Rehoming your pet
Rehoming admissions policy
Do you wish to surrender your animal?
Admission of any pet into the Fayette Humane Society to be rehomed is based on the animal’s health, behavior, and adoptability. Pets who need a new home are admitted when space is available. Animal admission for a new home is at the sole discretion of Fayette Humane Society management.
Know your options
We DO NOT accept animals during our Adoption Days at PetSmart. If you are considering rehoming your pet, understand finding a good home could take months or even over a year and can be a particularly traumatic experience for your pet. The family bond of your pet is strong and your pet most likely considers you a member of its ‘pack.’ Please take this into consideration prior to rehoming your pet. Often times, there are other options for many of the common reasons why owners want to find a new home for their pet.
If any of the situations below apply to you, there may be an alternative solution for you that allows you to keep your pet.
I am moving
I don't have time for my pet
Owning a pet is a 10+ year commitment. Most people, including our foster‐families, have full‐time jobs, kids, friends, and other responsibilities in their lives…but they make it work.
Yes, dogs would love to spend every minute with their owners, but this is the reality. Your dog will be okay while you are at work or in class for most of the day. It will make the time you get to spend with your dog that much more valuable.
Is a new baby taking up your time? New babies are a lot of work. Many families have babies and dogs simultaneously. Never leave your dog alone, unsupervised with a child.
I'm having a new baby
A new baby can be stressful and time‐consuming. We get it. But, it is very possible to have a new baby and keep your dog – families do it all the time, including many of our fosters, adopters, and volunteers. Unless you have serious concerns about your baby’s safety, you owe it to your dog to do whatever you can to make it work. You made a commitment to your dog, very much like you have or will with your new baby.
Consider asking a friend or dog‐walker to help give your dog exercise through the tough newborn months, or look into doggy daycare if your dog likes being social and active.
Remember, the sleepless nights won’t last forever and it will get easier – your dog wants to be part of your family, baby included.
My dog is being animal-aggressive
It happens. A dog’s behavior, personality, temperament, and tolerance level can change over time. It can be a stressful situation. Dog aggression is a more common than you think among bully breeds. It can also be selective.
Your dog will not like every other dog it meets just like you and I will not necessarily like every person we meet. You should never leave your dog alone, unsupervised with any other pets.
In reality, the odds of finding a single‐pet household for your animal‐aggressive dog is slim. Please consider a crate‐and‐rotate routine. Come up with a system that works for your household. While one pet is out of the crate, enjoying family time, the other pet is confined to the crate. Rotate them around so each pet gets equal time.
You can find useful information on crate and rotate through Pit Bull Rescue Central.
My dog is having behavioral issues
First, consider seeking the help of a professional – medical and behavioral. Sometimes there is an underlying medical cause for behavior problems, causing the dog to become easily irritable or intolerant. If a medical cause isn’t present, there are many trainers and behaviorists that can offer advice and assistance. Feel free to reach out to us for advice and references.
Let’s be honest – if you don’t want to deal with your dog’s behavioral issues, what makes you think that someone else wants to? Consider ways of helping your dog cope with his or her issues so you can both be happier.
My girlfriend/ boyfriend doesn't like my dog
Get rid of your boyfriend/girlfriend.
Problem solved.
My home insurance doesn't cover my pitbull
Unfortunately, not all insurance companies will cover pit bulls or other dogs they consider to be “aggressive breeds.” Luckily, there are many companies who do cover pit bulls as they would any other type of dog. Pit Bull Rescue Central offers information on pit bull-friendly insurance carriers to check out in your area.
My dog bit someone
If your dog bit someone, you cannot, in good conscience, just give it to someone else. This is especially true if you hid the bite history from a potential new home or rescue. Would you be able to live with yourself if your dog hurt another person? A child? Any respectable rescue group will not adopt out a dog with a bite history, and neither should you.
If a rescue group agrees to take your dog, they would be caring for your dog for life, taking a spot in that rescue for many dogs during that time to be saved. In some cases, you can pay a behaviorist or trainer to work with your dog, but this can be very costly and is not guaranteed to improve the behavior.
Dumping a dog with known aggression at animal control, especially a pit bull, is pretty much a guaranteed death sentence. As difficult as it is, sometimes the best thing you can do – after exhausting all other options from a trainer or behavior specialist – is to humanely euthanize a truly human‐aggressive dog at your vet’s office, with you, instead of dying alone and scared at the pound.
Still need to rehome your pet?
So, you have explored all of the options and still want to rehome your dog?
Did you adopt your animal from Fayette Humane Society? Animals adopted from the Fayette Humane Society will be admitted under most circumstances as long as space is available. In some instances, an intake fee may be required.
All other pets…
Fayette Humane Society will admit animals to be rehomed based on the animal’s health, behavior, and adoptability. Pets who need a new home are admitted when space is available and an intake fee is paid. Animal admission for a new home is at the sole discretion of Fayette Humane Society management.
Complete an Admissions Application
For CAT rehome requests, we are currently only working Fayette County resident requests
Your Application Will be Reviewed
After you complete and submit your admissions application,
we will reach out to ask you a couple simple questions about the animal including why you’re looking to surrender the animal (behavioral, medical, change in lifestyle) to see if we can provide you a resource such as behavioral advice.
If Your Application is Accepted
If we can accept your animal, we will then schedule you an appointment to bring your animal to us. We DO NOT ACCEPT ANIMALS during our Adoption Days at PetSmart. We will do our best to admit your animal into our care, but we cannot make any guarantee of being able to accept any animal. Additionally, the timing of when we can accept your animal will vary depending on the type of animal you are looking to surrender and other upcoming intakes we might have already scheduled. If we cannot admit your animal or admit your animal in a time frame that works for you, we can provide you with contacts of other groups who might be able to assist you.
bring the following to your appointment
- Animal Surrender Form (completed and signed)
- Your valid Driver’s License or State ID.
- Any veterinary paperwork and any medications the animal is on.
- A familiar toy or blanket with a familiar scent to help your animal adjust
- If a surrender fee is due, bring to your appointment. This helps offset the cost of feeding, housing, and veterinary services that we will provide for your surrendered pet.
After this is completed, we will take your animal into our admissions department and set them up in one of our foster homes with blankets, toys, food, and water. However, once the animal is admitted into our care, we will not be able to update you on their status.
P. O. Box 244
Fayetteville, GA 30214
770-487-1073
