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Before Surrendering a Dog - Resources to Consider
Surrendering a dog is a difficult decision, and we encourage you to exhaust all options before going this route.
We are seeing an unprecedented amount of owner surrenders this year, and we want to encourage and empower owners to do everything they can to keep their pets with them. We have provided some details below on resources to consider before surrendering your pet.
Happy Trails serves Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and offers free and low cost training programs, emergency veterinary assistance, and a pet pantry that includes resources such as food, flea prevention, toys, treats and more.
Some trainers will conduct in-home training for a one-time fee, to assess your dog and help you implement training specific to your dog, to set you both up for success. The cost is much lower than "board and train" style training programs, and can help tailor methods to your needs.
There are some low cost vets that will work with you on payment plans, if you cannot afford the cost up front.
In addition, there are many pet lovers on pet forums (such as FaceBook) that may be willing to assist, if you share your story and post a link to a GoFundMe. When you go this route, posting information such as medical conditions and vet bills helps donors feel comfortable donating.
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Pet Walking Services / Doggy Daycare:
We often receive surrenders due to owners working long hours, and feeling they are not able to spend enough time with their dogs. There are numerous pet walking services and doggy daycare that can help exercise your pup during the day. Most dogs adjust to your schedule and are happy to see you when you're home! Even still, a nice midday walk or some playtime with other dogs a couple times a week can really help get that extra energy out!
If you decide to re-home your dog on your own, we highly recommend charging a rehoming fee (to ward off dog fighters and people with bad intentions), as well as checking references and doing a home check and a vet check to ensure your dog is in good hands. We also would urge you to consider ensuring your dog is fixed before rehoming them, to ensure they cannot be used to breed and further contribute to the homeless dog crisis.
If you need to surrender your dog, please see resources listed here.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of available fosters, HVR is on an intake hold at this time and we are unable to accept new surrender requests.
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