When you make the decision to adopt a pet, hopefully you don’t make it lightly and do the very best you can to give your new companion a forever home.  Adopting a dog and then turning around in a few years and dumping him off at the pound because you no longer want to spend the time it takes to take care of him is just plain cruel and only contributes to the problems of pet overpopulation and overcrowding in shelters.

When you make the decision to adopt an animal, you are committing to taking care of them for the rest of their life.

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable and you very well may find yourself in a situation where you absolutely cannot continue caring for your pet. If you happen to find yourself in such a situation, simply giving up your dog to the pound is not a decision you should take lightly.

Rethink Re-homing

Many people give up their dogs because they feel that they don’t have the energy to deal with behavioral problems. Unless age or other physical or mental ailments are preventing you from taking care of them, you have some options. There are a lot of things you can do to change the unwanted behavior. Consult with a reputable trainer or consider going through obedience training with your dog. Training is just as much about training the owner as it is about training the dog so take some time to work together to achieve the results you are after.

Consider what is truly in the best interest of your dog. If you are considering rehoming your dog because you are in a situation that forces you to move into a small apartment, ask yourself if living in an apartment with you is worse than going to the shelter and risking not ever being adopted back out. The answer is likely to be no. You can always take your pup on long walks outside so he gets the exercise he needs.

Find a New Forever-Home

If circumstances absolutely won’t let you continue caring for your dog, try to adopt him out to your own contacts first. It’s likely that some of your family and friends have a connection with your dog already and you will know that he is going to a good home.  Petfinder.com is another avenue you can take to find him a new home while you are talking to friends and family.

Don’t just give him up to the first person who wants to take him. Make sure he is going to a good home first. Screen potential adopters and don’t be afraid to ask them questions. You may even want to ask for references and visit their home to make sure you are giving your dog up to a good home. Most potential adopters will understand and if they don’t, there is probably something going on that wouldn’t make them the best match for your dog.

You may not find your dog the perfect forever-home right away but don’t get discouraged and give up! Finding a new home for your pet will take a considerable amount of time and effort but finding the best home for your dog is worth it.

Shelter as a Last Resort

You should only take your pet to a shelter as a last resort. Remember that the number of animals that need homes far outweighs the number of people looking to adopt so when you take your pet to a shelter you run the risk of him never being adopted out.

Most shelters are running at full capacity and often have to euthanize other animals to make room for the incoming ones. Before you choose a shelter do your homework. Does the shelter use euthanasia as a form of animal control or do they classify themselves as a “no-kill” shelter? How do they classify adoptable pets versus non-adoptable pets? Even if your pet seems perfectly adoptable to you, a shelter might deem them as non-adoptable because of something as simple as a cold or tooth decay. These are all things you should consider before signing over ownership of your pet.

If you do take your dog to the pet shelter, don’t lie about why you’re there. Saying that you are giving him up because he isn’t good with kids or cats when that isn’t true will only make the adoption process more difficult.  The more information the shelter has, the more likely they will be able to adopt out your dog.

Author Bio:

Ron Rutherford is a writer with a passion for nature and a soft spot for Thai food.  He currently freelances for havahartwireless.com, which specializes in dog doors. In his spare time he enjoys taking his dogs Sam and Bosco to the local dog park. His dogs often tire of fetch before he does.

If you have ever lost a pet for a prolonged period of time, you will know the unbridled joy that comes with being reunited. You will also know that in the majority of cases the main catalyst for returning the pet to its owner are the altruistic actions of the good people who have ensured your animal makes its way back to you safely.

So it follows that if you find a stray animal that is lost, disorientated and hungry, you would, I hope, try to look after it as best you can and return it to its owner.

But often it’s not as simple as just scooping the animal up and taking it back home. As a domestic animal that has been abandoned or lost, it is likely to experiencing significant stress and fear and this may lead it to misunderstand your virtuous actions as a threat. You may actually further endanger the animal (and yourself) by rushing in to help!

If you do come across a stray animal you need to think calmly and rationally to try and ensure that you pursue the best course of action for the animal itself.  So here is a summary of what exactly you should do to help the stray…

Safety First

As alluded to above, your first thought should be about the safety of the situation, both for yourself and for the animal in question. Take note of the environment; if there is a lot of traffic in the area your attempts to catch the animal may end in a dangerous accident.

Recognize the Signs

Secondly, consider the appearance and behavior of the animal itself. If it’s very skinny then coaxing it out with food is an obvious tactic, although feeding it more than a tablespoon of food prior to having it examined by a vet is a bad idea. If the poor critter is very jumpy then you need to be extremely patient, whereas you should stay away and call the relevant authorities if the animal is being particularly aggressive.

Home or Shelter

The next step is to try and restrain the animal and to lead it back to your house or your car. Make sure to talk in a reassuring voice to the animal as you approach so that it does not get the impression you are trying to sneak up on it. If you cannot restrain the animal, you need to call your local authorities.

