Surrendering a Cat or Dog

We know that it is hard to make the decision to surrender a pet.  Please see the information below regarding cat and dog surrender.

All dog and cat surrenders are made by appointment only. For dog surrender information please contact daws@daws.org. For cat surrenders, please contact brian.cummings@daws.org

  1. **Health Screening**: obtain an FeLV/FIV test on a cat, a heartworm test on a dog and provide the results with your surrender form. This increases the chances of approval for rehoming. Basic vaccines including rabies and distemper need to be up to date.
  2. **Visual Documentation**: Include a clear picture or video of the pet. This helps the shelter staff get a better understanding of the pet’s personality and appearance.
  3. **Observation Period**: If the pet is a “found” stray, hold onto them for at least 24 hours to assess their personality and determine if they might be feral, as feral cats typically do not adapt well to indoor living.
  4. **Behavioral Description**: For family pets, provide a detailed description of their personality and any other pertinent information that could assist in their care and rehoming.
  5. **Local Shelters**: If you are located more than 30 miles from the shelter, it’s recommended to contact your local shelter first. If they cannot assist, then reach back to us.
  6. **Surrender Form**: Complete the pet surrender form available on our website. This form can be found by navigating to: https://daws.org/daws-forms/ Pet Surrender Form. Once completed, email dog surrender forms to daws@daws.org and cat surrender forms to brian.cummings@daws.org for approval consideration.

These steps are designed to streamline the surrender process and help ensure that pets are appropriately assessed and matched with suitable homes.

Dog Surrenders

IMPORTANT:  Please do not bring your dog to the shelter prior to completing the following steps.  The State of Connecticut considers dogs as personal property; thus, they may not be left at our shelter without proper transfer of the legal rights to the animal.

Please DO:

Once we have your application, if space allows, we will contact you to schedule an appointment for a temperament evaluation for your dog.  Please note:  If dog does not pass our temperament test, and we cannot intake him/her, we will try to offer you other options.

We do not restrict breed mixes. Each dog is an individual consideration.

Surrender fee is $200. This fee is to help defray the cost of housing and re-homing the dog.

Cat Surrenders

IMPORTANT:  Please do not bring your cat to the shelter prior to completing the following steps.  We receive over 25 per week to intake surrendered cats and we often do not have space available immediately.

Please DO:

  • Provide copies of all vet records. Surrender requests without vet records will not be considered.  Please note:  You may be asked to provide proof that the cat has recently been tested for FIV and ringworm.

Please note: Completing the Surrender Application does not guarantee that DAWS will take the cat you wish to surrender; it only assures that we will consider your application if we have space.  You will not receive a phone call or email unless we can consider your cat for intake.

Surrender fee is $100 for altered, $200 for unaltered. This fee is to help defray the cost of housing and re-homing the cat.

We recommend you also check with other rescue organizations who may be able to help.  Download this list of local organizations.

Experiencing Cat Behavioral Problems?
If you are experiencing a behavioral problem with your cat, please contact your veterinarian immediately to rule out any medical issues as the cause. If your veterinarian determines the problem is not health related, contact Cats International at 262-375-8852 (Milwaukee,Wisconsin) or www.catsinternational.org. They provide free feline behavior advice and have an incredible success rate!