All admissions, stray or surrender, need to be by appointment, to ensure we have the space and staff available for the intake.
All animals must be secured upon arrival (leashed, crated, etc).
This is for the safety of the animal. Please note we are a cat and dog only facility.
If you are considering surrendering your companion animal as a result of relatively new behavioral issues, it may first be useful to visit your local veterinarian to ensure that there is no medical cause for these issues. Behavioral issues that can have medical causes include:
In Dogs:
In dogs, many of these behavioral issues can be caused by medical conditions including Lyme Disease, urinary tract infections, arthritis, dental issues, joint pain, general pain, infections, and/or cancer.
In Cats:
In cats, many of these behaviors can be caused by medical conditions including, recent declawing, urinary tract infections, arthritis, dental issues, joint pain, general pain, infections, and/or cancer.
If you observe these conditions in your companion animal, it is likely that a veterinary diagnosis and resulting treatment may resolve the issue.
The vast majority of the pets at our shelter are ones we have transferred into our care from animal control officers and were in situations where the animals’ lives and/or housing were at risk. We urge you to consider every alternative to relinquishment and to fully utilize the resources we make available before surrendering your pet. If surrendering your pet is a difficult decision you must make, please know the SPCA of Hancock County is here for both you and your animal companion.
The admissions process is started by filling out a request form to have your pet admitted to the SPCA of Hancock County. This assessment can be completed online and there are two separate forms, one catered for dogs and one for cats. Please try to answer the questions as fully and completely as you can, as this will help our team assess the needs of the pet, the scope of the situation, and even detect whether there might be alternatives to surrendering your pet.
Please note, the SPCA cannot assist with any animals besides dogs or cats. If you need to surrender another pet, please look for a species-appropriate no-kill rescue or sanctuary.
The SPCA-HC has a surrender fee of $25 per cat and $50 per dog to aid in their care.
When your pet is admitted to the SPCA, you have the choice to be notified when the animal is adopted. While our staff will never disclose the name or any personal information about an adopter without their express permission (yes, some do insist that we connect them to the previous owners!), we are more than happy to put your mind at ease and let you know when they’ve gone off to a loving home.