THERE was a time when anyone could walk off the street, wander into a kennels or cattery and point at a forlorn face and leave minutes later with a new pet – but not any more.
These days the various bodies looking after the welfare of cats, dogs and other pets are quite selective when it comes to who can offer a new home.
Naturally the biggest concern are our canine and feline cousins who often have specific needs – the former require lots of exercise and attention, the latter a relatively safe environment to wander round in.
But there are countless other smaller points which to be considered, ones which may not be apparent to your average man or woman.
At the Dog's Trust, which has a rescue centre in north east Leeds, they insist owners meet potential pets at least three times to discover whether there's likely to be a potential bond.
They also prefer other pets and family members to meet with the dog for the same reason and staff also chat to the family or individual and give them a pre-adoption talk.
Then they'll visit your home and ensure you have adequate facilities – for example, if you adopt a puppy your garden should be secure.
They will even ask for vets references if you've already had a pet – the whole process usually takes a week at least.
And after all that if they aren't content they can still return with a polite NO.
Sarah Powell of the Dog's Trust in Leeds said: "It is very rare that we'll just say a point blank 'no' to someone, but we will often say 'no for just now' if we feel they aren't right for the dog or the dog isn't right for them.
"Invariably we can find a pet which suits the circumstances, but our starting point is that both animals and people are individuals and you have to make the right match.
"The whole point of it is that we don't want to see dogs return to us and if we make a wrong match then that is what could happen. It's as simple as that."
And the policy seems to work. By chipping the dogs they rehome they can keep tabs on them and of the turnover of arrivals, virtually all of the 120 or so dogs which reside at the centre are new residents.
One of the few hoops organisations are unable to make potential pet owners jump through is finance – they can't demand to know what they earn and make a judgement on that basis.
But they do stress very strongly the financial responsibility of a pet – a dog, for example, can cost around £1,000 a year to keep.
Equation
"The trouble is not that many people figure that into the equation when considering getting a pet," said Jessica Richardson of the PDSA, which treats pets of people whose circumstances means they can't always afford private vets bills.