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A Last
Resort
Should you need to find a new home for your pet, the most responsible option
is to do so yourself. Please click here for tips on how to place your animal. Shelters are a
very stressful environment and are not the solution to the
problems of pet overpopulation and irresponsible pet ownership. A
shelter should be considered only as a last resort. |
The Grim Reality
Chicago area shelters take in hundreds of animals daily. The main
reason for owner relinquishment are problems that, with a little
bit of effort, can be resolved by the owner. PAWS Chicago, as well
as other area shelters, can recommend training classes,
behaviorists, and pet-friendly housing agents. Explore options
with friends, family members, and coworkers: see if anyone you
know is looking for a new pet. If you have truly exhausted all of
your resources, PAWS Chicago will partner with you to ensure your pet
finds the best home possible, provided you can meet with the
following guidelines. |
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Too Many Animals
As a no-kill shelter, PAWS Chicago commits to keeping our
animals until they are adopted; therefore we have limited
available space in which to house new ones. Our priority
is to utilize our cage space for animals in desperate need. We
will accept the surrender of owned cats and dogs into the PAWS
Chicago program by appointment. If your pet is in a home, you
may schedule a time to bring your animal in for a temperament
test. If your animal passes our temperament test, it will be
accepted into the PAWS Chicago program. We prefer that you
continue to foster your animal and bring it to our weekend
adoption events. This prevents undue stress from a shelter
environment to your animal. Appointments for temperament testing
are scheduled Monday through Thursday and each appointment
should take approximately 30 minutes. If you are looking to
relinquish a cat, we will put you on our waiting list until
space becomes available at our Cat Adoption Center. Please know
that this may take weeks. It is always best to exhaust every
option for placing your pet yourself. If for some reason you
must give up your pet immediately, you may want to seek an
open-admission shelter or the City of Chicago Animal Care
and Control. However, be advised that such shelters cannot
guarantee that your pet will find a new home, as they will
euthanize to make room for incoming pets. |
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How We Can Help
When you bring your pet to PAWS Chicago, a staff member will
evaluate the temperament of the animal. The animal must be
spayed/neutered and up to date on vaccinations, at the owner's
expense. Ideally, the owner will continue to foster the animal and
bring him/her to weekly adoption events. If this is not possible,
a surrender fee may be collected from the owner (all fees are
waived for low-income families). The owner
must sign the relinquishment contract, thereby giving up any
future right to the animal. |
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In return, PAWS Chicago agrees to offer necessary
veterinary services at a reduced cost, display the animal's
picture and description on the PAWS Chicago website, screen potential
adopters, follow-up with adopters, and take complete
responsibility for the animal if the new adopter elects to return
him/her to PAWS Chicago in the future.
If you have questions about this process, please e-mail
admissions@pawschicago.org.
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