Animal Services is still open Monday through Saturday for in-person adoption services. Due to the challenges of COVID-19, Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department is also offering virtual meet-and-greets with adoptable pets. This makes adopting a pet easy and safe for those residents who are practicing social distancing at home. How virtual meet-and-greets with adoptable pets work:
Start your pet search and write down the name and ID number of the pet or pets you are interested in
Once you've identified a pet you're interested in send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “virtual adoption.” Include the name and ID number of the animal, any questions you may have and your contact information in the email
An Animal Services adoption counselor will contact you to answer any questions you have about that pet and set up a Skype video meet and greet call with the pet
Once you're ready to adopt, Animal Services will email you an adoption contract to fill out and return. With all the paperwork done virtually, the only thing left to do is to come in and pick up your new pet
Schedule a pickup time with Animal Services to ensure your pet will be ready and that your time spent at the shelter will be minimal
Animal Services is still open Monday through Saturday for in-person adoption services, but this new service offers the community additional choices in how they can adopt
Related FAQs
Pet adoptions are available at the following locations:
You can also visit the offsite location inside the: Petco Adoption Center in Partnership with Animal Services 6200 South Dixie Highway, South Miami, FL 33143
Community events. Check the Animal Services adoption events calendar for additional pet adoption opportunities in the community
Cats only are available for adoption at the following retail partner locations:
PetSmart Flagler located at 8241 W Flagler St Ste 101, Miami, FL 33144
You can also adopt at offsite events including the HOPE Express (mobile adoption vehicle) for adoption opportunities
On the day of adoption, you need to bring the following information:
A copy of your driver license or valid state picture ID
Proof of current address
A collar and leash for a dog or puppy
A signed spay or neuter agreement and a $50 refundable deposit may be required if the pet cannot be sterilized at the time of his or her adoption. The $50 deposit will be refunded upon proof of pet’s sterilization
You must be 18 years of age or older to adopt a pet
Dogs more than four months old carry a $65 adoption fee. You can pay the fee by cash, credit card, debit card, money order or cashier’s check.
Adoption fees include:
All vaccinations
De-worming
Spay/neuter surgery*
Microchip
Heartworm test (over six months in age)
Rabies license tags (for Miami-Dade County residents only).
Dogs less than four months old receive the following services and carry an $85 adoption fee. You can pay the fee by cash, credit card, debit card, money order or cashier’s check.
Adoption fees include:
First set of vaccinations
De-worming
Microchip
Spay/neuter surgery*
* Animals that are less than three months old, weigh less than three pounds or have health issues will not be sterilized or vaccinated for rabies. A $50 refundable deposit will be required and an appointment will be scheduled for the spay/neuter surgery within 30 days or when they are four months of age. Broward County residents refundable deposit fee is $100.
Cats and kittens carry a $35 adoption fee. Adopt two and pay only $35. You can pay the fee by cash, credit card, debit card, money order or cashier’s check.
Adoption fees include:
All vaccinations including feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and Feline leukemia virus (FeLV)
De-worming
Microchip
Heartworm test (over six months in age)
Spay/neuter surgery*
* Animals that are less than three months old, weigh less than three pounds or have health issues will not be sterilized or vaccinated for rabies. A $50 refundable deposit will be required and an appointment will be scheduled for the spay/neuter surgery within 30 days or when they are four months of age. Broward County residents refundable deposit fee is $100.
Miami-Dade County Animal Services salutes our veterans by providing free pet adoptions and/or free spay/neuter services for their dog or cat. It's the County's way of saying, "Thank you for your service."
Eligible veterans can adopt one animal (a cat or a dog) from the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Center at no cost within one fiscal year.
Veteran must reside in Miami-Dade County and present a DD-214 at time of adoption or spay/neuter appointment. A military ID card is not enough and will not be honored
Veteran must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces (i.e., the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve)
Veteran was not punitively discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces, in the case of enlisted personnel, or dismissed, in the case of commissioned officers
Veteran has no unresolved fines or violations with the Animal Services Department
On the day of adoption, you will need to bring the following information :
A copy of your driver license or valid state picture ID. You must be 18 years old to adopt a pet.
Proof of current address
A collar and leash for a dog or puppy (if you don’t have one, you can purchase both at the Pet Adoption and Protection Center).
* A signed spay or neuter agreement is required if the pet cannot be sterilized at the time of his or her adoption in addition to a $50 refundable deposit upon proof of pet’s sterilization.
You can search online, but it is best to visit the Pet Adoption and Protection Center or Petco in person as pet adoptions are conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, and the pet listed online may not be available.
When you search online, be aware that not all the pets shown are available for adoption.
The online pet listing also shows the recently found animals which allows the owner the opportunity to find and be reunited with their pet.
Pets found as strays, with no traceable identification, are placed on a three-day stray hold before they are available for adoption. This gives a possible owner time to claim the pet. If you are interested in a pet with a stray hold, you may serve as the pet's foster parent until that mandatory three day hold period has passed. This is referred to as Foster to Adopt.
Foster to Adopt means you may care for the pet in your home during the three-day hold period. But you are not the pet’s owner until the hold period has expired
You will be asked to sign an agreement stating you understand you are not the official pet owner until the three-day stray hold and there has been no claim on the pet by an owner
If the pet's owner is not found after three days, it is yours to adopt. You can then spay or neuter the pet and obtain a license tag
All pets will be vaccinated, tested for heartworm, dewormed and microchipped before leaving the Pet Adoption and Protection Center or Petco
Adopting a pet is a great experience but sometimes it doesn’t work out and returning a pet is the only option.
The return of the pet is then considered a pet surrender and is not eligible for a refund.
A full refund will be issued, within 30 days of adoption, only under the following conditions:
The animal has a medical condition that was not detected at the time of adoption and the condition is confirmed in a written evaluation by a certified veterinarian
If the animal dies within 30 days of adoption and is returned to Animal Services deceased
If you are ready to re-commit, you may choose to take another pet in its place
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