Surrendering Process

For all surrenders, pet owners must make an appointment with our Receiving Department. 
Walk-in surrenders will not be accepted. 

MAKE A SURRENDER APPOINTMENT

To make a surrender appointment, please call or leave a message with our Receiving Department    2232 5553 You may also call this number should you have any enquiries regarding the surrender process.

Initially we will discuss with you the reason you are considering surrendering (abandoning) your animal and see if we can offer a solution that means you can continue to live happily with your pet.

If we have space, you will be asked to provide the following information

  • Type of animal or species
  • Breed
  • Age
  • Reason for surrender
  • In certain cases, our staff may also require additional information before they can process your request

Your pet will need to come to the SPCA to be assessed for suitability for adoption by our staff. Our staff will give you a date and time for the assessment.

If you are surrendering a family pet, please discuss this decision with all family members before you make an appointment. From our experience, surrendering a pet without a child's knowledge can be especially traumatic.

SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT

When you make a surrender appointment, your pet may have to undergo a suitability assessment first.

During the assessment, we will also ask you about your pet's history, its personality, habits and health. We also need to know about any problems with your pet so we can gauge its suitability for adoption. Your honesty is important as it is unfair to pass on a pet with unknown problems to another family.

You will need to bring the following:

  • Your Hong Kong ID for registration
  • Any other related documents e.g. purchase paperwork, vaccination card or medical history from your veterinarian
  • If you are under 21 years of age, your parent or legal guardian will need to be present to complete the surrender process.

Additional documents needed for the surrender of licensed dogs

  • Original dog license
  • If the legal owner is not able to be present, we will require an authorisation letter from the legal owner, with a copy of the legal owner’s Hong Kong ID. 
  • In the case of the legal owner’s death, please provide a copy of the death certificate.

For legal reasons, we cannot accept licensed dogs for surrender without the presence or written permission of the registered owner. 

To finalise the surrender process you will be asked to complete and sign a Surrender Form that transfers all rights and responsibilities to the SPCA.

What happens after?

If your pet is evaluated by our staff to be suitable for adoption, we will provide veterinary care and proper nutrition and care for it untill it is adopted. As far as possible, we will keep animals in our adoption programme as long as they are healthy and of sound temperament.

Our ultimate goal is to give as many suitable animals as possible a chance at another home through our adoption programme. However, many owners choose to surrender animals that may not be suitable for adoption due to medical or behavioural problems. These animals may be humanely euthanased.

ENQUIRIES 

Opening hours: 09:00 - 18:00 (Mon - Sun)  2232 5553

The Receiving Department can get very busy due to the large number of calls and animals we handle every day. Should the line be busy, please leave a message on the voice mail service with your name and contact number and we will get back to you as soon as we can. 

Our Receiving Department receives more than 900 enquiries every month from owners who are considering giving up their pets.