At Animal Welfare Friends, we believe it is your responsibility to work to resolve behavior or other problems before deciding to give up your pet. Millions of dogs and cats are homeless in the United States each day and many of them are euthanized annually because there are not enough homes; you owe it to your family pet to help him or her stay with you. If you are experiencing problems with your cat or dog or small animal, please visit our section on Pet Behavior Tips under “Resources” on this web site. Or you can also contact us for advice at (319) 462-5683 or shelter@animalwelfarefriends.org.
If, after exploring the possibilities and attempting to improve the situation you still believe the best alternative is to re-home your pet, we offer a free Courtesy Listing that includes your pet’s photo and description on our web site. In order to qualify for a free Courtesy Listing, your pet must be spayed or neutered and current on vaccinations. If your pet meets these requirements, please take the following steps:
Send an e-mail with “Courtesy Listing” in the subject line to shelter@animalwelfarefriends.org.
Provide your full name, the name of your pet, and your veterinarian’s name and phone number. We will call your vet to confirm that your pet is spayed/neutered and current on vaccinations. We will contact you once this information has been confirmed and ask that you send the following:
1-3 digital photos of your pet. These should include a close-up of the pet’s head and a full-length photo of the body, taken from the side.
A description of the pet that includes:
- The reason you are giving up the pet
- The pet’s age and weight
- Whether or not the pet is good with dogs, cats and kids
- Whether the pet has been living indoors or outdoors
- If the pet is a cat, is he/she declawed? Litter trained?
- If the pet is a dog, is he housetrained? Good on a leash?
- Provide any additional information that will be helpful in finding the right home for your pet.
Your pet’s description will be listed with an adoption fee comparable to the fees charged for AWF dogs and cats. AWF does NOT provide “free to good home” listings, as this normally attracts people who are looking to get a pet for nothing and will not spend the dollars needed to keep the pet current on vaccinations and other vet care. Plus, there are people in Iowa who try to acquire pets without paying for them because they intend to sell them for research or use them for bait in dog fighting (they want dogs, puppies, cats and kittens). If you do not want to keep the adoption fee, we suggest you donate it to AWF as a thank-you for the assistance we have provided to help find a home for your pet. We will provide guidelines on the types of questions you should ask in screening calls and e-mails in order to find the best possible home for your pet. You can also contact us if you would like our experienced opinion on whether or not an inquiry sounds like a responsible pet owner.