Surrender a Pet

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Advocating for Animal Welfare

Michigan Humane works closely with pet owners to help keep animals in loving homes. We offer a variety of owner support services.

If keeping your pet in your home is not an option, Michigan Humane encourage pet owners to review all the options available before making the decision to surrender to our facilities.

Before You Decide to Surrender Your Pet

We want to help you keep your pet at home whenever possible. Before moving forward with surrender, please consider these potential alternatives:

1. Reach Out to Friends and Family

Ask relatives, friends, neighbors, or co-workers if they might be able to provide a loving home. Sometimes, a caring connection is just one conversation away.

2. Explore Breed-Specific Rescue Networks

If your pet is a purebred, breed-specific rescue organizations often offer tailored support and placement services.

3. Investigate Pet-Friendly Housing Resources

Finding a rental that accepts pets can expand your options for keeping your companion. Several online platforms help pet owners locate suitable housing within their budget.

Rehoming Your Pet

Before surrendering a pet to a shelter, we recommend first trying to find a suitable home for your pet by spreading the word among friends, relatives and co-workers. Give yourself a few weeks to place the animal in a good home, and never give away your pet to someone without screening the person carefully and asking for references. Please do not give your pet away “Free to a Good Home” as there are unscrupulous individuals who could harm your pet or sell the animal for research to make money. Asking a reasonable fee may help deter such people.

Michigan Humane has partnered with Adopt-a-Pet.com and the Petco Foundation to make the process of rehoming your pet easier. The Rehome program will find a loving forever home for your pet. Click the banner below for more info.

Making Your Pet as Adoptable as Possible

Unsterilized (intact) pets are at a much greater risk of being surrendered by their owners. This is due to related health or behavior (aggression, marking, roaming) reasons, or because they produce “unwanted” litters. By having your pet neutered or spayed, you may find you do not need to give him or her up. Michigan Humane veterinary centers offer low sterilization fees among other services.

Ensuring your pet is current on vaccinations and has had proper dental care will not only help keep him or her healthier in a shelter environment or new home but will also make them more appealing to a potential adopter. Groom or bathe your pet. Consider pet training which will make him or her more adoptable, and may even allow you to keep your pet. Also, having your pet at a healthy weight will make him or her more appealing to adopters.

Surrendering Your Pet

Michigan Humane is able to assist owners who need to surrender their pets through an appointment-based system. To support the care of your pet and thousands of others each year, there is a $60 fee due at time of appointment.

To schedule an appointment to surrender a pet:

Call : 1-866-648-6263
Hours : By appointment only, during shelter open hours. 

Please remember to bring the following items so that we may better serve you:

  • Vet records
  • Complete a pet profile form (dog surrender form, cat surrender form)
  • Please have your animal on a leash or in a carrier
  • $60 surrender fee
  • Driver’s license or state ID

Due to federal regulations we are unable to accept any medications for any reason.

All customers are asked to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time.

Michigan Humane pet surrender locations, by appointment only:

Please call 1-866-648-6263 Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment at one of the locations below.
  • Mackey Center for Animal Care (Detroit)
  • Berman Center for Animal Care (Westland)

Placement: Michigan Humane makes every effort to place surrendered in new, loving homes. However, we cannot guarantee rehoming of your pet. The placement of an individual animal for adoption is based on an evaluation of his or her health and temperament. Once an animal is placed up for adoption at Michigan Humane, there is no time limit in which he or she can remain up for adoption.

Stray Animal Surrenders

Have you found a stray animal? Stray animals need to be taken to the designated municipal animal control facility for the area in which the animal was found. This is necessary to ensure the best possible chance of the pet being reunited with its family, who may already be calling or visiting that shelter.

Michigan Humane is the contracted municipal animal control provider for the following cities and townships and can legally accept stray animals found within these areas.

The animal must be found within one of the listed municipalities, and the person bringing the animal in must be a resident of that area. Cities and townships not included on this list do not have a contract with Michigan Humane, and we are unable to accept stray animals found outside these locations.

  • The City of Canton
  • The City of Dearborn Heights
  • The City of Hamtramck
  • The City of Highland Park
  • The City of Livonia
  • The Township of Northville
  • The Township of Redford
  • The City of Westland

If you are not a resident of one of the Michigan Humane contract cities or townships listed above, but the animal was found in one of those municipalities, authorization must be obtained from that city or township before the animal can be left with us. Please call 866-648-6263 and our team will help direct you to the appropriate municipal office.

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