Questions to Ask When Rehoming a Dog
For owners who have to give up a dog and want to know who is taking it before the leash changes hands. The questions are put to the people who reply to your ad or are sent your way by a rescue, and they run in the order a screening does: the first reply, their home, the people and pets in it, their history with dogs, the daily routine and the money, then the visit, the fee and the paperwork. Several start from your own dog's habits and health, so have the true answers ready before you ask.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
First reply
What was it about this dog that made you get in touch?
Why ask it
Someone who read the listing will mention the dog's age, size or a habit you described. A reply that could be about any dog, or that asks only whether it is still available and how soon it can be picked up, has probably been pasted into a dozen ads. Ask what else they have looked at.
Why do you want a dog now, and what do you picture doing with one?
Why ask it
The 'why now' half shows whether this was planned: an old dog who died last spring, a move to a place with a yard, a job that went remote. Hold the other half up against the dog you have. A nine-year-old who sleeps most of the day is wrong for a marathon runner, and a young herding mix will take apart a home that wanted a lap dog.
Is the dog for your own household, or are you getting it for someone else?
Why ask it
The person who will live with the dog is the one you need to interview, so if it is a present for a parent or a grown child, ask to speak to them directly. A dog given as a surprise has been chosen by someone who will not be walking it.
These are the hard parts of living with my dog. Which one would bother you most?
Why ask it
Fill in the real list first: pulls on the leash, barks at the mail carrier, afraid of men in hats, and any bite or snap, said plainly. A person who says none of it would bother them has not pictured it yet. Ask how they would handle the worst item on a morning when they are already late for work.
What is likely to change in your life over the next few years: a move, a baby, a new job, time abroad?
Why ask it
Nobody can promise the next five years, so listen for whether the dog is already in the picture. 'We are moving in the spring and have asked the new landlord' is a strong answer. 'We will figure it out' is how a good many rehoming ads begin.
Apart from company, do you have a job in mind for the dog, such as guarding, hunting, farm work or breeding?
Why ask it
Some jobs suit some dogs, so this is a real question and not a trap. The answers to be careful with are guarding a property alone at night and breeding from a dog whose health and temperament you could not vouch for. If your dog is not spayed or neutered, decide before you ask whether that will be a condition of the agreement.
Have you applied to a shelter or a rescue as well, and how did that go?
Why ask it
Plenty of good homes turn to private ads because a rescue was slow to reply or had no dog that suited them. If they were turned down, ask what reason they were given. A fence judged too low for one particular dog is a different matter from a refusal after a home check.
Could we do a video call first, with the other adults in your home on it?
Why ask it
A call costs nobody a drive and lets you see faces, hear how the household talks to one another and, if they offer, glimpse the rooms. Someone who will only text and wants to meet in a parking lot today is not giving you much to go on. Keep your own address to yourself until after the call.
May I have your full name, a phone number and the area you live in before we arrange anything?
Why ask it
These are ordinary details, and a serious adopter hands them over without fuss. You will need the name for the agreement and the area to judge whether a home visit is practical. If the name changes between messages, or the number never picks up, stop there.
Their home
Do you own or rent, and if you rent, can you show me where the lease allows a dog of this size and breed?
Why ask it
'Pets considered' can still come with a weight limit or a list of excluded breeds, so ask to see the clause or a note from the landlord. A dog the landlord finds out about later is a dog looking for a home again. Lease terms differ from one building to the next, and the adopter is the one who has to check theirs.
Does your home insurance, your building or your homeowners association put limits on breed, weight or the number of dogs?
Why ask it
Plenty of owners have never read this part of their policy or bylaws. If your dog is large or of a type that is often restricted, ask them to look it up and tell you what it says. Towns can have breed or licensing rules of their own, and the local animal control office can say what applies there.
What sort of home is it: a house or an apartment, which floor, and how does a dog get outside from the door?
Why ask it
A third-floor walk-up is fine for a fit young terrier and hard on an old Labrador with bad hips. Picture your own dog doing that route four times a day, in the dark and in the rain. An elevator shared with strangers and other dogs matters too if yours reacts to either.
Is there a yard, and what is the fence like: how tall, what is it made of, and where are the weak spots?
