NOT just drop a dog off at the back door! Please no matter how desperate you are, this is not the right way to handle rehoming a dog.
The more information the shelter has about your dog before rehoming, the less stress for the dog, and the better chance he has for being readopted.
Please make sure you find a no-kill shelter. Unless your dog is truly aggressive, and you’ve tried everything… does he really deserve to be euthanized?
Over to you… please share your story in the comments below. I created the Rescue Dogs 101 community so we can support each other in times of need. It could help someone else in the same situation. You may be feeling alone right now, having to rehome your dog is not an easy decision, but please take comfort in knowing you are not alone! I am here for you.
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I rescued a very bad abuse case dog a year ago, we have made huge strides in helping him but last month my neighbor came over unexpectedly. The dog was out on a run line (I live in a very rural area) and the dog became very territorial and attacked my neighbor. He did not break skin but bruised her badly. My neighbor is no longer comfortable with the dog being in the neighborhood, which I understand.
I’m struggling with trying to find him a fitting home or a shelter that would euthinize him.
You are certainly in a tough situation. Most shelters do not have the resources to rehabilitate a dog after a biting incident. You best luck would be to find a dog behaviorist that could help you either with training, or help you find a suitable home.
Hello my wife and I adopted our two dogs from a shelter in South Carolina while working for a not for profit childrens home. They had 95 acres our fur babies could run and get exercise. We transferred to another Child care organization in Mississippi. Within the first 2 months one of our dogs had been shot and the other attacked and injured by 3 neighbor dogs. Our dogs are not aggressive and love to run but are housebroken and always come backafter their play. We have now been told that they must be kept in a fenced area approximately 40 x 60 feet and the neighbor continues to fire weapons at all hours terrifying our dogs. We did not come to this decision lightly but we are now trying to find a forever home for them either in a rural location or with a large fenced yard where they can have room to run as their current circumstance doesn’t offer a good quality of life for them. Any assistance in helping us find them a better home would be greatly appreciated.
This scenario sounds terrifying! I am so sorry you and your dogs are going through this. What a terrible neighbor! I have to agree that it be best they find a rural home again… for their safety. Not that it justifies your neighbor shooting at your dogs, but I do understand the need to keep dogs on your own property. We live in a semi-rural area and our next door neighbors allow their 3 dogs to roam free around everyone else’s property. I have two issues with this: one, I end up cleaning up after their dogs because they poop on our lawn. Second is that we have trained our dogs to stay inside our property, and with one of them being reactive to some dogs it’s an attack waiting to happen. Plus, it’s not fair to my dogs. But I would never shoot or hurt any dog because of it.
My older, limited mobility, dad decided to buy an AKC 8 week old German Shepherd puppy last March. He spoke frequently over that summer about how the dog was vicious and biting and giving her away. In October he visited us with the dog (first time we met her) and she was as friendly and not-aggressive as could be. She was definitely a puppy with LOTS of energy, and a herding dog that would herd and nip while doing so. My dad did not train her at all and she had MANY bad habits. My dad kept her crated ~20 hours a day. Took her out to potty, feed her, but as soon as she got ‘hyper and vicious’ (as he called it), right back in the crate she went.
We DID NOT need another dog, we already had 2 older dogs at the time and 2 young children (4 & 7). However, we could see this dog was as friendly as could be, needed training and exercise she wasn’t getting and we had trained 2 dogs beautifully before (lab mix rescues). So he left her in our care. She has come such a long way – she knows all her basic commands without distractions, and does OK with distractions. The 2 areas we struggle with are (1) she is very excitable and difficult to control when passing other dogs -friendly and excited, not aggressive & (2) she is a car chaser -seriously working on this one for her safety.