Here you are faced with two possibilities: to take the animal to the nearest shelter or to take it home and contact the shelter from there to see if anyone has reported the animal missing.

* It is not a good idea to drive anywhere with an unrestrained dog or cat in your car as they may become aggressive and panicked when you start the engine, and may be hard to extract after the journey is over, so make sure that you have spent time with the animal and made sure of its temperament before attempting to move it.

If You Take the Animal Home:

If you do decide to take the pet home and search out the owners yourself, the first thing you should do is read up on the laws in your local area. You may, by law, be obliged to inform the relevant authorities or even hand the animal over. 

I can’t stress how important it is that if the animal is starved and malnourished, you get it to the vet as quickly as possible.

If you can keep the animal in your house while trying to do your best private investigator impression, here are the steps you should take:

1. Check the animal for any signs of identification such as a collar or take the animal to the vet to have it scanned for a microchip.

2. Take a good look around your local area to see if there are any missing pet flyers up.

3. Make your own posters that explain where you found the animal and where you are keeping it (although don’t give out your address) and your contact information including a phone number and an email. Place your flyers within the vicinity of where the animal was found.

4. Regularly contact your local shelter to see if the animal has been reported missing.

Keep a record of all the steps you have taken so that you can prove that you have taken all reasonable steps in trying to locate the owners. This is important in the event that you decide to keep the animal yourself. If you do decide to take the stray in, stop for a moment to consider whether you are really up to the huge commitment that having a pet entails.

If you manage to reunite the animal with its owner then all the better, but even if you end up taking it in or getting it to a shelter, you have still given it a better chance of living a happy, contented live in the embrace of a loving family.

Louise Blake is a first time mother and writer for pet sites such as Petmeds, who provide pet products and medication to pet owners.

The $53 billion Americans are spending on pets and pet businesses will skyrocket in 2013. But experts warn the boom is empowering ruthless puppy mills. Take steps to protect yourself and the animals.

$350 million spent on pet costumes in October? We did, according to the National Retail Federation.

Despite the lingering economic crisis casting a shadow over the holidays, pet spending is exploding. From $37.3 billion in 2001 to nearly $53 billion in 2012, a 42 percent increase in 11 years according to a 2012 APPA study. But experts warn the trend is causing unprepared pet buyers to get in over their heads, which is creating opportunities for shady operations.

You’re not seeing double. Wugadogs are the toy versions of a real-life Boston Terrier named Angus. They’re part of a nationwide ‘Petrepreneuer’ trend in pet commerce.

And despite the gloomy outlook for jobs and overall finances, pet spending is rocketing into 2013 and showing no signs of slowing down.

So why the shopping spree? “People are more interested in pets than ever before,” says San Diego veterinarian Dr. Jessica Vogelsang. Her statement reflects the long-held belief that pets improve human health. How? A neat little chemical called oxytocin, says Kit Yarrow, who chairs the psychology department of Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Oxytocin is a naturally-occurring hormone in our bodies that makes us feel good and evaporates stress. We get a charge whenever we think about, play with, or snuggle up to our pets, says Yarrow. And in these unstable times, a feeling like that is more than welcome to stay awhile.

Pet businesses skyrocket in 2012

The trend is titilating consumers partly because of new pet-focused businesses and services. Buffalo, NY-based ex-graphic artist turned toy designer, Darrin Wilson, 44, agrees. “I think we will see more of a focus on pets in 2013,” he says. “Especially if the economy remains tepid. Pets give us a safe place to hide.”

Wilson created a successful plush toy modeled after his own rambunctious Boston terrier. Interest in his toys, Wugadogs, began in July when he and his wife gave over 300 of the fuzzy critters to the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. He has now grown the line to include five more Wugadog designs in 2013.

In Danvers, MA, Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas takes pet devotion into the pews. The Perfect Paws Pet Ministry, which marked its second anniversary in April 2012, usually sets aside dog cupcakes and chewies for pooches who accompany their owners for Sunday service. In the Parish hall, you’ll see folding chairs. “It’s easier to clean,” explains the minister.

‘Petrepreneurialism’ is not just limited to creative pet owners and clergy; the trend has taken over big name companies. Paul Mitchell, Harley Davidson and Old Navy are now offering lines of pet products ranging from dog shampoo, pet attire, and name-brand toys to gourmet treats and food.

With all this attention on pets, and the surge of pet-focused spending, the lure of a cute kitten or puppy to a first-time buyer can be too tempting to resist, especially if there are children involved. And that’s where all the cuteness can get ugly.

Puppy mills thrive on uninformed buyers

Many first-timers don’t know that the kennel or pet store they’re buying from is being honest. “Federal care standards are so minimal and enforcement so irregular that licensed kennels still include many so-called puppy mills, which breed and house animals in inhumane conditions,” says Cori Menkin, senior director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals puppy mills campaign. “Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills,” she says.