Why ask it
A dog who has cleared a four-foot fence, digs under panels or squeezes through the gap by the gate needs more than 'yes, it is fenced'. Ask for a photo of the whole boundary now and walk it yourself on the visit.
With no fenced yard, how would the early morning and late night trips outside work?
Why ask it
No yard is not a no: an apartment dog with a committed walker can get more exercise than one left alone on half an acre. What matters is a routine someone has thought through. Who goes down at six, what happens when that person is sick, and would the dog ever be let out loose?
Where will the dog be during the day and at night: in the house with you, or outside?
Why ask it
Say where your dog lives now. One raised on the sofa will struggle in a kennel, in a garage or on a chain in the yard, and it is fair to make indoor living a condition. Ask which rooms are off limits, where the bed will go, and whether a crate is part of the plan and for how many hours at a stretch.
My dog has slipped a collar and bolted before. What would you do in the first weeks so that cannot happen at your place?
Why ask it
Change the wording to your dog's real record, even if it is only 'has never been off the leash'. Useful answers are concrete: a fitted harness, a leash on in the yard at first, a hand on the collar before the front door opens, an ID tag with their number from day one. A dog in a strange house does not yet know it is home, and that is when a door left ajar matters most.
People and pets
Who lives in the home, and has each of them said yes to this particular dog?
Why ask it
One reluctant partner or roommate is enough to undo a placement. Ask to meet everybody, or at least to hear from them on the call. 'They will come around' means somebody has not agreed yet.
Are there children living there or visiting often, how old are they, and who watches them around the dog?
Why ask it
Tell them truthfully how your dog has been with children, including never having met one. An adult who says the dog and the toddler will not be left alone together has thought about it. Ask for the children to come to a meeting, and see whether they listen when told to give the dog space.
Is anyone at home allergic to dogs or nervous around them, and who would be walking a dog this size?
Why ask it
A twenty-pound dog and a seventy-pound dog make this two different questions, so give your dog's weight and say how hard the pulling gets. Let whoever will do most of the walking take the leash on a trial walk. An allergy that has never been tested with a dog in the house deserves an afternoon's visit before anyone commits.
Do you have a dog already, and how does it react when another dog comes into the house?
Why ask it
The resident dog gets a vote. Ask about the last time a friend's dog visited: what happened at the door, at the food bowl, on the couch? Find out whether theirs is spayed or neutered and up to date on vaccines, and give your own dog's history with other dogs in the same detail, fights included.
Would you bring your dog to meet mine somewhere neither of them knows, before anything is decided?
Why ask it
A park or a quiet street, both dogs leashed and walking side by side before they greet, tells you more than a meeting in either dog's living room. One good walk is not proof and one stiff greeting is not a verdict, so do it twice if you can. If it goes badly both times, believe it.
Do you keep cats, rabbits, chickens or other small animals, and how would they be kept apart from a dog?
Why ask it
Be exact about what you know: lived with a cat for years, chases squirrels, has never seen a hen. With a dog who chases, good intentions are not a plan. Ask what physically stands between the dog and the small animals, and look at the hutch, the coop or the closed door when you visit.
Who else comes and goes at your house: clients, a cleaner, grandchildren, a renter, a dog walker?
Why ask it
A dog who is wary of strangers will find a home daycare or a busy front door exhausting. Describe how yours greets visitors and ask what they would do with the dog when the doorbell rings. A baby gate and a routine beat 'he will get used to it'.
Dog experience
Tell me about the dogs you have had: how long was each with you, and where are they now?
Why ask it
Dogs kept into old age and still spoken of by name are the best reference a person can give. Several that 'ran off', were 'given to a farm' or lasted under a year each make a pattern, and you are allowed to act on it. A childhood family dog counts for less than one the person was responsible for.
Have you ever had to give up a pet or return one, and what happened?
Why ask it
You are in that position yourself, so ask without judgment and say so. What matters is what they did next: found the home themselves, went back to the breeder or rescue, or left the animal at a shelter door. Ask what they would do differently.
What would make you decide the dog had to go?
Why ask it
Everyone has a limit, and it is better to hear it now than in a text message next spring. A bite to a child is one most people share. 'If it sheds too much' or 'if we have a baby' tells you the placement already has an end date.
