Rehome Animals

Rehoming a Pet can be a heartbreaking decision, but it is sometimes necessary; make sure to prioritise the animal’s well-being, screen adopters carefully, to secure a stable, loving home.

The Hard Facts about Rehoming a Pet

There are 3 options for Rehoming a Pet

1. Rehome your own pet: You are able to choose the person who will become the new owner of your pet. You will be able to ask the new owner to give you updates.
2. Surrender to an Animal Rescue: Rescues are at capacity because they are taking more and more pets from the pounds in NSW and other states. If you surrender to a rescue, you may receive an update from the rescue, but for privacy, you will never know the new owner. Most rescues do not charge a surrender fee at present; however, a donation is greatly appreciated.
3. Surrender to a pound - LAST RESORT: In FY 2024/2025, NSW Pounds euthanised 6,508 cats and dogs, 17.5% of all intake of 36,978 animals. (Pound Data OLG). You will never know what happened to your beloved pet. RSPCA kill rate is 30%. AWL -1%. There also may be a 'wait list' and a surrender fee to pay.

Let us help you rehome your pet safely. Go to our Step by Step Rehoming page.

When you're rehoming a pet, you are legally obligated to verify that the buyer is 18 years or older before transferring the animal.

Adoption Application

Standardised questions about pet ownership and lifestyle help you to match your pet with a new owner and their family.

There are questions about energy level, pet size, outdoor shelter, vet and food options, family size, noise levels, whether there are any children, secure fencing, and how long the pet will be alone.

Change of Ownership

A manual document can be signed by both parties and lodged with your Local Council in person, by post or via email.

OR you can transfer the Ownership online at the NSW Pet Registry by sending an Invitation to transfer to the new owner. You will need their email address linked to their account.

Bill of Sale

Agree on the adoption conditions beforehand, e.g., Return Policy, Refund Policy, whether the pet must be desexed or can be desexed within X weeks, what happens if the pet becomes sick within the first 72 hours, etc.

Safeguard your pet and yourself by having both parties sign a Bill of Sale and discuss the conditions beforehand.

Checking a buyer's ID is a standard practice and offers several benefits:

• Age Restrictions: By law in NSW and many other Australian jurisdictions, you cannot rehome a cat or dog to anyone under the age of 18.
• Transfer of Ownership: When officially transferring pet ownership (such as through the NSW Pet Registry), the seller and buyer must provide accurate legal names and details.
• Scam and Fraud Prevention: Just as buyers use ID to verify legitimate breeders, adopters use buyer ID to ensure they are dealing with genuine individuals, preventing scams and protecting the safety of the animal.

Where to safely advertise

There are several programs available to safely rehome a pet.

• PetStar Australia has a step-by-step program that follows the RSPCA website sales guidelines for pets.
• PetRescue has a program called Home2Home. Your pet will appear within a rescue's platform and be listed as "Assisted Rehome".

Other organisations offering support

• RSPCA has several programs:
  Homelessness Program, Crisis Support Programs, Community Outreach, and Seniors for Seniors Program.
  RSPCA NSW Crisis Support Programs helpline via phone at (02) 9782 4408 or via email at pr***********@**********rg.au.
• Paws & Recover, Apply for Care form on the website and pay a nominal fee for foster care and in-home feeding/care. For a person on a pension or welfare, or experiencing verifiable financial hardship, this is currently $10 per day for one pet or $15 per day for two or more pets for foster care, or $15 per day for in-home feeding. FOSTER CARERS are also needed. https://www.pawsandrecover.com/apply-for-care

Pitfalls with advertising on social media and other platforms

• No microchip. You don't know if the pet is stolen, and you can't check the details of the pet.
• Lack of information regarding temperament and suitability. Many posts on social media contain the reason for rehoming but not enough about the pet's needs, personality and temperament.
• 'Free to good home' posts can attract unscrupulous people.
• No Bill of Sale, so there is no agreement on important issues like refund, return, and sudden sickness.
• No Change of Ownership. Often, the pet is not put into the New Owner's name on the NSW Pet Registry or another state.
• Posts/advertisements do not contain 'standard' information; age, breed, sex, desexing status, etc., and microchip number, BIN or RON.
• No Adoption Application to help the Old Owner gather important information about the potential new owner, e.g. hours of work when the pet will be left alone, who will care for the pet if there is an emergency, etc.?
• It is easy to be scammer using Social Media posts.

Bill of Sale (agreed conditions of sale of pet)

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Name of SELLER *

First

Last

Email *

Address *

Phone Number *

Home phone or Business number or Alternative number *

Licence No. and Card No. *

Example Lic. 43523AB, 2 005 333 868

The address on your licence *

Name of BUYER *

First

Last

Email *

Address (copy) *

Phone Number *

Home phone, Business number or Alternative number *

Licence No. and Card No. *

Example Lic. 43523AB, 2 005 333 868

Pet's Name *

Pet's Microchip #, Breeder # or Rehome # or Source # *

What STATE is your pet registered in? *

Species and Breed *

Example: Cat, Ragdoll. Dog, Beagle.

Male or Female *

D.O.B. / Age *

Current Vet *

Name, Location, Phone.

Previous Vet

Name, Location, Phone.

Which Vet desexed your pet? What year? *

Vaccination, last given date. *

C3, C5, C7 Example: C5 Dec 2025

My pet has received Flea, Tick, Worming Treatment

• Every 2 weeks until 12 weeks old then Monthly (Puppies & Kittens)
• Monthly (pets over 12 weeks of age)
• Every 3 months
• Unknown

My pet has received Heartworm treatment

• Monthly (pets over 12 weeks of age)
• Injection every 6 months by Vet
• Injection every 12 months by Vet

Frequency of Heartworm Treatment

• Never given Heartworm Treatment
• Given since junior/puppy and has had continued treatment, without any breaks.
• Given treatment since taking ownership, but no heartworm test was undertaken.
• Was receiving treatment but stopped. (Please answer the next question).

