Breaking Hearts

Why Owners Relinquish Companion Animals

Reasons for Relinquishment

--Top Ten Reasons for Pet Relinquishment

--Characteristics of Pets Being Relinquished

How to Avoid Being on the Top Ten List

--Moving

--Renting

--Care Costs

--Pet Behaviors

Make a Lifetime Commitment

If You Must Relinquish Your Animal

Take Action

Reasons for Relinquishment

Sadly, many thousands of companion animals are relinquished by their owners yearly to animal shelters nationwide. Not only do these animals lose their homes, their place of comfort and familiarity, but many will never know another home again. Estimates suggest nearly five million dogs and cats are euthanized in animal shelters in the United States each year.

Top Ten Reasons for Pet Relinquishment*                                    Back to Top

Dogs	Cats
1. Moving (7%)  2. Landlord not allowing pet (6%) 3. Too many animals in household (4%) 4. Cost of pet maintenance (5%)  5. Owner having personal problems (4%) 6. Inadequate facilities (4%) 7. No homes available for litter mates (3%)  8. Having no time for pet (4%) 9. Pet illness(es) (4%) 10. Biting (3%)	1. Moving (8%) 2. Landlord not allowing pet (6%) 3. Too many animals in household (11%) 4. Cost of pet maintenance (6%) 5. Owner having personal problems (4%) 6. Inadequate facilities (2%) 7. No homes available for litter mates (6%) 8. Allergies in family (8%) 9. House soiling (5%) 10. Incompatibility with other pets (2%)

Characteristics of Pets Being Relinquished                                  Back to Top

• 37.1 percent of dogs and 30.2 percent of cats had been owned from seven months to one year.
• 42.8 percent of dogs and 50.8 percent of cats surrendered were not spayed/neutered.
• Many of the pets relinquished (33 percent of dogs; 46.9 percent of cats) had not been to a veterinarian.
• Animals acquired from friends were relinquished in higher numbers (31.4 percent of dogs; 33.2 percent of cats) than from any other source.
• Close to equal numbers of male and female dogs and cats were surrendered.
• Most dogs (96 percent) had not received any obedience training.

So what do all these numbers mean? In short, many animals are surrendered due to improper planning or lackluster animal care resulting in misbehavior and other avoidable problems. Most often, pet relinquishment can be avoided through adequate planning and dedication to proper animal care and training.

*Specially trained researchers completed confidential individual interviews with pet owners who were relinquishing their dogs or cats to animal shelters. Pet owners were allowed to give up to five reasons for relinquishment. Interviewers did not, however, prioritize the responses. They simply recorded them in the order stated.

How to Avoid Being on the Top Ten List                                       Back to Top

How can you avoid relinquishing your animal when life events threaten such an action? The following suggestions can help you and your companion animal enjoy a long, full life together.

Moving                                                                                            Back to Top

When considering a move, which tops the list for both cats and dogs, make sure you keep your companion animal’s needs in mind. He or she is a member of the family and has as much right to move to your new home as do other family members. If you can travel to your new home with your companion by land, make sure whatever conveyance you take, other than your personal vehicle, will allow companion animals to travel with you. If they cannot travel in the compartment with you, where will they be kept? If you fly to your new home, what are the airline’s regulations regarding animals flying in the passenger compartment? If you cannot transport your animal yourself, investigate companies that will transport your animal either by land or air within the United States and overseas. Your companion animal is part of your family and deserves the right to travel to the new home to be with the rest of his or her family.

Renting                                                                                           Back to Top

If the move is to a leased property, check with the landlord regarding the rules about having companion animals on the property. Make sure those rules are in writing. The second most frequent reason given by owners who are relinquishing their companion animals at shelters is the landlord does not allow pets. If the landlord does not allow companion animals, do not move into that home. Find a landlord with animal-friendly clauses in the lease and then abide by those clauses.

Care Costs

Sometimes the cost to maintain an animal can appear prohibitive—the number four reason for relinquishing a companion animal. Before companion animal ownership reaches a financial crisis, investigate pet insurance companies to see what they cover regarding medical issues. Also, find out about credit cards designed especially for medical emergencies. The credit card companies often give the user a period of time in which to pay off the debt without incurring finance charges. Also, speak with your veterinarian to set up a payment plan if a medical crisis has suddenly occurred. Of course, having too many animals may increase the cost, so being aware of limitations and boundaries to caring for animals is a must. Never take in more animals than your time, budget, and experience can handle. And, naturally, do not create new animals by breeding the ones you have. Spay/neuter all your companion animals, so there are no littermates to be given up at shelters—number seven on the list.

Pet Behaviors                                                                                  Back to Top

Behavioral issues, such as dogs biting (number 10 on the dog list), can be curbed if the owner takes time to work with the animal. If a puppy is allowed to bite or chew on humans, then as a full grown dog, he or she will do the same. Puppyhood is the time to train the animal in what is okay to bite or chew on—his or her toys—and what is not. Never use your hands as play toys. Fingers can be enticing objects for a puppy to nip at but a grown dog can do serious harm.

Cat house soiling (number nine on the cat list) may be medically or behaviorally based. First, a trip to the veterinarian might be in order. If no medical cause is found, making a few small changes in the cat’s bathroom habits may be in order. Make sure the litter pan is cleaned out daily and that it is in a secluded place. You may need to have more litter pans available or possibly a different type of litter. By making slow changes in the placement of the litter pans, the type of litter, and the number of litter pans, the house soiling issue may be overcome. Cats who have been declawed may begin house soiling as they find scratching in the litter box following surgery painful. Never declaw your cat. If your cat is already declawed, you may have to work a bit harder to alter the house soiling behavior if it is a side-effect of the surgery.

Make a Lifetime Commitment                                                        Back to Top

Choose your companion wisely and plan responsibly for life changes so your furry friend will have a home for life. Therefore, before you take a companion animal into your home, make sure you are ready to care for the animal for the rest of his or her life. For dogs and cats, that may be as many as 20 years. Instead of relinquishing your companion animal when you experience life changing events, make provisions to include your companion animal in those events. You will both benefit.

If You Must Relinquish Your Animal                                          Back to Top

If you have exhausted all your choices and still find you must relinquish your companion animal, be aware of placing “free to good home” ads in the paper or online. Many unscrupulous people pose as loving, responsible pet owners in order to get companion animals for little to no cost. Sometimes these pets meet tragic ends far removed from a loving family. They may become:

• bait to train fighting dogs
• bait to train greyhounds
• research subjects
• sacrifices for satanic rituals
• victims of malicious pranks
• breeding machines
• fish bait
• snake food

If you must place an ad, take steps to ensure your companion animal goes to a truly good home. Most responsible, caring pet owners understand reasonable precautions and are willing to go through your screening process.

• Charge a reasonable adoption fee and state that in your advertisement.
• Screen individuals by asking them about the home environment and request veterinarian references.
• Meet with the entire family in their home. If you are uncomfortable going alone, take a friend. Bring your companion animal with you and observe the interaction among the people and animals.
• Spay/neuter your animal prior to placement.
• Require in writing that if the adoption does not work, the companion animal must be returned to you.

Take Action to Keep Your Companion Animal in Your Home

What can you do to keep your companion animal with you throughout his or her entire life? First, ask yourself this question: Is this the best time for a new addition to the family? If not, wait. Other humane actions include:

• Make a commitment to the animal at all stages of his or her life and yours.
• Educate family, friends, and colleagues on responsible pet ownership.
• Understand the cost of a companion animal and set up a budget to meet the animal’s expenses, keeping in mind possible emergency expenses.

September 2009                                                                                Back to Top