Surrendering or Giving Up a Pet

We are a limited-intake, non-profit, no-kill rescue whose mission is to rescue abandoned and abused animals. We visit other shelters in the area looking for pets suitable for re-homing that have run out of time or need medical care that they would not otherwise receive (heartworm treatment as an example). We accept animal surrenders are accepted on a case-by-case basis.  We keep all healthy, adoptable pets as long as it takes to find them a home.

If you need to surrender a dog previously adopted from Animal Advocates (AA), please email animaladvocatesfl@gmail.com.  AA adopters have signed a contract stipulating that if for any reason a pet cannot stay in its home, or with family, AA is to be notified.

If you are considering giving up a pet that was not adopted from AA:

NOTE: Animal Advocates receives numerous inquiries from people wanting to surrender or give up a pet. It is unfortunate that it is impossible to accommodate all requests. 

Giving up an animal should not be taken lightly; animals bond very strongly to humans, and the longer a pet has lived with a human, the stronger the bond and the greater the pain of abandonment. Adopting a pet in the first place means taking responsibility for a life – for a pet’s WHOLE life, not just for as long as it is convenient or cute.  Please make sure you have explored all of your options for keeping your pet with you or a family member, before you make this difficult decision. It is a decision that is likely not only to disrupt the pet’s emotional stability and routine, but also members of your family unit, especially children who may not be able to comprehend why a loved family member must leave.

 Ask yourself if there is anything about your pet behaviorally or medically that could be worked on in order for you to keep him / her.

If you decide you must surrender: PLEASE fill out the surrender form on our website in detail.  If we believe we will be able to help you, we will ask that the info required below be send to the email address above

Remember we are a limited-intake rescue and take in approved animals only, as we have NO KENNEL space and limited resources.  All animals are kept with volunteers and you may be asked to keep your pet while we wait for a suitable home.  In all cases, you will need proof of identification as proof of ownership of the pet you are surrendering

We must also receive your pet’s complete medical records and your written statement of the animal’s behavior as requested in the surrender form.   We cannot adopt out pets that we believe to be a safety risk to others. Therefore, we do not accept pets that have a history of aggression.  Vaccinations, heartworm preventative and city/county dog tag must be up-to-date at time of surrender, or we will need to ask you to pay for them.

Although there is no fee to surrender your pet, Animal Advocates would appreciate a generous donation to help offset some of the expenses that we take on with your pet, such as food, grooming etc. We ask that you donate the dog's kennel, collar. leash and anything else that belongs to him.  This will help him transition.

Once you have surrendered your pet, he becomes the property of AA. We realize that surrendering your pet is an emotional decision which you have made and it would not be responsible of us to return an animal to someone who has told us that they are unable or unwilling to provide care for their pet.