Relinquish a Pet

We understand that sometimes an owner can no longer care for an animal, and we're here to help. Please be advised of the following policies if you are interested in relinquishing your pet to the Jefferson City Animal Shelter:

- We only accept animals from Cole County. We are a municipal shelter, meaning that tax dollars fund our operations. We only receive funding from Cole county, so that is the only area we are able to serve.

- There is no fee to relinquish a pet

- Currently, we accept owner release animals by appointment only. Please call 573-634-6429 to arrange a time and to make sure we are taking owner released animals. 

- Due to limited resources, we are not able to take animals with certain health or behavioral issues. Examples include those animals with aggression towards people, dog-aggressive dogs, cats that are inappropriately urinating or certain medical problems (at the discretion of the vet staff). Please contact your veterinarian for an exam and to discuss treatment options prior to attempting to drop an animal off at the shelter for medical or behavioral reasons.

- Euthanasia is considered only for certain medical or behavioral problems, and for the same reasons we would decide to refuse an owner-relinquished animal. Adoptable animals have no time limits, and stay until adopted.

If you are dropping your animal off at the shelter, we will ask you to fill out a Dog or Cat History Form at the Intake Desk. These forms can be filled out at drop-off, or printed and filled out ahead of time to speed the process of releasing an animal to us:

Dog History Form

Cat History Form

Owner Release Form

Stray Release Form