This page covers a wide range of information about community resources for lost pets, rehoming pets, and low-cost local resources for spay/neuter. If you have further questions, please contact us at info@underdogaz.com.
Help! I lost my pet or found a lost one.
If you have found a pet that is not wearing identification tags with a working telephone number, please take it to a veterinary office or emergency animal clinic to be scanned for a microchip. Any vet can do this for you without an appointment and for free. If you have lost a pet that you adopted or are fostering through Underdog Rescue, please contact our rescue immediately!!
Lost your pet? Click here for all resources on finding them.
Can you rehome my pet?
Do you need to re-home a pet? Like every other Phoenix dog rescue, Underdog has a shortage of foster homes. There are currently dozens of dogs on the county shelter’s daily kill list. Our volunteers scramble on a daily basis to help save even one or two lives, but sadly the majority will die because of lack of fosters.
If you need to rehome a pet, we have multiple ways to help.
First, if you’re thinking of rehoming a pet because of your living situation, read through this guide to pets in apartments and your rights first. If you are losing your home, we recommend reaching out to Lost Our Home as they help with these specific types of cases. If your pet has behavioral problems, please ask us for a referral. We have GREAT, inexpensive trainers who can help. Almost all behavioral issues are easily fixed with the help of a good trainer. Expecting a new baby, moving, or going through another life transition? Again, trainers can help you prepare for that.
If you need to re-home a pet that is an identifiable, desirable breed (ie a German Shepherd mix or Beagle), we recommend reaching out to a breed-specific rescue. These rescues often have more resources and potential adopters for your specific type of pet. Simply searching “Phoenix [breed] rescue” will help you find one.
Finally, if you need to re-home your pet and the above suggestions can’t help, Underdog Rescue can help by creating a courtesy post on our website to get your pet the the exposure and resources they need to adopted. During this time, you will continue to keep the pet until an adopter is found. For all purposes, the pet will remain your responsibility. To qualify for a courtesy posting, you must do the following:
- Complete the Animal Profile form, following all instructions on the form
- Make sure the pet is spayed/neutered and current on vaccinations (we can suggest low cost options if not, but do note that we cannot accept courtesy posts that don’t meet these requirements)
- Send 3+ detailed, high-resolution pictures and/or video (photos get a dog adopted–the sooner we get high-quality ones, the faster your pet will get adopted!)
- Note any issues, such as dog or cat aggression, to your full knowledge in the Animal Profile form
- Agree to cover any and all costs for the pet (including medical costs) as the pet will still be your property while courtesy posted
After your pet is on our website, we’ll send any inquiries and applications for the pet directly to you. You will be responsible for conducting a meet and greet, and we also highly recommend you do a home visit to ensure the pet will be going to a safe location. If you aren’t getting requests, send more pictures! These truly make the difference and can be taken on your phone.
Lastly, if you are considering surrendering a pet at the county shelter, we ask that you reconsider and do whatever is in your power to avoid this. Most of the general population is under the false impression that their pet will be put up for adoption once it is surrendered.This is not the case. The shelter CAN AND DOES euthanize pets. The shelter (by law) has to hold onto stray pets for at least 72 hours prior to euthanizing, but there is no such requirement for owner-surrendered animals, thus, surrendered animals are often the first killed. It is a terrifying, confusing place for any animal to be left, due to no fault of their own. Please do whatever you can to hold onto your pet or foster the pet until we can help you re-home it. Relinquished pets stand a very small chance of survival.
Where can I find local help?
There are many wonderful local businesses, charities, and resources who make life with a pet a little easier.
To start, spaying and neutering helps save lives. Find out more about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets at https://worldspayday.org/. Get your own pets spayed and neutered at your local vet or any of the following low-cost locations in the Phoenix area:
- The Arizona Pet Project
- Spay Neuter Clinic (also offers low-cost microchipping and vaccinations)
- Dr. Kelly’s Mobile Surgical Unit
- Homeward Bound Spay and Neuter
If you need a recommendation for a trainer, groomer, dog boarding place, or more, please contact us at info@underdogaz.com and we can send our most up-to-date list of local recommendations. Likewise, we encourage you to follow our Facebook and Instagram pages. Here, we share tips and links on how to raise pets and can answer any additional questions you have.