#3
IF
YOU ARE WANTING TO PLACE YOUR PET FOR ADOPTION:
Please be
aware that AALOC is inundated with calls for assistance, and
your patience is requested while waiting for a volunteer to help
you.
AAL is
a no kill home to dogs and cats waiting for loving homes. We do not
euthanize to make room for incoming pets, but will assist pet owners who need
to find homes for their pets.
- AAL is accepting dogs needing placement on a
waiting list to get into AAL if it is a hardship situation and if the
owner is willing to hold onto the pet until space is
available.
- AAL has doubled the number of cats in it's rescue in the past year due to abandoned cats
and kittens, so we are unable to accept cats until we have
successfully placed many of the ones in our care. AAL
is receiving between 400 and 600 calls per month from those
wanting to place cats for adoption, but fewer than 5 calls a
month from people wanting to adopt cats. There are many more
cats than there are homes and most people do not need to look for a cat to
adopt...cats will and do find you.
- Taking your pet to a shelter is not a good option,
as 85-95% of adult cats and about half of the dogs are euthanized in California shelters, and later hauled off
to rendering plants. In some shelters, 95 % of all dogs and
cats are euthanized. LA city shelters euthanized 13,000 kittens last
year. It also does not matter if your pet is young, beautiful,
trained, or purebred; there is no extra
space in shelters, and many young, beautiful, trained, and purebred animals
die every minute in shelters. For every dog or cat that comes in,
one must die to make room. Almost 500,000 dogs and cats die in
California shelters each year, close to 40,000 per month.
- AAL can send you a listing of other dog or
cat rescue organizations in or near Orange County.
- There are also many breed rescues which are available
to assist purebred dogs or cats needing rehoming.
- These listings are also available on our website www.aaloc.com on
our Helpline
page
- AAL can also post your pets photo and information
on our website free of charge, and assist you in the process of
screening potential adopters, if you are willing to hold onto your
pet. Our email is aaloc@aol.com and our website is www.aaloc.com.
· AAL strongly advises
that you do not place a "free to good home" ad, as this will
attract those collecting pets for inhumane reasons and ulterior
motives. There are people in Orange County and nearby areas who actively call
on free ads to say that they are interested in adopting your pet when
they are actually collecting animals for sell to research labs where they are
paid per pet. They often bring their children and grandchildren with them
and it is impossible to tell their true agendas.
· Others collect
cats and dogs for bait in training younger dogs
to be fighting dogs. Others collect them for rituals or
pranks, especially near Halloween. Black cats and white cats, as well as
certain dog breeds are at risk, although any pet will do. You may
find some helpful information on www.pet-abuse.com
·
We
encourage you to check with family, relatives, friends, coworkers, church
members about adopting your pet or possibly fostering it for you
short term while you find other options. If you can offer food, vet
care, and a monthly fee, this may sway someone to help you.
·
If you must
run an ad in the paper, you must know how to screen callers.
If someone is interested in adopting your pet, ask to call their
veterinarian for a reference. This way, you can verify that someone knows
them and if they are good pet
owners.
·
A home
visit is another necessary step to weed out those with hidden
agendas. By going to the home, you are telling the adopter that you
want to verify that they live where they say they live, and they are who they
say they are. Those who refuse a home visit are suspicious and
should be avoided...they do not want you to know where they live as they don't
want you to come back in a month to find out that the pet isn't
there anymore. Do not go alone on a home visit. Do not
let potential adopters come to your home. Some owners have had
their pets stolen when they later left the house.
·
If the
potential adopter is living in an apartment or home owner association, ask
for written permission to have a pet. Some people adopt a pet
that they are not allowed to have because of species, breed, or size, and
try to sneak it in only to dump it when they are caught.
- Regarding dog placements: On the home visit,
check the fencing to see if it is safe for your dog. Make sure
that the gates are locked, so your dog isn't let out accidentally.
Pools and jacuzzis need to be fenced
off separately as not all pets can swim, and most have no idea where the
steps are and drown from exhaustion when they cannot get out of
the water. Introduce dogs to other dogs
on neutral territory. IF all is well, and you attempt to
have the dogs together in the yard, keep the hose sprayer on in the event
of a fight. Mixing large dogs with small dogs can be
unpredictable and deadly to a small dog if there is conflict.
Mixing cats with dogs whose temperament towards cats is unknown is also
risky. Ask a professional trainer to help evaluate your dog if
you are concerned. If there are small children, do not
place the dog unless the temperament is predictable, easy going under all
situations, and the dog has been known to be good with
children. Pay attention to the parents to see if they are
appropriately supervising their children.
- Regarding cat placements: Note if windows are open or
dog doors are present, which would allow cats to roam outside.
Coyotes are natural inhabitants of Orange County, and are found in most cities
in OC. Cats can also fall prey to neighbor dogs, poisons, getting
hit by cars, caught in car engines, and be taken in traps by neighbors who
want to rid their yards of neighbor's cats. Find out if other cats
in the home have been tested for leukemia or aids, both contagious and
deadly cat diseases that could kill your cat. Find out
if their other cats are declawed, as
this will indicate the likelihood that this cruel procedure will be
performed on your cat as well. Declawing
is the cutting off of the last digit of each toe, including the
bone. This often leads to behavior problems like spraying, and
sometimes to arthritic conditions of the feet later in life from walking
on unnatural footing. Suggest that your cat and the
current cats not be put together immediately, but instead, your cat
should be placed in a secure bedroom for 2-3 weeks until they have
become accustomed to each others' scents. This will lessen the
chance of cat fights over territory.
- Ask that the new owner get new tags for the
pet, and keep your ID tag on the dog/cat until they get new tags.
Many animals in new homes will be nervous and looking to reunite with
their previous owner, and may try to
escape.
CALIFORNIA CAT AND DOG RESCUE
ORGANIZATION LISTS
http://www.rescuers.com/AllbreedDogRescues2.pdf
http://www.rescuers.com/DogBreedRescues.pdf
http://www.rescuers.com/CatRescues.pdf
Dog Rescue List
www.hart4dogs.org/ Breed Rescue list/Senior
Dogs rescue
No Kill Animal Organizations can be found by state:
www.saveourstrays.com/no-kill.htm
Adoption groups can be located by city:
www.petfinder.com
Rescue groups, shelters, and pets for adoption:
www.1-800-save-a-pet.com
Special Needs Rescue
Home for Life provides life-time care for the special
needs animal, the cat or dog that, while still able to
lead a quality life, is unable to find a home due to age, chronic treatable
disorder, handicap or similar reason. Home for Life also has a
sanctuary for felv (leukemia) cats.
P.O. Box 847
Stillwater, MN 55082
Phone: 1-800-252-5918
www.homeforlife.org
Email: info@homeforlife.org
Special Needs Rescues can be
found at www.handicappedpets.com
Click on 'All Services,' then 'links and resources,'
then rescue organizations.
Placement of Felv
positive cats:
www.felineleukemia.org
Wildlife Rescue List
www.hart4dogs.org/
If
you are giving up your pet because of having to relocate, information on pet friendly rentals in the area
can be found on the following sites:
·
www.ocdogfriendly.com
·
www.homewithpets.com
·
www.petrent.net
·
www.fidofriendlyapartments.com
·
www.doghouseproperties.com
·
www.peoplewithpets.com