What is the animal surrender form form template?
When someone brings a pet to your shelter or rescue, what they tell you in that first conversation shapes everything afterwards: which kennel or foster home the animal goes to, what medical care it needs, and what kind of family will suit it. Owners are often upset, and details get forgotten if they're only spoken at a counter. A surrender form captures them while the person who knows the animal best is still there.
This template has two pages. The first covers the owner and the animal — species, breed, sex, age, spay or neuter status, microchip number, where the animal came from — then its vaccinations, vet clinic, conditions, medication and an upload for vet records. The second page is about behaviour: a grid of how the animal gets on with dogs, cats, children, strangers and being handled, plus house-training and how they cope when left alone.
"Have they ever bitten or scratched anyone, or injured another animal?" is required. A yes asks when, how many times, what happened, whether anyone needed treatment and whether it was reported. The owner gives the reasons for surrender and signs a transfer of ownership, and the form is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault.
- Best for
- Animal shelters, rescues and humane societies accepting owner surrenders
- Filled in by
- The animal's owner, before or at intake
- Time to complete
- About 10 minutes
- Includes
- Animal details, medical history and records upload, behaviour grid, bite-history follow-ups, reasons and a signed ownership transfer
Who uses a animal surrender form form?
- A shelter asking owners to complete the form before their intake appointment
- A rescue taking in a dog from a family who is moving
- A cat rescue accepting a litter and its mother
- A front-desk tablet for walk-in surrenders
- Collecting behaviour history to share with a foster home
Questions on this animal surrender form form
38 questions over 2 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox, ratings.
1 Owner and animal
- Owner's name*
- Phone*
- Address*
- Animal's name*
- Species* Dog · Cat · Rabbit · Guinea pig · Bird · Other small animal
- Breed or best guess
- Colour and markings
- Sex* Male · Female · Not sure
- Age or date of birth*
- Spayed or neutered?* Yes · No · Not sure
- Microchipped?* Yes · No · Not sure
- Microchip number asked only when it applies
- How long have you had them?* Less than 6 months · 6–12 months · 1–3 years · More than 3 years
- Where did they come from? A shelter or rescue · A breeder · A friend or family member · Found as a stray · A pet store · An online listing
- Vaccinations* Up to date · Overdue · Never vaccinated · Not sure
- Vet clinic
- Vet's phone
- Medical conditions, injuries or allergies
- Current medication and dose
- Vet and vaccination records
2 Behaviour and surrender
- How do they get on with…* Good · Mixed · Not good · Never tested
- House-trained or litter-trained? Yes · Mostly · No
- When left alone, they Settle fine · Settle in a crate · Get anxious or destructive
- Have they ever bitten or scratched anyone, or injured another animal?*
- When did it last happen?* asked only when it applies
- How many incidents in total?* asked only when it applies
- What happened?* asked only when it applies
- Did anyone need medical treatment?* asked only when it applies
- Was it reported to animal control? asked only when it applies
- Tell us about their personality
- Why are you surrendering them?* Moving · Landlord or housing rules · Allergies · Cost of care · Not enough time · Behaviour problems · My health or a family member's · Too many animals · New baby · Owner has died
- Anything more about why
- If we could help with the problem, would you like to keep them?
- Coming with them Food · Bed or crate · Lead, collar or harness · Toys · Medication · Carrier
- Transfer of ownership*
- Owner's signature*
- Date*
The animal surrender form form, page by page
1 Owner and animal
The owner gives their name, phone, optional email and address. Under "About the animal" they enter the name, species, breed or best guess, colour, sex and age, and answer "Spayed or neutered?" and "Microchipped?" — a yes asks for the "Microchip number". They say how long they've had the animal and where it came from. The health section asks about vaccinations, the vet clinic and phone, "Medical conditions, injuries or allergies" and "Current medication and dose", and accepts up to five photos or PDFs of "Vet and vaccination records".
2 Behaviour and surrender
"How do they get on with…" rates other dogs, cats, children under 10, older children and teens, visitors and strangers, and being handled by a vet or groomer as good, mixed, not good or never tested. The owner then covers house-training and how the animal behaves when left alone.
The bite-history question carries help text explaining that honesty helps place the animal safely. A yes opens "When did it last happen?", "How many incidents in total?", "What happened?", "Did anyone need medical treatment?" and "Was it reported to animal control?". A personality box gives the next family something to go on.
"Why are you surrendering them?" lists common reasons, from moving and landlord rules to allergies, cost, behaviour and the death of an owner. A yes/no asks whether they'd keep the animal if you could help — a chance to offer support instead. After listing what's coming with the animal, the owner agrees to the "Transfer of ownership" and signs.
Make the template yours
- Rewrite the transfer statement to match your organisation's surrender policy
- Add a surrender fee question with a currency field if you charge one
- Remove "If we could help with the problem…" if you don't offer surrender diversion
- Change the species list for a species-specific rescue
- Add a question for proof of ownership if your policy needs it
- File surrenders in an intake folder for your shelter team
Tips for a better animal surrender form form
- Send the form when an owner books a surrender appointment, so they can find records at home
- Read the bite-history answers before the animal arrives
- Follow up on "would you like to keep them?" — sometimes a bag of food or a letter to a landlord is enough
- Share behaviour notes with the foster home or adoption team, not the owner's details
- Thank owners — surrendering a pet responsibly is a hard decision
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each surrender is saved as a signed PDF in your FileIt vault, with the vet records attached, and the form owner is emailed. The owner receives a copy of the transfer if they gave an email address.
The Responses table lists surrenders by date and can be exported to CSV, which helps with intake reports and spotting how often each reason comes up.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Animal surrender form form: frequently asked questions
Is this animal surrender form template free?
Yes. It's one of the starter templates in FileIt's Forms app, available on every account including the free plan.
What happens when an owner reports a bite?
Five follow-up questions appear: when it last happened, how many incidents, what happened, whether anyone needed medical treatment and whether it was reported.
Can owners upload vet records?
Yes. Up to five files — PDFs or photos of paper records.
Is the transfer of ownership legally binding?
The form records the owner's agreement and signature. Use wording your organisation has approved, and take legal advice if you need certainty.
Can I use it for strays as well?
It's written for owned animals. For strays you'd usually want a separate found-animal form with where and when the animal was found.
Does it work on a tablet at the front desk?
Yes. The form works on any device, and the owner can sign with a finger.