Adoption Policies - West Valley Humane Society

Adoption is easy! Our friendly adoption staff will work with you to find the right dog, cat, or critter for your home.

Get started by checking our online adoption listings. We encourage you to spend time getting to know prospective pets.
We will have an informal consultation to ensure that you and the pet you’ve selected are a good match. During this process, we will also review the animal’s medical and behavioral records, explain policies and services available to adopters.
Please note that due to paperwork processes- the last adoption of the day must be complete 15 minutes prior to closing. If you plan to adopt while visiting the shelter please make sure to go to the front desk before 5:45 pm.

The animal must be spayed/neutered prior to going to his/her new home.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Applicants for dog adoptions should have a yard that is fenced on all sides or a fenced kennel area. Dogs that do not have access to a fenced-in area are much harder to housebreak and are more likely to escape, roam and become a neighborhood nuisance. Some dogs may require a fence of a certain type and height.
If applicants have a dog at home, they are encouraged to bring their dog to the shelter to meet the new pet before the adoption will be approved. We want to make sure that your dog is happy with your selection and that the transition for both dogs will be relatively smooth. Make sure your pets are fully vaccinated before visiting the shelter!
Applicants are required to come to the shelter to meet the animal. We do not adopt out of state without the person traveling to the shelter first. We do not ship animals.
In making decisions about the placement of shelter animals, we are thinking not only of their welfare but also of the well-being of the families who wish to adopt from us. We focus on making a good match between pets and owners, not simply making a sale. We hope that you appreciate our efforts to provide quality care to the thousands of unwanted animals that find their way to the West Valley Humane Society each year and that we can count on your support. WVHS does have the right to refuse an adoption if it does not seem to be a good fit.

Dog adoption fees are $25 to $500. Adoption fees are based on supply and demand. Animals that are purebred, or rare breeds, will be priced slightly higher. Those fees will cover the medical costs of animals with lower fees.
The higher fee subsidizes the lower fees and allows us to provide the medical care, spay, neuter, vaccines, etc. that many shelter animals require.
Adoption fees cover the costs of special shelter programs. Programs like “Spay the Mama”, the shelter Foster program, Community Cat Program, TNR+V services, low-cost vaccine clinic, and the Senior Adoption program are all made possible by this gradient adoption pricing.
If we have an animal that is not being adopted due to a high price, we will lower the fee. However, we hardly ever see this happen.

What is included in the adoption fee?

Here is a breakdown of what an animal shelter has already put into your animal before you even adopt.

Spay & Neuter: The average dog spay or neuter for an animal shelter can range from $80-$350.
Vaccines: The cost of intake vaccinations for dogs to prevent: Distemper/Parvo, Bordetella, and Rabies can cost approximately $60 or more.
Parasite Treatments and preventatives such as monthly flea, tick, and ear mite treatments for animals range from $10-$60.
De-wormer medications are given as a preventative, as opposed to waiting to see evidence of worms. These treatments can cost approximately $10-$30, assuming that no lab work was needed.
Microchips: The cost for a shelter to microchip their animals is approximately $20-$25.
Food, Shelter & Comfort: The cost to feed a dog for a month in an animal shelter can range greatly based on the resources of the shelter, but a general ballpark estimate is around $40-$60.
Extreme Conditions: If your adopted dog is on anti-anxiety medication, eye drops, or other antibiotics the shelter may be paying $100 or more in order to provide their care.
Additional surgeries to include dental work: are $100 and up.