Uprooting an animal from its home will always be difficult, but in the past few years there have been a few developments that make it easier.

I found this out when, because of a death in the family, we had to find a good home for a small, “mature” dog. Keeping her ourselves wasn’t an option, but neither was dropping her off at a shelter. We looked around for someone we knew who liked dogs – but all we had to go by was whether they had one already, and all the dog people of our acquaintance said they already had enough to deal with.

Next, we turned to the Internet. We already knew about pet adoption sites, but when I began clicking around one of them, I learned about “re-homing” services. (This one word replaces the awkward “giving up for adoption” and makes the whole process sound less traumatic.) For a fee, someone who understands pets will help you find a good new home for yours. This not only saves you time and effort, it should make you feel a little less uneasy about letting Spot go to his new people. There are even re-homing services for specific breeds of dogs.

I also was relieved to find out about “kennel-free” (also called “cage-free” or “non-kennel”) boarding. This simply describes caregivers who keep animals in their home, like family pets. If we couldn’t find a new home for our “legacy” dog, we at least could board her for the long term in a homelike setting.

Right now, she’s staying with another dog and its people – a temporary situation that may turn permanent. It’s good to know what help is available if and when we need it.