Before surrendering

Take a moment to consider the reason why you are contemplating surrendering your pet.

Does your dog have behavioural problems?

If you want to surrender your dog because it is lacking manners, having accidents inside, barking constantly or any number of other annoying traits – consider dog obedience classes.

Lort Smith offers three types of dog training, in either a group setting or one-on-one. Classes are kept small so our trainers, who are all National Dog Training Federation-qualified, can really focus on you and your dog. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to bond with your dog. Problem behaviours can often be rectified quickly once carers are provided with the tools and knowledge to address them.

Is your cat misbehaving?

If you haven’t desexed your cat, this may be something to consider. Entire female cats are likely to show unusual behaviour and become easily agitated when their hormones kick in. Entire male cats can roam for kilometers when looking for a partner. Desexed cats are less likely to do so, reducing their chances of engaging in fights and nuisance behaviours. Desexed cats are also less likely to scent-mark by spraying urine, compared to undesexed cats.

Lort Smith performs thousands of desexing surgeries each year. A quick snip could solve all the issues!

Has your pet had a health check recently?

Problem behaviour can sometimes stem from a health condition. For example, your pet may try to bite you when you touch its face – they may have a terrible toothache that requires dental treatment. Perhaps they are urinating in the wrong spot because they have a urinary tract infection or blockage? It is definitely worth having a vet check to rule out any underlying medical condition that may be causing them to act out.

Try to find a new home for your pet yourself

It is worth asking trusted friends, family and colleagues if they are able to provide a new home for your pet.

If you have a purebred dog or cat, try contacting either the original breeder or the breed rescue group to see if they are able to assist in finding a new home.

Lort Smith