An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals, mostly dogs and cats, and sometimes sick or wounded wildlife are kept and rehabilitated. Animal shelters offices offer a variety of low-cost services for pets residing in the County: rabies vaccinations, annual vaccine packages, microchipping and more!

Please note, all pets surrendered to Animal Care & Control must be current on vaccinations (this is for the health and safety of the pet). Proof of vaccinations is required. For pets not current on vaccines, they can be brought to the shelter for this service; pet owners will then need to take the pet home for 14 days to allow the vaccines time to take effect before surrendering.

Shelters generally take in all sorts of animals (not just pets depending on local restrictions) and are almost always full. Because a big number of animal shelters take in all sorts of animals, they can have a problem keeping all of them and this often ends with the shelter having to euthanize animals rather than set them loose to fend on their own. Of course people who run or work in shelters do not want this to happen and some have no-kill policies in place but sometimes, letting the animal be put to sleep is the best option for the homeless animal and the community. This is the reason why shelter animals are typically seen as having their days numbered because in many instances, that can really be true.

Animal Shelter Pros

Animals are housed in the shelter’s facility so you’ll have a chance to see available animals for adoption. Processing time for adoption is usually shorter and have fewer requirements as compared to adopting from an animal rescue (Do your due diligence about your shelter if you have any questions). There is an easier way to interact with a future pet since some shelters provide a meeting area or playroom for you to meet and be acquainted with an animal you like. A majority of shelters treat their animal’s minor health conditions… And would also deworm plus spay and neuter before letting the animal be ready for adoption. This means that you will save a considerable amount on vet fees.

Animal Shelter Cons

Some animal shelters may be in a hurry to get you to take the pet home. This can have negative results depending on your and the pet’s needs and personality. Keep in mind that shelters have very limited space and they would always need new space to house other animals. Some animals in the shelter have no known history whatsoever. Another possible issue is that since animals have a short turn-around time in most shelters, the staff and volunteers may not really know enough about the animal to gauge whether it will be a good fit with you. Private shelters may have a lot of requirements and fees before letting you adopt or take home a pet. For some people, a minimal fee can be a con despite the fee being considerably cheaper than to bringing an intact pet to a vet for spaying and neutering. Shelter animals are often not on their best behavior because a shelter can be a very scary place for an animal who is not used to being in a confined space with other animals (this also applies even to the most well run shelters). For this reason, you might miss opting for a great pet just because the animal was scared when you met it.