A farm is the perfect place to rehome your pet that isn't working out, right?

"Can you take my cat? He's not getting along with his housemates."

"I was hoping you had room for another rooster. We need to get rid of this one because of his attitude..."

"Want another dog? He's really nice but has too much energy for the city."

Farmer Joe and Jane love animals, but there are actually several possible reasons they can't rehome your pet.

(Don't want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!)
1) You can't rehome your pet at my farm because you're the (fill in the number) person to ask this month.

If farm folk took in every animal offered to them, authorities would be showing up to clean house! Farmer Joe and Jane are flattered that you think their farm is an beautiful sanctuary where four leggeds run free in peace and love, but farm life is not a Disney movie. Have you considered...
2) You can't rehome your pet at my farm because your pet has never been outside.
Fluffy may love to sit in the window and watch songbirds at the feeder, but that doesn't mean Fluffy has what it takes to live beside them.



Has your dog been in a climate controlled environment their entire life? Is your cat de-clawed? Have they been the lone animal at your place as long as you've had them? Good luck surviving the wild. Is your pet neutered/spayed? Farmer Joe and Jane probably don't have time to take care of (and find homes for!) another batch of kittens/puppies. Does your dog have a rabies shot? Because, you know...raccoons. Skunks. Things that creep in the night.
3) The farm is not the best place to rehome your pet because...predators
The country is great. Fresh air, beautiful scenery, peace and quiet. There are also coyotes, fox, bear, bobcat, woodchucks, opossum, skunks, mink, raccoons, etc., and they're all looking for an easy snack...or a fight. When your animal doesn't work out at the farm and wanders off, it's going to meet something wild.

In my experience, the meeting never ends well for the non-wild participant.
4) Farm machinery and pets don't mix. This isn't the best place to rehome your pet.

"I can't put him outside because we live on a busy road."

You might live on a road with more traffic, but Farmer Joe and Jane are surrounded by fields. On the subject of farm machinery, a smack to the head from a car is a far more humane death than what cats or other animals meet when confronted with any number of the implements being dragged through the field.
5) Let's be honest. Is the reason you want to rehome your pet because it's naughty?
This often comes as "my cat is marking on stuff in our house" or "my dog really needs space to run" or "the rooster doesn't get along with our flock...but maybe he'd like your flock better."

Listen, Farmer Joe and Jane are animal lovers—after all, they live on a farm—but what you're basically saying to them is "please take care of my problem animal".


6) You can't rehome your pet here. Have you seen how many animals we already care for?

"But don't you need another cat? I'm sure she'd make a really great mouser..."

Farmer Joe and Jane know all about rodents. They have a few cats that live in their barn that do a great job keeping up on their rodent population. The odd thing is, they don't see a lot of stray cats showing up at their farm. Know why?

Farmer Joe and Jane's cats chase the strays off.

Your cat is spraying because it's territorial? Farmer Joe and Jane's cats will fight yours until it leaves to find another home.
You may also enjoy...7 Truths to Know About Homesteading Before You Start
Cats aren't the only snarky animals. Chickens don't usually just welcome a new feathered friend into their flock, regardless of how "sweet" the bird is. It can be especially difficult to integrate a rooster (especially if there is already one on the farm).