According to one well-known animal rights organization, the premium cost consumers pay for pets out of a pet store pales in comparison to the cruelty and abuse the animals suffer in the bowels of a puppy mill.

Puppy mills, according to PETA, can consist of anything from small cages made of wood and wire mesh to tractor-trailer cabs to simple tethers attached to trees. In the April 13, 2009 issue of Newsweek magazine, a Pennsylvania breeder confessed that he kept his dogs in cages because it was “the only way to keep a lot of dogs—to keep them penned up.”

In 2010, Chris Sweeney of DVM Newsmagazine reported in a feature entitled, “Inside the Black Market: Puppy Smuggling,” confirmed that dealers looking to avoid releveant U.S. laws concerning puppy mills can do so relatively easily by simply picking up and moving elsewhere to continue to do business.

While investigating what he called this “multi-million dollar industry,” Capt. Aaron Reyes of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority was horrified when he found “puppies stuffed in speaker boxes, screwed into the car door panels and wrapped in blankets with their little legs taped to their bodies and stuffed under seats.”

According to The Humane Society of the United States, there may be as many as 10,000 puppy mills operating across the United States.

To avoid empowering these malicious operations, one of the most important steps to take is diligence. Instead of a pet store, consumers may want to look at either a reputable local breeder or an adoption group, says Melanie Kahn, senior director of the Humane Society’s puppy mills campaign. If we can stop the flow of money to these individuals we can help end these practices.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have pet buyers who discover their newly-purchased pet isn’t for them. “Live animals aren’t often returnable, and so they may end up at shelters when the family discovers, say, that their new puppy is too energetic or that baby Easter bunny grows into a rabbit,” says Kahn.

Adopt a dog from a reputable adoption group to avoid puppy mill dogs. Also by carefully researching the breeders that supply pet stores.

Patti Strand, national director of the National Animal Interest Alliance, offers these tips:

1. Ask the pet store for detailed information on the breeder and their location.
2. Check those records against its inspections at the USDA’s website.

With homework you can protect yourself and deny puppy mill operators the cash they need.

But despite the dark side of this skyrocketing interest in pets, there is a light side: many abandoned animals will go to good homes thanks to committed pet owners. “Animals have always been a big part of our lives as humans,” says Wilson. “They have often been the only medicine that can truly cleanse our souls. It’s only right we adore them as much as they adore us.”

(Thanks to wugadogs.com for this story.)

I am taking part in the Adoptable Dog and Cat of the Week blogger program with Dogtime.com. We are supporting shelter animals by publicizing those in desperate need of homes. You can see all the adoptable dogs here, and all the adoptable cats here.

Adoptable Cat of the Week: April is ready for her forever home!

Breed: Domestic Short Hair

http://adopt.dogtime.com/april-domestic-short-hair-cat-stuart-va-24171

Age: Young

Sex: Female

Location: Clover Cat Rescue, Stuart, VA 24171

Adoptable Dog of the Week: Sally was rescued last-minute from being put down and is ready for her forever home!

http://adopt.dogtime.com/sally-p4p-hound-dog-houston-mo-65483

Breed: Mixed Hound/Dachshund

Age: Young

Sex: Female

Location:Animal Shelter of Texas County, MO, Houston 65483

When I visited Hills awhile back I learned about their awesome animal welfare efforts — the company is totally dedicated to helping shelter animals throughout the country. They are of the mindset that, as you will agree, every pet in a shelter deserves food, shelter, and love… For the past 10 years Hill’s has provided over $240 million worth of Science Diet pet food to nearly 1,000 shelters, 365 days a year.

Together with their shelter partners they helped more than 7 million cats and dogs find their forever homes! WOW!

Now, with the new Hill’s Food Shelter & Love™ Program every eligible shelter in the U.S. has the opportunity to become our Partner – meaning they can/will reach even more pets!

Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM is excited to open a new program in April 2013.

Since 2002, Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM has helped more than 7 million pets find a new home and continues to work every day with nearly 1,000 shelters to feed their pets all year through.

The new Partner Program is accessible to eligible animal shelters that are not benefiting already from the current Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM program.

Join the new program at a Partner level and:

-          Enable your shelter pets to enjoy the benefits of Hill’s Science Diet nutrition consistently 365 days a year

-          Obtain exclusive discounts on Hill’s Science Diet nutrition to feed your shelter pets

-          Access exclusive resources for your shelter and staff on the Hill’s dedicated website

-          Offer your new adopters exclusive Hill’s Science Diet offers

Submit your shelter application today via this link and see if you qualify to start immediately in April 2013.

The nice folks at Hill’s are truly are looking forward to you joining the Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM program and helping them give millions more pets a home!