Libya Pet Vet

Many people find that they need to locate a new home for their pet.  Or perhaps an animal is rescued from the street and, after being rehabilitated, it needs a loving home.  Whatever the reason, here are some helpful tips for finding a new home in Libya for the animal.

Make sure your pet has good health and hygiene.

1.  A veterinarian should always examine the pet and declare it to be in good health.

2.  Vaccinations should be up-to-date.

3.  Wash and groom the pet (including clipping nails).

4.  De-worm and apply flea treatment to the pet.

Advertising: Your Key to Success

Animals are like humans, each has a different personality.  No one has perfect behavior.  The key is to be completely honest when communicating your pet’s character to a potential adopter.  Since you're looking for a permanent home, it's important that the new owner know all the facts.  Highlight the good points and be diplomatic about the bad points. Dogs bark, and may dig in the yard or chew things.  Cats may scratch furniture. Most people understand this and just need to be alerted to any known problems so they can act accordingly.

There is almost certainly a new home for your pet.  The key will be to find it and you will be the pet’s most important advocate.  I can't tell you how many times someone has said that no one wants a kitten because there are so many street cats available.  It's not true!  Many people want cats/kittens or dogs/puppies that are clean, healthy, and friendly, and they aren't always willing to take one directly from the street.  Once the animal is clean and its personality is tested, there is always someone who will adopt it.  That's where you come in. No one else will work as hard as you on behalf of your pet.  Here in Libya, the most important method will be for you to advertise and get the word out to as many people as possible.  It's purely a game of numbers, the more people you and your friends contact, the better your odds of finding that new owner.  Some things you can do:

1.  Start early.  Especially when dealing with kittens or puppies, advertise a few weeks before they are ready to go to a new home.  Urge people to take their pick of the litter, informing them of the exact (future) date they make pick up their new pet. If you wait until the animal is old enough to adopt out, you often end up having to wait another 2 weeks before your grapevine reaches enough people to finally reach the new pet owner.  There may only be one or two people out there who just happen to want to adopt the exact kind of pet you are re-homing at that exact moment in time and it’s your job to find them.  It’s going to take some work for about 1-2 weeks, but it’s possible to be successful if you keep a positive attitude and be persistent about pursuing all possibilities for getting your message out.  

2.  Prepare a brief write-up describing your pet, including the following details:

a.  Type of animal (dog, cat, bird).

b.  Name, age, color, sex, size and weight.

c.  Include whether or not the pet is spayed or neutered.

d.  Are the pet’s vaccinations up-to-date?  Include that information.

e.  Describe the pet’s personality and emphasize the best features.  Always refer to your pet by name; you want someone to connect with the pet.

f.  Be honest about your pet’s problems, wording potential negatives in the most gentle way possible:  “not suitable for a home with small children”, “loves adults, but is skittish around children’, “barks vehemently at all strangers and is a great watch dog”, “prefers to be the only dog/cat in the house”, “likes to dig”, “needs a good supply of chew toys.”

h.  Include a website address, if you decide to make a site showcasing your pet.

g.  Give contact information (telephone and/or e-mail address).

h.  Include the date of the advertisement along with the text, so people who run across it later know that it's still current.

3.  Take many photos of your pet and select the very best one or two.  In the photo, the animal should look friendly.  This photo, along with a description of your pet’s personality, will certainly be the most important selling points to a potential adopter.

4.  E-mail the write-up and the best one or two photos to as many people you can think of, including your veterinarian and to at least 20 friends and acquaintances at embassies, expat companies, church, school, etc.  Ask them to further disseminate the ad throughout their organizations, including posting the ad in any in-house newsletters which usually have a section for such notices.  Also ask them to please forward the ad to their friends.  Veterinarians are often asked about pets available for adoption, so be sure to speak with them, give them a flyer and follow up once a week as a reminder.

5.  Print out the ad with a photo on your home printer and cut them individually 3-4 to a page lengthwise like a bookmark.  Give these out to people you run across, including expats you see at grocery stores or informal gatherings.  Emphasize that you understand the person you are speaking with might not be looking for a pet, but they just might know or encounter someone who is looking for a pet.  The ad doesn’t have to be fancy, but the more polished it is or the funnier or cuter it is, the more it will be noticed and shared.  But anything is better than no ad at all.  Include the date on the advertisement so people know if it’s new or old information when they run across it.  Don’t hold back.  This isn’t the time to be shy or embarrassed about approaching strangers.  Your pet needs a good home and this is an important way to get the word out.

6.  Make a website or photo site, using Freewebs, Photobucket or one of the other free website and photo sharing services to post the advertisement along with multiple photos and additional details about your pet not already included in your short advertisement.  Reference the website in the ad that you send around via email and hand out hardcopy.