At this point, we’ve had her for 4 months and it has become very clear to us that we substantially underestimated the amount of time, exercise and mental stimulation a German Shepherd requires. Again, she has come a very long way. She is walked 2 miles in the morning, runs (fetch + commands) for 20+10 minutes in the morning. Crated ~10 hrs while we are at work. Then runs (fetch + commands) 20 minutes in the evening, 10 mins of training, 20 more mins of running before bed. Sleeps out of crate in our bedroom without being destructive (usually). It is very clear that even with what we are doing that she is bored and has loads more energy to burn. In addition to that, we have 2 young children (4 & 7). She is good with them (and our other 2 dogs), but she is big and energetic and it’s not uncommon for the kids to get caught in the crazy. I (as a mom) am losing out on substantial time with the kids b/c of the substantial time I’m spending trying to burn energy off the dog so she isn’t a maniac.
I’m at this place where not only is the dog not getting the stimulation she needs, but the kids aren’t getting the attention they deserve from me either. And I feel utterly devastated. I love this dog, and dogs are family. And although we wouldn’t have made the decision to go out and get her, we did make the decision to take her from my father (who made the poor decision to start with). It was the right decision as she would have most likely hurt him unintentionally and she has had a much better life with us over the last 4 months. I’m so torn. My brain says what’s best for her and my kids is a new home. My heart breaks though. And I feel immensely guilty for even considering it.
As an un-biased party, I would love your opinion.
Consider looking at a different perspective. Think of yourself as a temporary foster home for this dog. You took her in, started rehabilitating her to make her more adoptable. She deserves a home that can give her the time and dedication she needs. It sounds like you have done a wonderful job helping her through this stage of her life, now it’s time for her to move on to a forever home. I would suggest trying to reach out to friends, family or coworkers to see if anyone is interested in adopting her. This will give you the opportunity to continue to work with her while finding her perfect home. As harsh and difficult this may sound, do what’s right for the dog, not your heart.
We’ve had our rescue dog now for 2 months. We’ve spent $2,000 on vetting, health and training to date and there is no end in sight. The rescue org misled us and although our dog is cute , very smart and lovable to us, her separation anxiety and fear aggression are over the top. She’s now on 400mg trazadone for her low threshold problem and it’s barely taking the edge off. We are now spending another couple hundred bucks to get a certified dog behaviourist to assess her . This is after we’ve already had two trainers that can take our dog no further in learning. We were told she was good with people, kids and cats. None of the above is true. We were told by the rescue she was healthy. She arrived from Texas sick and with a 2” open incision from a quick spay done before the adoption. We have run out of money and refuse to contact the rescue org because they didn’t support us well when these medical issues immediately surfaced. Also, the misleading info – they are not capable of rehoming well I’m sure of this. Help? We are at our wits end as we love her but my health is suffering from the stress.
I am so sorry you are going through this with your dog. It’s so unfortunate that shelters are not being upfront and honest about some dogs… and you unknowingly got caught in the unexpected. It’s also sad that there are so many trainers out there that aren’t equipped to train a dog past basic obedience. I do believe if you found a qualified behaviorist, there is hope. But at what cost, right? You and only you can make the decision on what to do. I don’t recommend rehoming the dog, as it just passes the problem to someone else.
We got an 8 week old puppy. We’ve had her for almost 5 weeks. She wouldn’t be an issue alone. We have 3 rescues. All are pretty mellow and more nervous dogs. The worst is her and our 11 yr old rescue. He was diagnosed with arthritis in July but we had been managing his pain really well and he was still happy. He was stressed with the puppy but not in pain. About 2 weeks ago, my husband slipped on the stairs while holding our old guy. He’s been in so much pain sense and still can’t handle the puppy.
We wouldn’t have gotten another dog if the fall all ready happened. But we were doing so well handling his pain. I’m taking him to the vet tomorrow to see if there’s anything else and if they feel our home is too toxic for him. We’d have to re-home the puppy. We knew the breeder and got her free. They said we could return her to them for any reason. But they are no longer a reputable breeder. It’s not an option. Rehoming is terrifying.
I’m so sorry Ann! Maybe a friend or family member could take the puppy for a while until your older guy heals?
