Rehoming from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home: What to Expect
Thinking of growing your family and giving a rescue animal the warm, loving home that they deserve? Call us biased, but we think rehoming a dog or cat is one of the happiest decisions you can make.
Pets bring joy and love into our homes, and nothing warms our hearts more than seeing our ex-residents thriving in loving homes. That said, rehoming a pet is a serious, long-term commitment, and it’s vital that you take the time to do your research and be aware of the responsibility you are taking on.
Just as our rescue animals have requirements for the kinds of home they need to go to, you should consider how the personality traits and care requirements of an animal will fit into your lifestyle. It’s also important to think about where you want to rehome from and choose a reputable organisation who will provide proper support throughout the rehoming process and beyond.
If you choose to rehome through Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, here is what you can expect.
How to rehome an animal from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home
The first step to rehoming an animal from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home is keeping an eye on our website to see if there are dogs and cats who meet your needs and tug on your heartstrings.
Click on their name to see more pictures of each animal and read about their personalities, needs and requirements. Many of the animals in our care have faced difficult circumstances in their past and have particular care needs as a result.
All of our animals are individually assessed and this information dictates the requirements each animal needs in a home. If you don’t see any animals who match your needs or lifestyle, please keep checking our website as more will be added as soon as they are ready to look for a home.
Once you’re sure you’re interested in a dog or cat, the next step is to submit an enquiry form.
Submitting a rehoming enquiry form.
Our rehoming enquiry form is simple and shouldn’t take too long to fill out. We’re interested in finding out about your previous experience with pets and the kind of environment you can currently provide, such as access to a garden or if there would be any other pets in the house.
Not every question is required but we recommend that you give us as much detail as you can when filling out the form. And please do make use of the final question about additional information to let us know more about yourself, your motivations for rehoming and why you would make a good fit for the animal you’re enquiring about.
The more we know about you, the easier it is for us to make a good match!
You’ve submitted an enquiry form, what happens next?
We carefully consider every enquiry form that we receive. This can be a long and difficult process as we often receive multiple different enquiry forms for the same animal.
The needs of each cat and dog are the key factor we consider when deciding on a match. It’s so important to read each animal’s profile information carefully as we can’t progress any applications that don’t match what the animal is looking for.
We also get a number of applications for certain dogs or cats and as only one person can be successfully matched, this means that we unfortunately have to disappoint people who haven’t been matched.
We know that this can be disheartening so our best advice is to make sure that you add as much information as you can to your enquiry form and give us a call if you want to ask any questions or give further context to your answers.
We let everyone who submitted an enquiry know whether they have been successful or not by email.
After a successful enquiry form, the next step is an application conversation over the phone and then, if we believe that you would make a good match for the dog or cat you enquired about, we will invite you into the Home to meet them.
Why we no longer let people tour the kennels
You may remember that in the past, we would allow members of the public into the kennels and cattery pens to meet the animals and choose a friend to go home with them. This is no longer the case.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we were forced to change our rehoming process and move everything online. We quickly realised that this was a much more successful method for matching and rehoming our animals.
Not only is it far less stressful for the dogs and cats in our care who can become distressed by the presence of new people in the kennels, it allows our kennel team more time to work on enrichment activities and training as all visits are now scheduled in advance.
It also means that we can take more time to get to know an animal and their potential new owner and work together to ensure a successful match and provide proper support.
We always encourage visits from people who have been successfully matched with an animal. For some of our animals who are more anxious, the rehoming process will require multiple visits before they are comfortable enough to go to their new home. Our kennel staff are there to provide support and advice every step of the way.
Settling in with your new pet
And the support doesn’t end once you walk out of our doors. As you settle in with your new pet, we can be on hand to provide advice and guidance if needed.
We also provide one-to-one Dog Training sessions to ex-residents which can be a useful support for owners, helping to build bonds with their new dog.
As well as this, you can purchase an adoption pack for your dog or cat with some of the food, toys, and equipment your pet will need to settle into their new home.
Ready to rehome?
Ready to grow your family and bring home a rescue dog or cat? Once you’re sure this is the right decision for you and your family, you should keep a close eye on our website to meet the dogs and cats available for rehoming.
We’re always updating these pages so don’t be disheartened if you don’t find an animal that suits your needs right away. The best things in life are worth waiting for!