The short answer
Good screening is a conversation, not a form. Ask specific questions about the person's home, yard, other pets, experience, and what they would do if it did not work out. Watch for red flags: wanting the pet fast with no questions, refusing to share an address, or offering to pay extra to collect it sight-unseen. Always meet in person before you hand the pet over, ideally more than once. Trust your instincts, and it is fine to say no. At the handover, pass on the vet records and transfer the microchip to the new owner through the NSW Pet Registry.
List, then screen with confidence
On LocalPetFinder your email stays private until you reply, so you choose who to talk to. List free and take your time.
List your pet free →Screening matters more than the fee
It is easy to think a rehoming fee is what keeps your pet safe. It helps a little, but the fee is a small speed bump, not a safeguard. Someone with poor intent can pay a fee. Someone wonderful might ask you to waive one. The part that actually protects your pet is the conversation you have before you agree to anything.
Screening is how you find out whether a home is right. It is the questions you ask, the answers you listen to, the person you meet, and the read you trust. This is the responsible core of rehoming your pet yourself, and it is the reason owner-to-owner rehoming can be as safe as, or safer than, any other route. You are the one who knows your pet, and you get the final say.
The questions to ask every applicant
You do not need an interrogation. A friendly, honest chat that covers the points below tells you almost everything. Specific, thoughtful answers are a green light. Vague or defensive ones are a reason to keep asking:
- Their home and yard
What is their living situation, and how is the yard fenced? A secure yard matters for a dog that fences-jumps or bolts.
- Renting or owning
If they rent, does their lease actually allow pets? A pet the landlord bans is a pet at risk of coming straight back.
- Who is home during the day
Long stretches of alone time suit some pets and not others. Match the answer to your pet, not to an ideal.
- Other pets
What other animals do they have, and are those animals desexed and vaccinated? This tells you how the introduction is likely to go.
- Experience with this size and energy
A high-energy working dog or a shy senior cat needs an owner who understands what they are taking on.
- Ages of any children
Match the answer to your pet honestly. Some pets thrive with kids and some need a quieter home.
- What happens if it does not work out
A good answer is that they would contact you or a rescue, never that they would pass the pet on or let it go. This is the single most revealing question.
- Keeping up desexing and vet care
A committed adopter treats ongoing vet care and desexing as a given, not a maybe.
The last two questions carry the most weight. How someone answers “what happens if it does not work out” tells you whether they see adoption as permanent. If the honest answer is that they would come back to you or contact a rescue, that is exactly what you want to hear.
Red flags to watch for
Most people who reach out are genuine. A small number are not, and they tend to share a handful of tells. None of these on its own proves bad intent, but any of them is a reason to slow down and ask more before you commit.
- Wants the pet immediately, with no questions about its needs or history.
- Only cares that the pet is free, and loses interest at any mention of a fee or screening.
- Will not share their address or let you see where the pet will live.
- Offers to pay extra to hold the pet sight-unseen, before any meeting.
- Insists on collecting from a car park only and avoids a home visit.
- Gives vague, shifting answers about their home, their other pets, or their situation.
- Is collecting several free animals at once, which is how people who resell pets, sometimes called bunchers, operate.
A genuine adopter is happy to answer questions, happy to meet, and happy for you to take your time. Anyone pushing hard against all three is telling you what you need to know. The scams that target these listings work both ways, and Scamwatch tracks the pet-listing versions worth recognising.
The meet-and-greet
Meet in person before you hand your pet over, and ideally meet more than once. A message thread only tells you so much. Seeing someone with your pet tells you the rest. Watch how they are: calm and patient is what you are looking for, not rushed or rough. Notice whether your pet seems at ease with them.
Ask to see where the pet will live. That might mean visiting their home, or seeing clear photos of the space and the yard. A genuine adopter has no problem showing you. If a person keeps steering you toward a fast handover in a car park and away from ever seeing their home, treat that as an answer in itself. Take the meeting at your own pace. There is no rush that is worth skipping this step.
Trust your instincts, and it is okay to say no
It is your pet and your decision, right up to the handover. If something feels off, even if you cannot put your finger on what, you are allowed to say the home is not the right fit and keep looking. A polite no costs you nothing and protects your pet. You do not owe anyone your pet because they asked first or travelled a long way.
Screening the person and protecting yourself go hand in hand. Keep your contact details private until you have chatted, meet in a public place first if you are unsure, and have someone with you if a stranger is coming to your home. Our personal safety guide walks through this in detail. Being careful about who you let near your home is not rude. It is sensible.
The handover: records and the microchip transfer
Once you have chosen a home you trust, a clean handover sets the new family up to succeed. Pass on the vaccination and medical records, the desexing certificate, and the microchip details. Add a written note about your pet's routine, diet, personality, and any fears or triggers. Being honest about behaviour, including anything difficult, gives the match a real chance to work.
The one legal step that matters most is the microchip. In New South Wales, transferring the microchip registration to the new owner is required when a pet changes hands, and you do it through the NSW Pet Registry. This is not optional paperwork. It is a legal requirement under the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998, and it is how the pet finds its way home if it is ever lost. Complete the transfer at the handover so the new owner is on record from day one. Our settling-in guide covers how to help your pet adjust to its new home afterwards.
