Times Are Tough All Over

You just got laid off. Or you got evicted. Or you just took a pay cut. Or your landlord has decided to put in effect a strict, no-exceptions no-pet policy. In times of stress it's difficult enough to find a new job or a new home for yourself, let alone for a pet that you can no longer afford to keep.

Training Humans is not going to tell you to make your pet the number-one priority when you find yourself in any number of situations mentioned above. We get it. What we have done, however, is devised for you a handy Do's and Don'ts list so that you improve your pet's odds at finding a safe and happy new home.

Do:

• Contact Training Humans via the comments section in this blog or via our Facebook page (see link on the right of the page). Seriously.
• Network. You have Facebook? Twitter? Make a Facebook page for your pet and explain the situation and let people know you need to find it a new home. Be honest about your pet. What breed is it? How old is it? Is it housebroken? Why do you need to get rid of it? Tweet a link to that Facebook page and ask people to help you spread the word.
• Google. If your dog a senior? A pure breed? A mutt? Look up rescues that work specifically with seniors or the pure breed you have. Or ask Training Humans to do it. We know a bunch of rescues and are happy to help you find a good place for your pet.

Don't:

• Keep a pet you cannot afford to have and stop feeding it. 
• Leave the pet chained to a tree or fence hoping someone takes it.
• Set the dog loose in the street.
• Take the dog to a high-kill shelter.
• Wait until the day you are moving to try to find your pet a new home.

Remember, when you got your pet, you made yourself responsible for providing it with food, clean water, maintenance, and veterinary care. It certainly depends on you for its basic survival needs. 

If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot afford unexpected veterinary bills or provide it with its daily food requirements, reach out for help immediately. Do not wait. Contact Training Humans. We will help you find a humane solution. We will help you find a no-kill shelter or rescue organization that can help you. 

And don't lose heart. If your situation is temporary and you need a reprieve while you get back on your feet, work with a foster who will return your pet to you once you are stable enough to care for it properly again.

Saving Molly, Twice

A pure-bred German Rottweiler, Molly was a stray wandering around with her sick puppy when Jennifer found and rescued her. Molly has been with Jennifer ever since and is now between 8 and 10 years old.

Jennifer never imagined she'd ever need to get rid of Molly. But life happens. Evicted from her apartment, Jennifer had little time to find a new home and faced an unfortunate obstacle. Her new would-be landlord does not allow Rottweilers in the apartment complex; they are not, along with pit bulls and other large breeds, on the landlord's list of acceptable breeds.

With time quickly running out, Jennifer enlisted the help of her friend Leslie and started looking for a new home for Molly. She passed out flyers at local vets and businesses and started a Facebook page dedicated to sharing Molly's story with as many people as possible in the hopes of finding her a new home. Leslie even stepped up and took Molly into her own home, despite potentially drawing unwanted attention from her own landlord.

Jennifer and Leslie exhausted every possible effort to place Molly at a safe place, rather than just set her loose in the street or dump her at an animal control center that would have probably euthanized her within weeks, if not days, in the event no person stepped in to foster or adopt her.

Just a few days after starting the Facebook campaign, which included others campaigning on Molly's behalf via Twitter and blogs directing interested parties to the Facebook link, Jennifer found Molly a foster home. Molly's story is not over yet, but it's in a far better place thanks to her owner's savvy and Leslie's generosity.

Steps Jennifer took:

• Accepted the very difficult reality that she would have to part from her dog.
• Printed and passed out flyers in an effort to find Molly a new foster or forever home.
• Launched a Facebook page to reach a greater audience.
• Asked her friend for help spreading the word.
• Made sure Molly was up-to-date with all her vaccines. 
• Made sure to inform people Molly is fixed, housebroken, and has a sweet temperament, but Jennifer was honest about Molly's tendency to be territorial around other large breeds. 

Steps Leslie took: 

• Reached out to others with extensive contacts so they could help find Molly a home.
• Took Molly in for a few days so Jennifer could deal with her situation.
• Made calls to people who came forward expressing interest in adopting or fostering Molly and followed up with them.
• Was ready to drive Molly to her new home and transport her at least part of the way should someone outside Texas want to take her in. 
• Researched no-kill shelters and called them to see about their ability to take in Molly (all the no-kill shelters Leslie contacted were full and unable to take her).

If you ever find yourself in a situation like Jennifer's or simply decide you no longer want to keep your pet, please review these steps and take them. True, finding a home for a pet requires time and patience, but even something as quick as posting a status message on Facebook or Twitter could go a long way to ensuring a pet doesn't end up on the street or on a shelter's EUTH list. 

And don't be afraid to get a little help from your friends. If you have no time - for whatever reason - to research no-kill shelters or print flyers, find someone you know who can and will. 

Are you thinking about getting rid of your pet? Leave a comment here, and I will help you.