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Pet Rehoming

Seattle Humane is a pet resource center. Our goal is to keep pets with the people who love them by offering support for pet owners to prevent shelter surrender, whenever possible. Seattle Humane may be able to assist with access to low-cost veterinary care, a pet food bank, pet training and more. Contact pethelp@seattlehumane.org or 425-649-7566 for additional information.

Step One: Consider the Alternatives

Seattle Humane is a pet resource center. Our goal is to keep pets with the people who love them by offering support for pet owners to prevent shelter surrender, whenever possible. Seattle Humane may be able to assist with access to low-cost veterinary care, a pet food bank, dog training and more. Contact pethelp@seattlehumane.org or 425-649-7566 for additional information. ​

Step Two: Rehome Your Pet

Self-rehoming is often the best and most humane way for your pet to find a new home. Self-rehoming allows the pet to remain in a home—which supports the pet’s health and well-being. Being able to learn about the pet’s personality, behavior, medical history, preferences and more from the person who knows them best also helps ensure the pet is adopted into a home where they will thrive. 

Bonus: Self-rehoming also offers reassurance to the pet’s original family by allowing them to select, and possibly even stay in touch with, the new owner. 

Rehoming Tips & Resources
  • Create a pet profile for your pet on Seattle Humane’s Home-to-Home adoption page. Home-to-Home is a direct-to-adopter tool for people looking to rehome their pets. Fill out the free Home-to-Home application to post your pet.
  • Create a pet profile on Rehome, a free tool designed to help pets find new homes without having to spend time in a shelter.
  • Post a photo and bio of your pet on your social media channels. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Nextdoor are great platforms for showcasing your pet for adoption.
  • Prepare your pet for adoption by getting them spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. If you need assistance, contact our team at pethelp@seattlehumane.org or call (425) 649-7566. 
If your pet needs veterinary care and you are low-income, facing housing insecurity or other urgent hardship, Seattle Humane may be able to assist. Contact our team at pethelp@seattlehumane.org or (425) 649-7566. Seattle Humane’s Community Clinic provides wellness care, vaccinations and microchipping services to support low-income families and their pets. For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit our Community Clinic page. Seattle Humane’s Spay & Neuter Clinic offers reduced-cost spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats of low-income families in our community.
Request pet food and supplies from our Pet Food Bank. For more information, contact pethelp@seattlehumane.org or call (425) 649-7566. If you are struggling with high or unexpected veterinary costs that are challenging your ability to keep your pet healthy and safe at home, contact our team at pethelp@seattlehumane.org or (425) 649-7566.
A common reason people need to rehome their pet is if the pet is displaying undesirable behavior. Many unwanted animal behaviors can be corrected, enabling pets to successfully remain in the family. Before surrendering your animal, please consider other options or training solutions, such as the alternatives listed on our Pet Training & Behavior Resources page. For more help, contact our team at pethelp@seattlehumane.org or (425) 649-7566. Seattle Humane offers dog training classes and workshops. To sign up for classes, visit our Dog Training Center page. For more information contact our team at  dogtraining@seattlehumane.org or (425) 373-5385, option 1.
If you are facing barriers in accessing housing due to extraneous pet fees such as pet deposits, contact our team at pethelp@seattlehumane.org or (425) 649-7566. If you need assistance identifying pet-friendly housing, check out My Pitbull is Family‘s dog-inclusive rental database. My Pitbull is Family hosts the nation’s largest database for dog-inclusive rental options that includes properties without breed or weight restrictions. If you need temporary care for your pet due to housing insecurity, hospitalization or other personal crisis, contact our intake team at intake@seattlehumane.org or (425) 649-7561.
For temporary foster or boarding care for your pet due to military deployment, contact Dogs on Deployment. This nonprofit provides an online network for service members to search for volunteers to board their pets (and not just dogs!) during their owner’s service commitments. The following nonprofits may also be able to help:

If you are unable to rehome your pet, you can surrender your pet to Seattle Humane

If you need to surrender your pet to Seattle Humane, you can fill out a surrender application for each pet or contact the Intake department at intake@seattlehumane.org or (425) 649-7561. We do not accept walk-in surrenders – all surrenders are by appointment only. Appointments are required to ensure we have space and the appropriate accommodations to care for your pet until they find a new home. Surrender appointments are scheduled once the medical and behavioral history of a pet is reviewed. After we receive your surrender questionnaire, a staff member will contact you to review the pet’s information and determine the next steps in the surrender process.
Dog Intake Form
Cat Intake Form
Critter Intake Form

Please complete a form for each pet. For help completing a form, contact us at (425) 649-7561.

Completion of an owner surrender form does not guarantee Seattle Humane will accept the pet into our care

Surrender Fees

  • 1 Pet $30
  • 2+ Pets $60
  • Mom's Last Litter No fee

Pet Surrender FAQs

Why do I need to schedule an appointment to surrender my pet?

Appointments are required to ensure we have space and resources available to care for the pet.

Please contact your local animal control agency.

Seattle Humane is not able to accept stray pets. If you have found a pet within the last 30 days, please contact your local animal control agency or municipal animal shelter.

Seattle Humane is a managed-intake shelter that cares for pets with treatable medical or behavioral issues. There are no limits placed on the pets in our care for space or time. Pets receive the medical care and behavior support they need to thrive in new homes. When a pet demonstrates behavioral concerns that pose a threat to people or other animals, or when they face significant quality-of-life concerns, euthanasia may be considered.

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