Don't Blame Yourself for Returning a Pet to the Shelter In most instances no, it's not. Unless you're returning the pet for unprovoked aggression or an untreatable illness, they are probably going to find a new home where they fit right in. Even knowing that they'll be adopted again, you're still going to feel crummy.

Perhaps the most common reason for a dog being returned to the shelter is unwanted behavior. Whether it's going potty inside, destructive separation anxiety, leash aggression, or any number of other behaviors that have you pulling out your hair, know that it can get better with training and, sometimes, with age.

The adoption process from a rescue is generally a lot more involved as compared to adopting from a shelter. The adoption can take weeks and would mean multiple visits before being finalized. ... Animals from rescues are often very healthy, spayed and neutered, and have a complete round of vaccinations.

It's extremely normal. It's harder than you thought it was going to be and that's scary. You worry he'd be better off with someone else, but he'd be just as much work for them. Your dog is still acclimating, and so are you.

Given that rescue dogs come from more difficult backgrounds, they often require specific living requirements and specialist care that the average aspiring dog owner, through no fault of their own, is unable to provide, making the adoption process very hard.

Because adoption fees are meant to help cover the cost of the rescue, you could give the no-kill shelter money and take your cat or cats from a kill shelter, thus achieving both goals. ... A no-kill shelter may use the money unwisely and still cause animal deaths when fatal illnesses result from overcrowding.

They also do not euthanize animals when the shelter is full. Euthanization is reserved for those that are deemed dangerous and/or terminally ill. The animals in no-kill shelters are often healthier and more energetic because they are usually young when they are dropped off, giving more incentive for people to adopt.

Look to see if the organization refers to No Kill in their materials. For the most part, when organizations say we are like a No Kill, but don't like the terminology, they are not committed to No Kill. If you dig deeper, you will likely see they do not have the programs to treat every animal in their care.

Call the shelter or rescue organization from which you adopted your pet and ask specifically what you need to do to return your pet. Some shelters can take in animals immediately but others may request that you keep the animal until a space becomes available for it in the shelter.