Owner Surrenders and Intakes

Policies & Procedures

1. It is important that if you are giving up your dog that you give us at least several months to try and find a foster placement or permanent home for them. We ARE NOT A TURN-IN SHELTER. We take in Owner Surrenders as a Courtesy. We do not have a shelter and are foster home run, so therefore we have VERY LIMITED SPACE and cannot be expected to take in your dog with one to two days or even a couple of weeks notice. We only make 3-4 placements a month and there is always a steady stream of ACDs that are in need of rescue from euthanasia lists or abusive situations which is our main focus. Please understand, YOUR EMERGENCY IS NOT OUR EMERGENCY, so plan accordingly. We are ALWAYS willing to help you find a new home for your pet as long as you are willing to foster the dog until a home can be found.
2. New Hope Cattle Dogs will not take in any dog (s) that has a bite record or has aggression towards people and/or other dogs. Please take into consideration that we are a foster home run organization and all of our dogs live in homes with other dogs, sometimes cats and kids. It is MANDATORY that they are good with other dogs!
3. A minimum donation of $50.00 (for altered dogs) and $150.00 (for unaltered dogs) is required upon surrender of your dog. This fee will help cover medical needs, housing and feeding of the dog. We will take a combination of a monetary donation and other donation. To see what we need, please go to our Wish List.
4. We require that you provide us with a leash and collar, a crate (if the dog uses one), two 40 lb bags of dog's normal food and copies of ALL medical records during the entire lifetime of the dog.
5. HONESTY! Please be honest with us about every little fault or unique trait. If they bark a lot, tell us, if they dig, tell us, if they don't like children, tell us, if they don't like cats, tell us, if they aren't housebroken, tell us. It is extremely important for us to know these things so we can address the issues before we place the dog into another home.
6. An Owner Surrender form MUST be filled out prior to us taking the dog.

If it were my brother, I'd find an allergist to help him with his allergies, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

If it were my sister, I'd find the best laser eye surgeon so she could see again, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

If it were my mother, I'd hire a staff of oncologists for the cancer that is stealing her away from me, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

If it were my father, I'd find the best orthopedic surgeon to enable him to walk again, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

If it were my husband, I'd hire every medical professional necessary to put him back together after that terrible accident that almost took him away, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

If it were my child, I wouldn't skimp on dental care, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

If it were my best friend, I would go with her to the doctor, every day that she needed me to help her through the worst pains in her life, taking time off work if necessary and putting my own needs aside, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

If any member of my family were dying, at that moment I would pull out all the stops and do whatever was in my power to save their life, no matter the cost.

But they tell me, it's just a dog.

Just a dog.
Just my friend.
Just my family.
Please... my dog…no matter the cost..

Written by Nancy Campbell after a particularly trying week at the vet hospital where she works. Feel free to pass it along, but she asks that you include her name.
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