Surrendering a Pet

To ensure safe and adequate housing for all pets in our care, intake requests are scheduled by appointment only.

For pets over 2 months: Intake Request Form

For pets under 8 weeks or 2lbs ONLY: Foster Intake Form

Note: Public intake is based on kennel capacity. Due to limited space, not all intake requests will be granted.

ADL adoption returns: Pets previously adopted from the Animal Defense League take priority for available appointment slots.
Health Requirements: To protect the well-being of our current and incoming canine population, all new canine intakes must have received at least one current DHPP vaccination, administered by a licensed veterinarian, at least 3 days before your scheduled intake appointment. If the pet is not currently vaccinated, we offer resources for low or no-cost vaccinations upon request.
Behavior Requirements: All new pets must be social with people and able to be safely handled by our intake team to be accepted into our program.
Intake Fees: To help cover the cost of care for the pets, a non-refundable intake fee is required at the time of scheduling:
  • Puppies/Kittens under 6 months of age: $50 per litter (including nursing moms and litters)
  • Dogs 6 months and over: $50 per dog
  • Cats 6 months and over: $50 per cat
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work together to provide the best care possible for every pet!

May we also suggest:

San Antonio Animal Shelters:

*Please note that intake availability, policies, and procedures differ by organization. Please contact the organization’s intake team before attempting to surrender a pet to ensure space is available.

Rehome, the app by Petco – Rehome is a smartphone application that assists in connecting those looking to rehome their pets with those looking to adopt, all without the pet entering a shelter system! And it’s FREE!

If you are reaching out to return a pet adopted from ADL, please contact your adoption counselor at the email address that was provided at the time of adoption. Your adoption counselor will assist you with the process for return. Please note that a $50 fee will be charged for returned pets.