When did you stop giving Heartworm prevention? *

It is very important to document when your pet stopped heartworm treatment. They may need a heartworm blood test BEFORE restarting.

Breeder's Business Name *

Breeder Registration # and Breeder Organisation

Example: Dogs NSW Member: 2011468680

Name of SELLER *

First

Last

Name of BUYER *

First

Last

Pet's Name *

Receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, Seller grants, sells, conveys and transfers the following animal ...

AGREEMENT - OWNERSHIP TRANSFER

The following items are to be agreed up by both parties.

Ownership

• Yes I am the registered owner
• The Owner passed away
• The Owner is incarcerated
• This pet was abandoned

Seller warrants to Buyer that Seller is the legal and true owner of the "Pet/Animal" and that Seller has the unqualified right to sell the Pet/Animal. If the pet is not registered in your own name, please complete a statutory declaration stating how you came to care for the pet and attempts you've made to contact the owner or owner's family etc.

Transportation of Pet

• Seller agrees to transport the Pet/Animal at their own expense to the Buyer
• Seller agrees if the Pet/Animal is returned by the Buyer, the Seller will transport at their own expense
• Buyer agrees to transport the Pet/Animal at their own expense
• Buyer agrees if the Pet/Animal is returned to the Seller, the Buyer will transport at their own expense.

Agreed TRIAL period

• 1 weeks
• 2 weeks
• 3 weeks
• 4 weeks

WARRANTIES (tick all that applies) (copy) *

• "As is" Clause. The Pet/Animal is sold with no express or implied warranties or representations having been made by the Seller to the Buyer other than those expressly stated above. "As is" clause means you are buying the pet in its current condition, and the seller makes no promises or guarantees about its health, temperament, or future condition once you take it home.
• "Immunized and supplied Vaccination Certificates" Clause. The Pet/Animal has had a Vet Check with Vaccination and is healthy at the time of sale and has had immunizations (up-to-date, and not overdue) enumerated in the attached health record.
• "Desexed + Certificate" Clause. The Pet/Animal has been desexed by a Veterinarian (Desexing Certificate attached).

WARRANTIES (tick all that applies) *

• "72 hrs + Vet Certificate/check" Clause. The purchase price of this Pet/Animal will be refunded if the Buyer furnishes the seller with a veterinary certificate indicating that the Pet/Animal is unwell or unsound and returned within 72 hours from delivery or collection. The Seller will reimburse no veterinary or shipping costs.
• "Trail Period" Clause. Both parties agree to a set trail period, as stated above, e.g. 2 weeks, with a full refund if the pet is in healthy condition and needs to return to the owner/animal rescue, e.g. change of mind, lack of suitable accommodation. Vet fees not payable by Seller/Animal Rescue should the Buyer be liable for the pet's ill health or injury. See Liable as a result of negligence" Clause.
• "Must return to Seller" Clause. If, at any time, the Buyer is unable to keep or care for the Pet/Animal, it must be returned to the Seller. The Pet/Animal may not be transferred or sold by the Buyer. The Buyer’s understanding and acceptance of this condition is signified here by his or her initials: ___________ on _____________ (date).

WARRANTIES (tick all that applies) *

• "Liable as a result of negligence" Clause. The Buyer may not return the Pet/Animal for any reason if they are liable and/or responsible for the change in health, wellbeing or behaviour of the Pet/Animal, for example, suffering from any aliment that was not present prior to being sold (kennel cough, eye infection, bladder infection, vomiting/diarrhea, chocking caused by a toy/bone or has sustained an injured due to negligence (example, walking off lead, fall/escape from a moving vehicle), or not providing adequate supervision of children with Pet/Animal that results in an injury of a child, person or Pet/Animal, or injuries sustained to the Pet/Animal during a cat/dog fight.
• "Canine showing aggression" Clause. The Buyer may return the Pet/Animal, in the case of a Canine, if it is showing aggression not was not witnessed by the Seller prior to being rehomed (for example: resource guarding, lunging and barking, biting or attempting to bite other pets or people), however, it is totally at the discretion of the Seller, contingent upon individual circumstances and on a case-by-case basis
• "No Return Policy" Clause. The Buyer cannot return the pet to the Seller or get a refund of your adoption fee at any time.

Checkboxes *

• The Buyer agrees to adopt this pet "desexed". The Seller agrees to supply a copy of the Desexing Certificate for the Buyer's records.
• The Buyer agrees that this puppy/kitten being sold is to be DESEXED (spayed/neutered) before 6 months of age (dog) and before 4 months age (cat) to avoid extra registration fees, and shall not be used for breeding.
• The Buyer agrees to notify the Seller when the "pet/animal" is to booked with a Veterinarian for desexing. It is the Vet's responsibility to update the Desexing Status on the pet registry.

ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS: (please state any additional provisions you wish either party to agree on, below).

Change of Ownership

• Seller and Buyer agree to sign and complete Change of Ownership form.
• Seller agrees to lodge within 14 days
• Seller agrees to transfer ownership online via pet registry.

Registration Fee *--- Select Choice ---Previously paid by Old Owner (Seller)Must be paid by the New Owner (Buyer)

Upon full payment, as set forth above, Seller, at his/her own cost, shall promptly take all legal actions necessary to officially transfer ownership and registration, if applicable, of the Pet/Animal to Buyer. Agree to lodge a Change of Ownership form with your local Council or pet registration organisation, per your state laws.

Agreed Adoption Fee *

Price: $0.00

$0 if free.

on or year?

SELLER'S Name, Date, Signature. *

BUYER'S Name, Date, Signature.. *

Submit