Animal Shelters & Rescues in Phoenix

Maricopa County's public animal shelter serves the Phoenix area, and private humane societies and volunteer rescues, many of them foster-based with no building, rehome pets too. If you have lost or found a pet, start with the county shelter; use the listings below to find rescues and other shelters near you.

The city animal shelter

In Phoenix, Maricopa County Animal Care and Control supports the Phoenix Police Department. The City of Phoenix police page on animal crimes says Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) supports the department by responding to requests for stray, aggressive or vicious dogs, dog bites and rabid animals, and that it is the point of contact for questions about dog licensing. MCACC describes itself as a public animal shelter for lost, surrendered and stray dogs. Contact MCACC directly to ask how it handles cats and other animals.

Found a stray or lost your pet

Arizona law (ARS 11-1013) says each stray dog or any cat impounded at a county pound and not eligible for a sterilization program is kept for a minimum of 72 hours, or 120 hours if it arrives with a microchip, a license or other discernible owner identification, unless the owner claims it first. A cat that is eligible for a sterilization program and will be returned to where it was captured may be exempt from the holding period. Impounded dogs and cats must be scanned for a microchip and a reasonable effort made to contact the owner. MCACC's licensing FAQ says it follows a minimum 120 hour hold for a licensed dog, compared with a minimum 72 hour stray hold, and that a licensed dog picked up at large is returned directly to its owner the same day when possible, without going to the shelter.

Licenses and microchips

MCACC says that in Maricopa County all dogs over three months of age are required by law to be licensed and vaccinated against rabies, and that licenses are renewed annually. The county's licensing service lists Phoenix among the areas it covers. A microchip is the best way to be reunited with a lost pet, so keep the registration current.

Adopting a pet

Under Arizona law, a dog or cat may not be released for adoption from a county, city or town pound or from an animal shelter unless it has been spayed, neutered or otherwise sterilized, with limited exceptions such as a veterinarian's medical finding or no sterilization facility within twenty miles. Ask the shelter how it handles this and which vaccinations and microchip come with the pet.

Meet the pet more than once if you can, ask about its history and have your landlord's pet policy handy before you commit.

About these listings

Many listings here were added from public business data and have not been claimed yet. Ask the shelter or rescue directly about opening hours, adoptable pets and whether it takes surrenders. If you run one of these shelters or rescues, you can claim or correct its listing from its page.