When you get a dog, you have a responsibility to provide for his wellbeing today, tomorrow and for years to come. If events beyond your control – an illness, financial issues, an unavoidable relocation – force you to have to find a new home for your dog, you still owe it to your dog to ensure that he has a chance to find a new and happy home.

If you can no longer care for your dog, dropping him off at a shelter is not what you want to do. While shelters are wonderful places to find dogs and provide essential services, by giving your dog to a shelter – especially a kill shelter – you are handing him over to an uncertain fate. In fact, according to American Humane Association, 56 percent of dogs entering the shelter system are euthanized. So here is what you can do to ensure that come what may, if you can no longer provide for your dog yourself, you can still provide him with a new and loving home.

Be prepared. No matter how remote you think the chances are that you will be one day be unable to care for your dog, you should still have a plan for what will happen to your dog in these circumstances. For example, you might have a relative, friend or neighbor who would be willing to provide your dog with a new and loving forever home. In addition, if you have gotten your dog from a breeder, you should be aware of your breeder’s policy in the event that you can no longer care for your dog. Most reputable breeders will assume responsibility for your dog if, for whatever reason, you are not longer able to keep him.

If there is no one you know who is willing to provide your dog with an appropriate home, there are still many things you can do. These options can take time, however. Thus, you must be realistic about any pending situations you are facing so that you give yourself the time to find a suitable new home for your dog.

First, you can ask around the neighborhood – friends of friends, your vet, pet store owners, etc. – to see if anyone knows someone looking to provide a dog with a good home. Of course, you need to screen each potential owner very carefully. Not everyone who wants a dog has the capability or even desire to provide a loving home. There are even some extreme cases of animal abusers trolling local listings for dogs. Therefore, you should go visit your dog’s potential new home and meet all of his new potential family members, including any other pets he will be residing with to assess whether your dog will get along with the pets and whether the current pets seem well-cared for. You also need to ask questions of the new prospective new owner. While some of the questions you should ask depend on your dog – his specific personality, conditions, likes and dislikes – in general, here are some smart questions you should pose: is the owner allowed to have a dog in their house; is the owner familiar with the responsibilities of caring for a dog; how often will the dog spend alone each day; does the owner have a fenced-in yard or other place suitable for exercising the dog; if your dog has any specific conditions or behavioral issues, is the owner aware of these issues and what plans do they have for monitoring and addressing these issues.

You can also try to work with a dog rescue group in your area either to use the rescue group’s knowledge and experience to help find a suitable new home for your dog or to physically surrender your dog. If you physically surrender your dog to a rescue group, your dog will likely be placed in foster care or in a boarding facility until an appropriate home can be found. There are a myriad of all-dog rescue groups and even rescue groups for dogs of a particular breed or mix or dogs with particular conditions. Many rescue groups even do amazing things such as setting up cross-country “underground railroads” in which teams of dedicated volunteers drive long distances in shifts to transport a dog from one area of the country to a loving home in another area. To locate a rescue group, go to Petfinder.org, or 1-800-save-a-pet.com.

There are also facilities, called sanctuaries, which will take dogs who are having a hard time being re-homed. While a sanctuary will not provide a traditional home environment for your dog, it will provide a stable and loving atmosphere for your dog. One of the most well-known sanctuaries is the Best Friends Sanctuary is Utah. Best Friends’ website, www.bestfriends.org, is a good place to start to learn more about sanctuaries.

Content provided by Betsy Rosenfeld. To donate to Betsy's charity of choice, Infinite Love Animal Sanctuary, click here.