You do not need an appointment to meet with an animal on our website, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to stop by anytime during our open hours to visit with the adoptable animals.

All of our animals come spayed/neutered, up to date with age-appropriate vaccinations. Microchipped, given a flea/tick treatment, and dewormed.

Our approval or denial process is not based off the adoption application, but instead based off of the meet and greet with the animal and conversational-based counseling with our adoption counselors!

We require all adopters to provide a valid ID at time of adoption. If adopting a dog, please remember that all canine companions will need to leave the building on their own leash and collar. If adopting a cat, please remember all feline friends need to leave in a carrier! If you do not have leash, collar, or carrier, they can be purchased at HSSW for an additional fee.

While we try to give you a pretty good first description of an animal’s personality based on our assessments here at HSSW, we always recommend a family introduction for every adoption. HSSW life is very different for an animal than a home.

This is definitely a pet-by-pet basis. Some animals prefer to be in a one-pet home whereas some pets are very social and love to be around other pets. Our adoption counselors will counsel you through the acclimation period of introducing your new pet into your home.

At our facility, we will place our animals on what we call “Available – Open Selection”. This just means that the animal is available to be met with and placed on an adoption hold; however, would not be available to go home until after the five day stray period. The animal will stay in our facility the entire time. If the animal was reclaimed, we would refund the adopter that placed it on hold. We do make our adopters aware of this so they know there still may be an owner out there. Open Selection is a process that is recommended and recognized through UW shelter med to help length of stay. It has become one of the best practices of animal sheltering!

Adopting a pet is a big commitment that requires a lot of time and patience and, of course, an acclimation period. Transitioning from the shelter to a home is a big change. In the rare case that a relationship doesn’t fit a match, we ask that you bring the pet back to us. There is a 30-day period that the animal can come back to the shelter. Because we are a non-profit, the adoption fee isn’t refundable. Depending on circumstances, we may grant an adoption voucher toward another adoption. We want to work with you to make this a beautiful relationship for both of you. Many times, just some advice and guidance can make a big difference.