FAQs Surrendering

Are You Considering Re-homing your Havanese?

If you are planning on using social media, such as Facebook, or going through a rescue please make sure these steps are followed for the safety and well being of your Havanese. HRI follows these steps to assure we make great placements for our dogs. We stand behind every placement decision we make.

Here is what you need to consider to help ensure your pup is going to a safe and loving home. If you can’t follow all these steps, please consider surrendering them to Havanese Rescue Inc (HRI), www.havaneserescue.com.

A rescue like HRI can’t accept every dog, but those we accept will be placed in well-vetted foster homes that will work on behaviors and health issues that limit your ability to find a home. We spend the time to ensure our adopters are getting the dog they expect.

Here are the steps Havanese Rescue follows to ensure every dog gets a great placement:

List your pet’s needs and preferences
  • Okay with children?
  • Okay with other pets?
  • Needs fenced area?
  • Active vs couch potato?
Havanese Rescue Inc places surrendered pups in a foster home for a minimum of two weeks prior to adoption. That allows us to determine what is important for the dog and potential adopter.

Get your pet spayed or neutered
  • Provide certificate of altering
  • Unscrupulous people use unaltered pets for breeding for profit
All HRI pups are spayed or neutered unless too young in which case an addendum is added to the adoption to ensure the pup is altered before the adoption is finalized.

Get your pet’s health checked
  • Up to date wellness check
  • Up to date vaccinations and heart worm testing/prevention
  • Obtain medical history
  • Address dental needs and medical issues
HRI makes every attempt to obtain a dog’s medical history, address medical issues and inform potential adopters of ongoing issues.

Create a comprehensive dog record
  • Food preferences
  • Toy and treat preference
  • Sleeping location
  • Likes and dislikes
When a Havanese is surrendered to HRI, we ask the owner to provide as much of this information as possible. The foster home makes observations and recommendations that are passed on to the adoptive home.

Grooming
  • Bathe and groom
  • Free of matts and parasites
Havanese require grooming and maintenance. HRI provides for grooming if necessary while in foster care.

Screening
  • Screen all potential callers/applicants
  • References
  • House check
  • Meet and Greet (if possible)
Havanese Rescue follows strict procedures to help ensure adoption applicants are well vetted, living arrangements checked for safety, and that applicants are suitable for a particular dog.

Paperwork
  • Adoption contract
  • Waiver of Liability
  • Followup
Every Havanese placed by HRI comes with a signed contract. We are always available to provide advice or information. HRI will take back any dog we place under any circumstance for the life of the dog.

Re-homing a beloved pet is a serious commitment. Havanese Rescue Inc has the knowledgeable, compassionate volunteers available to ensure your pup will be placed in a wonderful forever home.

Ideally, all dogs live in one loving home from puppyhood until death. Realistically, however, this isn’t always possible. People become ill, die, divorce, move overseas, develop allergies, lose their jobs, lose their homes, etc. Any of these situations, among others, can be a reason for a dog coming into rescue.

If you feel you are in a situation where you need to surrender your Havanese, here is a summary of how the situation works.

Surrender Process
Contact our intake group for assistance. There is a link to start this process on our website. We have experience and knowledge with this breed and will work with you in an effort to help you with solvable issues/problems. If this isn’t possible, we will place your dog in a carefully screened foster home for whatever length of time is necessary to assess his/her medical, behavioral and social needs. We will then re-home him/her with a family who is educated about the special needs of your dog.

We spend time assessing your dog prior to their arrival through our intake process. This is where we learn about the dog’s likes and dislikes, and personality. By being as honest as possible with us, you can help us place the dog successfully This initial assessment will also help us find the best foster home to place your dog.

It is also vitally important that we have a complete medical history on the dog. Contact your vet and get a copy of your dog’s medical records, including rabies tag and microchip registration, if applicable. This will save him/her from being unnecessarily re-vaccinated. If your dog is unaltered, needs vaccines, heartworm testing, or a dental cleaning, please do your dog one last favor and take care of these veterinary needs. Rescue needs considerable funding to care for Havanese who are strays or are left in shelters or veterinary offices, some needing extensive medical treatment. Taking responsibility for these veterinary necessities for your own dog will allow us to place your dog sooner and allow rescue to channel funds to the truly neglected dogs. If you are unable to get your dog up-to-date on vaccinations and spayed/neutered, please consider a monetary donation upon surrendering your dog to help cover part of these costs. We sincerely appreciate receiving a monetary donation from the dog’s owner whenever it’s financially possible.

A surrender form will be sent to you to complete. Please be thorough and accurate. This form lets us know about your dog’s likes and dislikes, fears, favorite activities, toys or treats, etc.

When possible, you’ll be asked to bring your dog to a designated intake place, or to transport at least part of the way if you are a long distance from the rescue representative or foster home. Make sure your dog is wearing a collar and ID tags for the trip.

Determine which of your dog’s belongings you can send with him/her. Having his/her own crate, bed, toys, jacket, etc., not only keeps the dog more comfortable by being around familiar objects, but relieves rescue of having to purchase so many of these items for your dog. Please send food that your dog is used to, and pack up medications or supplements your dog needs, along with instructions for administration of them.

You’ll be asked to sign relinquishment papers giving up ownership of your dog when you meet with the transporter or foster parent. If you’d like, we will send you a letter or email when your Havanese is placed to let you know a little about the home, but it will not include names or addresses of the new adopters. This is a confidential adoption process.

All of our dogs are placed first in pre-approved foster homes. Except in the case of strays or dogs coming from shelters where contagious illnesses might threaten the pets of our foster families, we do not board our dogs at kennels, veterinarian’s offices, groomers, etc. Our prescreened and well educated foster families are provided with support from other volunteers and foster families as well as trainers and veterinarians when appropriate.

Your dog will have a safe, comfortable, loving home with one of our foster families until we find a match with one of our approved adopters. Adopters sign a contract stating that the Havanese they adopt MUST be returned to our rescue if they cannot keep the dog for any reason. The dog will never be sold, given away or taken to a shelter. To ensure compliance, microchips on all HRI dogs are registered to HRI.

Remember, surrendering your Havanese to Havanese Rescue Inc. ensures that your pet will be placed in a loving, educated, “forever” home with people who understand the special needs of this breed. A humane society, shelter or all-breed rescue may not be able to provide the same level of screening and understanding of the breed.

Although surrendering your dog may be extremely difficult for you, remember what a loving choice you’re making. You are providing your dog with a “second chance” for a wonderful future. We understand, and we thank you for making a decision that is in the best interest of your Havanese.

Is there a fee to surrender my pet?

There is no formal fee to surrender a dog. If your dog is unaltered, needs vaccines, heartworm testing, or a dental cleaning, please do your dog one last favor and take care of these veterinary needs. Taking responsibility for these veterinary necessities for your own dog will allow us to place your dog sooner and allow rescue to channel funds to the truly neglected dogs. If you are unable to get your dog up-to-date on vaccinations and spayed/neutered, please consider a monetary donation upon surrendering your dog to help cover part of these costs. We sincerely appreciate receiving a monetary donation from the dog’s owner whenever it’s financially possible.

How do I help a Havanese In Trouble?

If you hear from an individual that has a dog they want to surrender, it’s best to send them to our WEBSITE – www.havaneserescue.com so they can complete a surrender form which is found here. Owner Surrender Form
If you have first-hand information about a dog needing rescue you can use the same procedure as above.
An Intake volunteer will get more information from the individual or organization that has the Havanese and will take care of contacting the state contact as well.

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