Rehoming Support

Companion animals bring us love, joy, and happiness but changes happen that make it impossible for our pet to stay with us. Sometimes the kindest and most responsible thing to do is to find them a new loving home. 

While the City of Great Falls Animal Shelter is unable to accept owner surrenders, we are here to support you in this sometimes difficult journey.

When rehoming a pet, it is important to be patient and thorough. Finding the right home can take some time but it is worth it to make sure your pet finds the perfect place for them. We ask that you commit at least a month to finding the best home for your pet. 

Once you have committed to rehoming your pet, follow the steps below to make sure your pet is ready and hopefully find the perfect fit for them. 

Step 1:

Take the Rehoming Readiness Survey to see if your animal is ready to be rehomed. 

Step 2:

Take a picture and write a biography

You want to make sure that you take a great picture that will help your pet stand out from all the others out there. Check out these tips and tricks on taking pet pictures on taking pet pictures created by the great folks at Cabot Animal Support Services. 

Writing a biography for your pet is a little like writing a resume for yourself. This is the first opportunity that potential owners have to fall in love with your pet, so make sure to include their personality traits, quirks, and favorite things to do. You will also want to cover any vet history, special diet needs, and any difficulty in certain situations (i.e. scared of thunder or fireworks). You want to make sure the potential new owner can make sure your pet will be a good fit for the new family. 

Step 3:

Start advertising that your pet is available for adoption. There are several ways to do that:

Talk to your family and friends - You never know who in your circle may have secretly fallen in love with your pet and would be willing to take them in to their home. Also, they may know of someone looking at bringing a new pet into their family and can recommend your pet, since they have had interactions with your pet before. 

Use online resources - There are several online rehoming resources available for free such as adoptapet.com, home-home.org, or rescueme.org where you can put up a profile of your pet and people that are interested can reach out to you. 

Post flyers around town - Many grocery stores, veterinarians, and other local businesses will have bulletin boards where you could pin up flyers. You can also email the flyer to your friends and family and have them put them up at their workplace and neighborhood locations. If you use this method MAKE SURE that you take down all of the flyers that get put up (keep a list of locations).  

Find a rescue group - If your animal is purebred or appears to be, you can try to contact a breed specific rescue organization. Many of them will allow you to post your animal on their website and some may even be able to help by finding a foster for your pet. The American Kennel Club keeps a pretty comprehensive list of breed specific rescues. 

Step 4:

Arrange a meet and greet - Once you have found someone that is interested in adopting your pet, you will want to schedule a time for them (and potentially their family/other animals) to meet your pet. Pick a place that is friendly for both the adopter and your pet. You will want someplace where your pet will be free to interact and not territorial. Hopefully all goes well and you can move on to step 5, but remember that not all meet and greets will go well the first time. Your pet may need to meet the new family more than once before everyone is comfortable moving forward with an adoption. 

Step 5:

Transfer of ownership - Once you are certain that you have found the right new home for your pet you will want to make sure the new owner has everything they need, including:

Vet Records - You will want to have your veterinarian print off all of your animals records to provide to the new owner. This should include all vaccinations, medical treatment, and medications your animal has taken in the past.  

Transfer of Ownership Agreement - In Great Falls, pets are considered property so it is very important that the new owner has proof of ownership of the animal. You can print and use this Transfer of Ownership Agreement. 

Microchip - If your pet is microchipped, make sure to provide the new owner with all the microchip information and let them know that they will need to contact the microchip company to update the microchip to their information. You will also want to contact the company and let them know that the new owner will be calling. 

Congratulations on finding a new home for your pet! Sadly, rehoming your pet also means that you give up all rights to that animal. The new owner is not required to keep you informed about happenings in your former pets life. So make sure that you choose a new home that you feel confident they will have a healthy and happy life.