The adoption process
What You Should Know
All dog adoptions are by appointment only, so please call our office during our open hours to set up an appointment time. While we do allow for same-day adoptions, we reserve the right to place our animals in the home that we feel will best fit their needs, which sometimes means we may deny an application for a specific animal, or ask for multiple meetings.
If you are a dog owner seeking to adopt another dog, we require a meet-and-greet before we will approve your application. We also require all adoption applicants to secure a veterinarian to care for their new pet.
Cat adoptions can be done any time during our open hours, as our Cat Room is open to the public, whereas Dog Room is not.
Are you a renter planning to adopt? We call landlords to make sure they're aware of the pet you're planning to bring home, so be sure to give your landlord a heads-up before you drop by the shelter, or bring along a copy of your lease agreement saying that pets are allowed.
All of these measures are with the best interests of the pet in mind. Our goal is to ensure every animal placed goes to a home where it will live happily, not just temporarily, but for the rest of its life.
Please keep in mind, most of our animals come to us with very little information on what's happened to them before they arrived here. All of our dogs and cats are wonderful in their own unique way, but we can only attest to behavior we've witnessed during their stay here at the shelter. When adopting an animal from us, be sure to ask for advice on how best to introduce him/her to his/her new environment to ensure the health, happiness, and safety of your new pet and any existing pets you may have—and then follow that advice. With a little time, patience, and wisdom, every shelter animal has the potential to be a loyal fur-ever friend!
Our fees have not changed significantly in the last five years, although costs associated with animal care (including minimum wage) have increased dramatically. Each animal adopted from our shelter has been fixed, given age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipped, blood-tested, dewormed, treated for fleas and ticks, and had its nails trimmed—that amounts to a $300 to $450 value depending on the type and age of the animal you're adopting. Our low adoption fees help sustain our shelter, and they are what allow us to take in and care for our community's homeless pets.
