Manipulation within Pet Rescue Organizations

My decision to leave the grand ‘ol USA and move to Mexico was a calculated decision. I weighed things, over and over again, including surrendering my two dogs, which was a gut-wrenching decision. I am thankful they were adopted into kind, and loving homes..

It was probably one of the hardest decisions I have made in a long time — right up there with going “no contact” with some family.

In this article, my intent is to talk about the difficult and unpopular decision to rehome a dog(s) and why people and rescue organizations use tactics against you to keep you locked into a lifestyle that you may have the gut intuition that needs to change.

Related: Did I leave the USA? Turn up your volume and check out this video here.

WHat I hope You will Gain From this article:

Know manipulation and control tactics occur even within the pet surrender process.
You may think that a pet rescue is just so loving and endearing as they are doing wonderful work. You may not expect this to be a place where you are met with coercion and shame tactics.
Animal rescues have a script they follow at each surrender, and the tactics escalate, covertly of course.

Yes, I see this spirit of narcissism almost everywhere. My lens to which I see the world has become clear (some may call it tainted), but yet, my opinion is that it’s the truth that has now been exposed to which “they” want it to remain hidden. If you wish to read more about “my story” check out article here and video here.

What Society Teaches Us About Pet Ownership

Society says you are to love your dog(s), never surrender them, to love them always, and never re-home them. That when you adopt a pet, it’s for life and the pet becomes family.

The owner may have solid and respectful intentions at adoption time, but sometimes life changes. When life changes, we may decide that we need to rehome our pet, our loved pet. The pet we thought we’d have forever and even may have cried with the thought that this pet may die one day.

Having to rehome a pet can happen for various reasons and those justifiable reasons never appear to go over well when in discussion with rescue organizations or even some friends and family.

Many people or organizations may be quick to use tactics such as shame or guilt to try to get the owner to keep the pet.

Why People Shame or Guilt You into Keeping Your Pet

Guilt has been a tactic that has worked for a long time to get people to either do a certain behavior or to stop doing a behavior, in essence, guilt is a control tactic.
Society has taught us that before you adopt a dog, make sure that you are aware that it’s a lifetime commitment. If you state you need to rehome your dog with friends or family you may find you will have many who are unsupportive of your decision and will blatantly let you know this.
Rehoming a pet has become a hush-hush subject, yet the rescue organizations are full of pets. If you rehome your pet, if you want to still have friends, you may get more acceptance from your loved ones if you told them the pet passed away.

Someone needs to hear this.

It’s okay to rehome your pet. It’s okay to mourn and grieve the process afterward in a society that may never understand this. If you rehome your pet, it doesn’t mean that you didn’t love them, or cherish every day you had with them. You will miss them dearly and have memories forever. It’s okay, and it’s okay to go against what society tells us to do.

Why Facilities Guilt You into Keeping your Pet

They are overcrowded and want you to keep your pet.
They claim a lack of resources and foster families, which may be true.
Shame and guilt work to at least postpone the surrender or to have you keep your pet indefinitely.

I understand why these agencies use guilt as their strongest tactic. It works. They are successful at it. People don’t like having to carry guilt or shame so they may choose to struggle through things in order to comply with societal demands.

TIps if you are going to Rehome

If you need to rehome your pet, here are some tips:

Look for a rescue organization that will find a nice home for your pet and who has an application fee and an approval process.

2. Find a reputable organization that understands the needs of the pet and will find the best home or foster home in the interim.

3. Avoid shelters that do not rehome or have foster families.

4. If possible find a breed-specific organization that is a no-kill shelter.

How Rescue Facilities Guilt You:

They may use words to describe the situation as: abandoned (shame), cruel (shame) terrifying experience (guilt), didn’t make a lifetime commitment (shame), or pets are family (guilt). These are all trigger words to try to get you to keep your pet. Yes, I heard all of these words as I was re-homing my pet. I saw it coming a mile away.

Nobody likes the word abandoned. It sounds cruel, careless, it sounds just wrong, heartless even. When the very act is difficult and very emotional for both parties, the dog, and you, not to mention if there are other pets involved.

A positive word instead is re-home. The dog will get placed in a new home with an individual or family that has space to take care of the pet from a certain day forward.

Yes, it will be hard on the pet, and sadness will be involved, but it doesn’t mean the owner’s heart is not broken simultaneously.

Most people may choose not to admit they have rehomed their dog due to:

Not wanting to hear the negative comments and thoughts from others.
Not wanting to be guilted by other parties.
Other parties may not take the time to understand but will throw out comments about what they would do, or what I should do without asking.
It’s never okay to rehome a pet, by societal standards.
People may not want to be judged or even condemned by others for their decisions.

Have you ever been through this experience?