Relinquishing a Dog

As of 5/01/2023 Mo-Kan is temporarily not accepting dogs into our rescue. 

We are at maximum capacity.  To see other area border collie rescues 

click on the Resources menu item above then Helpful Info.

 

Please read prior to completing the Relinquishment form.

Border Collie is the breed of dog that we accept.

A high percentage of the dogs available for adoption have come from home situations directly into rescue without going into a shelter. If you are considering giving up your dog, then please understand that Border Collies do NOT do well in the shelter environment. They will often retreat and withdraw, making them very unadoptable or they will become very high strung, sometimes snarling and become what's known as 'kennel crazy', again making them very unlikely to find a home. These are sensitive dogs who can easily be over stimulated by chaos and commotion which, when they cannot control it, affects their personality.

Rescue is an appropriate solution to helping your dog transition into a new home. In fact, rescue is one of the best ways for a Border Collie to find the right home, suited to this specific breed. We are extremely cautious about adopting dogs into well matched homes so we care for your dog as if he or she was our own. We want them to have a great life beyond what you've given so far! Please keep in mind, however, that our foster homes are in limited quantity. We often have a waiting list to bring dogs into rescue so we are not always able to immediately take dogs in. We will place your dog on our waiting list as well as offer to place a picture of your dog along with a bio and contact number/email on our "other dogs available" page.

There are numerous reasons to give up your dog - destructiveness, too much energy, nipping children, snarling, too much to handle - these are typical descriptions of Border Collies coming into rescue. While we want to help every dog in need, we evaluate each one very carefully since we cannot handle aggression. We are volunteering our efforts, time and energy to help dogs find appropriate homes but we are in no way, specialists in aggressive issues. There are trainers available to help in this area and we will refer you to those people.

Obviously dogs in shelters due to be euthanized, have no advocate looking out for their care so everyone must be a part of the solution together. If you have any questions about the $25 minimum donation requested with each relinquishment, please contact us.

Additionally, you must provide detailed information about your dog's behavior which better helps us more quickly help the dog. Once relinquished to MO-KAN Border Collie Rescue, the dog is now ours to care for and cannot be returned.

Our general procedure is to talk with you over the phone, then have the dog evaluated by one of our members, then you transport the dog to us.

We are more than happy to keep you informed as to when your dog has been placed. We love to share the good news! But, we don't feel it's appropriate to connect the new adopter to you because they need to feel the dog they are adopting is theirs now, with no strings attached. We do, however, give new adopters the opportunity to contact the former guardians, if they like. It is their choice.

Rescuers generally work together, a loosely knit group where we all know each other. If one of us has no space, we work hard to find an opening for your dog. Everyone is committed to helping the dog so please understand that we will exercise every option to find a solution as quickly as possible. Sometimes, time is the only solution, so you may be required to keep the dog in your home until a spot opens up to come into rescue. If you can be flexible enough to do that, it can be invaluable to insuring your dog CAN come into the rescue system.

Any donations you'd like to make at the time of surrender are welcome....dog's toys, bedding, food, collar, leash...we will pass along whatever you provide to the new adopters.

Before surrendering your dog, please consider contacting a trainer and/or behavior specialist who might find a solution that allows your dog to remain in your family and for you to enjoy this treasured companion. We are happy to recommend trainers in your area.