Alternatives to Surrendering
As we are not currently accepting any animal surrenders, please use the below information for reference at this time. If you have any questions or need further recommendations for re-homing give us a call or send us an email at office@swchs.com.
Sometimes circumstances may prevent you from keeping your pet. Rehoming is difficult for the pet as well as the owner. Due to overwhelming demand and space constraints, we recommend the following alternatives to surrendering your pet:
- Behavioral issues can make life with a pet challenging. SWCHS can recommend trainers to help correct the more difficult behaviors.
- Online rehoming – These groups are not affiliated with or operated by SWCHS.
—Wisconsin Adoptables and similar Facebook groups allow you to create a post and keep your pet in your safe and comfortable home environment which prevents the shelter from reaching capacity (at which point we would need to delay services to homeless animals in need.)
—Adopt a Pet allows you to connect with potential adopters free of charge.
—Home to Home provides a free way to create a profile in order to rehome your pet.
Information to know about before asking to surrender your pet:
We are not accepting any animal surrenders at this time. We will update our website when we are able to accept surrenders.
Surrenders are accepted as capacity allows under service agreements through the municipalities. To find more details about the processes involved in surrendering your pet:
- Contact us to find out how to submit a profile about your pet. A profile is required to ensure we are able to accept your pet and give the care your pet needs.
- Send in or have your veterinarian submit any animal records, including medical information and birth date. We can then identify what care your pet has already received as well as any care that might need to be re-assessed or continued. This protects your pet from unnecessary procedures.
- Surrender fees are determined based on your municipality’s service agreement and the pet’s medical history.
SWCHS does not euthanize animals due to age, time, or space. At times animals in our care, surrendered or otherwise, may not be able to be placed for adoption. This can be due to medical or behavioral conditions, quality of life, and safety. The decision to euthanize does not come lightly and every option is exhausted before the decision is made.