The right home is out there. Following these steps will help your dog find them.

Rehoming your dog is a difficult decision, and should not be taken lightly. Thousands of dogs are homeless in every community across the country, and it isn't easy to find a new home for them. 

There are times when it's necessary to find your dog a new home though, and the information in this Rehoming Guide and the Rehoming Checklist will help you get your dog into a new home safely and quickly.

How do you use a bio to market your dog? That's what this guide is designed to assist with. You'll learn how to create a bio and take photos/videos that will increase your chances of finding your dog a new home. 

Make sure you include the following information when making a bio to network your dog with. Here's some important topics to cover.  Be specific.

BASIC INFORMATION:  

• Age
• Breed (or best guess)
• Sex
• Spay/Neuter Status
• Vaccination Status

DETAILED INFORMATION:  

• Behavior with other dogs - Does your dog enjoy playing with other dogs? Are they selective? Do they prefer small or large dogs? Would they rather be an only dog? 
• Behavior with cats - Has your dog lived with cats before? Do they chase them, or ignore them? Are they super intense around them? Or do they love them?
• Behavior with children - Is your dog good with kids? What ages are they good with? Are they patient and tolerant, or are they nervous around them? Do you worry that they might snap at kids? 
• Special traits - Does your dog know any tricks? Are they house trained? Do they love to cuddle? What makes your dog special? 
• Medical needs - Does your dog have any allergies, health conditions, or require special medication? Be upfront and honest. 

Being transparent builds trust. People need to know why you don't want or can't keep the dog, so they can fully understand what they are getting into. You should be honest and explain why you are rehoming your dog because it goes a long way towards getting someone to even consider adopting. 

You don't have to give too many details, but you do want to focus on the type of situation that's causing the need for a new home. 

• Family or Personal Medical - Do you have a medical reason you can't keep your dog? Are you or someone in your family experiencing a medical hardship that makes it difficult to care for the dog? Is the dog simply too big or jumpy or active, causing a fall risk or danger to a fragile person in the family? 
• Hardship - Have you been faced with a new circumstance that you can't control, where you can't keep the dog? Is your hardship forcing a move into a shared living situation, or apartment, or other location where dogs aren't allowed? 
• Behavior Challenges Causing Incompatibility with Family - Does the dog simply get too stressed out around your kids? Is he/she overwhelmed in your active household? Are you having issues with the dog around other pets in the house? Did you move to a smaller place with no yard, and the dog is too much for the small space?
• Inherited Family Member's Dog - Did you recently lose a loved one who had a dog that you're unable to keep?

These are just a few situations that could be similar to what you're experiencing, and you can see that just a short simple explanation really helps a lot in building trust and edging toward finding that perfect home.

Here's what you DON'T want to say:

• I'm at work too much, and my dog deserves so much better.
• I just can't give him/her the love and attention they deserve right now.

Excuses like these will trigger negative comments instead of focusing on getting your dog into a new home. 

Many rescues and rehoming sites will require that dogs be spayed or neutered before adoption. You should always make sure the dog is up to date on shots because diseases like Parvo and Distemper are so easy to catch by an unvaccinated dog.  

BEST PRACTICE:  

You should always make sure your dog is spayed/neutered as well as current on vaccinations. 

For a list of low cost or free options in your area, search "Spay and Neuter Clinics Near Me" or "Low Cost Vaccinations Near Me" in Google or any other internet search engine. 

How do you use a bio to market your dog? That's what this guide is designed to assist with. You'll learn how to create a bio and take photos/videos that will increase your chances of finding your dog a new home. 

Make sure you include the following information when making a bio to network your dog with. Here's some important topics to cover.  Be specific.

BASIC INFORMATION:  

• Age
• Breed (or best guess)
• Sex
• Spay/Neuter Status
• Vaccination Status

DETAILED INFORMATION:  

• Behavior with other dogs - Does your dog enjoy playing with other dogs? Are they selective? Do they prefer small or large dogs? Would they rather be an only dog? 
• Behavior with cats - Has your dog lived with cats before? Do they chase them, or ignore them? Are they super intense around them? Or do they love them?
• Behavior with children - Is your dog good with kids? What ages are they good with? Are they patient and tolerant, or are they nervous around them? Do you worry that they might snap at kids? 
• Special traits - Does your dog know any tricks? Are they house trained? Do they love to cuddle? What makes your dog special? 
• Medical needs - Does your dog have any allergies, health conditions, or require special medication? Be upfront and honest. 

Being transparent builds trust. People need to know why you don't want or can't keep the dog, so they can fully understand what they are getting into. You should be honest and explain why you are rehoming your dog because it goes a long way towards getting someone to even consider adopting. 

You don't have to give too many details, but you do want to focus on the type of situation that's causing the need for a new home. 

• Family or Personal Medical - Do you have a medical reason you can't keep your dog? Are you or someone in your family experiencing a medical hardship that makes it difficult to care for the dog? Is the dog simply too big or jumpy or active, causing a fall risk or danger to a fragile person in the family? 
• Hardship - Have you been faced with a new circumstance that you can't control, where you can't keep the dog? Is your hardship forcing a move into a shared living situation, or apartment, or other location where dogs aren't allowed? 
• Behavior Challenges Causing Incompatibility with Family - Does the dog simply get too stressed out around your kids? Is he/she overwhelmed in your active household? Are you having issues with the dog around other pets in the house? Did you move to a smaller place with no yard, and the dog is too much for the small space?
• Inherited Family Member's Dog - Did you recently lose a loved one who had a dog that you're unable to keep?

These are just a few situations that could be similar to what you're experiencing, and you can see that just a short simple explanation really helps a lot in building trust and edging toward finding that perfect home.

Here's what you DON'T want to say:

• I'm at work too much, and my dog deserves so much better.
• I just can't give him/her the love and attention they deserve right now.

Excuses like these will trigger negative comments instead of focusing on getting your dog into a new home.