Rehoming Your Beagle

Below is information on how Big On Beagles can possibly assist with the re-homing of owned dogs. You must understand that we're a small rescue focussed on saving beagles at high risk of euthanasia because they've already been abandoned by their owners. Rescuing these dogs, providing their medical care and matching them with committed foster families takes up the majority of our time, not to mention the constant need to raise funds to support our work. As you can imagine, we hear many reasons why folks feel the need to give up their dogs. The most common are lack of time and behavioural issues. While the owner may feel it's a dire emergency to re-home their beagle for reasons like this, it clearly is not for us. Not when a senior beagle about to be euthanized in a shelter is at stake. It is important for you to understand and respect our priorities. When time permits, we might be able to explore with owners at the end of their leash other alternatives to giving up their beloved friend. Of course, there are situations where it truly is an emergency (serious illness, etc) leaving an owner no choice but to part with a beagle they dearly love. In such cases, we'll do our best to address your emergency as quickly as humanly possible.

It's so important to understand how dog rescue groups like ours work. Our priority must always be those beagles who are at risk of euthanasia, usually in the care of shelter facilities.

Since your beagle has a family of his/her own, we propose sharing the responsibility of re-homing your dog. Your beagle is counting on you to help find him/her a good home with the least amount of stress in the meantime. If there's no urgency in getting him/her out, then the best option is to keep him/her at home until a new and lasting home is found. If, however, there is a problem keeping him/her in your care, we'll need to discuss it further and ascertain whether we have an appropriate foster home available. So often, our foster homes are full as there sadly is no shortage of desperate situations at our neighbouring shelters but we may be able to provide you with other options. The last resort should be surrender to a reputable shelter as shelters are often at capacity too and it can be a stressful experience for any pet. Nevertheless, if you had no choice, there are some shelters we could recommend and hope you will consult with us first before surrendering to just any animal shelter.

We wish we could take every dog that needed our help without hesitation but that's just not possible. We're also extremely choosy about who we match our beagles with so, suffice it to say, it takes time to find good quality homes. Beagles are an acquired taste and we have high standards!

Back to how things work. The reality is, we only have so many foster homes and those foster homes are valuable to us when emergencies arise. The homeless beagles must come first.

We can't emphasize enough, your beagle really needs to rely on you, if possible, to be his/her caregiver - at least until a responsible and loving new owner can be found. You or someone you trust must be prepared to care for him/her while we search for that new home. Consider canvassing with other family members or friends to take him/her on a temporary basis.

We may, in fact, have pre-screened potential adopters waiting in the wings! If not, we offer our Adoption Assistance Program, which includes promotion via our various social media outlets. We can assure you, if you decide to opt for our assistance, nothing less but the best home possible will do for your beagle - as long as you can afford us the time to help when we're able.

Here's how it works. We would consider a courtesy posting, wherein we would feature your beagle for adoption. Accordingly, you would care for him/her in your own home until he/she's matched with a new owner. If, however, there are any behavioural issues to consider when finding new placement for your beagle, you'll need to advise us. There is no standard timeline in finding the right match. It's just simply a matter of time and whether you are prepared and/or able to make the effort. Any prospective adopters would go through us initially for pre-screening, then forwarded to you. The final decision on who adopts your dog will be yours, but we will be available to guide you in the matchmaking process.

This can be offered based on the following requirements:

1.    An initial Meet & Greet with your dog first for a Temperament Assessment (you would need to visit with your dog at BOB Headquarters - in Bowmanville, Ontario. We will also consider visiting your home if local or within a reasonable distance.)
***Please note your beagle must be spayed/neutered prior to any posting on our site, with the exception of those animals with medical conditions for which such surgery would be a health risk;

2.    Following Step #1, if we feel your beagle is adoptable and we have the time to assist you, a donation towards our efforts is always greatly appreciated. If financial constraints prevent you from making a donation, we will understand. It is simply our hope that you respect and appreciate the time and effort taken to help you in this special way by making, if possible, a contribution in support of our continuing work on behalf of homeless beagles. If a loving home is found for your beagle through our efforts (posting, application screening, reference check, telephone interview, meet & greet, home visit), then the Adopter will be required to make a donation to Big On Beagles to ensure a genuine commitment. There should always be value placed on the animal to attract quality adopters. (*All donations go directly towards the ongoing care of our rescue beagles);

