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If you’re somehow unable to care for your pup, there are humane ways to find them a new home.
by Cammi Morgan, | April 9, 2025
Irina Shatilova / iStock
Needing to rehome your Irish Setter can feel daunting, but there are several safe options to place them in a new, loving home. Irish Setters are social, high-energy, athletic dogs who need lots of daily exercise, companionship, and mental enrichment. You may have found that their energy and enrichment needs are no longer compatible with your life, or you may need to rehome them for other reasons, such as your health issues or financial changes.
Although you may not be able to keep your Irish Setter, you can make sure they continue to be cared for by finding them loving pet parents. The following guide explains the best ways to rehome an Irish Setter.
When you rehome a dog, this means you’re placing them into a new adoptive home. Rehoming a dog typically entails finding them a new family you’ve personally selected. Surrendering a dog, on the other hand, means placing them in the care of a shelter or rescue. From there, the organization takes over, working to find them a loving home. Both are routes to consider if you can no longer keep your Irish Setter, although rehoming them tends to be the best option for your pet, because rescues and shelters are often overwhelmed with intake requests.
If you’ve done all you can, it’s important to remember that pets are individuals, and your home might not be the right fit. Try Rehome by Adopt a Pet for a safe way to rehome your pet.
To begin the process of rehoming your Irish Setter, start by trying to adopt them out directly into a new home. Direct rehoming is typically much less stressful for the pup than staying at a shelter, and it also helps prioritize space in animal shelters for dogs, such as strays, who have nowhere else to go. If you’re unable to directly rehome them, look for a rescue organization as the next best alternative. Surrendering your Irish Setter to an animal shelter should be your very last option.
Whichever route you take, make sure to present as much information as possible to the new adopter or rescue organization. Include the pup’s age, sex, breed, and relevant health and behavioral information. Providing this info will help ensure your Irish Setter is matched with a suitable adopter. For example, if your highly social Irish Setter tends to become extremely stressed when their pet parents leave home, this is important information to share, so potential adopters can decide if their schedules can accommodate a pup who needs lots of companionship. Someone who can bring their dog to work or works at home could be a perfect fit for them — providing this info can help elicit a solid match.
The easiest and safest method for rehoming your Irish Setter is to find someone you already know who’d want to adopt them. Think about reaching out to people in your life who might be great matches for the personality and energy level of your pup. Irish Setters are often extremely social, outgoing, and love to play. They typically enjoy going on adventures and can be excellent hiking and swimming buddies. Outdoorsy families can make perfect homes for this energetic, friendly, and happy-go-lucky breed. These pups don’t tend to do well alone for long periods, so it’s best to prioritize adopters who will have plenty of time to spend with their new pal.
Try expanding your search by networking in your personal community. Ask friends, family, and coworkers if they know any prepared, reliable dog lovers who may be looking to adopt. Or take your Irish Setter to community events and other public spaces where you know the people, as long as your pup is comfortable in these settings.
In addition to in-person networking, you can also try using pet adoption sites to find your Irish Setter a new, loving home. Start with Rehome by Adopt a Pet, which will digitally advertise your pet. They help you avoid surrendering your dog and subjecting them to potential euthanasia if they don’t get adopted. These pet adoption sites offer tools to help you vet potential pet parents to make sure they aren’t adopting your pup for harmful reasons.
Some shelters and rescues will help post your pet’s information to a wider audience. Check to see if your local organizations offer this program, which is part of a wider strategy to reduce shelter intakes by helping pet parents safely and directly rehome their pets instead of surrendering them.
Before surrendering at an animal shelter, reach out to animal rescues. These organizations are often foster-based and may be able to pair your Irish Setter with a foster parent while they await their forever home. Being placed into a foster home is much less stressful than staying in a kennel at a shelter, and can allow your Irish Setter to receive plenty of one-on-one attention.
It’s best to start by searching for rescues that specifically take in Irish Setters, such as Save Our Setters. These rescues are the most familiar with the needs of this energetic and social breed, and will have the best understanding of the kind of adopters to look for. If you can’t find a breed-specific rescue to take in your pup, try expanding your search to any well-reviewed, reputable rescue in your area. You may need to get on a waiting list or drive several miles, since rescues are often inundated with requests. But it’s worth the trouble to nurture a dog’s well-being.
If you’ve exhausted all other options, you may turn to surrendering your Irish Setter to a shelter. Some shelters have more robust adoption programming than others. Ideally, you’ll want to reach out to these places first, because your pup may get adopted quicker. A shelter with plenty of excellent reviews and a large, positive following on social media is a good sign. You can also consider touring the shelter first to get an idea of how they operate.
Resist the urge to place posts or classified ads on sites such as Nextdoor, Facebook, Craigslist, or Local Sales Network (aka LSN). They can be full of questionable breeders or scammers who might pose as adopters to harm the pet or steal your personal information.
You may have to pay to rehome an Irish Setter if you are surrendering them to a shelter or rescue organization. Surrender fees can vary widely, and some are voluntary. These fees help the shelter or rescue organization continue to operate.
In some cases, a pet parent may set a rehoming fee, which the adopter pays. This fee ensures the adopter is financially able to care for the pet and weeds out people looking for free dogs to use in fighting rings or to breed. A rehoming fee is not the same as selling a dog and is not meant for profiting off your pet. While it’s understandable to feel strange setting a fee for your beloved pet, establishing a rehoming fee can increase the safety of the adoption.
You should charge a rehoming fee if you don't personally know the adopter, since this fee functions as a safety mechanism. For an adopter you know and trust, charging a rehoming fee is less crucial.
A reasonable rehoming fee for an Irish Setter is typically around $100, and in most cases, no more than $300. The exact fee may depend on factors such as where you’re located, if your dog is fully up-to-date on their shots, and if they’re generally healthy. It’s also highly advisable to make sure they’re spayed or neutered before rehoming them, to ensure they aren’t adopted by someone intending to breed them.
Rehoming with pet adoption sites such as Rehome by Adopt a Pet offers pet parents a humane, effective way to find an ideal adopter. Irish Setters are highly popular family dogs, and Rehome’s service can help you sift through the many applications you’re likely to get. With Rehome’s four-step process, you can set up a profile, review the applications, meet the adopters, and finalize the adoption with an adoption-contract template that they provide.
No, PetSmart does not take in dogs who need to be rehomed. However, PetSmart does host adoption events in which approved shelters and rescue organizations can bring their dogs to the store for adoption events.
The fastest way to rehome a dog is to adopt them directly to someone you know who is a good match. If you need to search for an adopter, creating an eye-catching and cute adoption profile and widely sharing that information through trusted sites and in your vetted network can speed up the process.
You can put an Irish Setter up for adoption on sites like Rehome by Adopt a Pet, by taking them to a breed-specific rescue, or as a last resort, by surrendering them to a shelter.
Before you give up your pet to a shelter, know there are options | Better Together Animal Alliance. (n.d.). https://bettertogetheranimalalliance.org/pet-surrender-options.
Christine. (2024, April 8). Tips for rehoming your pet - East Bay SPCA. East Bay SPCA. https://eastbayspca.org/resources/rehome-surrender-a-pet/tips-for-rehoming-your-pet.
Setters, S. O. (n.d.). “Setting a Higher Standard.” https://saveoursetters.org.
Cammi Morgan is a nature and pet care writer living off-grid with her pack of rescue and foster dogs in the mountains of Southeast Appalachia. In addition to her work with Adopt a Pet, she has contributed to Animal Wellness Magazine, PetsRadar, Global Comment, A-Z Animals and other online publications. Her passions include animal rescue, mycology, hiking, and caving.