Giving up your pet

STEP 1: To start the process of finding your pet a new home through CDCH, please complete the relevant ‘Online Intake Forms’ for the species you’re looking to rehome and we can place your pet onto our waiting list. Once placed onto the waiting list, the information will be reviewed by our experienced team and they can support you in making the best final decision for you and your pet.

Note: Our waiting lists can be lengthy and we can not guarantee a space quickly. You could be looking at weeks or months on our waiting list until a space becomes available.

STEP 2: At this stage, one of our team members will contact you to perform an assessment and gather anymore information they may need. Depending on the information provided an onsite assessment may be required.

STEP 3: After completing the above steps our team will then come to a decision on how to best help you. This could be one of the following;

• Your dog will stay with you, through our Home-to-Home scheme, whilst we find them a new home. This can often make the rehoming process quicker than pets coming into our care directly. You’ll still receive advice and support for any pet related issues you’re experiencing.
• Your dog will come into our centre and stay with us until we find them a new home. They’ll be in the care of our experienced team, and live in excellent accommodation that meets their needs – keeping them comfortable and happy while they wait. Or, they may be given a temporary home with a fosterer.
• Our care services may be full during this time, so we will be in touch with appropriate next steps. This may mean our team providing you with other avenues to explore.
• Or in some circumstance, we may not be able to find your pet a new home. If this is the case, our team will explain the reasons why and what to do next.

STEP 4: If a decision is made to use our Home to Home scheme, then our team will be able to explain the next steps which will involve a house visit, vet check with our vet and assessment. 

If a decision is made to bring your pet into our care, you’ll be given a rehoming day appointment. You’ll need to bring your dog to our centre in Cambridge, Gloucestershire at the agreed date and time.

• The appointment should last around half an hour. If your pet has any favourite toys or blankets, please bring these along to help them settle.
• During this appointment, our team may ask for more information on your pet so we can ensure we find them the most appropriate home. At the end of this appointment, your pet will stay with us.

STEP 5: Once your pet is officially in our care, our experts will assess their behaviour and medical needs in more depth. This helps us match them with the right new family. If you’d like to know how your pet is getting on, we’d be more than happy to update you – please email us. But, once your pet has found a new home, we won’t be able to share information about the new owner(s) or their whereabouts for confidentiality reasons.