We’ve all seen the postings for horses, cats, dogs and potbellied pigs:
 
FREE TO A GOOD HOME
 
Heck, some of us have made the ads, haven’t we?
 
I am going to give you some rescue advice that could, if you must end up in a re-homing situation, save the life of your animal.
 
In a decade of horse rescue and animal placement, I’ve learned a few things. What I’ve found is that IF someone is willing to do the following, the odds are extraordinarily higher that you are actually finding a great home.
 
1. In the ad, ALWAYS ask for:
A. Facility Photos (fence, shelter, other animals)
B. Vet Reference / Contact Information
C. Farrier Reference / Contact Information (or professional / personal reference if a small animal)
D. Overview of their experience and why they would like this particular animal.
 
Make sure you place this clearly at the end of the ad and state, “no inquiries will be answered without all above information.”
 
This offers far more protection than a small re-homing fee, but a re-homing fee is also encouraged.
 
IF you do this, you will cut down on your inquiries 75% immediately, which saves you time, but most importantly, you WILL weed out flippers, hoarders and folks unable to provide sensible, quality care.
 
Even if you aren’t actually able to, for some strange reason, check the references, in having processed thousands of applications, only a few percent have ever given false information. This isn’t to say don’t follow us, as we always do, but it is to encourage you to know how effective requiring this information is for finding a good home.
 
No method is 100% guaranteed, but this will absolutely give you the best INITIAL protection for the animal you’re re homing.
 
Tag and share. This will keep so many re-homing pets safe when rescues aren’t able to accept them when an owner needs to find a new home.

when rescues aren’t able to accept them when an owner needs to find a new home.