Upon visiting the Adoption Center, you will immediately be greeted by one of our volunteer receptionists or an Adoption Counselor. If it is your first visit, you will be instructed as to where you can see all of our animals available for adoption. Once you find a pet that you think you would like to adopt, you would locate an Adoption Counselor to help you:
1. Staff will make arrangements for you to visit with a cat, dog, puppy or kitten. Depending on the size and species of the pet, you may be outside in a play yard or inside in one of our “meet and greet” rooms.
2. Once you have been matched with the perfect pet, one of our Adoption Counselors will make sure you are fully informed about the pet and answer any questions that you may have.
3. The adoption process takes approximately one hour. Adoptions will stop one hour before closing time at 6pm.
4. All of our pets are spayed or neutered, current on vaccinations (including rabies), and microchipped.
| Puppies 1 year & under | $275 |
| Dogs 1 year+ | $135 |
| Kittens 1 year & under | $150 |
| Cats 1 year+ | Name Your Price! |
Senate Bill No. 245 allows Veterans in California to adopt a pet for free.
Beginning January 1, 2020, veterans may show their driver's license or ID card with the “VETERAN” designation on it to Pet Adoption Center personnel and have adoption fees waived. The law limits the free dog and cat adoptions to one every six months.
Although the bill waives adoption fees, a microchip fee of $28 still applies.
Senior for Senior Adoption Program: Persons aged 65+ can receive waived adoption fees for pets aged 7+ years. While the adoption fee is waived a microchip fee of $28 will apply.
5. We complete all adoptions digitally, so we can either text a checkout link to your mobile phone or you can complete the process using one of our devices. Checks are not accepted for adoption fees.
6. All cats must leave in a carrier. Carriers can be purchased in our Pet Store. Cats over the age of 1 year must leave with a collar and ID tag.
7. All dogs must leave wearing a collar and leash and ID tag. Adopters may bring their own or they can be purchased in our pet store. All sales from our Pet Store benefit the Adoption Center.
Please note we do not perform dog to dog introductions. If you already have a dog at home, we will provide you with a Transition Toolkit and go over how to introduce your dog to your new pet.
Foster to Adopt Program
Are you unsure of committing to adoption? Try our Foster to Adopt program (FTA).
All dogs and cats over one-year-old and spayed/neutered are available for Foster-To-Adopt. We also consider exceptions for pets under one year but over five months on a case-by-case basis. Try our trial adoption program to see if the pet is the right fit for you! Pets in the FTA program are eligible for a 3-day trial or a 2-week trial, depending on their length of stay.
Out-of-State Adoptions
We’re happy to work with adopters from outside California! Please keep the following in mind:
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We do not hold animals unless the adoption fee has been paid in advance.
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We do not provide transportation. Adopters must arrange to pick up their pet in person at our Center in Riverside, CA.
Have questions? Contact us at .
SUBMIT A CAT ADOPTION QUESTIONNAIRE
SUMBMIT A DOG ADOPTION QUESTIONNAIRE
Please note that filling out an applciation not a guarantee to adopt a paticular pet.
You must visit the Pet Adoption Center to be considered for adoption.
Things to Consider During the Adoption Process:
If you are adopting a puppy/dog: Dogs in our care have been exposed to Kennel Cough, which is contagious and could be described as a “dog cold.” Symptoms can include watery eyes, watery nose and/or coughing. Similar to a child that is exposed to extra germs in a school environment, your dog may or may not contract kennel cough. If your dog does come down with kennel cough, it will be your responsibility to take them to a vet to get them the proper treatment.
If you are adopting a kitten/cat: Cats in our care have been exposed to Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) which is contagious and could be described as a “cat cold.” Symptoms can include watery eyes, watery nose and/or sneezing. Like a child that is exposed to extra germs in a school environment, your cat may or may not contract URI. If your cat does come down with URI, it will be your responsibility to take them to a vet to get them the proper treatment.
Your dog/cat has been microchipped: Your dog or cat has been microchipped for their safety and your peace of mind. We use the Adopterluv Microchip Registry, which means your pet’s microchip is automatically registered at the time of intake, while in your care, or at the time of adoption.
There is no need to register your pet’s microchip separately with another provider like HomeAgain—registration is already handled through Adopterluv. If you need to update your contact information (such as a new phone number or address), you will do that directly through the Adopterluv Microchip Registry.Should your pet ever become lost, the microchip will help reunite you quickly, as it is linked directly to your information in the registry.
Your kitten /cat or puppy/dog has been spayed or neutered: Your new pet may have been recently spayed or neutered. If the animal was recently spayed or neutered, we ask that you wait 10 days from the time of the surgery to bathe your animal. You can find the date of spay/neuter in the animal’s Medical History Record. Surgical glue was used to seal the surgery site and we don’t want to prematurely dissolve that glue by bathing the animal before 10 days. If you notice your your new pet bothering the surgery site, you may need to purchase an e-collar and contact your own vet for additional information.
Your adopted animal is currently up to date on all of their vaccines: Each animal is current on all the necessary vaccines when they are adopted. You can find the vaccine history in your new pet's Medical History Record. We suggest continuing a flea treatment and necessary vaccines after adoption. After adoption, future vaccination needs may change. Please speak to your vet regarding your pet’s health and lifestyle to determine what future vaccinations are needed and when.
Vaccines are available at our low-cost vaccine clinic each Saturday.
Still have questions? Email us at
What to Do After Adoption
Schedule Your Free Vet Exam
- Using the “Free Vet Exam Certificate” given at the time of adoption.
• This certificate is valid within the first ten days after adoption.
Register with Petco Love Lost
- This is a free website to assist in finding animals faster if they go missing.
- For behavioral questions and training tips, please visit our behavior library.
Coming from a shelter environment your pet will need some time to decompress into their new home: Decompression periods will vary for each pet. It is important to note that pet decompression times are usually based on how long they have been in the shelter environment. If their stay in the shelter was longer, they will need more time to decompress. Providing structure and setting boundaries upon arrival will help you and your new pet adjust to your new life together.