Surrendering your animal
Need to find another home for your pet?
ACHS can help residents of Addison County in a number of ways.
Are you sure you can’t keep your pet?
If you don’t wish to keep your pet due to a behavioral problem, please
seek help in correcting the issue before giving up. Please look through
the information available in our Pet Resources section to correct the
problem or call ACHS for advice at 802-388-1100. We can also refer you
to a local trainer or behaviorist.
How to surrender an animal to ACHS
ACHS is a No Kill shelter, meaning animals are not euthanized to make
space for new animals. Animals are accepted on a space-available basis
and we often have a waiting list. All animals are adopted into permanent
homes with the exception of those deemed highly aggressive or animals
that are very ill. Do not bring your animal to the shelter without first
making arrangements with our staff.
1. Try to find the animal a new home on your own
A good way to start is to ask everybody (friends, family members,
co-workers, neighbors, EVERYBODY) you know if they are willing to give
your pet a home. If you have no luck this way, the next thing you should
do is make up a flyer with a nice, close-up picture of your pet
and details about the animal’s personality and the type of home he/she
would do best in. Highlight your pet’s best qualities. Post this flyer
up at all the vet's offices in your area. The best pet owners can be
found there and many people will see your flyers. You might also try
posting the flyer at your work, gym, or church bulletin board. Place
a classified ad in the newspaper. If someone responds, it’s
always good to ask for a small adoption fee and ask for a vet reference.
2. Use our Third Party Adoption Service
For animals waiting to come in to ACHS or for owners wishing to re-home
their animal without bringing it to the shelter, ACHS provides a service
to effectively advertise their animal on 4 different high traffic
websites. Owners can send us a photo of their animal and a description,
and we will post the animal’s profile on AddisonHumane.org,
Petfinder.com, 800SaveAPet.com, and Pets911.com. We ask that all animals
are spayed or neutered and up to date on their vaccinations. Our Third
Party Adoption service has been greatly successful at placing animals
in wonderful homes, and eliminating the need to bring them into the
shelter at all. To take advantage of this service, please email a photo
and description to our shelter manager at shelter@addisonhumane.org
3. Call ACHS at 388-1100
 We almost always have a waiting list for cats, so if you can no longer
keep your cat, please call the shelter as soon as possible to put your
name on the waiting list. We will contact you when we have space available
to take your animal. Sometimes we have a waiting list for dogs and
sometimes we don’t. Please call ACHS as soon as possible to either
arrange to bring your dog in or to be put on the waiting list. If
you are going to surrender your animal to ACHS, please download,
print, and complete a personality profile ahead of time, to expedite
the process in the shelter and to help us find the best home possible
for your animal.
4. Feral/Barn Cats
If you have feral or barn cats, please read about our Feral Cat Outreach Program.
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