Surrender/Return
Coco's Heart values a life-long commitment to each of our dogs. We have been able to uphold that commitment to all of our dogs in most cases, however in cases of aggression or reactivity, our options in rehoming or placing in our foster program again are limited. For that reason, we want to provide clear information at the time of adoption so that adopters can be prepared for what to expect during the return process- regardless of if shortly after adoption, or several years after adoption.
Timeline
Coco's Heart strives to welcome all dogs back to rescue within 2 weeks once a Surrender Inquiry is received. The Surrender Inquiry is therefore the time-stamp that provides us a 2-week notice. While our team works as quickly as we can, that 2-weeks is important to ensure we can move through our internal processes with returned dogs. If a dog is adopted and a Surrender Inquiry is received 3 days later, we still may need that full 2 weeks, regardless of the fact that it was shortly after adoption.
Aggression/bite history
Coco's Heart values our dogs, our adopters, and our community. We evaluate each situation individually, but in general cannot place dogs that are determined to be aggressive or have bite histories. What does this mean? This means that Coco's Heart may determine that they cannot welcome the dog back to rescue and/or recommend euthanasia. It is very sad, and we hope it does not come to that, but we want to be clear that histories of aggression need to be taken very seriously. If we cannot welcome a dog back to rescue, then we encourage adopters to pursue other options such as euthanasia instead of pursuing the surrender process. In those hard moments it is comforting for the dogs to be with their family, and not with strangers to them.