Surrender a Bullie to IBR

Indiana Bulldog Rescue is a rescue group dedicated to helping unwanted, neglected, abused English Bulldogs find their forever homes.

 We know people fall on tough times, get ill, divorce, move overseas, lose their jobs or homes, or develop allergies and there is a need to surrender pets. We understand this can be one of the hardest decisions you have to make and we are here to discuss the issues and the process with you. Ideally, all pets should live in one loving home from the time they are born until the unfortunate time of their death. For that reason alone, we would like to find ways to help you keep your pets and are committed to helping you do so through behavioral or health care recommendations.

Unruly, untrained bulldogs make up a large group of dogs surrendered to us. As owners of a bulldog, training is not optional and should be done as soon as possible.  As responsible pet owners, we have an obligation to train and love these animals. An untrained, unsupervised, unattended dog of any kind or size will act out. They are seeking affection and attention – wouldn’t you? Add their frustration to their size & temperament and you could have a real problem. But it still may be one you can solve. 

Before deciding to surrender your bulldog because of behavioral issues, we may be able to assist you by giving you some advice. Dogs can be affected by stress and medical issues, and act out as a result. We suggest you contact your veterinarian for a medical evaluation before a final decision to surrender is made.

If the issues are not medical or you feel cannot be improved upon, a volunteer will discuss the issue with you. Please be prepared to answer our questions with complete honesty. Our goal is to find your bulldog a new forever family; therefore, the more we know about the dog, the better we will be at placing it with the right family.

Because we are a rescue and space is limited, your dog may be put on a waiting list and prioritized accordingly.

If you wish to discuss a behavioral assessment please email: info@indianabulldogrescue.com 

Things to Consider Prior to Surrendering Your Dog:

If your dog is accepted into our program, he/she will be placed in a carefully screened foster home for whatever length of time is necessary to assess his/her medical, behavioral, and social needs. We will then re-home the dog with a forever family that has also been carefully screened.

Be aware that older dogs and dogs with medical problems may take longer to place. These dogs are given the best care possible to make them feel comfortable while they await their new homes. Dogs that are surrendered together may not be placed in a foster home together as the likelihood of them being adopted together is small.

It is vitally important that we have a complete medical history on the dog. Please contact your vet and get a copy of your dog’s medical records, including rabies tag and microchip registration, if applicable. This will save him/her from being unnecessarily revaccinated.  All foster dogs are vaccinated, spayed and neutered, microchipped, and put on heartworm prevention before being placed for adoption.

Surrender Donation: Please consider a monetary donation upon surrendering your dog to help cover part of these costs. We sincerely appreciate receiving a monetary donation from the dog’s owner whenever it’s financially possible. Our suggested minimum donation fee is $50.00

Owner Release Form: at the time of surrender, you will be required to sign a surrender form releasing the dog to our ownership. By completing this form, IBR agrees to accept your dog into our rescue and assumes full legal and ethical ownership and responsibility for your dog.

Transportation: when necessary to transport a dog for a distance greater than 1 hour, we ask that you offer to alleviate the rescue volunteers of a portion of the drive. Halfway is preferred but if you can commit to 1-2 hours, that is a great help to our volunteers.

Dog’s Belongings: Please determine which of your dog’s belongings you can send with them into rescue. Having his/her own crate, bed, toys, jacket, etc., not only keeps the dog more comfortable by being around familiar objects, but relieves rescue of having to purchase so many of these items for your dog. Please send food that your dog is used to, and pack up medications or supplements your dog needs, along with instructions for administration of them.

To surrender a bulldog, please complete the following surrender form. This information allows us to have a better idea of why the dog is being surrendered, any behavior issues, health issues, etc.

Please understand we are an all-volunteer organization and it may take up to 48 hours to get back to you regarding your inquiry. In addition, once we decide to take a dog in it takes time to find a foster home and arrange transport.

The surrender form along with a photograph of each dog must be completed in its entirety for EACH DOG  you wish to surrender, in order for us to consider taking your dog into rescue.