Beagles to the Rescue - Alternatives to Re-homing

Thinking about rehoming your pet?

If you are reading this you are probably finding yourself faced with a very difficult decision of whether or not to give up your pet, and if you do give him or her up how to go about finding them a safe and loving home. We hope this guide can help you to determine what the best course is for you and your canine companion and to get you both started on the right path.

Where to Start

Why are you looking to give up your pet? Is it for financial reasons (cost of vet care, food etc.), behavioral reasons (such as nipping, hyperactivity, doesn’t get along with other pets, etc.), has your family situation changed (new baby, moving, military deployment etc.), are you no longer able to keep your pet due a change in health (such as illness or the dog’s owner has passed away), or is this a dog you found (see our Stray Dog / Animal Cruelty Page ).

Do I really need to give up my pet? Once you have determined your reasons for giving up your pet you can see if some of the resources in your community can help you keep your dog. We have provided a contact list at the bottom for various community programs below. However, we do understand that even with a little help not everyone will be able to keep their pet. See our Options for Surrendering Page

You May Have an Alternative to Giving Up Your Pet

-Financial help with food from a pet food pantry
-Affordable regular veterinary care from local shelters and clinics

-Affordable Specialty Care (dental cleanings and surgical procedures)

-Monetary donations to help pay for large medical procedures (surgeries, injuries, illness etc)

-Low Cost Spay/Neuter Services from local clinics in the area

-Training and Behavioral Support for dogs needing to be rehomed due to the animals behavior

-Foster Services for families that are homeless, facing a military deployment, or in another transitional state and are hoping to reclaim their dog after a period of time.

-Housing and Moving Support from pet friendly housing and transport companies to get you dog from A to B

-End of Life Care local groups that offer in-home and low cost hospice and end of life care.

BTTR provides support for ANY beagle adopted from BTTR for the life of the animal. If you need help with food, vaccines, heartworm prevention, training, or large medical costs please contact us for help. BTTR beagles must come back to BTTR if you are unable to keep them for any reason.

If you are facing challenges with your pet that you are willing to work through with assistance, the following resources are available (See Contact List at bottom),

- Financial help with food
If you are having a difficult time keeping your pet due to finances, there are several pet food pantries in the area. Qualified applicants may apply to local pet food pantry and receive donations of pet food. Available at Norfolk SPCA (1), Mr. Wiggles Pet Food Pantry (2). BTTR (4) sometimes has extra food we can donate. Pets of the Homeless (5) is a national organization that provides food and veterinary care for pets belonging to homeless people.

-Affordable regular veterinary care
Preventative care (vaccinations, flea and heartworm control), and wellness exams are available at reduced costs from many local groups. Available at Norfolk SPCA (1), Chesapeake Humane Society CARE Clinic (6), Virginia Beach SPCA (3), PETA SNIP Clinic (7), Four Paws Clinic (8). Military Members have access to on-base vet clinics which offer services at a lower fee, Naval Station Norfolk (9) has a vet clinic. Pets of the Homeless (5) is a national organization that provides food and veterinary care for pets belonging to homeless people.

- Affordable Specialty Care

For low cost surgeries (Cherry eye repair, Amputations, Dental cleanings, Joint Surgeries, mass removal, and C-sections, etc.) Helping Hands Affordable Surgery (10) in Richmond does the most surgeries. Virginia Beach SPCA (3) offers low cost dental cleanings, heartworm treatment, some joint surgeries, and other specialty surgeries. Norfolk SPCA (1) offers dental cleanings, mass removals, cherry eye repair, and heartworm treatment. Chesapeake Humane Society (6) offers low cost dental cleanings.

-Monetary Donations for Specialty Care

There are several local and national organizations that provide monetary donations to help owners cover large vet bills for illness, accidents, and emergencies. Available nationally from Frankie’s Friends Fund (11) and locally from PAWS in Need (12), Chesapeake Humane Society (6), and Animal Resources of Tidewater (13). PAWS in Need (12) also has a great page with step by step directions and other resources.

