Frequently Asked Questions
About the SPCA of Texas
Donations
Clinics Spay/Neuter and Animal Wellness Services
Adoptions
Surrendering Owned Animals Reservation Required
Volunteering
Lost and Found
Preventing Cruelty and Abuse
Education and Social Service Programs
Other
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas with two shelters and two spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and serves as an active resource center providing an array of programs and services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others' lives.
A comprehensive animal welfare agency, the SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government, or any other humane organization.
Learn more about us online.
The SPCA of Texas is comprised of two shelters and two spay/neuter and veterinary wellness clinics in Dallas and McKinney, TX. We also feature adoptable pets at a host of other offsite venues.
See our hours, locations and directions.
See our calendar of events
No, but we have no time limits and we do not euthanize animals for lack of space. We do, however, euthanize animals for aggression and for untreatable and/or contagious illnesses based upon available treatment space and SPCA of Texas policies.
Once a reservation is secured, an animal will not be turned away because of looks, age, breed or non-contagious, treatable health conditions based upon available treatment space and SPCA of Texas policies. The only factors that determine whether an animal is adoptable are the results of the health and behavior evaluations.
Learn more about our philosophy.
We do not place any time limits on how long animals can stay with us. We shelter many animals for weeks and sometimes months while we try to find homes for them.
Visit our adoptable pets online.
The SPCA of Texas will accept any previously owned animal for which we have space and that passes the behavior and health evaluations. Once a reservation is made, an animal will never be turned away due to looks, age, breed or non-contagious, treatable health conditions based upon available treatment space and SPCA of Texas policies, and the person surrendering the animal will always be given their options in order to make an informed decision on whether or not to surrender the animal. We also have a variety of programs such as our clinics, Rescue and Investigations, educational and social outreach and offsite adoptions that ultimately help in finding homes and keeping animals in homes.
We are a private nonprofit organization. We spend an average of $320 on every animal adopted, much more than our adoption fees. If you would like to help us, you can make a secure online donation or print out a donation form and mail or fax it to us.
The SPCA of Texas always respects the privacy of its donors. We do not sell or exchange any individual donor information. View our privacy policy online for more information.
Make a secure online donation today.
Our top six, most-needed wish list items are liquid laundry detergent, bleach, paper towels, EZ Cheeze, newspapers and blankets or towels. See our complete wish list.
Of course! You may make a gift to the SPCA of Texas in honor or in memory of a special person or pet online or mail it to us at:
SPCA of Texas
ATTN: Development
2400 Lone Star Drive
Dallas, Texas 75212
Yes! Each and every pet up for adoption has already been spayed or neutered
We also provide low-cost spay and neuter as well as veterinary wellness services for those who could not otherwise afford to do so at our two clinics.
See our hours, locations and directions
Book a spay or neuter appointment online today.
For other low-cost veterinary wellness services, call 214-742-SPCA (7722) today to make an appointment. Pricing is available online.
The SPCA of Texas features two spay/neuter and animal wellness clinics, our Martin Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic at Village Fair in Dallas and our Perry Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in McKinney.
You may make a spay/neuter appointment online or call 214-742-SPCA (7722) to make any appointment.
Our focus is low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, annual exams, vaccines, heartworm preventive and treatment and preventative care for pets belonging to people with low incomes.
View a full list of services and prices online (subject to change).
We are not equipped to assist with emergency medical care situations. For more extensive or emergency veterinary care, you will need to see a full service vet or emergency animal clinic. Our corporate partner, VCA Animal Hospitals, has options available for more extensive or emergency veterinary care.
Visit our online gallery of available pets (updated hourly, seven days a week)
Then come to one of our shelters, satellite adoption center or offsite adoption event
Yes! Although people most often associate the SPCA of Texas with dogs and cats, we offer other animals for adoption such as horses, pigs, sheep, birds, donkeys, ponies, ducks, rabbits, reptiles, ferrets, snakes, rabbits and mice. All of these adoptable animals can be seen online. Livestock animals require a separate adoption application (this process is different from adopting a dog, cat or small mammal). You may complete this application in advance on our Livestock and Other Animals page.
A VIP pet at the SPCA of Texas is any animal (excluding livestock) that has been available for adoption for over 30 days. We invite you to join the VIP Club, to tell everyone you know about how they can become a part of the VIP Club and receive our monthly flyers and post them at work, in your neighborhood and around town to help give our VIP Club animals more exposure and to hopefully get them out of our shelters and on with their lives.
You can contact 24PetWatch at 1-866-597-2424 or http://www.24petwatch.com/.
The adoption fee includes age-appropriate vaccinations (which can include Rabies, Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptos, Parvo, Parainfluenza and Bordatella), deworming treatment, spay/neuter surgery, a rabies tag, a leash and a microchip. Dogs over 6 months of age are also given a heartworm test (SNAP occult).
***Please note that you must have a valid picture ID in order to adopt an animal from the SPCA of Texas.
The adoption fee includes age-appropriate vaccinations (which can include Rabies, Feline Rhinotracheitis, Caleci and Pan-Leukopenia), deworming treatment, spay/neuter surgery, a rabies tag, a temporary pet tote made of heavy-duty cardboard and a microchip. Cats over 4 months of age are also given a feline Leukemia test.
***Please note that you must have a valid picture ID in order to adopt an animal from the SPCA of Texas.
We accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. ***PETsMART only accepts CASH OR CHECK as payment for cat adoption fees ***
We do not hold animals or take payment over the phone to reserve animals. We adopt strictly on a first come, first serve basis.
The SPCA of Texas has decided not to put animals on hold based on past experience. An overwhelming number of the animals that were put on hold by potential adopters were never adopted. Also, potential adopters must be present to fill out an application before we can approve an adoption.