A note on the rehoming fee
A modest rehoming fee is safer than giving your pet away free. A small fee discourages the few people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons, and it signals to genuine adopters that the pet is valued. It does not need to be large. What matters far more is the screening you do around it.
Why free-to-good-home ads carry more risk: posting a pet as free on open classifieds such as Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace attracts the small number of people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons. A modest fee plus real screening is far safer. Our free-to-good-home guide covers this, and RSPCA Australia publishes guidance on responsible rehoming worth reading before you list.
Ready to rehome your pet the responsible way?
List free on LocalPetFinder, keep your pet at home, screen the people who apply, and choose the family you trust. Your email stays private until you reply.
List your pet for free →Related guides
How to protect your own privacy and safety while meeting strangers.
Why a modest fee plus screening keeps your pet far safer than a free listing.
What to sort out and gather before you list your pet for adoption.
The full owner-to-owner process, start to finish, at no cost.
Rehoming a cat instead? See our guide to rehoming a cat for free, or start from the rehoming hub.
Frequently asked questions
Why does screening matter more than the rehoming fee?+
A fee filters out a few of the wrong people, but screening is what actually protects your pet. The fee is a small speed bump. The real safeguard is the conversation: asking about the home, the yard, the other pets, and what happens if it does not work out, then meeting the person and trusting what you see. Plenty of pets have gone to a poor home with a fee attached and to a wonderful one for free. The screening is the part that decides which one your pet gets.
What questions should I ask someone who wants to adopt my dog?+
Ask about their home and yard and how it is fenced, whether they rent or own, and if they rent, whether their lease allows pets. Ask who is home during the day, what other pets they have and whether those pets are desexed and vaccinated, and how much experience they have with a dog of this size and energy. If they have children, ask their ages. Then ask the two that matter most: what happens if it does not work out, and how they will keep up desexing and vet care. Honest, specific answers are a good sign. Vague ones are worth a second look.
What are the red flags when rehoming a pet?+
Watch for anyone who wants the pet immediately with no questions, who only cares that it is free, who will not share their address or let you visit, or who offers to pay extra to hold the pet sight-unseen. Be cautious of a request to meet in a car park only, vague answers about their home and other pets, and anyone collecting several free animals at once. That last pattern is how people who resell animals operate. None of these on its own is proof of bad intent, but any of them is a reason to slow down and ask more before you commit.
Should I do a meet-and-greet before rehoming my pet?+
Yes, and ideally more than once. Meeting in person tells you far more than any message thread. Watch how the person is with your pet: calm and patient is what you want, not rushed or rough. Ask to see where the pet will live, whether that means visiting their home or seeing photos and the yard. A genuine adopter is happy to meet, happy to answer questions, and happy for you to take your time. Anyone pushing to skip the meeting and collect the pet fast is telling you something.
Is it okay to say no to someone who wants to adopt my dog?+
Completely. It is your dog and your decision, right up until the handover. If something feels off, even if you cannot name exactly what, you are allowed to say the home is not the right fit and keep looking. A polite no costs you nothing and protects your dog. You do not owe anyone your pet because they asked first or drove a long way. Trust your read of the situation. The right adopter will not make you feel pressured to decide before you are ready.
Do I need to update the microchip when I rehome my pet?+
Yes. In New South Wales, microchipping is mandatory, and when a pet changes hands you must transfer the microchip registration to the new owner through the NSW Pet Registry. It is a straightforward online step and it matters: if the pet is ever lost, the registry is how it gets back to the right home. Do the transfer at the handover so the new owner is on record from day one, and hand over the desexing and vaccination records at the same time.
What is a buncher, and how do I avoid one?+
A buncher is a person who collects free or cheap animals, often several at a time, to on-sell for the wrong purposes. They tend to answer vaguely, want the pet fast, avoid giving a real address, and are drawn to free-to-good-home ads. You avoid them the same way you screen everyone: ask specific questions, ask for an address and a meet-and-greet at the home, charge a modest rehoming fee, and walk away from anyone collecting multiple free animals. Real adopters have no problem with any of that.
Should I charge a rehoming fee or give my pet away for free?+
A modest rehoming fee is safer than a free-to-good-home ad. A small fee discourages the few people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons and signals to genuine adopters that the pet is valued. It does not need to be large. What matters far more is the screening you do around it. A fee plus real screening is the responsible combination, and it keeps your pet well clear of the risks that come with a free classified listing.
How do I protect my own safety while screening adopters?+
Screening the adopter and protecting yourself go together. Keep your contact details private until you have chatted, meet in a public place first if you are unsure, and bring someone with you if a person is coming to your home. Trust your instincts about a stranger the same way you trust them about a home. Our safety guide covers this in detail. Being careful about who you let near your home is not rude. It is sensible, and a genuine adopter understands it.
What records should I hand over to the new owner?+
Hand over the vaccination and medical records, the desexing certificate, and the microchip details, and complete the microchip transfer to the new owner through the NSW Pet Registry. Add a written note about the pet's routine, diet, personality, and any fears or triggers. Being honest about behaviour, including anything difficult, protects the pet and the new family and gives the match a real chance to work. A good handover sets the new home up to succeed.
Sources
- NSW Pet Registry: microchipping and transfer of ownership
- RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase: responsible rehoming guidance
- Scamwatch: avoiding pet-listing scams on classified sites