Owner Rehome Program

If you are unable to keep your dog or cat because of circumstances in your life, we may be able to help you find them a new home! We are a Washington DC area, foster-based rescue and, due to commitments to our shelter partners, we are extremely limited in our ability to take dogs and cats physically into our care. That said, we can help you rehome your pet while he or she remains with you.

To get started, please review the information outlined below and submit the requested information to our team via email at [email protected]. Once we have reviewed the information, we will let you know if we can help and what the next steps would be.

Policies and Procedures - Rehoming Your Animal:

  • We require that all dogs and cats are up to date on vaccinations, on monthly preventatives, spay/neutered, and seen annually for wellness exams. We will also need a current fecal and heartworm test. You will be responsible for medical care, vaccinations and preventatives during the rehoming process.
  • If accepted as a rehome through LDAR, we ask that you commit to attending weekend adoption events, so that your dog or cat has the best exposure possible to finding them a home. We have events every Saturday & Sunday and ask that you come to 2 Sunday events a month. The more events you attend the sooner the animal will be adopted.
  • Your animal will be assigned an adoption coordinator who will be responsible for screening potential adopters and making adoption recommendations to the Lucky Dog Executive Team for approval. We ask that you do not independently rehome your animal while you are working with us.
  • We require that you sign and fill out our rehoming agreement at the start of the process and a final relinquish form at the time of adoption with a new family.

Information Required to Rehome Your Animal:

To get started in the rehome process, please review the below information and send the requested information to info@luckydoganimalrescue or via fax at 202-380-9077. Please note “Rehome Request” in the subject line.

  • Rehome Survey - See the questionnaire below.
  • Vet Records - Please send us your pet’s medical records. This may require a call to the vet as we need the actual records rather than copies of invoices. We will also need the signed rabies certificate and vaccination certificate from your vet office.
  • Training Evaluation Report (dogs only) - We will need a trainer evaluation of your dog to proceed with the rehome process. Please contact us if you need recommendations for trainers in the local DMV area.
  • 2-3 Pictures

Rehome Survey:

General Information

  • Owner's name/phone number:
  • Dog/Cat's name at Lucky Dog:
  • If not a Lucky Dog or Lucky Cat, where did you get your animal:
  • Current age:
  • Current weight:
  • Breed as listed as medical records:
  • What is the reason you can no longer keep your animal?
  • When did you adopt the dog/cat?
  • Can you commit to working with an adoption coordinator to rehome your pet (yes/no)?
  • Can you commit to bringing your pet to at least two adoption events until adopted (yes/no)?

Dog Behavior:

  • Has the animal lived with dogs?
  • What is your dog's behavior with dogs on leash?
  • Does your dog go to dog parks and/or daycare?
  • How is his/her behavior with dogs off the leash:
  • Has the animal lived with other dogs?
  • Has the animal lived with cats?
  • Does your dog bark at or chase cats(s):
    Has the animal lived with kids? If so, how old are the kids:
  • How is his/her behavior with kids?
  • Have you ever seen your dog or cat act aggressively towards a person? If so, please explain: 
  • Have you ever seen your dog or cat act aggressively towards another animal? If so, please explain:
  • Do you use a crate with your dog?
  • Does your dog bark in the crate?
  • How many walks a day does your dog get and for how long?
  • Has your dog demonstrated any resource guarding or separation anxiety?

Medical Information - DOGS:

  • List any medical issues:
  • Please list any medications your dog is currently taking:
  • Is the animal spayed/neutered?
  • Date of last rabies vaccine (indicate 3 year or 1 year):
  • Date of last distemper vaccine (indicate 3 year or 1 year):
  • Date of last bordetella vaccine:
  • Date of last heartworm preventative:
  • Date of last flea/tick preventative:

Medical Information - CATS:

  • List medical issues:
  • Please list any medications your cat is currently taking:
  • Is the animal spayed/neutered?
  • Date of last rabies vaccine (indicate 3 year or 1 year):
  • Date of last FVRCP vaccine:
  • Date of last flea/tick preventative:

Lucky Dog generally schedules rehomes 2-3 weeks in advance, foster space permitted. Please tell us how long you can keep your animal or if you can keep until an adopter is found.