Surrendering a pet

For those who have ever surrendered a pet to a shelter/new home, how did you make the discision? How did you go through it and get through it?

We've been emailing the local shelter for a couple weeks and they've been in communication with a local guinea pig rescue for us. On Tuesday we're giving the little guys to their foster home.

I'd love advice on how to make myself accept it. I keep looking at them and feeling like such a failure to them for not being their forever home.

I've rehomed two Guinea Pigs and also two Budgies of my sister's.

Really, while it was hard for me to part with the piggers, I knew it was in their best interest. I was having problems affording them, and I couldn't let them out of their cage (which was a 4'x2' cage, so it wasn't small) for play time due to the fact that I was terrified one of the ferrets would get out of their cage and kill one. Dameon managed to escape his cage (this was before I had the FN) and did end up seriously injuring and ultimately killing my favorite little piggy girl and I did NOT want that to happen again. Louie was going nuts not being able to get out and explore (if I opened up the cage door he would literally try to launch himself out of the cage) and I just felt horrible for them. They went to a great home and are now spoiled rotten.

The birds I didn't want to begin with and I really disliked them, as they were in our bedroom and woke me up ungodly early in the morning and wouldn't shut up. My sister never did anything with them so I had to water/feed them. They had plenty of room in their cage and loads of toys and they probably would have been okay with just the food and water interaction, but I could NOT stand those birds any longer. Again, I found them a great home with a lady who is a budgie enthusiast and has a huge flight cage/aviary for her multiple birds.

I wouldn't have let myself just dump them off at a shelter or not know where they would end up or with whom. But finding them the perfect home, although regretfully in the piggies' case, I knew was what they needed, so letting them go didn't seem like a betrayal to me.

I have never surrendered a pet, but I have been on the receiving end, both personally and through the rescue.

Honestly, it is going to be hard, but as long as you are doing it in THEIR best interest, you will be feel a feeling of happiness.

Not much to say really, but get the contact info for the rescue. If you want, you can email and ask for an update in a week, a month, whatever. We have a few people do it with the rescue, and we have no issue with that. It will also let you know when they were adopted, so you know that they are in a loving home.

I keep in touch with Renegade's old owner.

I had to surrender an attempted rescue of a BYB Eskie. He was not kid friendly and was making everyone, including himself, miserable. In the end he ended up with his perfect "forever home" and although part of me feels like a failure another part knows that he is where he was meant to be.

The key is to stop thinking that we can be perfect for all creatures in all circumstances and recognize that we are limited in our ability, but not our love. True love allows the animal to go where they are best suited.

It's never easy, but you need to do the best thing for the animal. We all try to give our animals everything they need and want and deserve and more, but sometimes it just doesn't work. I've rehomed animals - some because I lost interest in that particular animal, really didn't want to continue the daily cleaning and wasn't getting enough enjoyment out of it all (I was 12), some because I wasn't the right home for them and despite everything I did it just was clear that it wasn't going to be an emotionally happy place for them or me. I still miss them, even though it's been years.

The biggest thing, IMO, is to avoid feeling guilty. Be sad, miss them, but don't feel like a failure.

I've had to rehome dogs, and while it wasn't my own choice, and I had no say, it WAS in the best interest of the dogs, and so I know it was the right decision. Do I wish I could go back and change it? Sometimes. Especially in Lucy's case, because I think we could've kept her. My dad even regrets it and said we probably could've done it even though it would've been hard. But for the others, it would've ended in the same way eventually no matter what we changed/tried. But I miss them all the time, that never goes away. I do feel like a failure for not having any other choice, but there WAS no other choice, so it's something I have to be at peace with. Or try to be.