|
 Bring the animal to our Receiving/Animal Drop-Off area on our campus at 1156 W. Cesar Chavez (directions and map).
After Hours
If you must bring an animal in while the Receiving Office is closed, please place the animal securely in one of our "Night Drop-Off" cages just inside the front door to the Receiving Office. Fill out the appropriate information and attach that to the front of the cage you place the animal in. Please close the door to the cage firmly so that it will lock. Every cage has water available, and our nighttime or morning staff will move the animal to a more comfortable pen as soon as possible.
DO NOT tie animals up or leave them in boxes or carriers in front of the shelter or in the parking lot! Animals left in this way are not safe from theft, escape, or injury.
What May Happen
The shelter takes full responsibility for animals that are brought in. Animals brought in to the shelter may eventually be:
- Reclaimed by their owner (strays are held a minimum of 3 days)
- Adopted to a new family
- Transferred to one of our Partner Organizations, or
- Humanely euthanized
The decisions made about what will happen with a specific animal depend upon the information we have about the animal, the health and behavior of the animal, and the space available at the shelter at that time.
Our staff will provide the best possible care to every animal during its stay at the shelter.
Giving Up A Pet
If you think you may need to give up your pet because of your circumstances or due to an issue with the animal, please consider the decision carefully and refer to our Info on Managing Pets for tips that may help.
If you decide you must surrender your pet to the shelter, be aware that the shelter will take over all ownership rights and responsibilities for the animal immediately, and you will no longer retain any ownership rights to that animal. That’s why it is so important to consider your decision carefully.
You may want to print out and complete a "Cat Behavior Profile," "Dog Behavior Profile," in advance and bring it with you when you bring the animal in to the shelter. The information in these profiles will help us care for, and make decisions about, the animal you can no longer keep.
Unfortunately we CANNOT guarantee adoption or transfer.
| 
Town Lake Animal Center is an "open-intake" animal shelter. That means we accept any animal that needs shelter, regardless of age, health, species, breed or behavior, and no matter whether it is a stray or an owned animal. However, we cannot guarantee that an animal will not be humanely