Giving up a Border Collie

We must give preference to dogs that are in jeopardy, usually dogs from pounds or shelters. We will consider taking a dog from an individual owner if we have the space in a foster home.

We give priority to purebred Border collies that meet the criteria for rescue. We will consider Border Collie mixes on a space availability basis and on our estimation of the placeability of the individual dog through our organization.

We must consider the availability of foster homes when deciding whether we can accept a dog into rescue. We have no central facility; our volunteers foster dogs in their own homes. Most volunteers also have dogs of their own, and therefore can only take in a limited number of foster dogs at one time.

If we have no room, we may agree to take the dog only if the owner pays for boarding the dog until a space in a foster home opens up. This could take a month or more. Even if we accept the dog, we may ask the owner to keep him or her until a space opens up.

In any case, once space is available, all NEBCR dogs are placed in foster care a minimum of 2 weeks, so that we can thoroughly evaluate their needs. We will not place a dog directly from an owner’s home.

NEBCR cannot accept any dog that shows aggressive behavior toward humans or other dogs, or has a history of biting. Therefore, before NEBCR accepts a dog, it must be evaluated by one of our representatives.

If the dog is aggressive, it is the owner’s responsibility to either find a behaviorist or trainer who can help with this problem, or to have the dog euthanized. It is not fair to a dog to be put to sleep among strangers, and it isn’t fair to us to ask us to do this, which is what will have to happen if your dog shows aggression after you relinquish it. It is also not ethical, fair or humane to put our volunteers and/or the public at large in danger by not disclosing the dog’s potentially dangerous behavior.

The best outcome is often one that will allow the dog to stay with its family. If we are contacted by an owner frustrated with a dog’s behavioral issues, we are happy to help in any way we can, including recommending trainers/behaviorists to help with the dog’s behavior problems. Please contact us for more information.

If you got your dog directly from a breeder or kennel, or from another private party, your first step should be to call that entity and ask them to take your dog back.

If you have already done this, and the breeder has declined, please tell us who the breeder is and supply us with their contact information. If you got your dog from a pet shop, we would like to know the name and address.

We require copies of a dog’s vet records at the time of relinquishment. If they are not available, the owner will be asked for vet’s contact information so that we can request them.

The owner is required to sign a relinquishment agreement in which the rights of ownership of the dog are given to NEBCR, Inc. The agreement also requires the owner to disclose any behavioral problems the dog has exhibited which s/he is aware of.

The owner will not have input as to with whom or where the dog is fostered or adopted. We will make all decisions in the dog’s best interests, based on our many years of experience in rescue and with Border Collies as a breed.

We do not provide relinquishing owners with specific information or the location of where the dog is fostered and eventually adopted. We can provide the former owner with general updates on the dog’s well-being if requested. IF an adopter wishes to be in contact with the former owner, and that person agrees, we can share contact information with the adopter.

Owners may be required to pay a relinquishing fee to support the costs NEBCR will incur for the dog if s/he:

• is not spayed or neutered
• is not up to date on vaccinations
• is not current on heartworm and flea/tick preventatives
• has no current medical records