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REHOMING AND HELP WITH YOUR PET

** WE ARE EXPERIENCING EXTREMELY HIGH NUMBERS OF SURRENDER REQUESTS. AS SUCH, EXPECT A DELAY IN RESPONSE AND SCHEDULING TIMES **

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING A REQUEST

 

  1. We are only able to consider surrender requests from cities or towns outside of Hays or Blanco County on a limited basis. 
  2. If you live in the aforementioned areas, please know that current wait times to accept surrendered pets could be a minimum of 3 weeks to a month. Timelines are variable. 
  3. If you live outside of our service area, look for rescues and shelters within your city and county. If you live in a rural area, be sure to contact rescues and shelters in the closest metropolitan area to you. 
  4. If you have a purebred pet, or one that appears to have a predominant breed, search for breed-specific rescues close to you. 
  5. PAWS is a somewhat common name for rescues and shelters. We have two locations in Kyle TX and Dripping Springs TX, and are not affiliated with any other PAWS. If you do not reside in our area, but have found us on a Google search, there is likely a rescue or shelter with “PAWS” in their title that is closer to you and that you intended to contact. 
  6. These changes do not affect our ability to accept returned animals from our adoption program. If you are needing to return your adopted pet, please contact: adopt@pawsshelter.org

** If you adopted your pet from a No-Kill shelter, rescue, or breeder, please contact them first. Many No-Kill shelters, rescues, and breeders will not only accept their pets back immediately, but often ask you to sign a contract during the adoption process agreeing to do so. **

SURRENDERING YOUR PET

STEP 1: You will need to complete and SUBMIT AN ONLINE SURRENDER FORM HERE. Once submitted, you will have taken the first step to surrendering your pet(s). A PAWS Staff member will be in contact with you as quickly as possible to set up a behavior evaluation for your pet. Please note that we are unable to accept animals that are a potential risk to the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, or any other persons who may come in contact with them while under our care. In addition to this, we cannot guarantee intake into our adoption program for any animal regardless of health, temperament or how far along in the surrender process they are.

PAWS Shelter of Central Texas is a limited intake facility and as such you will be placed on a waiting list until space is available.  Please be aware, we are currently experiencing extremely high surrender requests which will affect response and scheduling times. 

STEP 2:

Once your application has been reviewed and accepted, your pet will be scheduled for a behavior/medical evaluation. Evaluations are scheduled based on staff availability between 12:00-4:30 throughout the week. Evaluations typically take about 30 minutes per pet. We perform a basic, non-stressful temperament test, which may involve interacting with other animals and people at the shelter. Please bring your dog(s) on a secure collar/leash and cats should be contained in a carrier. 

Required Veterinary Care:

**All vaccinations and tests must be clinically documented. Vaccines must be current within 6 months.**

Dogs:

  • DHPP / DHLPP vaccine
  • Bordatella vaccine
  • Rabies vaccine
  • Heartworm Test negative result within 30 days
  • Spayed or Neutered

Cats:

  • FVRCP vaccine
  • Rabies vaccine
  • Feline Combo Test (FeLV/FIV*) negative result within 30 days
  • Spayed or Neutered

* A positive FIV test result does not always disqualify a cat from our adoption program, however, we are only able to accept FIV positive cats on a case by case basis.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept cat who test positive for Feline Leukemia (FeLV). Acceptance for cats that have tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and dogs who have tested positive for Heartworm disease will be determined on a case by case, limited basis. Please see below for help and further information regarding vaccinations, spay and neuter services, and veterinary assistance. 

Lastly, PAWS Shelter of Central Texas is a 501(c)3, non-profit, No-Kill organization. We rely solely on donations to keep our shelter doors open and as such, require a minimum fee of $55.00 for surrendered pets. If you are unable to provide all necessary veterinary care before intake, there will be an additional fee once your pet is accepted into our adoption program. 

OTHER OPTIONS FOR SURRENDER:

If you are unable to meet the requirements or need to surrender your pet immediately, your county facility will intake your pet.

San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter – Hays County

Austin Animal Center – Travis County

San Antonio Animal Care Services – Bexar County

Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter – Williamson County (excluding Georgetown)

City of Georgetown Animal Shelter – Georgetown

Bastrop County Animal Control – Bastrop County

Humane Society of New Braunfels – Comal County and the City of New Braunfels

Guadalupe County Animal Control – Guadalupe County

Lockhart Animal Shelter – Caldwell County and the City of Lockhart

TRAINING ASSISTANCE

Surrendering your pet doesn't always have to be the only option. If you are having behavior issues with your pet, it is highly recommended that you stick it out and try a training class or consulting with a behaviorist. Please keep in mind that owning a pet is a partnership. Through training, you learn how to best communicate with your pet and your pet, in turn, learns how to respond to you. 

Re-homing can be extremely traumatic for your pet and should only be considered when all other options have been exhausted. Below is a list of training options:

MOVING WITH YOUR PET

Planning ahead is key to ensuring you can move with your pet. Click the apartment of your choice and scroll to the pet policy section for details:

Some individuals are eligible to qualify for Emotional Support Animal assistance that can supersede pet policy requirements. To find out if you and your pet qualify, you will need to contact a mental health professional. 

VETERINARY ASSISTANCE

The following businesses offer free or low-cost options for the required medical care.

FERAL CAT ASSISTANCE

PAWS does not currently have a program in place to assist with feral cats. Please use the links below for assistance.