Animal Shelters & Rescues in San Antonio

San Antonio's municipal shelter takes in strays, 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 city shelter; use the listings below to find rescues and other shelters near you.

The city animal shelter

San Antonio Animal Care Services (ACS) is a City of San Antonio department and describes itself as the largest open admission municipal shelter in South Texas. It takes in strays, handles microchip rules, adoptions and owner surrenders, and says its mission is to encourage responsible pet ownership through education, enforcement and community partnership. ACS can only serve people who live inside the San Antonio city limits.

Found a stray or lost your pet

If you found a pet, ACS suggests starting in your own neighborhood, because most pets are found close to home, and filing a report with a national lost-and-found database. A report there must be completed before you submit a "trapped and confined" request through 311. Sick or injured animals should be reported to 311 right away so an officer can be sent. If you can keep the pet for a few days, ACS asks you to complete its Stray Pet Form so it can network the pet, and to have the pet scanned for a microchip at a vet clinic, shelter or spay/neuter clinic. Residents of several nearby municipalities and unincorporated Bexar County must contact their own local authority about strays.

If you lost a pet, ACS recommends walking through the kennels at the shelter every other day, and keeping the phone numbers on your pet's license or microchip up to date. To reclaim a pet you need proof of ownership before the end of the stray hold and a government-issued photo ID, and the registered owner must be present if the pet is microchipped. ACS notes that because of the number of animals, pets may only be held 3 days or less after intake, so go as soon as you can.

Licenses and microchips

ACS says all dogs, cats and ferrets residing in the city limits must have a registered microchip, and owners must keep the registration current, including after a change of owner. Dogs must wear a tag with the registered microchip number outdoors. A current city license tag stays valid until it expires. Exemptions include a non-resident keeping the pet in the city for fewer than 60 days, a new resident of fewer than 30 days, a temporary owner of a lost pet for fewer than 30 days, and a medical exemption from a veterinarian.

Surrendering or rehoming a pet

ACS says it is facing critically low kennel capacity and urges owners to try other options first, such as asking friends and family, placing an ad or posting flyers. It accepts surrenders only from City of San Antonio residents (Bexar County residents are pointed to Bexar County Animal Control), and you must book an appointment first; same-day requests are not accepted. Bring a completed owner surrender form, valid ID and a clear photo of your pet, with dogs on a leash and cats in a carrier.

Adopting a pet

ACS says it does not take adoption applications online, adoptions are first come, first served, and you should tour the kennels, meet the pet with your family and complete the adoption at the shelter. The person who will be the registered owner must come in. Because most pets arrive as strays and are held first, you generally cannot take a pet home right away. All animals adopted from ACS are sterilized, vaccinated, de-wormed and microchipped, and ACS says it cannot temperament test every animal, so ask what is known about a pet before you decide.

Meet the pet more than once if you can, 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.