Have you lived with a dog of this breed, size or energy before?
Why ask it
Years with a calm spaniel do not carry over to an adolescent husky. If the type is new to them, describe an ordinary bad day with your dog and see whether they lean in or go quiet. Someone who has already read up on the breed will tell you what they found.
If this would be your first dog, what have you done to get ready?
Why ask it
First-time owners can be excellent, and some dogs are easy enough to start with, so be honest about whether yours is one of them. Signs of preparation include a vet picked out, a class looked up and time taken off work for the first week. A dog with serious behavior problems is a lot to hand to a beginner, however keen.
How do you teach a dog what you want, and what do you do when it gets something wrong?
Why ask it
Listen for the tools as well as the philosophy: treats, a clicker, a prong or shock collar, shouting, a rolled newspaper. Tell them how your dog has been trained and how it reacts to a raised voice. If their methods would frighten a dog you know to be sensitive, that is a mismatch you can name.
Suppose the dog chews something expensive or has accidents indoors for the first month. What happens then?
Why ask it
Either can happen after a move, even with a dog who has been clean and settled for years. You hope to hear patience and management: going back to basics, shutting doors, picking up shoes. An answer about punishment, or about the dog going outside to live, tells you how the first hard week will go.
What would you do if the dog growled at you or at one of the family?
Why ask it
A reassuring answer treats a growl as information: back off, work out what the dog was guarding or afraid of, get advice. Be wary of 'show it who is boss'. If your dog has ever growled or snapped, this is the moment to describe exactly when.
At what point would you call in a trainer or a behavior professional, and have you worked with one before?
Why ask it
This sorts people who see help as normal from people who see it as failure. The name of a class or a trainer they have already looked up is a good sign. If your dog has a known problem, ask whether they would carry on with the person you have been using.
Routine and costs
Walk me through an ordinary weekday in your house. Where is the dog at each point?
Why ask it
Have them go hour by hour, from the alarm to bedtime. Gaps show up quickly: nobody home from seven to six, no walk until evening, a dog shut in the kitchen all day. Then describe your dog's current day so they can see the difference for themselves.
What is the longest the dog would be left alone, and how many days a week?
Why ask it
Give your dog's real limit, whether that is four hours without trouble or howling after twenty minutes. A full working day can be covered with a midday walker or daycare, so ask what they would arrange and whether they have priced it. If your dog panics when left, say at the start that you are looking for a home where someone is usually in.
My dog gets about this much exercise a day. How would you keep that up on a workday, in winter, when you are tired?
Why ask it
State the amount: two forty-minute walks, an hour off leash, a slow lap of the block. People describe their best weekend when asked about exercise, so ask about the worst Wednesday. For an old or arthritic dog the question runs the other way: will they hold back from taking the dog on runs?
Who takes the dog when you travel, work late or end up in the hospital?
Why ask it
A named person, a kennel they have used or a sitter they have already found is what you are after. Mention anything that makes your dog hard to board, such as fear of other dogs or medication on a schedule. People with no backup tend to find that out in an emergency.
Which adult will the dog belong to: who walks, who feeds, who pays the vet?
Why ask it
'The kids will look after it' is the answer to push on, because a child's promise lasts about as long as the novelty. One adult's name should go on the agreement and the microchip. If a couple gives two different answers, let them settle it before the dog arrives.
Which veterinary clinic do you use, and may I call them as a reference?
Why ask it
Ask the adopter to tell the clinic you will be calling, since many will not discuss a client without permission. You only need a few things confirmed: that they are a client, that their animals are seen regularly, and that vaccines, neutering and parasite prevention are kept up. If they have never had a pet, ask which clinic they plan to use and when the first appointment would be.
Have you added up what a dog this size costs in a year: food, flea and tick treatment, grooming, boarding, the vet?
Why ask it
You are not checking their bank balance, only whether they have done the sum. Share what you actually spend, including the things particular to your dog: a prescription diet, a groomer every six weeks, the large-dog dose of every preventive. Someone startled by your figure needs to hear it now.
If the dog needed an emergency operation next month, how would the bill be paid?
