Surrendering Your Pet

Post June 18, 2016

In preparation for your visit, please check our hours of operation for any special updates.

Appointments Required*

The Sacramento SPCA Intake Department is working hard to schedule appointments in a timely manner.

To place your name on our “Wait-List” for a surrender appointment, please fill out the form located at sspca.org/intake. The wait-list will store your place in line and ensure you get an appointment as quickly as possible.

Please ensure your email address is correct since this will be our main form of contact.

Please only submit one request. Appointments are scheduled as space becomes available. Multiple wait-list requests will not speed up the process of appointments being released. Once surrender appointments become available, our staff will email you to schedule a phone consultation and set up your surrender appointment.

While waiting for an appointment please consider the following:

Private Pet Rehoming websites:
- Adopt a Pet
- Home to Home

Behavior Support:
Sacramento SPCA Behavior Resource Library

If you decide to surrender your pet

The Sacramento SPCA cares for more than 5,500 homeless animals annually. The majority of these animals are relinquished by owners who find themselves unable to care for their pets for one reason or another.

In accordance with the SPCA’s mission, the organization is committed to providing each animal we receive with optimum care and housing. Rather than overcrowd our shelter and risk the health and well-being of the animals in our care, we may periodically need to temporarily stop taking in additional owner-relinquished dogs and/or cats in order to maintain our ability to provide the best possible care to the animals in our charge. When this occurs, the SPCA will make every effort to keep the public informed of this changing situation.

We will do our best to find your pet a new home. Each animal that comes into our care is evaluated for both health and behavior. The results of these evaluations help us to determine the best course for your pet, whether that is placing them for adoption or with one of our rescue partners who can provide them sanctuary and/or rehabilitation.

Despite our best efforts, the unfortunate truth is that some animals cannot be placed due to non-treatable behavior and medical issues, and housing them at our shelter indefinitely would increase disease and illness. Because of this, humane euthanasia may be necessary.

Unfortunately, because we care for thousands of animals each year, we are unable to provide outcome results for individual animals.

Surrender process

Know that we do not accept dangerous animals. Please contact your local animal control agency for assistance.
Government issued ID is required to surrender a pet, and you must be 18 years of age or older.
Review our surrender policies and agreement

The nominal surrender fee we require will help us to care for your pet. We accept cash and major credit cards only.

Surrender fees (per appointment):