Finding a new home for your pet can be stressful and challenging. Here at HAP, we want to help guide you through the process, ensuring your pet finds a loving home! If you are unable to keep your pet, there are two responsible options to consider: rehoming or surrendering to a shelter.
REHOMING VS. SURRENDER
Rehoming
Rehoming allows owners to directly choose and influence their pet’s new home. During the rehoming process, the pet remains in your care until a suitable home is found, meaning they will not enter the shelter.
We understand that rehoming a pet on your own can feel overwhelming, which is where HAP can help. Our social media platforms have proven to be a successful way to connect owners with a wide audience and increase the chances of finding the right home. For assistance in the rehoming process, please email our Content Producer, Kristen, at ksolge@hapde.org.
*Since surrendering depends on space becoming available at the shelter and may take longer, we encourage owners to consider rehoming as a first option.
surrender
When you surrender your pet to the shelter, the shelter assumes full care and responsibility, working to place your pet in a loving adoptive home. The surrender process may take time, as it depends on available kennel or cage space, which opens as other pets are adopted.
To surrender your pet to HAP, please complete the request form on this page. Once our team receives your form, we will contact you to schedule a surrender assessment. During this assessment, our staff must be able to safely handle your pet to ensure we can properly care for them at the shelter. If your pet passes the assessment, we will welcome them into our care the same day and begin preparing them for adoption.
Common situations & faq
We care deeply about supporting the many animals and families in our community, and we truly appreciate your patience as we work through a high volume of requests. As a no-kill organization, we never euthanize animals to make space, which means we may not always have immediate room to accept every surrender. While it may take several weeks to receive a response, please know that we review every inquiry and will do our very best to get back to you as quickly as possible.
A surrender request form must be filled out in order to be considered. We are not able to take walk-in animal surrenders as assessments are performed based on the availability of our medical and kennel team. We cannot guarantee in advance that we will be able to accept any animal.
HAP prioritizes surrender requests from Delaware residents to best support pets and families in our local community. While we welcome inquiries from outside the state, our primary focus is on helping animals whose owners live nearby, so we can provide timely care and resources where they’re needed most. If you are out-of-state, we encourage you to reach out to a shelter in your area for assistance.
Out-of-state shelters
Maryland
Cecil County Animal Services – (410) 441-2040
3280 Augustine Herman Hwy, Chesapeake City, MD 21915
Chesapeake Feline Association – (410) 507-0664
88 Spring Hill Ln, North East, MD 21901
Humane Society of Harford County – (410) 836-1090
2208 Connolly Rd, Fallston, MD 21047
PEnnsylvania
Providence Animal Center – (610) 566-4575
555 Sandy Bank Rd, Media, PA 19063
Philly PAWS – (215) 238-9901
100 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Main Line Animal Rescue – (610) 933-0606
1149 Pike Springs Rd, Chester Springs, PA 19425
New jersey
Animal Welfare Association – (856) 424-2288
509 Centennial Blvd, Voorhees Township, NJ 08043
Homeward Bound – (856) 401-1300
125 County House Rd, Blackwood, NJ 08012
Animal Orphange – (856) 627-9111
419 Cooper Rd, Voorhees Township, NJ 08043
