Surrender of Your Basset Hound

If you are considering the surrender of your own basset hound, please complete a surrender form on our Forms/Apps link.  You can contact us to discuss options.  Call the rescue line on 707-765 2690, or email ggbr@ggbassetrescue.org.  We understand that making this decision can be hard for you. We do not judge - we exist to rescue hounds and find them the perfect forever home. We are prepared to take on most medical conditions (as long as we have the finances to cover them - we rely solely on donations from basset-lovers) but cannot take a basset with a bite history.

A volunteer will call you and talk to you about the available solutions. We will ask for photographs of your hound. We take pure bred bassets, and occasionally mixes that are predominantly 'basset'. This is because the people who come to us to adopt a hound want and expect a basset hound. There are other rescues who can help you if your animal is not a basset hound!

If you feel that you need to surrender your hound because of behavior or health issues, or personal problems like divorce or moving house, we may be able to give advice and resources that will enable you to keep your pet. We will always try to work with you to keep the hound in a loving and safe home, whether it be yours or a home approved by Golden Gate Basset Rescue (GGBR).  For health issues that may be causing you to consider surrender of your hound, check out the information on our "Useful Links" page first.

In some cases (particularly of aggression) we will ask that you take your dog for a behavioral assessment.  We have a network of behaviorists and trainers that will complete a brief assessment for a nominal price.  As we no longer expect a surrender fee for taking and rehoming your basset hound, this is a small price to pay to ensure that we have all the information we need to match your dog with the best possible adoptive home.  This assessment is best done while the dog is still in your care so it is as reliable as possible.  If you have a problem with this procedure, or with paying the required fee, you can discuss that with us during the intake procedure.

GGBR can NOT take animals with a proven BITE history. We do, however, understand that there is sometimes a reason that a hound may nip, growl or act in an aggressive manner, and if this is a temporary and rehabilitatable behavior, it does not exclude taking your dog. We need you to be completely honest about all aspects of the dog's behavior. We have experienced foster homes who can work with dogs that have behavioral problems. However, we would not be a responsible rescue if we placed an animal that has bitten someone for no reason other than pure aggression. We need to guarantee the safety of our foster homes and our adopters as much as we are able, as I'm sure you understand.

We would ask that you make sure your hound is heartworm tested and up to date on vaccinations if possible. We need to know of any health issues that you are aware of. If your hound does have health issues, that does not mean we will refuse to accept the animal. However, we need to consider the individual circumstances and make sure we have the funds to help whilst not denying assistance to other hounds. Again, we need to discuss the options with you and decide the best way forward. Sometimes it is not the financial aspect of a health problem that leads you to want to surrender your animal, but the physical logistics of caring for it. In those cases, financial contributions to help us pay for the necessary treatment are always appreciated. Talk to us about the options.

When you surrender your hound, it would help if you have any medical records, AKC registration papers, microchip registration papers etc. to send with your dog. Potential adopters like to know things like birthdays, and medical histories, and as much background as possible.

The surrender process is simple:

Complete  a SURRENDER APPLICATION FORM - from the information you give us, and from our follow up discussions, vet records, behavioral assessments etc. we will make the decision on whether or not we can place your dog for you.

If GGBR agrees to accept your dog, your signature on the Surrender Application agrees to transfer ownership to us. This is a legal document, that transfers ownership of your hound to GGBR.