Animal Welfare Professionals

 View Only

  • 1.  Items to go home

    Posted 03-20-2026 12:38 PM
    Please share your policy on items brought with when an animal is surrendered. We currently go through items and use anything in house that is needed (food, litter, meds mostly). Then items that are in good shape are tagged and we add a note that an animal has items that can go home with them. This is met with mixed reviews from both staff and the adopter. It's nice the animal has something familiar, and sometimes it's a welcomes surprise to the adopter to not have to buy a crate or food dishes right away. But the adopter sometimes wants to "start fresh" or is overwhelmed with the amount if it's a lot of items. Also, unfortunatley we often forget to send home items so now we've stored it taking up valuable staorage space, we've taken staff time to tag it, then more ataff time sometimes to call the adopter to see if they want the items, etc.

    I guess I want to hear what others do with items brought in with a surrendered pet, what is best practice?

    I'm worried we are doing something because "that's how its always been done" and just making more work for ourselves. Would the animal benefit more if that favorite blanket/bed/toy/whatever rather be placed in their cage with them to help with decompression time?

    Appreciate any perspectives you are willing to share!

    #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)

    ------------------------------
    Kari Boehmer
    Customer Service Manager
    Tri-County Humane Society
    MN
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Items to go home

    Posted 03-20-2026 02:12 PM

    Typically if that happens here we may keep a bed or a toy that the owner states the animal is attached with the animal if it fits in its kennel, otherwise it all goes with the rest of our general donations. If we do end up keeping an item with an animal I will make a note on their file or in their paperwork that the item can go home with the animal if the adopter would like, and if they don't take it it just goes to our donations or with our other toys and beds. I will say, in the 3 years that I've been working with the cats at my shelter, none of them have actually been particularly attached to items that they came in with. There have been a few that get attached to beds that I have given them myself but again, it's always the adopter's choice to take the items home with them (Couldn't tell you about dogs for certain but in general it seems to be similar). To me it sounds like you are doing a lot of unnecessary work for your shelter, especially the part you mention about calling adopters to see if they want the items.



    ------------------------------
    Laurel Wilton
    Feline Welfare Supervisor
    Nebraska Humane Society
    ------------------------------



Related Content