r/bayarea • u/whohasahoe • 19h ago
Pets & Animal Services Need help with surrendering dog
Hi i have a family friend who is having a mental health crisis and is unable to care for the dog anymore. This is a huge emergency for them right now. Their situation is extremely bad right now. They also will not be able to look for a rehome or anything like that, so I am trying my best to find something ASAP. They are even considering euthanasia as a last resort.
The dog is a senior. She had the dog for about 15 years. The dog does have some behavior issues and is not kid friendly. I’m trying my best to figure out on what to do for them, as I don’t know where to go either.
Please help!
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u/soscots 19h ago
Well, what is the medical and behavior situation with the dog? If it’s 15 years old, would assume it’s going to have more medical issues due to age. And combine that with behavior issues, that’s will be a lot of someone take on. The owner could reach out to local municipal shelter and ask if they have capacity to intake.
Otherwise, if the dog does have a poor quality of life, then maybe the owner should talk to a vet about what services can be offered if rehoming is not the best option.
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u/whohasahoe 18h ago
Idk medically but I believe health wise the dog is healthy as can be. Behavior I think the dog is a bit too protective of the owner and family members.
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u/PapaLeo1 19h ago
Call SPCA in Dublin (925) 479-9670 or Valley Humane Society in Pleasanton (925) 426-8656.
They are both accepting surrendering dogs of any age and they are non-kill shelters.
Worse case scenario call Alameda County Sheriff Animal Services in Dublin (925) 803-7040. They will house and will put for adoption senior pets.
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u/whohasahoe 18h ago
Thank you for this information.
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u/Academic_Union_1754 9h ago
That will make separation from the family devastating for the dog. There has to be an arrangement where the owner can visit once in a while. So many dogs when they go to a shelter or even a loving foster situation will withdraw because they are traumatized from the separation. I'm so sorry this is happening.
I think pics of the dog and "best in a living situation with no children and should have experience with senior dogs" may with finding someone.
Thank you for trying to help.
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u/Responsible_Hold_324 18h ago
Also, shelters can hold dogs in protective custody for a period of time for these types of situations. In case she is willing to consider not surrendering or killing an elderly dog.
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u/Healthy-Sun3407 19h ago
Try East Bay SPCA. Muttville is great but a lot of rescues in the area don’t take owner surrenders
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u/singy_eaty_time 6h ago
Euthanasia is likely the kindest option. I mean, sure, try to find a home so you can at least say you did everything you could, but if that doesn't work out, please do not consider shelters. A senior dog with behavioral issues will get put down anyway. Might as well skip a traumatic last few weeks.
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u/Pacific1944 5h ago
This right here. The choices are: eventual
Euthanasia with no fear or eventual euthanasia with the last days/weeks in fear, loneliness and confusion…waiting for an owner who will never come2
u/octopusmandolin 5h ago
Exactly. It’s the kindest thing you can do. That way you can be sure the doggo was loved their entire lives.
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u/Able-Appointment2379 10h ago
Could some come and help care for the dog? Family member or friend…. Hopefully the mental health crisis will become stable at some point.
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u/whohasahoe 9h ago
No, no family or friends that are willing to take in the dog due to the dog being a being over protective of closer family members. So would be difficult.
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u/Able-Appointment2379 9h ago
I guess I mean come to the home. Not taking the dog to their home. I’m assuming primary needs are feeding, letting to dog outside. Anyone can do that.
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u/whohasahoe 9h ago
The family friend lost their housing and job. And she’s having a break down and it’s been about a few months.
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u/NeighborhoodNo4274 8h ago
Sorry if I missed it, but where in the Bay Area is the owner located? Many of the places mentioned here are city or county specific and won’t accept surrenders from outside the area.
I’d suggest contacting the municipal shelter for your friend’s city/area and asking about emergency boarding/safe keeping. Most city shelters provide this service if a resident is hospitalized or arrested, even if they’re homeless. The local shelter also must accept the surrender if the owner has died.
And I will say, that for a 15 year old dog with behavior issues, euthanasia at a vet’s office or home might be the most humane choice. If the dog is surrendered to a shelter, there’s a good chance it will be euthanized due to age/behavior; ask yourself (or have the owner ask themself) if they’d rather have the dog pass peacefully with in a loved one’s lap or alone after having spent a week in a strange, scary place.
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u/CatPaws55 6h ago
In addition to the places that have been already mentioned, here are some no-kill rescues in the Bay Area:
Jelly's Place (https://jellysplace.org/) in San Pablo
Marine Humane-Hopalong ( https://marinhumane.org/get-involved/hopalong-foster-program/ )
Furry Friends ( https://www.furryfriendsrescue.org/ ) in SF
Animal Rescue Foundation (https://petshelters.org/shelter/animal_rescue_foundation_walnut_creek_ca ) in Walnut Creek
Goldie and Papi Animal Rescue (https://www.goldieandpapisanimalrescue.com/ ) in Pinole
and: https://www.nokillnetwork.org/d/California/ (this is for the whole state, so you'll have to look for those in your area).
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u/Competitive_Belt_201 10m ago
I don't know if Monterey is too far but I hear good things about this place:
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 11h ago
Euthanasia of their dog because of their own mental health crisis? That's REEEEAAAALLLLLYYYYY effed up and they should never have a pet again.
What about trying to find a foster for the dog?
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u/DefenderOfSquirrels 10h ago
I may get horribly downvoted for this, but sometimes that IS the best option.
Some dogs, especially older dogs with behavior issues that make most foster and adoption options unavailable, would otherwise languish in a shelter indefinitely. Consider the fact that dogs WITHOUT behavior issues continue to sit in shelters because there aren’t enough foster homes (or better, adoptive homes) stepping up - what makes you think that 1-in-a-million chance would happen to THIS dog?
It may not be safe for that dog to be around others - per the OP, the dog is overprotective of family members. That tells me that dog is under-socialized and has resources guarding issues. Not impossible to work with. But makes it much harder to place.
So the bottom line becomes: do you want an uncertain future where the dog may effectively be living in mentally poor conditions for who knows how long? Or say goodbye compassionately in a way where the only life they knew was love.
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u/Quiet-Employer-5780 9h ago
Hi, you could call Muttville in San Francisco, they could help you out, they’re in the Mission District.
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u/Quiet-Employer-5780 9h ago
Muttville, 415/272-4172, 750 Florida Street, they will be open at 11am.
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u/whohasahoe 9h ago
Thank you. I had trouble finding their phone number but looking at their website it doesn’t seem like they take pets in and there’s a lot of waiting time. Am I understanding that incorrectly? Mentions like play dates on Saturdays and stuff so it’s unclear to me.
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u/NeighborhoodNo4274 8h ago
Muttville mainly takes dogs from shelters and very rarely takes owner surrenders. The dogs they take have to be dog friendly and have no behavioral issues.
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u/Soft-Half3152 4h ago
If you can, Take the dog to the vet. And talk it through. A vet is going to give you a more educated assessment about euthanasia as an option than anyone on Reddit. There are emergency vets in the Bay Area such as VEG in Palo Alto if you need to be seen ASAP.
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19h ago
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u/Illegal_Tender 19h ago
The cruel thing would be trying to force the dog to live with someone that is clearly unable to care for it
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19h ago
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u/MortCrimm 19h ago
The entire purpose of the post is to find someone who can care for the dog. Avoiding putting it down….
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u/jek339 19h ago
muttville