Why ask it
Savings, a credit card kept for the purpose and pet insurance are all real answers. If they mention insurance, suggest they ask the insurer how conditions already in your dog's records would be treated, because policies differ. 'It will not come to that' leaves the question open.
Here is what my dog needs for their health: medication, diet, joint care, the next vaccines due. Will you keep all of it going?
Why ask it
Hand over the full vet history at this point, not on the doorstep, including anything expensive or unresolved. A condition you hide is one the new owner cannot treat, and a surprise vet bill is a quick way to have the dog sent back. Ask them to repeat the routine to you so you know it landed.
Will you keep the same food, walking gear and bedtime for the first few weeks?
Why ask it
Familiar food and a familiar harness are two fewer things changing at once. Offer to send a bag of the current food, the bed and an unwashed blanket. A person who writes the routine down while you talk is one who intends to follow it.
Visit and terms
Before I decide, may I come and see where the dog would live, or bring the dog to you myself?
Why ask it
The visit is for checking what was described: the fence, the stairs, the other pets, the spot for the bed. Go with a friend, in daylight, and keep it short and friendly. If distance rules a visit out, ask for a live video walk through the house and yard instead of photos.
Would you meet the dog at least twice, once on a walk, before taking them home?
Why ask it
Hand them the leash and stay quiet for ten minutes. You will see whether they let the dog approach in its own time, how they react to pulling or barking, and whether your dog loosens up. A second meeting on another day shows whether the interest holds once the first excitement fades.
Is there someone outside your family, such as a neighbor, a trainer or a groomer, who has seen you with dogs and would take a call from me?
Why ask it
Give the reference one concrete thing to answer: what was this person's last dog like in its final year, and how was it looked after? Relatives will say yes to anything. A neighbor who has heard a dog bark all day, or never heard it at all, knows more.
Can we treat the first two or three weeks as a trial, with the dog coming back to me if it is not right?
Why ask it
Only offer this if you could really take the dog back, and name the date the trial ends. Settle in advance who pays for a vet visit during those weeks and how often you will hear from them. Write the trial into the agreement so nobody remembers it differently.
If at any time, even years from now, you cannot keep the dog, will you come to me before a shelter or a new ad?
Why ask it
Nearly everyone says yes, so follow with how: do they have your number, and what would they do if you could not take the dog back? Put the promise in writing. Whether you could enforce it depends on where you live, so treat it as a strong request and choose the person accordingly.
I am asking a rehoming fee. Are you comfortable paying it, and do you know why I ask?
Why ask it
Explain that the fee is there to put off people who collect free dogs to sell on or misuse, and that it is not a price for the dog. Set an amount you can justify, or have it paid to a rescue if taking money sits badly with you. Rules on selling and advertising animals vary, so check what your listing site and your local law allow.
Will you sign a short rehoming agreement with me and show photo ID so the names on it are right?
Why ask it
One page is enough: both names and addresses, the dog's description and microchip number, the date, the fee, the trial terms and the promise to contact you first. Each of you keeps a signed copy. A local rescue or animal welfare group may have a template, and can tell you what a transfer of ownership needs to say where you live.
Will you move the microchip and any license or registration into your name right away?
Why ask it
A chip still registered to you means a lost dog comes back to your phone and not theirs. Ask the chip registry how a transfer works and what it costs, since each one runs it differently, and do it together at the handover if you can. Licensing is set locally, so the adopter should ask their own town.
If we go ahead, which day would you want to bring the dog home, and what is on your calendar for the two weeks after?
Why ask it
A vacation booked for next week, houseguests or builders in the kitchen make a poor start, however keen everyone is. Choose a date with a few quiet days behind it, such as the start of a weekend or of time off work. Someone who has to have the dog today, ahead of the visit and the reference, is telling you the checks matter less to them than the dog does to you.
How will you take the dog home: a crate, a harness and seat belt, a second person in the car?
Why ask it
A frightened dog loose in a car, or held on a lap beside an open window, can be gone at the first stop. Ask them to come with a secure harness or crate and to drive straight home. Send your dog out wearing an ID tag that already carries the new owner's number.
Would you send me a photo or a few lines after the first week and the first month?
