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!

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!

PET Projects Partnerships

As a partnering organization, our small but committeed group of volunteers will do our best to work with you to find a new home for a pet in need! The services that we offer are:

  • REQUEST ADVERTISING OR OTHER ASSISTANCE FOR A PET NEEDING A NEW HOME This is the first step to entering into a partnership with PET Projects --- Filling out our advertising form gives us your information and the pet's. There is also a section which allows you to request help for things like food, litter, supplies, veterinary care, photography help, and more! CLICK HERE to fill out the advertising form!
  • SPAY/NEUTER SUBSIDY: Pets that have been spayed/neutered are much easier to find homes for! Plus, spaying and neutering is the best solution for reducing future pet homelessness. We are happy to offer partial or full financial coverage for this important procedure for stray pets in Shelburne County. CLICK HERE to fill out a spay/neuter subsidy request!
  • FOSTER CARE: PET Projects has a limited amount of foster homes available for pets that require a place to stay while waiting for adoption. There is a waiting list for this service, with priority going to pets that require immediate, life-saving intervention. Please keep in mind that PET Projects exists to partner with YOU, the owner or rescuer of this animal, to find new homes for pets in need! Submit the pet's information through the "REQUEST ADVERTISING OR OTHER ASSISTANCE" form above.

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, fill out this form.

You will also need to send up to 3 digital images of each animal to newhomes@petprojects.ca; cropped close-ups work best, and of course the cuter the better! Click here for a guide on taking effective pet pictures.

By submitting descriptions and images to PET Projects for advertising, you are promising to follow our rehoming tips and to screen adopters to make sure the pet gets the best possible home!

A NOTE TO PET OWNERS: 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.

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!

If you have encountered a pet who is in need of an immediate intervention, please report the situation to us and we will do our best to provide help. You can expect a response in less than 12 hours!