End the Stigma.

There is hardly a more stigmatized topic in the rescue world than owners rehoming their pets. People are always eager to judge — and there’s something so visceral about giving up a pet, we all get emotional. But sometimes, surrender is the right choice.

This story of a dog reunited with her owner who surrendered her due to homelessness really resonated with people and went viral: https://www.wtae.com/article/animal-shelter-reunites-owner-with-dog-she-gave-up-due-to-homelessness/42676421

Oh if only people were this kind to everyone who is trying to rehome their animal! Not everyone’s circumstances are the same, so why aren’t we more understanding of the owners who are struggling? More often than not, FB pages for rehoming animals are filled with negative comments. It seems that it’s more important to some folks to shame the owner than help the animal.

So let us just say… Shaming people for rehoming animals is unhelpful

First, you don’t know people’s lives… sometimes rehoming a pet is the kind thing. This is why rescues have this clause — return the animal to us, we will take it back always. Rescues will also take animals whose owners can’t afford vet care.

Often there are medical concerns or special needs. Even the most loving and devoted pet parents may face the situation when medical care is unaffordable, either financially or in terms of time required. People have their limitations too, and sometimes it’s better to let a beloved pet go into foster care or fospice than keeping them out of guilt.

We all experience life changes: we move, lose parents, have children... and these changes affect the pets too! They too get stressed, they grieve, they get jealous... and sometimes it is too much for everyone.

Then there are catastrophic events: illness of the owner, homelessness, unexpected moves long distances... the list goes on. We talk to owners who surrender pets and there is always one thing that comes through: it’s hard. It’s like letting go of a family member.

Second, like most rescue folks, we spend a lot of time on animal rehoming groups and the shaming of people who need to rehome is constant and so counterproductive. People get attacked, delete the post, and take the animal to a kill shelter or just throw it in the streets. We can’t tell you how many times we were ready to take a cat or a dog into rescue but couldn’t reach the owner because they were shamed away from social media.

And for everyone who ever was tempted to say “well, *I* would never surrender an animal” — you made yourself feel good, but you also may have hurt an animal’s chances of finding safety because you don’t know who’s reading your comments. And to everyone judging: you don’t know what people are going through. You don’t see the struggles and tears. Good pet owners make these decisions in the best interest of the pet. And rescues are here to help them find a new home for the pet, deal with medical and behavioral concerns, and to make sure that everyone comes through this undoubtedly traumatic event as whole as possible.