Home Moving tips Surrendering Your Dog When Moving: 5 Options to Consider

Surrendering Your Dog When Moving: 5 Options to Consider

With the housing shortage throughout Canada, it is hard to find a home and even harder to find a dog friendly apartment. Dogs are often abandoned and given away when moving due to unpredictable or uncontrollable factors. Pet bans in leases, behavioral problems that are difficult to manage, the arrival of a newborn, the lack of space and difficult life situations are among the dozens of reasons why dogs are abandoned during moves. Do you care a lot about your dog and your move is approaching? Here are 5 options to consider!

Abandoning Your Dog: 5 Options to Consider

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Option #1: Do Advanced Searches

Are you having issues finding dog-friendly rentals? Here are some advances searches you can do:

Apply the pet friendly filter on Kijiji.
Find a pet-friendly apartment on Zumper (offers a map to visualize rentals that fit your needs).
RENTCafé offers a tool to find an apartment that accepts animals. Make sure to select pet friendly or dogs under the filter pet policy.
Use keywords like “dog friendly” or “pet friendly” in your rental searches on Facebook Marketplace.

Option #2: Convince the New Owner

In some cases, it may be possible to convince the new owner to allow your dog in the home. Here are some convincing examples to use if they apply to your situation:

My dog is well trained, he does his business outside.
My dog is well-behaved: he barks very little and does not destroy anything.
I have control over my dog and he listens to me in all circumstances.
My dog is gentle, he has no aggressive tendencies.
I regularly trim my dog’s nails and I don’t let him run around inside to avoid scratching the floor.
My dog barely sheds and I brush him regularly.
My dog is not dirty, I wash him regularly and he has a professional grooming every 3 months.
My dog always walks on a leash when I am away from home.
When I am away, my dog is always in his crate. He likes his crate, it is a safe and peaceful place for him.

Option #3: Ask Your Family or Friends to Adopt Your Dog

Don’t have the choice to let your dog go because of the move, but want to keep him close by? Asking people to adopt your dog is a great way to stay in touch with your dog even if he can’t be with you in your new home. Another bonus of this option is that you can trust that your dog will be in good hands!

Option #4: Post Your Dog for Adoption Online

There are several websites where you can post your dog for adoption online because of your move:

The categories Pets or Dogs & Puppies for Rehoming on Kijiji (posting fee about $15 for 30 days)
Free posting on Petpost Canada
Free posting on Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary’s Facebook page.

Option #5: Take Him to a Shelter/SPCA

If you have not been able to find a good home for your dog, the shelters and SPCA are equipped to deal with the situation. Simply visit one of the many animal shelters and SPCA’s located throughout Canada.

Conclusion

Dogs are loyal companions that bring us much joy! It’s worth it to discover the options available to you before abandoning your pet because of your move. Your dog has behavioral problems and you don’t have enough time to train him before your move? Dog boarding school is a faster solution to improve your dog’s behavior.