WE ARE UNABLE TO TAKE ANY NEW DOGS INTO RESCUE AT THIS TIME. THERE IS A NATIONAL CRISIS OF ANIMALS BEING SURRENDERED TO RESCUES AND SHELTERS. MANY SHELTERS ARE EUTHANIZING OWNER SURRENDERS UPON INTAKE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO KEEP YOUR GREAT PYRENEES, PLEASE CONTACT THE PERSON YOU GOT THEM FROM TO SEE ABOUT RETURNING THEM. A REPUTABLE BREEDER SELLING AKC DOGS IS REQUIRED TO TAKE THEIR DOGS BACK BY AKC STANDARDS. BACKYARD BREEDERS ARE NOT. SEEK OUT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON HOW TO REHOME YOUR DOG AT ADOPT-A-PET.COM
We are a not for profit organization who is run by a small group of volunteers. We are funded from donations and adoption fees to care for the dogs in our program. We are not a sanctuary, or a shelter, and we are not under any obligation to take your dog that you can either no longer keep or choose not to keep. Since most of our volunteers are fellow dog lovers, if your dog does not get along with other dogs, the chance of us finding a foster home for them is very small.
It has been shown that dogs experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, just like people, if they are moved to too many different places in a short period of time. It would be best for your dog if you could keep the dog until a new home can be found to lessen the changes your dog must go through before moving and will make their adoption to their new owners more successful.
If you choose to rehome your dog, please do so with care. If you surrender your dog to a shelter, unless you know the shelter has a no-kill policy, your dog can be euthanized before you even get back to your home. Even if it is a no-kill shelter, if a shelter worker deems your dog as unadoptable, it will be euthanized. If you decide to place your dog on Craig’s List, you are running the risk of the person using your dog for dog fighting bait or for laboratory testing. The people shopping for animals on Craig’s List have become very savvy in convincing pet owners they are reputable when they are not. Unless you are willing to get a vet reference from them and verify they have provided good care for their previous animals, and do a home visit and fence check, like we do, to insure the dog is going to a good home, you run the risk of your dog ending up in a bad place.
For the reasons mentioned above, we do hope you consider the potential surrender of your dog seriously. Have you contacted a behaviorist about behavior issues with your dog? If you are moving, why have you not sought out a place that will allow you to bring your dog?
If you have children in your household, you are teaching them that animals are disposable by surrendering your dog. It is imperative that you explain to them why you are surrendering your dog. We understand you may be in a situation that is beyond your control, but you need to consider how your actions will impact your children. Keep in mind that your dog will potentially be going to a new home which could have children in it. We do not recommend placing a Great Pyrenees in a home with children under age 6. We do not recommend placing a dog in a household with a dog of the same sex. Do not place your house dog as a working dog if it has no training or experience being a livestock guardian. They will ultimately fail. Training a successful livestock guardian can take up to 18 months and most people are not committed or diligent in training a dog to do these duties. Please do not dump your problems with your dog on those of us trying to help homeless Great Pyrenees. If the dog is aggressive or has health issues, please me truthful about them. Euthanasia, may be the best decision for the safety of other people and your dog.
If we are able to accept your dog, we do require your dog be sterilized, up to date on vaccines, on heart worm preventative , and has had a heart worm test in the past 12 months. If your dog has not been on a heart worm preventative year round, you will need to have the dog heart worm tested before surrendering it to us. Heart worm is transmitted by mosquitos and is deadly to a dog, and very expensive to treat and the treatment is extremely painful for the dog. If your dog is heart worm positive, we will still take your dog into rescue, providing it is adoptable, but require you split the cost of the heart worm treatment with us, which is about $1000 total, or $500 of which you are responsible for in addition to the $200 surrender fee. If your dog is not sterilized, or not up to date on vaccines, we do have a $200 surrender fee to offset the cost of having your dog fixed and vaccinated.
We will do our best to try to assist you in taking your dog into rescue.
DO NOT FILL OUT THE SURRENDER APPLICATION IF YOU ARE GOING TO REHOME YOUR DOG ON YOUR OWN!!! Too many times people have contacted us about emergency situations of rehoming their dogs, only to find a new home for them on their own. You are wasting our precious volunteer time if you do! As a foster based rescue, we send out information about your dog to our followers once you complete the application. We may find someone interested in giving your dog a forever home, or a foster home, or several volunteers may step up to help. When you decide to rehome the dog on your own, you are disappointing people who are eager to help and using the time of volunteers that could be used to help other animals.
DO NOT CONTACT US BY PHONE. We intentionally do not provide a phone number. We all have full time jobs and do not have time to talk with you at your convenience about your dog. The best way to reach us is to send an email to info@igpr.org or complete the surrender form. However, we are not able to accept dogs at this time.
If you want to find a home for your dog on your own, please use our application as a guideline. Do a check vet reference check to see what kind of care they have provided for their previous or current pets. Visit the home of the interested person to check the condition as well as to make sure they have secure fencing. What type of agreement will you have if the people you are giving your dog too decide not to keep it? Dog fighters like white dogs because they show blood easily and have sent people who claim to want your dog, only to turn them over to a dog fighter as a bait dog. Many people give your dog away, because they don’t want to contact you or can’t remember who you are when they don’t want your dog. Please be mindful of your actions. Your decision to give your dog away impacts your dog’s life forever.