How To Surrender/List Your Dog with NW Border Collie Rescue 

Unless you are working directly with one of our active rescuers, the web master will NOT be able to list dogs for independent parties. Thank you.

These are our general guidelines. Each independent rescuer's policy may vary slightly.

• Before you contact us, please contact your dog's breeder.   Ethical breeders will generally either take back your dog or work with you to place him/her into a new home.    If you have not taken this step, chances are no one in rescue can help.  Please be prepared to give us the name of the breeder or pet shop from which you purchased your pet.   
  
  

• If you have not yet tried, please try to place the dog yourself.   Details on how to do this can be found by clicking here. 
  
  

• We are a small group of individuals who tend to foster only one dog in our homes at a time.   As you can see from the sheer number of dogs listed on our website, space is extremely limited.  Purebred BC's on death row in the local pounds have priority. 
  
  

• Your dog must be spayed or neutered prior to us taking him into rescue.    If you cannot do this, there will be a minimum $125 surrender fee so that we can have the surgery performed locally.  The fee depends on the resources available to our rescuers who are located throughout the NW region.
  
  

• No known people-aggressive dogs, or dogs with any history of aggressive behavior or fear biting will be listed!!!    If your dog has a history of biting, and bites someone, you could be faced with grave legal consequences.   Click on the following link to print out the form:  
  
   Request To List Non-Aggressive Dog on PNW Border Collie Rescue
  
  The following link contains a  very classy note on why another rescue organization cannot take dogs with a history of biting:  
  
  http://www.ygrr.org/surrender/surrender-aggressive.html
  
  

• If you wish to use our site to list your dog (because no foster homes are available), please be advised that  for liability reasons, we require that you  provide us with a written reference regarding your dog's temperament.  A reference from a local dog trainer, from which you have taken classes, would be excellent.   If you cannot get the reference of a local pet authority (i.e. obedience, agility instructor, etc..,) our rescuers would be happy to do an evaluation for you.    You will need to drive your dog to a local rescuers house or mutually convenient meeting place to have your pet's temperament evaluated.   If your circumstances are extenuating, please speak / email one of our rescuers. 
  
  

• Do not bring your dog to the pound thinking you'll be able to get him/her into rescue faster.    Unfortunately, more than 90% of the dogs we're contacted about in the pounds are euthanized because we just don't have room.  Idaho and Oregon have far more BC's in the shelters than WA.  Go to http://www.petfinder.org to check out the statistics yourself.   If you do drop off your dog at a shelter due to dire circumstances, please notify the rescuers in your area by clicking here.     There is no guarantee we will be able to help, but we will try.   
  
  

• We generally do not have farm homes available for your active border collie.  The truth of the matter is that farmers looking for BC's are few and far between.  We might be contacted by a farmer once every few years.   Most farmers who are looking for BC's are looking for border collies from known top-hat breeders and trialers that have dogs with proven herding instinct.  Most homes that adopt BC's are dog sports home (agility, flyball, obedience, etc..,) or active human homes (runners, cyclists, etc..,) 
  
  

• Assuming you agree with the terms above, you may contact any of the rescuers near you listed on our Who Are We page.  Once again, please be aware that most of the rescuers have very limited space and are not currently able to accept owner-surrenders.   This is due to a shortage of long-term foster homes and the incredible volume of dogs we get called about EVERY day. 
  
  

• Many people contact us because they need to surrender their dog due to behavioral issues like jumping on children, torturing the neighbors with incessant barking, tearing down curtains,  refusing to listen, herding cars,  nipping at the heels of joggers, etc..,   Please be aware that we don't have a lengthy list of people looking to take on a "project" dog.      If you are hoping to "replace" your surrendered dog with a "good" dog, we urge you to consult a behaviorist who may be able to help.  With a little training, you may realize that the dog you have is your dream dog.  Please check out our Things to Do with your Dog page for a list of some trainers that have been recommended to us (or that we have worked with personally).

HOW TO PLACE YOUR BORDER COLLIE IN A NEW HOME

Now that we're beyond the liability issues, let's talk about finding a new home for your dog and how to go about it .  