We rescued a Shnauzer Mix from the shelter about 3 years ago. They had very little info on him, Other than he was a year old, but we spent a good hour with him in a meeting room, and he was very calm and polite and extremely gentle and tolerant with our infant. Well…. after about a week home with us, everything changed. He pees all over the house, chews on everything, plays so rough with our other dog that things get broken all the time. He knocks our toddle over while running at full speed. He finds ways to get out of the yard and takes off towards the very busy main road. He gets into the garbage cans no matter what we try. He does not understand personal boundaries and will climb all over us and our company no matter how many times you make him get down. We have tried training, and have been super consistent with the things the trainer gave us to do. We have tried daily long walks to get energy out, calming chews, essential oils….. pretty much everything. Sometimes I feel like I not spending enough time with my human child with all the things we do to try and help and accommodate this dog. He is not improving. I am at my wits end. I have always promised to never “get rid of” a dog, but we have another child on the way, and we are running out of time, energy and the resources to keep him. I am just so afraid he would end up with people who would be unkind or worse…. I just don’t know what’s best. Help!
It sounds like you haven’t found the right trainer and the dog needs more boundaries. With two young children, I feel your pain. I recommend going back to the shelter you got him from to see if they can help find a new home for him. Or reach out to friends and family to see if anyone is looking to adopt.
We just took our 8 month old labradoodle back to the breeder because we felt re-homing him was best for the family & him….however I’ve been really struggling with the grief and heartbreak and I’m worried I made the wrong decision. This is the third time I’d talked about re-homing him with my breeder and this time she said ‘it’s been a long time coming – can you bring him back tomorrow’….oh my gosh, so sudden but I did it because she said it was best to ‘rip the band aid off’. I am constantly crying about him & sway between regret and logic. Reason for re-homing? He is a super hyperactive puppy & my husband just isn’t on board at all and I feel very alone with managing him… I have four children aged 14, 11, 9 and 3. My husband thinks we made a mistake getting a puppy and the house is just chaos. I’ve worked hard with trainers and they think this isn’t the best environment for a puppy like Teddy & that he needs more management than we can give him. We all don’t care what they say….we miss him and want to go get him back even though he absolutely does make everything so chaotic. He has a rough play style that other dogs don’t like and he bites the children when he gets excited in play (but surely he will outgrow this???) So he has a massive amount of energy which could be a product of this environment. Everybody I respect who know me and knows him thinks we have done the right thing but I don’t care and still want to go back and get him. Struggling with this so bad.
You are grieving, understandably. But it sounds like you did the right thing, as hard as it was. Time will heal, your family will be happier and the puppy will find a home that is more suitable for him. Labradoodles aren’t as easy as everyone makes them out to be. Maybe down the road, when you are ready, you could find an older dog to adopt, maybe even a senior dog!
I’m feeling very conflicted. My husband and I decided to get a beagle puppy. She’s currently 6 months old. We also have a two year old and a baby on the way. Ever since we got her, it’s been high stress levels in the house. Turns out my husband has never had a puppy before and didn’t realize all of the training involved. So I have taken over a lot of it. The potty training has been very rough for us. We’re at the stage that she tells us occasionally if she needs to go, and other times she does it without warning right in front of us. She also loves to steal food out of my sons hands. Other than that, she’s a great dog. My husband however gets very mad when these things occurs and loses his temper. He usually crates her and yells at me about the situation. I can tell our dog knows it’s about her because she is clinging to me and doesn’t want much to do with my husband. I have suggested rehoming to him and he always says he doesn’t want to do that to her. But I fear it may be better because she is scared of him and it’s not helping my husbands well being. Well tonight has me wide awake. The dog always sleeps in bed with me and normally my husband gets hot and moves to the couch every night. Tonight he stayed in bed and the dog slept between us. She was dreaming away and kicking her legs and was kicking my husband in the back. He would wake up, yell at her to get off and shove her into me waking me up and startling the dog. After three times, I told my husband to go to the couch. My dog has been sleeping on my lap ever since. I absolutely love this dog and I feel we haven’t spent enough time training her yet, but I’m really fearing that she may be better in a home that treats her better. I’m realizing that I don’t think my husband is fit to have a dog. What can I do before I have to take that step and give her up?
