Tips for Placing a Pet on Your Own 
  • Spay/neuter the pet before it leaves your care. There are many free/affordable spay/neuter clinics.  Or, consider exchange an adoption fee for a spay/neuter voucher.   As a way of recouping expenses, ask for an “adoption fee” to help offset the cost of vetting the animal.  

  • When you locate a potential adopter, always request and check the potential adopter's vet reference. To do this, ask for the name and number or their current vet, call and explain that a client is interested in adopting from you, you are calling to do a vet check and ask if their current pet is up to date on everything such as vaccines and preventatives. This is the single most important thing you can do to insure that the potential adopter is being honest with you.  

  • If the adopter doesn’t have a vet, request and call several personal references. 

  • ·As you ask potential adopters questions, be sure not to lead them to the "right" answer.  For example, the Animal Adoption League will only adopt cats to indoor only homes, so to screen for appropriate placement, we ask, "Are you looking for an indoor/outdoor cat, or an indoor-only cat?"  rather than leading them by asking "Will this cat be kept indoors-only?”  This method of interviewing allows the potential adopter to feel more comfortable answering truthfully.  

  • If you cannot conduct a home visit or delivery, still ask the adopter if you can.  Their initial reaction may give you some useful insight as to the type of pet owner they’d be.

  • Deliver the animal to its new home.  That way you’ll be sure the home is appropriate.  If you feel it’s not an ideal place, please do not leave the animal.         

  • If the potential adopter visits your home to meet the pet, inform them before they arrive that you will not do a same-day adoption or make any decisions on the spot.  We can't tell you how often our "seasoned" gut instincts have been wrong, and we've been so glad that we did a vet check. This helps avoid the awkward situation of having to someone "no" face to face.  It also provides you with time to reflect on your options, rather than jumping to say "yes" to the first person who expresses an interest.  

  • ·Charge a small adoption fee.  Charging even a $25.00 adoption fee weeds out "adopters" with bad intentions, or people who haven't given any thought to the financial responsibility of having a pet.  There are no "free" pets; if a person doesn't have $25.00, then they don't have the money to properly care for a pet.  Consider having the adopting person meet you and the pet at the vet and have the adopting person go ahead and pay the vet in advance for the spay/neuter.  Or, charge a $50.00 adoption fee and give the person a Humane Solution spay/neuter voucher in exchange.  Another option would be to have the adopting person reimburse you for the vet care that you've already provided for the pet.  

  • If a potential adopter has nothing to hide, they will not be offended by you asking lots of questions, calling their vet, and visiting their home!  

  • ·Be cautious about someone who is too eager, who is willing to take a pet without seeing it, or who is willing to take multiple animals, or an entire litter of puppies or kittens. Be aware that there are people out there who obtain animals in order to sell them for medical research, use them for dog fighting or as dog fighting bait, along with feeding puppies and kittens to other animals such as snakes.  

  • If adopting out kittens or puppies, plan to follow-up with the adopting person when the animal is approximately 4 months old to make sure that the new owner is pursuing spay/neuter.  If at all possible, have the pet spayed or neutered BEFORE it leaves your care.  

  • When placing puppies or kittens make sure they have had their first set of shots. They should get their rabies vaccination when they are 3-4 months old. This link provides more information about what other vaccines should be given and when: http://www.petplace.com/dogs/puppy-vaccine-recommendations/page1.aspx  

  • ·Get the contact information of the adopting person.  Agree and commit to following up periodically to see how the pet is doing, and if necessary, to be sure the pet has been spayed.  

  • Rescue groups are likely to having waiting lists.  Ask to be added to the waiting lists, and be persistent in calling back and following up. Ask about courtesy listings or any assistance in helping to place the animal.  

  • Area veterinarians will occasionally take in a cat or kitten and place it through their office as a good-will gesture.