Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter's mission is to protect, shelter, and adopt homeless animals in the northern Franklin and parts of southern Cumberland county service area.
The shelter traces its origins back to the 1970s, when grassroots community efforts helped get the organization's animal and community-focused programs. Before long, they began to receive the support of generous community donors, and in 1994 officially attained 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
Today, Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter helps over 2,000 animals each year get back on their feet and find their loving forever homes.
You must be at least 21 years old to adopt an animal from Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter.
You can meet all of the animals without completing any adoption paperwork. When you find an animal that you want to bring home forever, there are two things you need to do:
If everything goes well, you need to fill out an adoption application. You won't be able to take your new pet home with you that day as Cumberland Valley's adoption specialists will need to follow-up on aspects of your application, like contacting your landlord (if you have one). If you're a renter, bring a copy of your current lease to speed up the process.
Adoption fees are as follows:
Senior citizens (62+) get a 10% discount on all adoption fees.
You’ll have to pay a sales tax of 6% as part of the adoption fee, and if you're adopting outside the state, you may be asked to pay an additional fee.
Your adoption fee covers for neuter/spay surgery, microchipping, ID tag, deworming, current vaccinations, earmite/flea treatment, feline leukemia and FIV tests (cats), and a collar (dogs).
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.