Karen, I am so sorry you are struggling with this! It’s really a tough decision that I can’t make for you… but it sounds like your home is a very stressful one for your pup and you! Your dog can absolutely sense the tension and will never trust your husband at this rate. Maybe your husband needs anger management counseling to help him control his outbursts.
Thank you for this article. I recently had to give up my 8 year old dachshund and my family and I feel terrible. We have two Dachshunds (14) and the (8 yr. Old). The 8 year old is a female and she’s extremely aggressive. For years we have dealt with her barking and territorial ways. My oldest dog has had a few injuries with his back and his legs to the point where he can barely walk. We don’t know why but the 8 year old is so mean to him. She has attacked him so many times and he can’t fight back. I worry that one day I will find him dead because of her.
I have 3 kids (one is a new baby) and my 8 year old Dachshund has attacked my other dog many times in front of the kids. I have done all I can until one day she bit onto my arm. I know you can6get in the middle of a dog fight but I tried everything I could to get her off my other dog.
It’s strange because it’s like she sees RED! I can’t stop her and i worry that she could get one of the kids if she got into a fight with the other dog nearby. When I feed the dogs and give them water, she attacks the other dog if he tries to get the first bite or drink. I’ve tried separating them but that didn’t seem to work out too well.
Anyway, my kids, my husband and I were all in agreement but my son was crying (he’s 5) and the rest of us felt so sad as the rescue came to get her from our home. I sent her with her favorite blanket, treats, food and toy. We feel like we gave up a family member but at the same time we feel this was necessary for our dog that most likely doesn’t have a ton of life left and has health issues. Unfortunately we don’t live in the same state as our family. This really is just such a bummer and we pray that there’s a home for her but we just hope we made the right decision. I’m sorry this was long…thank you for listening!
I didn’t see anything regarding multi dog homes that have an issue with inter pack aggression.
I have 8 dogs. Pitbull, pit mixes, G step, mix, chip’s & chi mixes.
They all have gotten along quite well until recently.
I had 9 dogs. Sadly. The most horrible, heartbreaking thing happened. I was home but have a huge yard and didn’t hear what was a horrible attack.on my dane/step mix. She was older than I knew, she always seemed young. I don’t know for sure but I think fence fighting with neighbor dogs started it. I had been out an hour before I found her & all were fine.
I’ve seen alot of bad attacks in my years of rescue and assisting people in outlying low income areas with dog injuries. This was by far the most brutal. I was devastated.
I took her to vet knowing she would not come home. The vet informed me she was much older and had only a few teeth in her mouth. I’m my God! She had been unable to even defend herself! I’m crying now at the thought of her desperation. It’s been 2 months. They broke her legs among other injuries.
I don’t blame dogs for being dogs. Dogs have “arguments” as do people. Dog arguments can be devastating tho when we aren’t there to intervene.
The 2 I suspect started the attack have been good, as have they all. Until yesterday. The 2 attacked my other dog 9 years old and mellow. One at the head. One at the rear. Thank goodness I was close and heard it. And thank goodness they both stopped soon after I began calling them off. Alone I doubt I’d have been able to stop both in a full on frenzied attack.
So do u have suggestions? I need answers fast since I don’t feel safe leaving them together now, and my situation doesn’t allow me to separate the yard. I won’t get into that. It makes for even longer story.
I’m broken over this. My options now are so final. I love my dogs.
Most were meant to be adopted to families and remain with me due to health or behavior issues.
I am so sorry to hear about the attack! With 8 dogs you need to have a lot of structure! If you can’t separate them in the yard, then I wouldn’t leave them unattended out there. Keeping them separate while you are away is going to be key. Using crates will make this easier. The tension is obviously high and you may need to consider consulting a behaviorist dog trainer, one that is experienced with large packs. You will need to assess each dog and see where the problem lays. So sorry you are going through this, and I hope you can find the help you need.