Keeping Animals in Homes

The Major Issues

• High Cost of Veterinary Services: Caring for a pet can be costly, and in some instances, cost-prohibitive. Legal and community requirements such as vaccinations and registration fees can cost money, as can services necessary for the pet’s wellbeing. Depending on an animal’s age or medical issues, things like spay/neuter surgery, x-rays, blood tests or routine vet check-ups can add up. The high expense of owning a pet often leads people to relinquish animals to the shelter system.
• Behavioral Issues: Excessive noise, pawing, jumping, energy and destruction are all challenging traits that are common in many pets. These behavioral issues can often be managed—however, many pet parents don’t know how to go about finding the resources to address the problem. The lack of awareness and access to behavioral training are often leading pets back into shelters, and out of loving homes.
• Housing Concerns:Unfortunately, there are many rental properties or communities that restrict the pets that residents can have. Some areas have weight restrictions, while others have breed restrictions which could exclude dogs like pit bulls, Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers. For pet parents relocating to restrictive housing like this, their only option may be to make the heartbreaking decision to relinquish their pets to local animal shelters. In addition, prospective pet parents who already live in restrictive housing will be limited to certain types of animals when adopting—ultimately putting a strain on the animal shelters in those communities.

Our Solutions

We believe the safest place for an animal is in their home, which is why we have programs in communities nationwide that provide alternatives to pet parents in need of resources or services who may otherwise be forced to rehome their pet.

Areas of focus for our safety net programs include pet food banks, financial assistance for veterinary bills and subsidized services, temporary housing for animals, spay/neuter services and more.

Services we offer to help keep pets in their homes:

• Pet food banks
• Community vaccination clinics, spay/neuter services, collars, tags and flea treatment
• Community Veterinary Clinics in Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Liberty City, Miami
• Pet help lines (via phone and online)
• Temporary housing for animals whose pet parents are in crisis, such as in cases of homelessness or domestic violence

*Please visit our Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Programs page to find spay/neuter resources in your community.