How to Find a Home for an Abandoned Puppy

If you find an abandoned puppy that you can't keep yourself, the best thing to do is to try to find a home for it. Instead of taking the pooch to a shelter where he risks getting put to sleep, try a few different avenues. While it may take you a few tries to locate someone who will give the puppy the treatment he deserves, you will likely ultimately find the puppy his appropriate "forever home."

Things You'll Need

  • Fliers
  • Internet ad
  • Newspaper ad
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Instructions

    • 1

      Post fliers in your neighborhood. Your flier should provide a lot of information, including a picture of the dog, where and when the puppy was found and a phone number that you feel comfortable giving out to the public. Hopefully, this puppy already belongs to someone and just happened to get away.

    • 2

      Visit local veterinarian offices and take the puppy with you. If the puppy belonged to someone who takes their puppy to an office you visit, there may be fliers posted or the staff may know who the puppy belongs to. In addition, you may be able to convince a staff member or a pet owner in the waiting room to take the puppy home. Thoroughly interview the potential adopter and make sure that she will take good care of the puppy. If all else fails, ask the staff if you may leave a flier at the office.

    • 3

      Place ads in your local newspapers or online. Most newspapers have classified sections for pets. In addition, Craigslist.org and Petfinder.com are popular websites in which to find homes for animals. Even if you plan on giving the puppy away for free, do not advertise this. Always state that you are going to charge a fee. Many animal research companies look for free dogs to help with experiments. Therefore, along with advertising a fee, be sure to thoroughly interview anyone who is interested in your puppy.

    • 4

      Visit your local dog park and talk to the folks who take their own canines there. They may be interested in taking the puppy or may know someone who is. In addition, posting the puppy on social networking sites, such as Facebook, Myspace or Twitter, may be helpful in finding him a home. Also consider sending out emails to friends and asking them to forward it to those who may be looking for puppies.

    • 5

      Contact a rescue group. Most rescue associations take excellent care of the animals that are left with them. They will also thoroughly screen potential owners before adopting out any dogs to them. If the puppy is purebred, chances are, there is a rescue group that is associated with that breed. Some breed rescues will also take dogs that are mixed with their breed.