Stray & Owner Surrender Policy

THINK YOU NEED TO SURRENDER YOUR PET?

Before you decide to surrender your pet, please exhaust all other re-homing options before contacting us.

Talk to friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, and your veterinarian, as they may know someone who might be interested in taking your pet. You can also submit your pet online, for free, through Adopt-a-Pet.

Need help with dog training? Learn more about our partnership with GoodPup here.

If, despite your best efforts, it is still necessary to give up your pet, we are here to help. At Animal Friends, we want to ensure that we are able to help our community’s neediest pets first and ensure space and resources for all pets being brought to the shelter. We only accept cats and dogs from Butler County residents, by appointment only.

You can email your request to:

Dog surrenders: DogIntake@bcohio.gov
Cat surrenders: CatIntake@bcohio.gov

*When emailing us, please check your spam/junk folder if you have not received a reply within 48-72 hours.

There is a surrender fee of $50 per cat and $100 per dog.

NOTE: Leaving your pet at Animal Friends after hours or without having a staff member admit it to the shelter is considered abandonment. Ohio Revised Code 959.01

PLEASE BE CERTAIN THAT YOUR DECISION TO SURRENDER YOUR PET IS YOUR FINAL DECISION. By surrendering an animal to Animal Friends, you are relinquishing all rights of ownership. If you have any doubts about surrendering your pet(s) to us, please DO NOT do so.