Adoption Process

Here at the Springfield Humane Society, we use a conversational approach to the adoption process, which helps to match you with a pet that best suits your lifestyle. We no longer have an adoption application to submit, however if we do not have a suitable match at your visit, our staff may ask you to submit an animal interest form, so we can help you find your perfect match in the future!

Finding a Pet

All adoptable animals can be viewed right here on our website, by clicking on the Adoptable Pets tab under Adoptions.

If you are interested in a particular animal, please call us at 802-885-3997 or email us at info@spfldhumane.org. Our staff will be happy to answer any questions and to guide you through our adoption process!

What to Bring

We take cash or credit/debit cards for adoption fees. We do not accept checks. Our credit card machine charges a 3.5% surcharge.
If you are adopting a cat, they must leave in a carrier for safety. Please feel free to bring your own secure carrier with you. If you do not have one, we have cardboard carriers for purchase for $6.
If you are adopting a dog, they will go home with a Martingale collar and ID tag. We recommend using this collar until they are settled into their new home, for safety reasons. We ask that you bring a leash with you if you have one at home.

Adoption Details

In many cases, you may take your new pet home the same day.
We test our dogs in house with cats prior to adoption, but please keep in mind that it is not always a good indication of what will actually happen in a home. We do not do cat introductions with adopter's dogs, as this can be too stressful for the cats in our care.
If you are planning to adopt a dog and you already have a dog in your home, we will schedule an introduction here at the shelter prior to adoption. We do not require this for puppies being adopted and will make exceptions for special cases.
We do not hold animals for adopters for long periods of time. We will, however, schedule an appointment for a specific animal for the same week, and hold them for that appointment.
Any animal adopted from our facility comes with a promise that we will take them back if you are unable to care for them at any point of their life.
If issues arise after adoption, please contact our staff immediately so we can assist with advice and/or support.
You must be 18 years old to adopt.
If you are adopting a Barn Buddy, we do require you to be a homeowner.
Please note that not all landlords allow pets on their properties they rent. If they do, they may have restrictions on breed, size or temperament. They may have monthly or yearly fees for having a pet in an apartment. You should speak with your landlord prior to adoption, to make sure there are no surprises.
We are unable to adopt to MA residents, due to strict transport laws.
Even though we do not have an adoption application, SHS does reserve the right to deny an adoption for any reason.