If you’re looking for more advice and information, check out the dog questions articles here as well.

A new dog house – what instead of a shelter?

A dog can be troublesome. Both puppies and adult quadrupeds can show aggression and destructive behavior. It happens that the guardian has difficulties with keeping the animal due to the change of financial situation or his illness. In addition, it may also be a problem to provide a chronically ill animal with proper care. There are many difficult situations.

Dismissing your dog at a shelter is better than ditching it, but by taking a moment of your time, you can find a much better solution. Try to put your dog up for adoption thanks to the help of numerous animal foundations. Perhaps their activists will organize a temporary home for the dog and take over looking for a new guardian for him. In this way, the animal will avoid at least some of the stress and discomfort. You can also use social media. There are dog lover groups or visible hand communities where you can find people who can adopt your pet or help you find one.

Nothing came of it? In that case, it’s time to consider putting your dog in a shelter. We check how it can be done and what the cost must be.

How to return a dog to the shelter? – procedure for returning the dog to the shelter

There are state and private shelters in Poland. The largest of them are located in cities such as:

• Warsaw,
• Gdansk,
• Poznan,
• Olsztyn,
• Wroclaw,
• Cracow.

However, there are more small establishments. When looking for a place to return an unwanted dog, consider not only the nearby location, but also your opinion about the place.

The dog is handed over to the facility after it has appeared in person. It will be necessary to give up the dog and sign the relevant documents, which will contain the data from your ID card. The procedure for returning a dog is as follows:

• Contact the representatives of the respective shelter. During the conversation, you will be asked to provide a reason for wanting to relinquish your pet’s rights. It happens that volunteers help if the reason for the donation is, for example, behavioral problems.
• The shelter staff will also ask you for the dog’s medical records and fill in a questionnaire.
• After the shelter’s approval, you bring your dog to the facility and sign the relevant documents.
• In some establishments it is payable and costs several dozen or several hundred zlotys. Ask in advance for the cost at the chosen hostel.
• After completing the formalities, the dog is taken into the care of the shelter.

If you have such an opportunity, also leave the dog’s toys, bedding or food that he has eaten at the shelter. Also check this article on adopting a dog from a shelter.

Returning the dog taken from the shelter – what is worth knowing?

Another issue is whether and how you can return your adopted dog from the shelter. When deciding to adopt a dog for adoption, you need to be prepared for various problems. Lots of animals are out. Some of them have never lived indoors and may find it difficult to learn to do things outdoors. Others have experienced violence or starvation, so they eat greedily and may defend their bowl aggressively. You have to be ready for all of this. This is one reason puppies find new homes faster. With adult animals, there are times when certain situations overwhelm the new handler.

What to do then? Contact the shelter. It’s free, and you might get help or advice. It is usually possible to put your dog in a shelter, but losing another home is a huge harm for the animal. This is a high price that we often forget!