Animals @ Home Rehoming Scheme

1. After completing the initial request form, either online or over the phone with our Rehoming Team on 01825 880468, the relevant animal care section will assess your animal’s suitability to join our Animals @ Home scheme.
2. If we think your animal may be suitable, we will conduct an assessment, either over the phone or via video call, to find out more about your animal’s behaviour and health.
3. If your animal is suitable to join this scheme, we will be in touch to arrange the necessary health checks with our onsite veterinary surgeon, including neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, and flea and worm treatments where needed.
4. We will then start to look for a new home for your animal using all the information given to us. If we require a more detailed behavioural assessment, you may be invited to bring your animal to Raystede.
5. Once we have a suitable match for your animal you will need to bring them to Raystede to drop them off with us. We will then carry out the introductions with their potential new adopters. You will not be able to stay for this as this would be stressful for your animal, you and the new adopters.
6. Assuming this match is a success, the new adopters will take the animal home that day after completing all the necessary paperwork.
7. If, for whatever reason, the meet is not successful, your animal will remain at Raystede until we find another suitable match for them.
8. We will work alongside you for as long as it takes to find your animal a new home.

Our expert animal care teams will use all the information given to us during the initial request to give up your animal, the behavioural and veterinary assessments, as well as any other additional information provided to us by you. The more detailed information you can give us about your animal, the better.

Similarly, we ask for detailed information from adopters when they apply to adopt. We ask about their lifestyle, previous experience of caring for that species of animal and their expectations.

As you remain the owner of the animal until they are signed over to Raystede, you will remain liable for all care and upkeep costs (food, bedding, veterinary care). You will also remain legally liable for any accidents or injuries to third parties caused by your animal, so we strongly recommend you keep your animal insured against veterinary and third-party risks until we have found them a new home. Raystede will cover any veterinary costs for neutering, vaccinations, flea and wormer, carried out by our veterinary surgeon. However, if you choose to leave the Animals @ Home scheme before we find your animal their new home, we will ask for a donation from you to cover the cost of any services your animal may have received, such as neutering, vaccinations and microchipping.

This very much depends on your animal. You will need to bring them to Raystede to see our veterinary surgeon to have a full health check, and they may need to return for any neutering procedures or second vaccinations. You may be asked to bring your animal to Raystede to have a more detailed behavioural assessment, but this will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. You will then need to bring them in once we have found a suitable match for your animal.

We would recommend not advertising your animal online as this is fraught with risks and it is difficult to be sure your animal will be well looked after. Rehoming your animal through a reputable rescue centre is a much safer option for all involved.

You are welcome to change your mind and pull out of the Animals @ Home scheme at any point before signing your animal over to Raystede. If you have any concerns or worries, please do chat to us with any questions, we are more than happy to help. In this situation we would then ask you to make a donation to Raystede for any costs incurred; this will allow us to help other animals who need our care.

We will do our utmost to ensure we find the right match for your animal the first time around, however, occasionally due to circumstances beyond our control, animals are sometimes returned to us. In this instance, ownership transfers back to Raystede and any decision about returning the animal to you would be ours. We would consider the reasons you rehomed your animal and would make a decision based on the best welfare outcome for that animal.

No, if you join the Animals @ Home scheme you will need to trust us to find the best possible home for your animal. This is to avoid any uncomfortable and distressing meetings between all parties.

If you know of someone you think may be a suitable match, please ask them to register to adopt with Raystede and we can assess their suitability.

Once we have a suitable match for your animal, we will arrange a time and date for you to bring your animal into Raystede to sign ownership over to Raystede. We understand this is a difficult time for you, and all appointments will be carried out in private with the chance to say goodbye if you wish.

We will then arrange for the new adopter to come in and sign the necessary paperwork for them to become their legal owners. This appointment will be carried out a couple of days after bringing your animal into Raystede. This allows your animal time to decompress and be more open to meeting their new adopter.

If you have any further questions regarding rehoming your animal through our Animals @ Home scheme, please give our Rehoming Team a call on 01825 880468 or email us at rehoming@raystede.org.

We understand that giving up your animal may be a difficult and upsetting decision; we are here to help you and your animal throughout the process.

We will carefully consider your animal’s current living conditions and your situation before offering Animals @ Home to you.

If you do not need to urgently surrender your animal, and we think your animal would be better off remaining their home while we look for their new home, then we may consider you for Animals @ Home.

Please note, Animals @ Home won’t be suitable for all surrender requests and it may be more beneficial for your animal to come into Raystede while we find them a new home.