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1. What is required to adopt a pet and what does the adoption include?

In order to adopt a pet, you must:

• Own or rent a permanent residence (i.e., house, condominium, mobile home, etc.)
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a current ID or driver’s license showing proof of age and address
• Be willing and able to provide adequate training, necessary medical care, and positive attention to an adopted pet
• Pay adoption fees of $150 for dogs, $175 for puppies, $90 for cats, and $120 for kittens

Adoption fees include the cost of the microchip and initial chip registration, spay or neuter surgery, license fee for the first year, current rabies and distemper vaccination, and a veterinary health exam. These fees also partially cover the cost of the animal’s care and feeding during the animal’s stay at the shelter.

Please understand that the Summit County Animal Shelter reserves the right to deny any application for adoption.

Note: We are not a same-day adoption shelter.

2. How do I adopt a pet?

Once you have chosen a pet that you would like to adopt, you will need to fill out an application for adoption (Dog Adoption Application or Cat Adoption Application) and a Property Owner / Rental Agreement. These two forms need to be completed and turned in for the staff to “hold” an animal for a potential adopter.

If you are adopting a dog and have another dog in the home, we will set up a time for you to bring your dog in to be introduced to the shelter dog in order to ensure that they will get along. We also encourage that all family members meet the pet to ensure that all are in agreement.

The shelter staff will review you application and let you know if there are any questions. Once the application is approved and the dog introduction, if applicable, is completed successfully, an adoption appointment will be scheduled at your convenience. At the time of the adoption appointment, you will sign the adoption contract, register the pet’s microchip in your name, and receive the appropriate paperwork for the pet you are adopting. You will then be able to take the pet home.

3. My pet has been impounded. How do I redeem my pet?

There are fees involved to redeem an impounded pet. You may contact the shelter first at (970)668-3230 to find out the amount owed or you may just come to the shelter during our normal business hours.

You will be asked to show proof of rabies vaccination on a dog, cat, or ferret. If your animal is not vaccinated or proof is not available, you will be issued a citation for Failure to Vaccinate a pet animal. You will be given 20 days to provide the shelter with proof of rabies vaccination and have the citation voided, or you may pay the citation fine or appear in court. If you live in unincorporated Summit County, Dillon, or Silverthorne, you will be required to purchase a dog license if you do not already have a current one. Our fees are as follows:

• Base Impoundment Fee (Dog or Cat) - $50
• Daily Kennel Charge (Dog or Cat) - $20

4. I can no longer keep my pet. How do I relinquish it to the shelter?

Our shelter is an open admission facility for Summit County residents. This means we will accept any pet animal without regard to health or behavior issues. You will be asked to fill out paperwork regarding your pet and its behavior as well as a relinquishment form that gives all rights to the animal to the shelter. We ask that you answer the questions honestly and thoroughly so that we can place the animal in the best possible home. We also require a relinquishment fee of $50 per animal for Summit County residents and $85 per animal for out of county residents. If we determine at the time of relinquishment that your pet is unadoptable due to a health condition or unsafe behavior, we may also charge fees for euthanasia and cremation.

5. How do I report my lost pet?

Contact the shelter at (970) 668-3230 to see if your pet has been impounded. If it hasn’t, ask the staff member to enter a lost report on your animal. If it is outside our normal business hours, you may leave a message on our voice mail and a staff member will contact you shortly after we open. Remember that a dog license can help to identify your pet as well as an identification tag with your name and phone number on it. A microchip is a permanent form of identification which can be obtained through your veterinarian.

6. How do I report a pet that I have found?

If you have found a stray pet, contact the shelter at (970) 668-3230 so that we can check our lost pet database. Often times we are able to put owners back together with their pets by tracing the tags on the animal. If there are no tags and the shelter does not have a matching lost report, an Animal Control Officer can be contacted to pick up the pet from you and impound it at the shelter. If you want to keep the pet in your home giving the owner time to claim it, our office can take a found report from you. If you find the animal after our normal business hours and you are unable to keep it through he night until an officer comes on duty, you can bring it to the shelter and put it in an after hours drop off kennel that is located on the building between the upper pen and side door.