Can’t keep your pet?
Before you bring your pet to your local animal shelter, please consider the following:
- Post a photo and bio of your pet on your social media channels.
- Talk to your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers or other social networks about your pet.
- Contact a breed-specific rescue if your pet meets the criteria.
- NEW Feature! Create a pet profile on Rehome, a free tool design to help pets find new homes without having to spend time in a shelter.
What can be done to increase my pet’s chance for adoption if I have to surrender it to the CCSPCA?
When you relinquish your pet, you are giving up all legal ownership rights to the animal. Legal ownership and responsibility are transferred to Central California SPCA. We take your animal’s well-being very seriously and have a team of compassionate and dedicated animal care professionals who will provide loving care.
Here are some helpful tips to consider:
- Please ensure that your pet is vaccinated and boostered for common diseases at least a week before entry into our Adoption Center. This will ensure the pet will stay healthy and be available for adoption longer.
- Please bring any medical records you have for your animal.
- Make sure your pet is socialized and trained. The pet should accept handling, petting, and walking on leash with unfamiliar people.
- Give us as much information as possible about the pet on the owner intake forms.
- Have the pet spayed or neutered before surrender. This significantly lessens the expenses to house and adopt out the pet. It also ensures that, once adopted, the pet can go home with its new owner immediately.
- Volunteer. Come visit your pet or other pets that need to be re-homed. You can help keep the animals from getting depressed and ill while they are waiting for new homes.
- Promote the CCSPCA to everyone you know as a great place to acquire a pet. Encourage people to adopt rather than breed or buy pets.
How much does it cost to surrender my pet?
- Dogs are $100 each.
- Cats are $80 each.
- Litters of 5 or less are $125. Litters of 6+ are $25 per animal.
- Pocket Pets: small animals like rats, rabbits, hamsters, birds, reptiles, and more are $25.
- Owner requested euthanasia (including disposal) is $100.
- Disposal is $100.
- Pickup rate is $75.
Why do you charge to take in animals?
Every day a pet waits here for a new home, it costs the CCSPCA approximately $75 in resources. This includes food, labor to clean the kennel and care for the pet, and sometimes needed medications. It costs over $5 to vaccinate each animal when it arrives. If the pet is not altered or microchipped, that is an additional cost of $100 and we must do these things before your animal can be adopted out to someone else.
Can I bring my dog in and trade you for one of your dogs?
We believe that when you take on the responsibility of a pet, it is for the entire life of that pet. Animals are not trade material and their best interests should always be considered.
Why don’t you adopt out my aggressive dog? He’s a good dog!
We want our community to be safe for all beings. If an animal is truly aggressive it could be a danger to others and that is not beneficial to the community.
Why can’t you call me before you euthanize my pet, or when it gets adopted?
We handle thousands of animals per year and are not staffed sufficiently to be able to contact each person that surrenders an animal once adopted, transferred out, or euthanized.
Can I be there when you euthanize my pet?
With the number of animals in our care each day, and to keep fees affordable, we are unable to accommodate visitation requests during the procedure. Our service is meant to be an alternative to those who can’t afford euthanasia services at a private-practice veterinarian. If being with your pet during the procedure is important to you, we recommend you contact a private practice veterinarian to make arrangements.
Can I DONATE my dog to you?
We will always accept an animal if it needs to be surrendered. We ask you to research all other alternatives before surrendering your pet to us. Donations needed are either monetary or in-kind materials that will help us care for the animals in our animal care center. For a list of items we will gladly accept, please click HERE.