Why ask it
Ask it as a favor, not a condition, and be honest with yourself about how much contact you want. Early updates let you explain an odd habit before it turns into a problem. If they would prefer a clean break once the trial is over, that is theirs to choose.
What do you want to know about the dog that I have not told you?
Why ask it
Count the questions that come back. Serious adopters ask about fears, vet history, what the dog does when left, and why you are giving it up. Someone with nothing to ask has not yet imagined the dog in their house.
How to screen a new home for your dog
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you post the ad
Call a rescue first
Some rescues and shelters run courtesy listings or home-to-home programs, where the dog stays with you while they advertise and sometimes help with screening. If the dog came from a breeder or a rescue, read the contract you signed: it may ask you to return the dog to them. Call and ask how it works in your area before you write a word of your own ad.
Write the dog's whole record
List age, weight, health, vaccinations, training and every problem: the bite, the fence jumping, the howling. Add what the dog needs in a home, such as no cats or adults only. An accurate ad shrinks the pile of replies to people who can cope with the real dog.
Fix your conditions before anyone replies
Indoor home, fenced yard, no small children, neutering, a fee, a home visit: choose which are firm and which you would bend on. It is far easier to hold a line you wrote down on Monday than one you invent while a pleasant family is standing in your hallway.
Buy yourself time if you can
A deadline of this weekend forces you to take the first person. Ask a friend, a relative or a boarding kennel whether they could hold the dog for a couple of weeks, so that a rushed move or a landlord's notice does not choose the home for you.
Running the screening
Three stages, not one interrogation
Use the First reply group by message, the home, household and experience groups on a call, and keep routine, costs and terms for the meeting. Most unsuitable replies drop out at the first stage and you never need the rest.
Tell them why you ask
Open by saying you are choosing a home for a dog you love and that everyone who replies gets the same questions. Good adopters relax at that, and some will say they would do the same. Then answer what they ask about the dog as fully as you want your own questions answered.
Check what can be checked
The lease clause, the vet reference, the fence and the ID are facts, and looking at them is not an insult. Run the checks in the same order for every applicant so nobody is singled out. Where a claim cannot be checked, ask for the story of the last time it happened.
Let the dog have a say
At the meeting, watch your dog more than the people. A dog who approaches, sniffs and settles near someone is telling you something, and so is one who stays behind your legs for the whole hour. Arrange a second meeting before reading too much into either.
Who to turn down, and how
A rush that is theirs, not yours
'I can be there in an hour with cash' is the line of someone who would prefer not to be asked anything. A home that is right for the dog will wait three days for a call, a visit and a reference.
A refusal of every check
One reasonable no is fine: not everybody can host a visit this week. No to the call, the visit, the vet reference, the ID and the agreement together leaves you knowing nothing about where the dog is going.
Strange offers about money
Be careful with anyone who offers more than you asked, wants to send a check for a larger amount and be refunded the difference, books a courier to collect the dog, or asks you to pay for shipping. Deal in person, with the person who will own the dog.
Interest in an unneutered dog
If your dog is intact and of a breed that sells well, some replies will be about puppies. Ask directly what they intend, and talk to your vet about neutering before the rehoming so the question goes away.
Saying no
You owe nobody your dog. 'Thank you for your time, I have decided on another home' is enough, sent promptly. If none of the replies is right, go back to the rescues and ask again instead of settling.
Handover day
Pack the dog's things
Send the bed, a worn blanket, the usual leash and harness, a week or two of food, medications in their labeled boxes and the favorite toy. On the first night in a strange house, things that smell of the old one are a comfort.
Write a one-page manual
Meal times and amounts, walk times, the exact words you use for each command, fears, where the dog likes to be scratched, what the bark at five in the afternoon means. Add your vet's contact details and the date each treatment is next due.
Do the paperwork at the table
Sign two copies of the agreement, check the ID against it, hand over the vet records and start the microchip transfer together. Take the fee in a way that leaves a record, and give a receipt.
Make the leaving short
Say your own goodbye before the adopters arrive. Walk the dog to their car on the leash, hand it over calmly and go back inside. A long farewell at the curb is hard on a dog who reads your mood, and the first hour in the new home belongs to the new owners.