Owner Surrenders
We Know This Decision Isn’t Easy
If you are considering surrendering your dog, we understand that this is likely an incredibly difficult and emotional situation. No matter your circumstances, we appreciate you taking the time to seek safe and responsible options for your dog.
At Miri’s Haven, our goal is to help dogs safely transition into loving foster homes where they can receive the care, stability, and support they need while we search for the right forever family.
Because we are a small, volunteer-run, all-foster rescue, there are limits to the number of dogs we are able to take on. Our goal is always to ensure that every dog we accept into our program can receive the safe, appropriate, and individualized care they deserve.
How we determine which dogs we can accept
Miri’s Haven is not a shelter or boarding facility: every dog we take in lives in a foster home until they are adopted.
Because we are a small, foster-based rescue with limited space and foster availability, we are only able to accept a limited number of owner surrenders at a time. We also prioritize rescuing senior dogs from local shelters, including those at risk of euthanasia due to their age or severe medical conditions.
Whether or not we are able to accept a dog depends on many factors, including:
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The availability of an appropriate foster home
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The dog’s medical and behavioral needs, and whether we have fosters available who are equipped to meet those needs
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Whether we have the resources and support needed to safely care for that specific dog
We carefully evaluate every surrender request individually and do our best to be thoughtful, realistic, and transparent throughout the process.
How the Surrender Process Works
The first step is filling out our surrender form with as much detail and honesty as possible.
The more information we have about your dog’s personality, medical history, routines, behaviors, preferences, and needs, the better we are able to determine whether we may be able to help and what kind of foster home would be the best fit.
Once we have all necessary information, our team reviews the request carefully to determine whether we believe we can help. If we think your dog may be a fit for our rescue, we will let you know and then begin looking for an appropriate foster placement.
Finding the right foster depends on many factors, including:
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Which fosters are currently available
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The dog’s medical and behavioral needs
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Compatibility with other pets in the foster home
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The dog’s size and energy level
We do not place dogs with fosters on a first-come, first-served basis. We place dogs in homes that are the best fit for that specific dog. Because of this, some dogs are placed quickly, some dogs wait much longer for placement, and some dogs we are unfortunately never able to place.
While we are searching, you are welcome to continue exploring other placement options or rescues. If you do find another arrangement, we simply ask that you let us know as soon as possible.
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If we are able to secure a foster home, we will contact you to schedule a surrender appointment. Because foster homes are extremely limited, we try to schedule the surrender within about a week of placement becoming available. If we are unable to coordinate surrender within that timeframe, we may need to offer the foster placement to another dog in need.