1. Be committed to doing this. If you are placing the dog yourself, or working with one of our rescuers who has evaluated your pet,  you must be willing to follow up on all emails and phone calls you receive from people interested in your dog (call the interested party collect if you need to. ) 
   
   Our volunteers put in an average of 20hrs. per week reviewing applications, checking shelters, responding to email, doing home visits, training foster dogs,  and returning phone calls.  We fully expect that you will do your part.  If you cannot commit to following up with all parties interested in your dog, please do not list here.     Anyone listing a dog on our site who fails to acknowledge phone calls and emails (if applicable)  will have their dog's listing pulled from the site.   
   

2. Review  the animal biographies our web site. It will give you an idea of how to write up an advertisement.   Please note that the summaries which appear for each state (WA, OR) are just summaries.  You'll want to look at a particular dog's web page for all the dog's information. 
   

3. Familiarize yourself with the  List of Common Questions and be prepared to answer them.
   

4. Write up your dog's biography. 
   

5. PICTURES, PICTURES, PICTURES!!!!!  Did you know that we almost never receive inquiries about dogs that don't have pictures listed?   
   

6. Cross-post your advertisements (printed or in email) in forums that pertain to dog sports, running, hiking, or other active human sports. 
   
   Remember to include a date on your fliers.  
   
   Post your  fliers in local feed stores or small sporting good stores.    
   
   If your BC is an active dog who is good with other people/dogs, you'll want to show him/her off at local agility trials, obedience demos, and flyball tournaments.  
   
   Make an "adopt me" vest and have your pet wear this vest to your local dog park  or sporting event.
   
   One of our rescuers who was recently visiting northern NH found a few dog adverts posted on a bulletin board outside a shop that specialized in snowshoe / cross-country ski gear.  Several of the little tabs with contact information were torn off. The ad was only a few days old, so that was a good sign.  Dog parks like Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA also have bulletin boards where you can post advertisements. 
   
    

7. Charge a fee.     A truly interested dog owner realizes that any adoption fees are negligible compared to the costs of owning a dog.  If they can't afford $50  to cover an adoption fee, how are they going to afford food, medical costs, including vaccinations, obedience training, etc..,  ???  We recommend a fee of $50-$200 depending on age,  obedience level, etc..,  
   

8. When you find a perspective owner, do a home visit and ask for references.  You wouldn't leave your child with a total stranger. Don't do that to your best friend either.
   

9. Border collies listed on this site  must be spayed or neutered prior to placement.    
   

10. All dogs will be listed  for 30 days.   Once that 30 days has expired, you must contact the web-master to extend the listing date if you have not yet found a new home for your pet.   You must contact the web master if you place your dog in less than 30 days or you will need to continue responding to email and phone inquiries. 

Here is some excellent information from Petfinder.org 

Making the decision to find a new home for a pet is one of the most difficult decisions you can face as a pet guardian. If you are in this situation, it is critical for you to carefully consider the animal's needs. Have you done everything you can to make it possible for your pet to remain with you? If your pet is exhibiting behaviors that are unacceptable (chewing, urinating inside the house, barking), you and your pet may benefit from obedience training. Sometimes what appears to be a futile situation can actually be remedied with the help and guidance of knowledgeable pet trainers and behaviorists! Check with your local shelter for a list of reputable trainers and behaviorists in your area!

However, sometimes a pet is simply not the right fit for you and your home. For example, some animals do best in a home where they are the only animal. If they are forced to interact regularly with other animals, they may become terrified and withdrawn, or aggressive and difficult to handle. In a case like that, your pet may benefit from a new home.

• Post the animal on the Petfinder  Network.
  
• Relinquish the animal to a local animal shelter.
  
• Advertise the animal at local animal shelters, in local newspapers, and in the classified section. Warning: Beware of newspaper scams!
  
• Screen potential adopters! Adoption screening is critical to finding a good home for your animal. We strongly recommend using adoption interviews, applications and contracts to help you appropriately match the animal with a new guardian. [For more information, read about adoption screening or view a sample adoption application and sample adoption contract.]
  
• Follow up! If you are successful in placing the animal in a new home, you may want to check in on the animal to make sure he is transitioning successfully with his new guardian.

Page last updated on 11/28/01 08:42 PM