Surrender a Pet

Giving up your pet is a difficult decision to make. We understand how hard it can be to relinquish a beloved pet, and we appreciate your choice to reach out to us so we can work in partnership with you for a safe and happy ending for your pet. Many unwanted animal behaviors can be corrected, enabling pets to successfully remain in the family.

If you would like more information about pet training classes or other solutions for keeping your pet, our certified instructors are here to help.

If you have interest in surrendering your companion animal, please reach out to our Pet Intake/Rehoming Specialist, Kim Henry at (856)424-2288 X 112. An interview will be conducted to assess what is the best option for you and your companion animal. Surrender requests are on a case-by-case basis.

NOT ALL surrender requests will be advised to bring them to our animal shelter. Many will be referred to view our pet retention and rehoming resources which have many answers for pet owners, depending on what you’re looking for. In the event where we establish that the companion animal will succeed in our program, information will be provided on next steps to you during the interview.

PLEASE NOTE!

IF THE COMPANION ANIMAL WAS ADOPTED FROM OUR SHELTER, PLEASE REACH OUT SO WE CAN PROCESS THE INTAKE AND PUT YOU ON OUR LIST FOR INTAKE AT THE CONTACT INFORMATION PROVIDED ABOVE. YOU WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO FILL OUT A SURRENDER FORM.

We strongly advise that you include all members of your immediate family and/or household in the decision to release the animal prior to bringing your pet to AWA. We also ask that any veterinary health or vaccination records you may have MUST be submitted prior to an intake being scheduled. An intake will not be scheduled if we don’t have these very important records. The owner releasing the pet must be at least 18 years of age and provide a Driver’s License or other photo identification.

As a private, nonprofit organization dependent on community contributions, we charge intake fees to help defray the costs of providing for your pet. The surrender fee is a non-refundable fee paid at the time of surrender. We take credit cards and exact cash as we don’t have change in the till to break large bills.

Adult Spayed/Neutered Dog – $65

Adult Not Spayed/Neutered Dog – $80

Adult Spayed/Neutered Cat – $25

Adult Not Spayed/Neutered Dog – $40

Puppy under 6 months old – $50

Kitten Under 6 months old – $25 each / litter of 2 or more $50

Rabbits – $50 each

Guinea Pigs – $25 each

Mice, Gerbils, Hamsters – $20 each

*Additional fees may apply.

Your pet may be re-assessed during his/her stay at our adoption center and his/her status of adoptability may change. You may be notified sometime after bringing your pet in if this happens.

We recognize people do change their minds. If you surrender your pet and then find him or her a new home or decide to keep them, we will work with you to return them back to you. If the animal is returned to you, spay/neuter, microchip and license fees, if applicable, will be charged to you prior to your pet being released by AWA.

Surrendering Puppies and Kittens to AWA

If you have trapped or found a mother cat and kittens outside, they may not qualify for our adoption program. Some factors that we must consider are: Mother cat is feral, which is an outside cat that has not been socialized with humans and her kittens are born outside and have not been socialized within the first 4 to 6 weeks. We may be able to take certain kittens if they are socialized and can be weaned from the mother, making them good candidates for adoption.

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