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Surrendering an Animal

**If your pet has a history of biting, we recommend seeking assistance from a trainer specializing in behavior modification and a veterinarian that can rule out potential medical issues.**

We understand that the decision to re-home a pet is not one that pet owners come to lightly and, when possible, Paws and Prayers will accept owner surrenders into our rescue. As a foster-based rescue, Paws and Prayers’ ability to accept animals relies on the availability of foster homes. Please fill out a surrender application to apply to Paws and Prayers’ surrender program.

Paws and Prayers markets your pet to find the best possible adoptive home. In addition to taking the time to get to know your pet inside a foster home, Paws and Prayers advertises your pet on several national adoption websites, our own website, and on social media. Applicants must meet certain criteria prior to being selected for adoption and, most importantly, each Paws and Prayers animal is given the lifetime-guarantee that we will always accept back animals adopted from us should someone find themselves unable to care for their adopted pet.

Cat Surrendering Policies
  • Paws and Prayers is only able to accept surrendered cats into our foster program as we have foster homes available for the pet(s).
  • Paws and Prayers cannot guarantee that cats surrendered together will be adopted together. Your decision to surrender a pet to Paws and Prayers is acceptance that we will do everything in our power to ensure the best home possible for your pet, but that it may be away from the other pets surrendered with him/her.
  • Fostering your own pet throughout the rehoming process is also an option. Those that choose this route must be flexible for medical follow-ups and meetings with potential adopters.  This is subject to the availability of our volunteer adoption counselors.
  • Paws and Prayers does NOT accept feral or semi-feral cats into our program; please contact One of a Kind Pet Clinic for information regarding their Trap/Neuter/Release (TNR) Program at (330) 865-6980.
  • If you cannot wait to surrender your pet, you may surrender your cat(s) at Summit County Animal Control for a $25/animal fee. Full information, including hours of operation and location, can be found here.
  • Paws and Prayers requires a surrender fee to help cover the costs of supplies and medical care of your pet. For cats, the fees are as follows:
    • Adult Cat, $25
    • Pregnant Cat, $50
    • Litter of Kittens (6 or less), $15/kitten (e.g., 3 kittens = $45)
    • Litter of Kittens (7 or more), $100 flat fee

Donations above and beyond these amounts are greatly appreciated.

Dog Surrendering Policies
  • Paws and Prayers’ ability to take in owner-surrender dogs depends on the availability of a foster home. Our priority is to accept animals from animal control facilities with high rate of euthanasia.
  • Paws and Prayers cannot guarantee that dogs surrendered together will be adopted together. Your decision to surrender a pet to Paws and Prayers is acceptance that we will do everything in our power to ensure the best home possible for your pet, but that it may be away from the other pets surrendered with him/her.
  • Fostering your own pet throughout the rehoming process is also an option. Those that choose this route must be flexible for medical follow-ups and meetings with potential adopters.  This is subject to the availability of our volunteer adoption counselors.
  • Paws and Prayers does NOT accept stray dogs; it is against local law to do so. If you have found a stray dog, your legal responsibility is to turn it in to animal control.
  • If you cannot wait to surrender your pet or if your pet is not a fit for our program, you may surrender your dog(s) at Summit County Animal Control for a $50/animal fee. Full information, including hours of operation and location, can be found here.
  • Paws and Prayers requires a surrender fee to help cover the costs of supplies and medical care of your pet. For dogs, the fees are as follows:
    • Adult Dog, unaltered, $75
    • Adult Dog, altered, $50
    • Litters of puppies, $25/puppy

Donations above and beyond these amounts are greatly appreciated.

After reviewing our surrender policies, click the application link below to apply to the program.