-Low Cost Spay/Neuter Services

Hampton Roads and Richmond Area have several low cost spay neuter clinics in the area. BTTR may be able to offer free or reduced fee Spay/neuter surgeries for Beagles in the Hampton Roads area. Available through: Norfolk SPCA (1), Virginia Beach SPCA (3), Chesapeake Humane Society (6), PETA Snip Clinic (7), No More Chasin Tails (14), Prevent A Litter (15), Richmond Animal League (16), and Helping Hands (10) (with another procedure).

-Behavior and Training*
Shelter staff may be able to help you with minor behavior issues over the phone. For more challenging behavioral issues, local shelters can refer you to one of the trusted and certified professionals in Hampton Roads. BTTR may also be able to offer training advice or you can meet with one of our trainers at The Family Dog Club (18) or with Welcome Paws (17). Also available at the Virginia Beach SPCA (3). Hopefully, with a behavioral issue resolved, your pet will be able to continue to be a valued member of your family.

*If you are still unable to keep your pet, please be aware that behavioral issues can be exacerbated when a pet enters the shelter system, so beginning to work through behavioral issues prior to rehoming or admitting a pet to a shelter is the best alternative for your animal's future.

-Foster Services

Families may need temporary housing for their pet if they have an upcoming military deployment, are homeless, or are hospitalized for an extended period of time. BTTR (4) may be able to offer short term foster services for families in need. The Family Dog Club (18) in Chesapeake, VA offers reduced fees for long term boarding. There are numerous organizations for Military members that are deploying. Dogs on Deployment (19), American Humane (20), Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pets (21), Pet Love Shack (28), and PACT for Animals (22). Please note most of the organizations require that your pet is spayed or neutered and up-to-date on vaccines.

- Housing and Moving Support

There is lots of pet friendly housing in the Hampton Roads area. Most housing search websites now offer a “pet friendly” search option. Rent.com, Apartmentlist.com, Apartementgiude.com and Zillow.com all offer this option (click on the websites to open). For tips on finding pet friendly housing click here. Military members can fly with their pets at a discounted rate on American Airlines flights and military space-A flights. There are many private companies that transport animals by land for animals that are unable to fly. There are several charity groups that provide transport for rescue dogs from shelters to other shelters or rescues across the country. You may be able to get a spot for your pet on one of their routes. Other organizations like Operation Military Pets (23), Operation Rodger (24), and Pilots and Paws (25) provide free or low cost pet transport for those in need. Hampton Roads has an amazing community of pet lovers. You can try reaching out on Facebook groups like SOS Pets Hampton Roads (26) and see if a private citizen can help. For more information for military service member pets check out Millitary.com (29) website.

-End of Life Care

Hampton Roads Vet Hospice (27) is a local vet clinic that specializes in hospice, alternative, and end of life care. Many people are faced with rehoming their pet when their pets health declines. Having a vet do a "quality of life exam" can help you understand what is going on with your pet. Some of your pets issues may be manageable, for others in it may give you piece of mind that it may be time to put your pet to rest rather than rehome them. Rehoming can be stressful for any dog, for dogs with chronic terminal conditions rehoming may not be the best option. There are vets that make house calls for older dogs that may be hard to get to the vet. Many of the local shelters offer low cost or free euthanasia for pets when it is time to say goodbye. Contact your local city shelter, Norfolk SPCA (1), PETA (7), Virginia Beach SPCA (3) or see our list above for getting monetary donations to help provide hospice or for euthanizing your dog.

Contact List:

1-Norfolk SPCA

NorfolkSPCA.org

(spay/neuter) (Vaccines) (Heartworm) (Exam/Surgery)

(Food Pantry)

916 Ballentine Blvd. Norfolk, VA 23504

(757) 622-3319

2- Mr. Wiggles Pet Food Pantry

mrwigglespantry@yahoo.com

Mr. Wiggles Facebook Page

3-Virginia Beach SPCA

VBSPCA.com