In 2018, Alachua County Humane Society merged with Gainesville Animal Shelter and Helping Hands Pet Rescues to form the Humane Society of North Central Florida. This merger enabled these three shelters to streamline their services and combine their efforts to better serve their community's residents and companion animals.
As a no-kill organization, The Humane Society of North Central Florida is determined to find adoring forever homes for all the animals they care for at their two campuses:
They're an independent, non-profit organization and rely on generous community donations and committed volunteers to continue to save animal lives. In 2019 they achieved a save rate of 92.75% and are a proud member of the Shelter Animals Count initiative. This membership requires that they share their shelter statistics in a bid to generate facts and insights that will better help further the cause of homeless animals in the years to come. They strive to be transparent with their statistics and fiscal reports and encourage all shelters to follow suit.
To adopt a dog, cat, or small animal from the Humane Society of North Central Florida, begin by viewing their adoption listings online. All eager pets waiting to find a forever home are listed with their details updated in real-time.
Once you've found a new best friend, you can fill out an adoption form:
Once submitted, a staff member will review your application and be in touch. Better yet, bring the completed application directly to the shelter to have it reviewed and meet your target animal all in the same day!
Adoption fees at the Humane Society of North Central Florida are as follows:
Your adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchipping, deworming, flea control, a heartworm test for dogs 6+ months old, and a bag of Hill's Science Diet dog food.
Your adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchipping, deworming, flea control, a FIV/FeLV test for cats 3+ months old, and a bag of Hill's Science Diet cat food.
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.
