Surrendering a pet is never an easy decision. But if you find you must part ways with your pet, you have options. First, notify trusted friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers that you need to find a new home for your pet. More often than not, this type of networking can have very positive results. Plus, you may even get to visit on occasion if you find your pet a new home within your social network.

 

Guidelines for Surrendering Your Pet to Our Shelter

Bringing your pet to our shelter should always be your last resort. If you are unable to re-home your pet on your own, here are the guidelines for surrendering your pet to our shelter:

• By state law, we cannot take in healthy stray dogs over three months of age. Instead you must surrender him/her to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.
• We will accept or rescue stray dogs of any age that are sick, injured or abused on any day of the week. Please call our EAMT™ Dispatch Center at (602)997-7585 ext. 2073 between the hours of  8am and 7 pm.
• We accept stray cats, healthy or otherwise of any age.

You can surrender your pet to us in the Admissions Department at our Sunnyslope location, 9226 N. 13^th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85021 between 9am to 5pm daily. We are only closed on major holidays. If you are surrendering your pet because you cannot or will not care for him/her any longer for any reason, we ask that you make the requested monetary contribution noted below:

Watch Our Animal Intake Video to Learn More

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Fees

 

      Dogs/Cats/Rabbits:

• We request a minimum donation of $35 for each animal or litter you are surrendering to us. We appreciate and gladly accept donations in excess of $35 to help offset the many costs we will incur as we care for the pet(s) you are unable or unwilling to keep or care for any longer.
• A litter is defined as kittens or puppies who are siblings and under 3 months of age. 

 

     Little Critters (domestic rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, guinea  pigs, ferrets, small birds)

• We request a $10 donation for each little critter you are surrendering to us. 

 

      Feral and trapped cats

• We charge $20 for the first feral or trapped cat/litter you bring to us. This includes feral cats/feral litters brought to us in carriers, boxes or other means (other than the trap itself). We charge $75 for each additional feral or trapped cat/litter you bring to us at any time on the same day or in the future. This also  includes feral cats/feral litters brought to us in carriers, boxes or other means other than the trap itself.
• A litter is defined as kittens or puppies who are siblings and under 3 months of age.
• Another alternative for you to be aware of is called Trap/Neuter/Release (TNR). We at the Arizona Humane Society endorse TNR as a humane way to manage feral cats in your area. Please contact the Animal Defense League of Arizona's Trap Neuter Return (TNR) Program at 602-265-7729 or feralcats@adlaz.org, OR Altered Tails AzCATs at 480-968-4867 or info@alteredtails.org, The Foundation for Homeless Cats at www.thefoundationforhomelesscats.org to learn how to help stop the cycle of breeding and continue to care for the feral cats in your area, all at the same time!

      Wild Animals (bats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks & bobcat/wildcat)

• Neither we, nor Maricopa County Animal Care & Control can take in wild animals. Instead, you must contact the Arizona Game & Fish Department at one of the following locations:
  
  
• Main Office – Phoenix
  5000 W. Carefree Highway
  Phoenix, AZ  85086
  602-942-3000
  
  
• Region VI - Mesa
  7200 E. University
  Mesa, AZ  85207
  480-981-9400
  

     Why we ask for a surrender fee…

• We are a charity – a private, non-profit organization that meets a specialized need in our community. We have been serving this community since 1957. We are not mandated to take in pets; rather, we do because we want to ensure a safe, humane haven for animals that have no other place to go.
• We do not receive any government funding or tax revenue.
• We RELY on donations and nominal fees, such as our intake fee, to care for approximately 50,000 animals each year.
• We spend between $195 to $285 to care for each dog, cat, puppy or kitten in our shelter. This includes vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, flea/tick control, laboratory tests and food/boarding, which average $15 per day per animal. The average stay per animal is 10-14 days.
• The average cost to us to humanely euthanize and properly dispose of an animal is $125. This includes the cost of the drugs, the landfill disposal fee and the time of the veterinary technician or doctor who carries out the procedure.
• Our average adoption fee is $50.
• Regardless of the animal’s outcome (adoption or euthanasia), we will “lose” an average of $155 for each animal that we take in or rescue.
• Ask yourself: If we were not available to take in the pet you can no longer care for, what would you do?

We greatly appreciate your understanding of - and cooperation with - our surrender fees. 

What Comes Next?

We understand that surrendering your pet is one of the most difficult decisions you’ve ever had to make. The anxiety over whether it was a good decision or not can be overwhelming at times and it is for that reason that we do not disclose information about the pet once he or she is surrendered to us.

But please know that we have your pet’s best interests in mind, as we do all the other pets who come through our doors. While we cannot provide updates, take comfort in the fact that we are committed to providing the very best care and helping your pet and all the other pets in our care find new homes, whether the adoption takes place through our shelter or rescue agencies with whom we work.