Surrendering a Pet

Are you considering giving up your pet? You are not alone, and almost half of the pets that come to Southern Pines each year are given up by their owners. The decision to give up your pet can be a difficult one, but Southern Pines is here to help.

Southern Pines may be able to offer you alternatives to giving up your pet. If the reason you are thinking of surrendering your pet is behavioral, financial, or because you are moving, we may be able to help. If you get to the point where you believe rehoming your animal is the only option, below are some resources that will offer alternatives to surrendering them to our shelter. We also welcome anyone to talk over their decision to surrender with our Surrender Counselor by calling 601-544-6632 (menu option #2) or by sending an email. Please carefully read through the surrender guide below because of policy changes that will take effect January 1, 2019 regarding fee changes and cat intakes.

Click Here to Download the PDF Guide on Rehoming

Alternatives to Surrender:
Rehome Website & Step-by-Step Guide to Rehoming a Pet

Rehome Website

Adopt-A-Pet and the Petco Foundation have partnered up to create an online resource for people trying to rehome their pets. This process puts you in charge of marketing the pet and finding a great fit for the pet without ever having to come to the shelter. Just click the button below to get started!

Southern Pines Guide to Rehoming

Most animals find their homes through private individuals and by keeping your animal out of the shelter you will not only minimize their stress, but you also allow Southern Pines to use their resources to save more homeless animals in need. If you are willing to dedicate a little time and effort you can find a home for your animal. Best of all, you can make sure that the adopter meets your qualifications and the animals’ needs.

1. Make sure they’re ready for Rehoming!
We strongly recommend that you set your animal up for success before you start the rehoming process! Please make sure your cat or dog is spayed or neutered, vaccinated and has had a recent vet exam. For low cost spay neuter options and low-cost wellness plans you can contact:

Southern Pines Spay and Neuter Clinic
1304 Hardy Street
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601)544-6632

2. Promoting your Pet
The following web sites will allow you to post your animals on their sites. Please visit each page/site to read their rules and regulations.

Hattiesburg Give My Animal a HOME!! [Facebook Page]
Hattiesburg MS Rehoming Pet Page(: [Facebook Page]
Ms Southern Pets Rehoming [Facebook Page]
Pets for adoption in South Mississippi [Facebook Page]
Rescueme.org [Online Listing Option]
Rehome.adoptapet.com [Online Listing Option]

Other options include classified websites as well as contacting breed specific rescues if that applies to your animal. Often the best way to find rescues is be searching online and specifying the city or region you live in (ex. South Mississippi, Pinebelt, Hattiesburg, etc.)
We recommend that if you are considering working with a rescue organization, make sure that they are a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. You can confirm any organization’s non-profit status at www.irs.gov/charities. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

3. A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Remember that with all postings, pictures are key! Full body shots of your animal are great but a photo with a clear view of the animal’s eyes tends to catch people’s attention. Make sure your photograph has good lighting and the size of the animal is clear when looking at the picture. We typically recommend leaving people out of the photographs unless the animal is interacting positively with a child. Also, make sure to highlight your pet’s best attributes! If your dog likes playing with other cats and dogs, that’s a great photo opportunity and it says a lot about your pet’s social skills! If your dog is super cuddly, post a photo of the animal lounging on a cough or cuddled up to their favorite stuffed toy. If they’re athletic get an action shot showing them playing fetch, swimming, or hiking!

5. Help Your Pet go Viral
Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are great ways to spread the word that your pet needs a new home. Post the message to your followers with a video or picture and enlist your friends to help you spread the word! Don’t forget to reach out to anyone who already knows your animal to see if you have a potential new home closer than you think!
You can post flyers at vet offices, local grocery stores, pet stores or feed stores. Many community centers have bulletin boards that you can add your flyers to as well. Make sure to leave tags so people can remove your contact information without taking down the entire flyer.

6. Screening Potential Adopters
Once you have an adopter interested, we recommend that you communicate to them the needs of the animal they want to adopt. Make sure you discuss the care of the animal and let them know about his/her current health status including how to prevent heartworms! We recommend that you charge a small rehoming fee or ask for a donation for your favorite local animal rescue.

Don’t be afraid to ask for a meet up! If you want to ensure that the animal being rehomed interacts well with their potential new family, you should ask to meet up at a dog friendly area or restaurant. This meeting should give you insight on how comfortable the animal would be with their potential new family. We recommend the initial meetup take place in a neutral setting. If the meeting goes well and you choose to go through with the adoption offer to collect any paperwork you have for the dog and drop them off at their new home. Be delivering your animal you can be sure that the information matches what you were told and that it’s a safe and comfortable environment.

Recommended Reading

Need Help?
If at any point you need advice along the way or are feeling uncertain, please feel free to call us, we will be happy to assist you! You can contact our Surrender Counselor at 601-544-6632 (ext. 408) and leave a message if you’re unable to get someone on the phone immediately. You can also reach out by email at intake@southernpinesanimalshelter.org

Thanks to grant funding, these two gorgeous gals, Pearl and Ginger were able to receive low-cost spay surgeries and remain in their home instead of being surrendered to Southern Pines.

Surrendering to Southern Pines:

A Step-by-Step Guide to Surrendering

Southern Pines takes special care to make the surrender process as easy and judgement free as possible. We employ a Surrender Counselor who will be responsible for setting up your appointment, counseling you through the process, and being your point-of-contact for any follow up after your drop off. If you've decided to surrender your animal to Southern Pines Animal Shelter please follow these steps to make this process go smoothly:

1. Talk your decision over with our Surrender Counselor
Please call the Surrender Department at (601)544-6632 (menu option #2) in order to discuss your decision. If you're unable to speak directly with our counselor please leave a detailed message and they will return your call as soon as possible. Our Surrender Counselors are out of the office on Wednesday and Sunday.