3.    Completion of the Adoption Assistance Form (link provided);

4.    Scanned photos of your beagle which can be emailed to us by jpg format (the pics should be high resolution, i.e. approx. 300KB and preferrably good, clear facial shots of your dog looking at the camera);

5.    Vet contact information. (*We would need to contact your vet to confirm shots up-to-date, spay/neuter and temperament, so you would need to call your vet in advance giving them authorization to speak with one of our representatives regarding your beagle) (**Please also note that if your beagle is 6 years old or older and has not had any bloodwork done in the last year, you would be required to arrange bloodwork with your vet to determine the health of your beagle prior to an adoption search); and finally

6.    Authorization from YOU that this is your mandate - to place your beagle. By this we mean that you have given it careful thought in advance and have come to the definite conclusion you need to place your dog in a new home. The credibility of Big On Beagles is adversely affected, not to mention the time taken to assist you, if you decide midstream that you no longer want to place your beagle and an approved prospect is denied the dog. That's why we make sure we have a heart-to-heart conversation with you in advance of an adoption search. You never know, there may be other choices you can make besides letting go of your beautiful beagle.

When completing the Adoption Assistance form, please be sure to provide both good and bad qualities - special focus on temperament, housetraining, obedience level, health issues, social skills, etc. As previously mentioned, if there are underlying behavioural reasons why you've decided to part with your beagle, you must disclose this information at the onset. It's important to clearly identify any issues he/she has before proceeding - for your beagle's sake as well as any prospective adopter. By being forthright with the information, we stand a much better chance at finding the right home, and less risk of a failed match. If, for instance, your beagle has bitten, we need to discuss it in detail. It does not necessarily mean your beagle is a lost cause. But only an expert specializing in dog behaviour can determine that. We offer an excellent source in those circumstances, following preliminary consultation with us.

Consider this too. If your beagle lacks training, he or she may not be an attractive candidate for the average adopter. As strange as this may sound, finding a new home for your dog can often be equated to selling a house! You stand a much better chance at finding him/her an enthusiastic adopter if he/she's had some "upgrades" so to speak. If possible, while he/she's still in your care, we strongly suggest meeting with a behaviourist or taking him/her to obedience school and working on his/her training.

On the heels of that last comment, we always ask whether you've thoroughly considered the option of working things through and keeping your dog with you. In many cases, it's better to try all we can to keep our pets with us. Our dogs are a source of happiness, despite the rough patches beagles so often put us through. They're always testing the limits of our sense of humour! At any rate, you might find that if you consult with a behaviourist or attend obedience school together to help you with his/her training, he/she's not such a bad dog after all! No matter the breed, dogs don't arrive at your door perfect angels. They need consistency in training using positive reinforcement. In the end, you will be rewarded for your efforts - as long as you maintain that good old essential sense of humour, especially when it comes to beagles!

However, if this is not possible and you truly feel that you have no choice and/or that your beagle would be happier in another home for one reason or another, we offer our assistance as an alternative. Finding the right placement can take time, though. There should be special care taken to find the appropriate match and that cannot be rushed. The prospects should be first interviewed by phone, followed by a Meet & Greet in your home, followed by a Home Visit to the prospect's home, with a number of days separating each important step. It's a step by step process to ensure we eliminate those who are acting purely on impulse. After all, this should be a lifelong commitment.

Once you've read through this information thoroughly, please feel free to contact us at the B.O.B. hotline or by email if you have further questions or concerns. If calling, we ask that you call between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm. You may get our vmail but be assured we will call you back as soon as we possibly can. Communication by email is usually speedier. Otherwise, feel free to submit a completed Adoption Assistance Form by email or fax and we'll take it from there.

Thanks for taking the time to read this information. It shows you care about your beagle ~ the first step to finding a loving new home on their behalf.

bigonbeagles@primus.ca
905-623-1044 (B.O.B. Hotline)