Surrendering or re-homing your dog should be considered your last resort after all other channels have been explored. We understand that sometimes life throws unexpected twists in which result in having to re-home your four-legged family member. If you would like to Rehome your pet and need help please visit Adopt A Pet Rehome

While our top priority is to animals from SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, we will do our best to accommodate as many requests as we have room for. If your dog is accepted, we promise to provide it with the best care while under our organization, and to place it in the most suitable, loving home.

Please note that we mostly work with small-medium breeds, and no longer work with dominant breed adult dogs.  We will consider some larger breeds if their temperament allows for them to be easily integrated into foster care.

Almost all of our adoptive dogs live in pre-approved foster homes while they await adoption. Please allow time for us to find the right foster for your dog if you can no longer house it. If you would like to foster your dog until we find a permanent placement instead of having us find temporary housing, please indicate this on your application.

Please review the options below to ensure you have taken into consideration the appropriate steps before ultimately deciding to surrender your dog.

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TRAINING: If your desire to re-home your dog is because of severe aggression, please contact a qualified training professional. There are many Positive Reinforcement trainers in the Santa Barbara area. 

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MEDICAL: We are unable to accept dogs with major medical issues, unless you are willing to cover all associated veterinary costs.

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Surrendering an Animal That Does Not Belong To You

We first recommend you get the dog checked for a microchip at a nearby vet’s office (they should scan the dog for free, no appointment necessary) or closest shelter to where the dog was found. Taking a lost dog to a shelter gives its owners a chance to find it. After all, where would you go looking for your missing pet? You can obtain an intake number from the shelter, as well as place yourself on the “interested party” list as the first person to call when it’s available for adoption. The shelter is legally required to hold the dog for at least 5 days to allow owners to claim their pets. After the hold period, the dogs are put up for adoption to the general public. If the found dog is nearing its end of the hold period still unclaimed, feel free to send us a link to the dog’s profile from the shelter’s website (petharbor.com) to rescue@sparkrescue.org. along with any information you can provide.

Legally, we cannot place stray dogs into the rescue unless a reasonable effort has been made to find their owner for 10 days. This includes contacting the local shelter and providing them with a description of the dog, posting fliers in the area where the dog was found, submitting ads to Craigslist and taking the dog to a vet to be scanned for a chip. Be prepared to ask for proof of ownership to avoid false claims by someone claiming to be the owner of the missing pet. Ask for photos of the dog and if applicable, proof of license or other paperwork. Any responsible dog owner will absolutely have photos of their dog, or some kind of records.  If you found a lost dog take  it to the shelter.

If you need to re-home a dog please fill out the form below.