About Rehoming

[Ly&Pigs]

When people create threads looking to rehome their pigs there are a few guidelines that should be followed. All too often these days I see people needing to rehome their pigs for whatever reason.

These members should:
1) Be highly encouraged to find home for the pigs themselves.
2) Be given resources to sites or forums where they can create listings to find a good responsible home for their pigs. Places would include: Guinea Lynx :: A Medical and Care Guide for Guinea Pigs, Index of /, Petfinder.com: Adopt a pet and help an animal shelter rescue a puppy or kitten., Guinea Pig Rescue and Health Forum - Pigloo.net, and others.
3) They should NOT be berated, condemned, griped at, yelled at or be condescended for whatever reason they have for wanting or needing to rehome their pigs. This really needs to stop. I have seen this happen too much lately. The reason really doesn't matter as much as the person finding a new good home for their pig(s). I know we all may not agree with the reason but griping at the person about their reason isn't going to help find the pig(s) a new home.
4) They should not be encouraged to give their pigs to the already overcrowded shelters or given links to shelters/rescues near them unless it's an absolute last resort and they are going to just dump the pigs somewhere. A shelter/rescue is definately better than just letting pigs loose somewhere or dumping them.

If you all will follow these guidelines, I'm sure we can do much better at helping members find new homes for their pigs.

[nonamian_girl]

But is it okay to suggest ways to help them out, for example if someone comes saying they have developed allergies but would not want to give up their pigs otherwise?

[Ly&Pigs]

In those situations yes you can give advice on how to reduce dust/dander/etc. But if the person or one of their family members is severely allergic and there is just no way around keeping the pigs then just give resources to place ads.

[littlebear]

I agree with what you are saying. Especially in number 3. Even though there reason may be completely dumb we should not act rude to them but instead do our best to try and rehome there pigs. And I also agree with you on number 4 there should be no more refferals to shelters that are already crammed to the roof with piggies.

[Bennalaya]

Excellent post, Ly. There are a myriad of reasons why people may need to find a new home for their pets. It's a difficult decision to make, one that (if the person is coming to a forum such as this it's obvious it is a decision that has not been taken lightly) should not be condemned. I've had to find a new home for a dog in the past and it's hard. While the story had a happy ending, there is the overwhelming burden of guilt. People accusing you of giving up on your animal. Feeling as if you failed your beloved pet. Having others who have never been in that position berating you for it compounds the grief.

I commend anyone who comes here first to try and find a home for their cavies, rather than just dumping them off at the animal control shelter, letting them go outside or selling them to a privately owned pet shop.