How to safely surrender pets in Houston area

Accidents and emergencies happen, but knowing how to respond to them is key. Identifying where to turn for help is the first thing pet parents should plan for. (Bruno Cervera via Pexels.)

HOUSTON, Texas – Does your furry friend need to be rehomed? For reasons that do not matter much, if you’re looking for a safe space to surrender your pet around Houston, we’ve curated a list of animal rescue centers that will safely take them.

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Harris County Pets

Although their dog population is full, Harris County Pets said if you MUST surrender your furry friend, you must call 281-999-3191 first because they do not accept walk-in surrenders.

BARC

If you live within the Houston city limits, BARC will allow you to surrender your pet, but if not, they will connect you to the appropriate agency within your city limits. Houston residents must bring a valid Texas ID and a recent utility bill. Residents can only surrender one pet per week. To surrender your pet, you must book an appointment here at least 14 days in advance.

Houston Humane Society

The Houston Humane Society’s Intake program accepts pets by appointment only Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Owners of adopted pets must pay a $75 fee. Walk-ins are not allowed, owners must call 713-433-6421 or visit https://www.houstonhumane.org/adopt-a-pet/animal-intake to schedule an appointment.

Fort Bend Animal Shelter

Fort Bend County residents can surrender their pets by calling 281-342-1512 to see if space is available. The fee to surrender your pet will be $35.

Galveston County Animal Shelter

The open intake is contingent upon available space in the ARC for Galveston residents only.

Montgomery County Animal Services

MCAS has partnered with Adopt-a-pet.com to assist owners in safely re-homing pets. This service lets owners list pets on the adopt-a-pet.com website and privately rehome them. If this is not an option and you need to surrender your pet ASAP, residents in Montgomery County must fill out an Owner Surrender Request. The form will be reviewed, and you will be contacted. Remember that you can not bring your pet to MCAS until you have been contacted and we have scheduled an appointment for you.

Pasadena Humane

You can fill out an application if you live in Arcadia, Altadena, Bradbury, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Monrovia, Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, or South Pasadena. The shelter will contact you within 72 hours regarding next steps.

Abandoned Animal Rescue

Call 281-999-3191 to schedule an appointment.

Friends for Life

If you want to drop off a pet, you must first fill out an online enrollment form.

Special PALS

If you want to drop off a pet, you must first fill out an application for an appointment.

Diana Morelany of Berg Foster Life said that if you can no longer care for your pet, the best option is to contact family and friends and see if you could rehome the animal yourself.

“In situations where that’s not possible, like, we see situations where individuals have gone into assisted living environments, and they don’t have family that can take it, then I think you can certainly reach out rescue groups and see they will do sort of a direct intake situation. But taking it to the shelter is often one of the best resources,” Morelany said.


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