# How can I get rid of a dog? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2005, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374 "2005-07-27T07:26:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/1 "2005-07-27T07:26:34Z")
We have a dog that we adopted because it was going to be put to sleep, but it has proven to be pretty impractical for our house. We already have a few other dogs, so this particular dog just seems to take up space. He is a big husky/German Shepherd mix with a very fine coat, blue eyes, and a handsome appearance. My mom is now wanting to move to a smaller house, and keeping this dog would be very difficult to do. But we do not want to send him back to the animal shelter where he might be put down. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best thing to do here? I’ve contemplated putting up flyers with a picture of the dog and those pull-off phone number slips around town. Besides that, any other ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Lizzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@Thin\_Lizzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Lizzy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/2 "2005-07-27T07:31:14Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > We have a dog that we adopted because it was going to be put to sleep, but it has proven to be pretty impractical for our house. We already have a few other dogs, so this particular dog just seems to take up space. He is a big husky/German Shepherd mix with a very fine coat, blue eyes, and a handsome appearance. My mom is now wanting to move to a smaller house, and keeping this dog would be very difficult to do. But we do not want to send him back to the animal shelter where he might be put down. > > Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best thing to do here? I’ve contemplated putting up flyers with a picture of the dog and those pull-off phone number slips around town. Besides that, any other ideas? Your local Chinese restaurant would be happy to take him. HEH j/k. nice of you to take the dog in. you could put up the phone slip thing in pet stores and stuff, put up a sign in your yard, newspaper ad, etc ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/3 "2005-07-27T07:58:13Z")
eBay. Just kidding. Look through [Petfinder](http://www.petfinder.com/) and find a local rescue organization or shelter, and see what they have to say. I think they’ll let you keep the dog while the organization lists the dog on their web page, etc., and let you take him to their adoption events. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/4 "2005-07-27T09:48:22Z")
Very few humane societies put perfectly healthy adoptable animals down. Why was he going to be put down before you adopted him? You could also look into a rescue organization. Or run an ad in the paper, interviewing all the prospective owners thoroughly, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/5 "2005-07-27T10:04:55Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > Very few humane societies put perfectly healthy adoptable animals down. Why was he going to be put down before you adopted him? Not true. Most humane societies euthanize because there aren’t near enough people to adopt the strays they have. The last time I read up, I think it’s something like 50% of animals that go to shelters are euthanized. As for the OP – look for a no-kill shelter. They’re often closed for the moment and may ask you to wait for a bit, or they may ask you for a surrender fee, but it’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/6 "2005-07-27T10:44:22Z")
Here’s some advice on rehoming a dog. The source is Australian, so you might have to do some research to discover your local equivalents, but it covers the basics. [http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=10626](http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=10626) In a bit more detail: [http://wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/rehome.htm](http://wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/rehome.htm) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/7 "2005-07-27T13:29:47Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > Very few humane societies put perfectly healthy adoptable animals down. heh. Not in my experience. In fact, at one point in my career I worked for a large shelter. In the spring we would have litters of kittens brought in. I would guess we killed between 75 and 80 percent. And large dogs are more difficult to place than kittens. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/8 "2005-07-27T14:30:23Z")
> **[How hot a car can a dog tolerate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=327430)** > > We’re going to dinner Friday night. It would be best if we can bring the dog and leave him in the car. We should arrive at 8 PM. The temperature should be about 70 degrees, going down to 67. I’m thinking the dog can handle it safely. Is that... ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/9 "2005-07-27T14:51:40Z")
Har Har. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/10 "2005-07-27T15:34:16Z")
You really need to hook up with the person who started the “How do I keep a stray cat away?” thread… You could try [Craigslist](http://www.craigslist.org) , depending upon where you live. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/11 "2005-07-27T15:45:34Z")
**Argent Towers** How old is the dog? Where does the dog live? I’m asking because our dog died back in May (May 5th to be exact) and we’re thinking about another one. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/12 "2005-07-27T19:00:51Z")
I’d suggest trying an ad in the newspaper under the “Absolutely Free” section. I once had two (from my perspective) garden variety adult dogs to place, and found good homes for them both within a week this way. Being housebroken is a large plus in many prospective pet-owner’s minds, so if the dog is reliable that way it should be highlighted. I don’t want to drag the thread through the entire “if you can’t afford to pay the adoption fee you shouldn’t get an animal because dog food costs money” morass, or the “be careful, most people who want your dog are no doubt meth-dealing dog fighters or hoarders” swamp- suffice it to say, there is just about always an adoption fee (usually well over $50.00) associated with getting animals from the pound, so many people look through the paper when getting a pet so that they can get one for free. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-dog/314374/13 "2005-07-27T19:21:00Z")
A couple of months ago, we freecycled a sofa. When we took it over to their house (we had a truck handy) I met their dog - which they had also gotten from freecycle. Depending on the rules of your local freecycle group, that might be something you could try.