Adoption Procedures

About Animal Adoption:
About Animal Adoption:

Alachua County Animal Resources is a great place to visit when considering animal adoption. We aren’t just your local animal shelter, we will help you find the right pet and educate you on how to care for your new companion. Our pet adoption process is friendly and thorough, to ensure a lifetime of love and companionship. We are also always available to offer advice after you’ve taken your animal home.

All pets available for adoption receive basic health exams, tests and vaccinations. We require that all dogs and cats adopted from the shelter be spayed or neutered prior to going home.

Applications are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. Whoever meets the animal out of the kennel first is first in line to adopt….and so on. If others are ahead of you, we will notify you if you become first in line or if someone else adopts the animal. If you have requirements to meet, you will be given until the close of business the following day to complete them. If not completed, your application will expire and we will move on to the next potential adopter. If you are unable to adopt your first choice, we will hold your application on file for three months.

Once you have met your animal of choice out of the cage or kennel, you will complete an application and an adoption counselor will review it with you. However, if you are interested in adopting a puppy, you must have approved application prior to meeting the puppy out of the kennel.

True
Animal Adoption Requirements:
Animal Adoption Requirements:

Address Verification: A valid picture ID (driver’s license or Florida ID card) is required to complete an application. If your photo ID does not have your current address on it you must also show a bill or piece of mail that verifies your physical address.​

False
Animal Adoption Recommendations:
Animal Adoption Recommendations:

Current Dog(s) Meeting:If you are adopting a second dog, we strongly recommend that both dogs meet each other in a staff-supervised meeting at the shelter. This is to see how they interact with each other to make sure they get along. Not all dogs like all other dogs; it’s better to find out before bringing the dog home. Some dogs at the shelter may have a dog meeting requirement, due to behavior observed or reported.

Can I have a pet where I live? If you rent, check with your landlord or management office to confirm that pets are allowed and if there are any restrictions, such as weight limits, type and number of pets allowed, etc. If you live in a development with a Home Owners Association they also may have restrictions.It is best to check first.

Who should meet the animal? We recommend that everyone in your home including all family members and/or roommates meet the animal so they all agree on size, breed, color, temperament, etc., and that no one is allergic. Even if the animal will belong solely to you, it will have an impact on each person, so everyone should be comfortable with the pet you’re bringing home.

Keeping up with Vet care and licensing. All pets 3 months and older residing in Alachua County are required to be vaccinated for rabies and licensed.Pets also require other vaccinations and need routine vet checks, monthly heartworm medication and flea and tick control to maintain their health and prevent illness.We recommend that you consider the annual cost of vet care prior to adoption.

False
​​

View Our Kitty Kam

View our Kitty Kam

Contact

Adoption Hours

10:30AM to 5:00PM Tues. through Sat.

Adoptions stop 30 minutes before closing.​

​​​​​​​​​​​​