Finding Homes for Homeless Pets

Has something happened in your life and you can no longer take care of your pet? Or perhaps you have found a stray or abandoned cat or dog and are committed to finding a great new home. Whatever your situation, we are here to help!

Please keep in mind that we are only a small group of volunteers with limited resources and foster homes available. As a PET EMERGENCY TEAM, we will do our best to take animals into our care who would die without immediate intervention. For other pets in need, our primary goal is to assist YOU in providing care and finding homes!

First Things First

If you have found a lost or stray animal, there are a few steps to take before helping the pet find a new home. Giving the animal food, water and shelter is the first priority! If you're not able to do this, approach friends and family members to be a part of this temporary solution. PET Projects may be able to help provide supplies --- if you need help with food or litter, contact us. Then visit our Lost and Found page for tips on who to contact and how to advertise, in case this animal is simply lost. If you are sure that the pet has been abandoned and know who the negligent owner is, visit our Advocacy page to find out what to do --- abandoning an animal is against the law!

Homing How-To: Finding Fabulous Forever-Families!

The BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY (www.bestfriends.org) offers great resources for helping owners and private rescuers to find new homes for pets that need them; click here and download a PDF that will walk you through the process from start to finish! Things like: how to effectively advertise, how to prepare a pet for adoption, how to screen potential adopters, and more! If you need help or advice with one of these steps, contact us and we'll do what we can to assist you.

The most important thing to remember is that you are this pet's advocate and voice. It is up to you to make sure that an animal is not just adopted, but adopted to a GREAT home where he will be safe and happy. The Bestfriends.org link above offers wonderful advice, but here are some tips in summary:

  • Ask questions! When someone is interested in adopting, find out about them. Do they have other pets? Young children? What is there home like? Their yard? Do your best to determine if this would be a safe environment for a pet. Check out our adoption application to find out about our screening process.
  • Answer questions...even ones that the potential adopter didn't think to ask! Be honest about the pet's personality and needs. If the animal goes to a home that is not a good match, it may be returned, or something much worse might happen to it. Giving an adopter a clear picture of what the animal is like benefits not just the person, but the pet.
  • Ask for references. PET Projects asks for several references (only one can be a family member) and the name of a potential adopter's veterinarian; if you don't know the potential adopter, or aren't personally connected with someone who knows them and can vouch for them, we recommend you do the same. It might feel strange asking, but if someone is committed to adopting they will understand that you have the best interests of the animal at heart. Ask references if the home is safe and secure, how they believe young children or pets already in the family would treat a new arrival, whether the family would have the means to care for pet, including unexpected medical care should their be an accident or injury. Find out from the vet if they have evidenced responsible pet ownership in the past by spaying/neutering their pets and bringing them for check-ups as needed. Also ask if there are any red flags, such as unnecessary euthanizations. (If the vet will not release information to you, ask the potential adopter to call the office and give permission.)

If you need any advice on the screening process, our experienced volunteers would be happy to help; just contact us and let us know!

Helping You Spread the Word

As a part of the homing or re-homing process, PET Projects is pleased to offer free advertising through Petfinder.com and our website (which receives around 1000 visitors per month!) for pets in Shelburne County, providing that the owner or rescuer will commit to going through the steps above. If you'd like to take advantage of this service, email newhomes@petprojects.ca with as much information as you can provide.

The decision to re-locate one of your animals should be with careful consideration. Thousands of animals in Nova Scotia end up in shelters and are euthanized or spend many months in cages before being adopted. Many cats are dumped and dogs are tied out at the end of a rope for the rest of their life. You are the only person who can make sure that the potential adopter is a caring animal-lover who has the means of taking care of your pet. Please, look into your pets eyes. Realize that they need more than just food, water and shelter. They are companion animals who rely on us for love and comfort. Make sure you know in your heart that you are doing the absolute best thing. By submitting descriptions and images to PET Projects for advertising, you are promising to use the information in the Bestfriends.org document linked above, to follow our rehoming tips, and not to adopt to any person under the age of 19.

What to send to PET Projects to ensure the most effective advertising:

  • A detailed description (in paragraph form), including the name, age, sex, temperament and health (spayed/neutered, treated for fleas/worms, vaccinations etc.) of the pet.
  • The pet's experience and how well it interacts with other cats, dogs, and children.
  • Where the pet came from, and why it needs a new home.
  • Your general location and contact information. Potential adopters will contact you directly; the Bestfriends.org document above has great tips for making sure your furry friend finds a safe and loving home!
  • Up to 3 digital images of each animal; cropped close-ups work best, and of course the cuter the better! Click here for a guide on taking effective pet pictures.

Best of luck finding a new home for your furry friend, and let us know if there is anything more we can do to help!
 

Resource Index

Help for Rescuers: If you have recently rescued a dog or cat that is in need of a forever-home, we can help!

Help for Pet Owners: Learn the ins and outs of responsible pet ownership, including how to choose the right foods, the facts about spaying and neutering, teaching safe pet interaction to children, and much more! From here you can also find out how to access social services such as emergency veterinary care, spay/neuter subsidy, and emergency pet food and supplies.

Lost and Found: Read or post community notices about lost and found pets, and learn steps to take to help reunite pets and their owners!

Advocacy: Learn how to respond to animal abuse and neglect, learn what you can do to bring about change in the laws that protect pets, and find links about animal issues.

Cat Colonies: Learn about the consequences and conditions of dumped cats in Shelburne County, report existing cat colonies, and find out what you can do to help!

Resource Centre - Main: Helpful links and local contacts.


 

Celebrating Your Success!

When your owned or rescued pet is adopted, please contact us so that we can celebrate with you! We'd also love to hear about what worked and what didn't during your quest to find your pet a forever-family, so that we can refine our helps for others in the community.

Emergency Foster Care

PET Projects has a network of foster homes to help cats and dogs in desperate need; animals that have been cruelly abandoned, animals who have lost their owners due to illness or death, animals who have strayed from their homes and need help to return. Unweaned kittens with no mothers, dogs who are scared of their own shadow, former pets left to fend for themselves who are half-starved or badly frostbitten, semi-tame cats from colonies who would never make it out of a traditional shelter setting. For these animals and more we provide food, medical care, rehabilitation, spay/neuter operations, and most importantly LOVE as a part of a family.

And once an animal is in our care, it stays there until it is adopted... no matter how long it takes.

By partnering with us to help find homes for homeless animals using the steps on this page, you are keeping our foster homes open for the cats and dogs who need them most. On behalf of the over 100 foster animals who have been rescued and adopted to wonderful homes in 2009, we thank you!

Please keep in mind that we are only a small group of volunteers with limited resources and foster homes available. As a PET EMERGENCY TEAM, we will do our best to take animals into our care who would die without immediate intervention. For other pets in need, our primary goal is to assist YOU in providing care and finding homes!