What Does It Mean to Surrender an English Bulldog?

When you surrender your English Bulldog, it means that you’re giving up your legal rights to them to a shelter or a rescue. There are other implications to surrendering your dog, as well. Upon surrendering, you’ll not have any say in who gets to adopt them, for example. It’s important to understand the process of surrendering and to look at some of the other options available when you have to give up your English Bulldog. 

What to Expect from the Facility

Before you can surrender your English Bulldog to a shelter or rescue, you need to contact them to make an appointment. You can’t just walk into the facility with your dog. It’s a good idea to spend some time online learning more about the facility and its policies first. This will also ensure you have their phone number and address.

Keep in mind that shelters and rescues are not the same things. A shelter can typically only hold animals for a certain period, and they may need to euthanize after that period. The shelters do their best to ensure that the dogs are cared for and that they get adopted, but this doesn’t always happen.

Rescues are no-kill facilities. However, they’re usually popular with people who have to give up their dogs, which means they’re often full. You might find that there’s no room at the rescues in your area.

When you call the facility, they’ll let you know what you need to bring with you when you drop off your English Bulldog. This will typically include a surrender fee. The price of this fee can vary based on your location and other factors, but it’s usually at least $50. The money from these fees helps the facilities to continue operating, just like the adoption fees they charge.

You might find that the facility staff asks why you need to give up your English Bulldog. This is because they want to do what’s right for your dog, and this may mean staying with you. They often have lists of resources that they can provide when it comes to finding low-cost vets, trainers, etc. that could help. Of course, you might still need to give up your dog despite the resources they can offer.

Other Options

Instead of surrendering to a shelter or rescue, there are other options you can consider, too. For example, you might know someone who is looking to adopt a dog. They might be a perfect new owner for your English Bulldog. This would be a fast and simple way to rehome.

You could also look at online pet adoption platforms. Rehome from Adopt-a-Pet is a good choice. It provides an easy to use site where owners can upload photos and videos, along with a bio for their English Bulldog. It’s free for owners to use, and it only costs adopters a small rehoming fee that’s similar to what they’d pay to a shelter or a rescue as an adoption fee.