Adoption Procedures

 Animals can be visited during adoption hours, held Tuesday through Saturday. During your visit, you may walk through our adoption areas and view animals in the kennels, cat room and small animal room.

1) If you see an animal that interests you, make sure to note its tag number, located on the upper left side of the animal’s identification card. 

2) Fill out an adoption application, available in our front office, and return the completed application to the receptionist. We stop accepting applications one hour before the close of adoption hours. On busy days, we may need to stop accepting applications even sooner. Animals may be viewed until the end of adoption hours.

*Time saver – Print out and complete a dog, cat or small animal adoption application from our website before you visit. Check the buttons on the left to download an application. You’ll need Adobe Reader in order to open these PDF files.*



 3) Wait for your meeting with an adoption counselor. We suggest arriving as early as you can during adoption hours to minimize waiting time. Completed applications are processed in the order in which they are received.

The adoption counselor will discuss your application with you and explain the needs of the animal you are considering adopting. If the counselor determines that the animal may be a good fit for you, you will spend some time getting to know the animal.



4) If the adoption is approved, you will pay the appropriate adoption donation and fees and your new pet will receive an examination by our veterinarian and any needed shots or blood tests.



5) Adopters of all dogs may be required to have either a fenced yard or a cable run to allow the dog to get enough exercise. We will need to verify that you have either of these items before the dog can go home with you. Once this information has been verified, you will need to return to the Society to complete the adoption.



6) Unsterilized dogs and cats over four months of age will be spayed (for the females) or neutered (for the males) before you can take them home. If your new pet has already been spayed or neutered and a yard check is not needed, you may be able to take the animal home with you that day.



If your new pet is too young to be spayed or neutered, you will still pay the spay/neuter fee, but must bring the animal back for surgery when it is old enough. You can also choose to have your own veterinarian perform the surgery. When you submit proof that your pet has been spayed/neutered by your veterinarian, we will reimburse the cost of the spay/neuter fee by mail.



Click on one of these links for more information:

Adoption Hours

 Frequently Asked Questions

 Adoptions Donations and Medical Fees

 Info for Rescue Groups

Adoption Tips



*Make sure to bring children 12 and younger with you. Your children will be an important part of your new pet’s life and need to participate in the adoption process. Animals are often returned to us because of a child’s allergies. Determining if your child is allergic before adopting can avoid heartbreak for your child and your new pet.



*Stray dogs will not be adopted to families with children who are 12 and younger.



*If you rent your home or apartment, bring a copy of your lease stating that the type and size of animal you are considering adopting is permitted by your landlord.



* The Society adopts to people who live within a 50-mile driving distance of our facility. We use MapQuest to determine driving distance. The route used to determine distance is up to our discretion.

*Please do not touch the animals. While every animal receives a veterinary examination upon arrival, there are certain diseases and illnesses that take a few days to become evident. If you touch an animal that is ill but not yet showing symptoms and then touch another animal, you can spread disease.

*Many people first see our animals on our website or other websites and contact us asking us to hold a specific animal or provide more information. Animals cannot be reserved for a particular person. While we understand your desire to learn as much as possible about an animal, additional information can only be provided during your meeting with an adoption counselor.

*Dogs are often adopted very quickly and it is possible that a dog you see on our website may already be adopted by the time you visit. This can also happen with cats or small animals. While you may be disappointed that a particular animal is already adopted, please keep in mind that we have many other animals that you may find just as appealing.