Before committing for a long term and adopt a pet that will become a full member of your family, you have to weigh the pros and cons of this decision and take the necessary time to answer in all honesty to these questions:
I present myself at the shelter for an interview with the personnel concerning the animal I wish to adopt in order to better understand its behaviour, character, de reason why it was abandoned ... and to know if my living conditions are compatible with its needs so I can give it the love and happiness it deserves. If necessary, I return several times to the shelter to establish a better contact with the animal and to be sure about my decision. After asking the right questions to conclude a responsible adoption, I sign with full knowledge of the facts the adoption contract stipulating my rights and obligations as a adopter.
Consult our page adoption costs.
No! An animal is not a product that one orders in advance before promising to come and collect it (for instance) after some vacation....
Help Animals wishes that each of our animals can leave the shelter within the best possible delay and go to the adopters that will best meet their needs. We refuse to impose the stress of having to stay one or more supplementary days locked up in the cage at the shelter, while in the meantime, they could be so lucky as to know happiness with another family that would adopt it immediately.
Each candidate-adopter must at least 21 years old, have an identity card, reside in Belgium and dispose of a Belgian National Register number. His/her living conditions must meet the basic needs of the animal he/she wishes to adopt.
I only need to phone the nearest shelter (stipulate the numbers to dial for each concerned region) or send an e-mail to info@helpanimals.be (stipulating the nature and exact place of the abuse). It is essential to give as many details as possible and send us a photo of the animal, as well as your contact information which will of course be kept confidential. You can also ask the intervention of the local police.
Besides your veterinarian who will give the best care to your animal, Help Animals can give you the contact information for trainers and behaviourists for dogs and cats who will be able to help you efficiently should your new companion display some behaviour problems.
Small or big, everybody can contribute! All help is welcome: voluntary work (minimum 18 years old), inspections of the follow-up of adoptions, material for the animals (toys, food, cat litter, transport cages, blankets, baskets, ...) articles for the tombola, purchases in our shops ... And, of course, cash donations: whatever the amount! Sponsoring, bequests, solidarity operations: every euro received is entirely dedicated to the well-being of our animals.
Since July 1st, 2022, three services may take charge of cases of animal abuse:
You can file a complaint online with the unit "animal well-being" of the region where the animals in question live. You will find below all the useful contacts, region by region, to the pages dedicated to it. The complaint will quickly be evaluated by the authorities and, according to the urgency of the problem, a visit in situ by the inspector-veterinarian will take place. He will have the authority to make the decisions he deems useful (until seizure and the initiation of legal proceedings).
Know that: though the complainant has to state his identity, his anonymity is guaranteed!
Bruxelles-Capitale
Responsible Minister:
Mr. Bernard CLERFAYT
Brussels Environment
Department animal well-being
Tour et Taxis 86c / 3000
1000 Brussels
E-mail: info@environnement.brussels
Tel: 02 775 75 75
Flanders
Responsible Minister:
(Mr. Ben Weyts)
(Kabinet Minister Ben Weyts)
Martelaarsplein, 7
1000 Brussel
E-mail: dierenwelzijn@vlaanderen.be
Tel: 02 552 66 00 ou 1700 (Free – general)
Wallonie
Responsible Minister:
(Mr. Adrien Dolimont)
SPW – DGARNE
Service animal well-being
Chaussée de Louvain 14
5000 Namur
E-mail: ubea.dgarne@spw.wallonie.be
Tel: 081 33 60 50 ou 1718 (free - general)
Consult our page Lost/found animals > What to do?
I immediately contact the shelter by phone of go immediately to the shelter in order to verify if the found animal is identified or not by microchip.
Yes, via AR ANIMAL SEARCH
In that case, our employees check whether the animal is identified by a microchip. If this is the case, they contact immediately its owner by phone so he can come and collect the animal. If the animal has no microchip (or if the owner does not show up), the animal will stay 10 to 15 days in the shelter before being resented for adoption: during this mandatory legal delay that must allow the owner to retrieve his animal, it will be chipped in the name of Help Animals and receive all the care necessary for tis health (sterilization, vaccination, treatments). If no owner is found, the animal shall be legally adoptable after the eleventh day of its stay in the shelter. The microchip is mandatory for dogs, cats, horses, as well as for farm animals, with the obligation to identify them by a buckle.
If no solution can be found in my own environment to ensure the well-being and safety of my pet that I'm obliged to part with, I have no other choice than to entrust it to Help Animals knowing that I may have to be patient (for several days or weeks) for the shelter to have sufficient free cages to welcome it In the best conditions. A contribution will be asked for the abandonment of your animal.
Help Animals welcomes in its shelters:
We cannot welcome wild animals in our installations.
Abandoning one's animal on the road, in a forest, in the street... is a cowardly and cruel act, an offence punishable by criminal sanctions. However, confiding a pet that we want to part with (for whatever reason) to one of our shelters is completely legal approach.
HELP ANIMALS offers a safe and comfortable place for animals of all ages and races. Found, seized, victims of abuse, or abandoned by their owners, they can recuperate while waiting to be found by their master of joining a new family. At their arrival we do all we can to ensure the well-being of all our animals during their stay at the shelter. OU animal caretakers take charge, and our veterinarians conduct a comprehensive health check-up and provide all the necessary care before being adoptable: vaccination, flea treatment, anti-worm treatments, and identification by microchip; each cat presented for adoption is sterilized to avoid feline overpopulation and limit the risks of abandonment. Every day our precious volunteers provide the comfort that our protégés need: they assure them, socialize them by their soothing presence. Caresses and daily walks help them to progressively regain confidence in humanity! However long their stay, our employees do their utmost to find the masters that concurs best with their character and specific needs. We ensure the follow-up in order to check if every adopted animal is well pampered and treated in its new home.