2. Make An Appointment
Southern Pines Animal Shelter takes in surrenders by appointment only. This appointment system allows us to manage our intakes which has been instrumental in us becoming a no-kill shelter. We always strive to provide the animals at our shelter with the best care possible and often our capacity for care is directly affected by our intake. Our surrender counselor is happy to discuss your availability to surrender and find a time that works for both you and our organization. Please keep in mind our surrender wait times vary from a couple of days to up to six weeks during our busy season. We accept animals from the entire state of Mississippi and we intake around 7,000 animals annually, consisting almost entirely of just cats and dogs. Beginning January 1, 2019 we will no longer be taking in community cats from outside of our contract area. Please visit our community cats page to determine if this may apply to you.

At the time you make an appointment the Surrender Counselor will give you the next steps in the process but I will outline them briefly here so you know what to expect.

3. Arrive at Your Scheduled Appointment Time and Date
You will receive a phone call 1-2 days before your appointment to confirm. At this time please let us know about any cancellations or if you need to reschedule. If there is no need for alterations, please arrive at the shelter as close to your scheduled time as possible. Often we have appointments coming in at various times throughout the day and a late arrival can shift all of our appointments and cause frustration for our other customers.

When you arrive on the property please make sure your animals are comfortable and secure in your vehicle and make your way up the ramp to the front office to notify office staff of your arrival.

4. Meet With a Surrender Counselor
Our Surrender Counselor will sit down with you to go over the process of leaving an animal. There is a short Relinquishment Contract to complete at the time of surrender or you can bring a printed, completed copy with you to your appointment. In addition, if the animal is an owner surrender you will be required to fill out a personality profile on the animal during your counseling session. Please bring any vet records or adoption paperwork with your pet so we can have as much history as possible. You are also welcome to bring any personal items that you think may help the animal transition to the shelter environment like a bed, blanket, or special toy.

Also, there is a fee associated with surrendering which helps with a very small portion of the animal's intake considering that the average cost of care for healthy animals at Southern Pines Animal Shelter is close to $350 from intake to adoption. The surrender fee depends on your county of residence and the number of animals being surrendered. Our Surrender Counselor will quote you a price at the time of setting up an appointment and payment will take place after the paperwork is completed.

Residents from Forrest County (excluding City of Petal) and the City of Hattiesburg live in areas that contract with Southern Pines Animal Shelter to help offset the costs that residents from those areas pay. All contract residents much be able to provide proof of residence using their drivers license or a piece of mail with their name on it. The fee scale for contact areas is listed below:
- $25 per dog
- $25 per litter of puppies under 6 months with or without the mother
- $50 per cat
- $50 per litter of kittens under 6 months with or without the mother
- Thanks to grant funding, for an additional $25 we are able to have the mother of the litter fixed, micro-chipped, vaccinated and returned to her family once the puppies are weaned. This allows animals to remain with their families and prevents future unwanted litters.
Mississippi residents from outside of our contract areas:
- $50 per dog
- $50 per litter of puppies under 6 months with or without the mother
- $100 per cat - due to a change in policy we will no longer be accepting outdoor stray, community, or feral cats from outside of our contract areas. Southern Pines will only accept indoor, owner surrendered cats beginning January 1, 2019.
- $100 per litter of kittens under 6 months with or without the mother
- Thanks to grant funding, for an additional $25 we are able to have the mother of the litter fixed, micro-chipped, vaccinated and returned to her family once the puppies are weaned. This allows animals to remain with their families and prevents future unwanted litters.
We waive fees in lieu of service hours completed before the animal's surrender appointment and it must be set up through our Surrender Counselor.
We waive fees for litters of puppies or kittens for people interested in the foster-to-surrender program which requires a two week foster commitment. Our Surrender Counselor is happy to give you more information on the requirements to participate.
Independent rescuers, animal organizations, and individuals who have received assistance from an animal organization must make an appointment and will be responsible for a base fee of $200 per animal at the time of that appointment. Additionally, there will be costs associated with any medical issues that animal may have at the time of the appointment, including but not limited to, heartworms, skin conditions, and injuries. Individual rescuers or animal organizations who are interested in partnering with Southern Pines to help more animals, can contact aparis@sopines.org or reference our (Transport page - under construction) for more information about eligibility.

5. Request Additional Donation
The average cost of care for one animal from initial intake to adoption is around $350. This cost can fluctuate depending on the animal's age, behavior, and medical needs while in our care. For example, an adult dog that tests positive for heartworms that receives treatment during their stay carries an additional cost of $200-$400. Southern Pines is dedicated to providing the best quality of care to all of the animals during their stay at the shelter, but that is only possible with help from our community. Please consider bringing an additional donation with you at the time of your appointment in order to help us save more lives than ever before.

6. Your Pet Goes Up for Adoption
After the counseling session we will take the animal to go through the intake process. Your obligations end here and we will take the animal to get up to date on all treatments, go through a brief behavior assessment, and place the animal in appropriate housing. Often, many animals surrendered will go up for adoption immediately but in some cases senior pets, animals with medical issues, or animals with behavior concerns may take some time to become available for adoption. In some circumstances an animal may not be a candidate for adoption. Many of our animals will be posted to our website very soon after you drop off and you can follow their progress online or you can follow up with the Surrender Counselor after you drop off.