Find the right pet for you

The Adoption Process

At Ark-Valley Humane Society, we aim to make the adoption process fun and informative.  Our organization embraces a “Welcome Adoptions” philosophy whereby adoption counselors, through conversation, help you to find a pet that is a good fit for your living situation and lifestyle.

You are welcome to visit the animals at the shelter and spend time getting to know them.  We have a meet-and-greet yard for dogs and play room for cats that provide good spaces for one-on-one interactions.  We encourage you to bring your family members, and for dog adoptions, to bring any other dogs in the home, so you can find out if a new pet will be a good fit. 

You will be asked to fill out a short questionnaire that helps us to understand your expectations for a pet, your housing situation and your lifestyle.  An adoption counselor will then either suggest animals at the shelter that may be a good fit, or will provide you with information about a specific pet you are interested in, including his or her housing, training, exercise, and social needs.

 Our job is to answer your questions, inform you about the pet you are interested in, and help you find a pet that makes sense for you and your family.

All pets adopted from Ark-Valley will be spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, and up-to-date on vaccinations prior to going home with you.  We will go over their health and vaccine records with you prior to adoption, and in most cases same day adoptions are possible.  Adopted pets are offered 30 days of free pet health insurance.  All animals are required to leave the shelter either in a carrier or by leash.

Adoption fees help us to cover some of the expenses associated with caring for each pet at the shelter.  On average we spend $250-500 per animal from the day we receive an animal to the day of adoption.  This includes staff care, veterinary care, vaccinations, blood work, dentals, Felv/FIV tests, and spay/neuter as needed.  Any donation you can provide to further offset these expenses at the time of adoption or in the future goes directly to the care of shelter animals.

Adoption Fees:

Cats

Kittens under 7 months: $100

Cats 7 months to 7 years: $50

Cats 8 years and older: Priceless

Dogs

Puppies under 7 months: $300

Dogs 7 months to 7 years: 

• Small Mixed Breeds Under 25lbs- $200
• Medium-Large Mixed Breeds- $150
• Purebred dogs with papers- $300

Dogs 8 years and older:

• Small Mixed Breeds under 25lbs- $100
• Medium-Large Mixed Breeds- $75
• Purebred dogs with papers- $75

If you have seen an animal in the newspaper or online and would like to know more about this pet, please call us at 719-395-2737 or Fill out an Adoption Application

Adoption saves lives!  Thanks for considering adoption.