Women's Animal Center was established in 1869, making them America's very first animal shelter. As an open-admission shelter, they take in all cats, dogs, and small animals regardless of breed, age, and health. Since they're a private organization, they rely entirely on public support and donations to save valuable animal lives. Their mission is to reduce the number of animals euthanized every year. They aim to achieve this by rehoming 100% of the adoptable animals they treat and care for.
In addition to adoption services, they have an on-site veterinary hospital and deliver crucial low-cost spay/neuter services and vaccinations to the community. They also offer residents a range of dog training and cat behavior classes and programs. The goal is to enrich the human-animal bond and prevent unwanted behavior while also making sure both the owners and pets have a great time.
The adoption process at Women's Animal Center can be summarized in the following 6 easy steps:
Adoption fees at Women's Animal Center are as follows:
While all of the cute puppies and gorgeous dogs available for adoption are special, those that are purebred or considered more desirable by the public are labeled "MVPs." These animals have a higher adoption fee to help carry the expenses of those that don't get adopted as quickly.
Your adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, flea and tick treatments, microchipping, and free or discounted services from the Women's Animal Center's veterinary hospital. Testing cats for leukemia and FIV/FeLV or dogs for heartworm will cost an extra $30.
Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!
In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.
Because shelter dogs are full of love!
Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?
I can't say for certain, but yes.
Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:
Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:
These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.
You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.
Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.
If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!
If you're looking to adopt a new dog, our Dog Adoption Guide is a must-read. It has everything you need to know about bringing a shelter dog home:
And we're adding new guides all the time.
