Prior to submitting an owner surrender request, all reasonable alternatives must be fully explored. Owner surrender should be considered a last resort.

Once an animal is surrendered to Wags 2 Wishes Animal Rescue, the surrender is permanent and irrevocable. The former owner relinquishes all ownership rights and has no claim, involvement, or decision-making authority regarding the animal’s placement, care, or future.

The majority of animals in our care are obtained through shelter transfer partnerships. We primarily rescue sick, injured or unclaimed animals from local animal control facilities after the legally required stray hold period has expired.

Wags 2 Wishes Animal Rescue is not licensed by the State to accept stray animals. All stray animals must be surrendered to the appropriate local animal control agency. Do not contact our organization regarding stray animals.

A limited percentage of our intake consists of owner surrenders. Owners requesting surrender must complete the Owner Surrender Request Form in full and provide:

Clear, recent photographs of the animal

Accurate and complete medical and behavioral history

A detailed explanation of the reason for surrender

Submission of an owner surrender request does not guarantee acceptance. All requests are reviewed by our intake committee and evaluated based on available space, foster or kennel capacity, medical needs, behavioral history, and overall suitability for our adoption program.

Owner surrenders require advance planning. If a request is submitted with minimal notice or an urgent deadline, we are unlikely to be able to accommodate the surrender. Intake typically requires 7–10 days, but this timeframe is not guaranteed.

Animals exhibiting human aggression or dog aggression will not be accepted into our program.

A $150 Owner Surrender Fee Applies to All Animals being Surrendered into our Rescue.

From Rescue to Recovery, We've Got You Covered