No. Any animal that is released from an animal shelter must be spayed or neutered under Texas law.
No.
Yes. See our Reservation Required pages for information about bringing your pet to us.
The SPCA of Texas accepts dogs, cats, livestock and small animals for relinquishment on a reservation required basis.
By mandate of the SPCA of Texas’ board of directors, the SPCA of Texas does not euthanize animals for lack of space. Due to limited resources, the SPCA of Texas is not able to take in unlimited animals, is a Reservation Required shelter and requires payment of a set surrender fee at the time of relinquishment.
The SPCA of Texas does not take in stray animals for surrender in an effort to increase the likelihood of a stray being reunited with their owner. Instead, people finding a stray animal will be directed to the animal control agency closest to where the animal was found. The SPCA of Texas is asking the community to be a partner in the process of finding new homes for animals.
From a resource standpoint, we are unable to take in an unlimited numbers of animals and not euthanize for space. Therefore, in order to surrender an animal to the SPCA of Texas, a reservation and surrender fee is required.
Animals will be taken in by reservation only, based on available space, which will be made on a first come, first served basis. Calls to make reservations for the surrender of an animal will be answered starting at 9 a.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The phone number to make a reservation is 214.742.SPCA (7722).
Reservations will be seen between Tuesday and Saturday from Noon and 5 p.m. Each reservation will be scheduled 20 minutes apart so that all animals under six months can be assessed with health evaluations and all animals six months and older can be assessed with health and behavior evaluations while the owner waits.
Upon completion of the evaluation(s), notification will be given whether or not the animal will be eligible to be placed in the SPCA of Texas’ adoption program. After they are fully briefed on the evaluation outcome, each person will be given a final option to leave the animal with the SPCA of Texas or take it with them.
Due to limited resources, the SPCA of Texas requires payment of a reservation fee at the time the reservation is made and a set surrender fee at the time of relinquishment.
The non-refundable reservation fee is due at the time the reservation is made. We are able to accept reservations via telephone made by credit card.
We are unable to accept reservations via cash or check over the phone, so all reservations made via check or cash must take place at either the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney or the Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas.
Non-refundable Reservation Fees (which holds an appointment space for an animal surrender reservation).
The following fees are required of persons wanting to surrender an animal or animals, when the animal is owned:
The SPCA of Texas will waive the surrender fee on a litter (3 or more) of puppies or kittens 12 weeks and under if the owner has the mother of the litter spayed at an SPCA of Texas Clinic.
The SPCA of Texas will not require a reservation but does require a surrender fee of $30.00 be paid for owner requested euthanasias (if the SPCA of Texas concurs).
The SPCA of Texas will not require a reservation or surrender fee on animals that fall into one of the circumstances listed below:
There will be less euthanasia, however the option will still be available for those animals that do not pass the health and/or temperament evaluations or for those animals that are injured or too sick to be treated.
Once a reservation is secured, an animal will not be turned away because of looks, age, breed or non-contagious, treatable health conditions based upon available treatment space and SPCA of Texas policies. The only factors that determine whether an animal is adoptable are the results of the health and behavior evaluations.
More animals will be treated for minor health issues. All animals with treatable conditions will always be treated under veterinary supervision until the animal is healthy or the condition is no longer treatable.
With more decision-making directed towards people bringing in their animals, there is hope of more pet ownership responsibility and less surrenders.
The SPCA of Texas requires a fee at the time of making a reservation to surrender animals and at the time of the surrender of animals because of limited resources. We want to ensure the best care for all of the animals in our shelters and these fees will help us provide the care and support all of our animals need.
The reservation and surrender fees help us cover the costs of housing and caring for each animal, including spays/neuters, vaccinations, food, care and more. We are asking the community to partner with us to help animals in the Metroplex. These fees help us provide the care and support all of our animals need. We want to encourage the community to help us help the animals of the Metroplex. This fee is a way the community can help us help more animals.
The SPCA of Texas will not require a reservation or surrender fee on animals that fall into one of the circumstances listed below:
Upon surrender, each dog will go though a health evaluation and our S.A.F.E.R. (Safety Assessment For Evaluation Re-homing) dog behavior evaluation program. The S.A.F.E.R. test focuses on learned behaviors, sensitivities and problem solving. This test provides shelter staff with the ability to evaluate a dog’s behavior accurately and efficiently.
A cat’s behavior will be evaluated based on its temperament shown during the intake procedures and the health evaluation.
If an animal is deemed not adoptable at the time of their reservation, the person who brought the animal in is given the following options: to keep the pet and/or to take the animal to a veterinarian for treatment, to seek placement at a local animal shelter or rescue group or owner requested euthanasia (if the SPCA of Texas concurs). A surrender fee of $30.00 will be required for owner requested euthanasias.
The SPCA of Texas does not take in stray animals for surrender in an effort to increase the likelihood of a stray being reunited with their owner. Instead, people finding a stray animal will be directed to the animal control agency closest to where the animal was found.
Animals that are brought to the SPCA of Texas through the organization’s Rescue and Investigations department will remain separate from the regular intake of owner-surrendered animals, not affecting the number of spaces available to owner-surrendered animals each day. These animals will be given the same evaluations as any other animal that comes through the system in order to determine whether or not they are adoptable.
We work closely with animal control agencies in the surrounding areas through the transfer of animals to the SPCA of Texas for adoption from the animal control agencies to the SPCA of Texas as space permits.
All healthy, treatable and non-aggressive animals will stay in the shelter until adopted unless the animal contracts a contagious, non-treatable illness or becomes behaviorally un-adoptable. The SPCA of Texas has never placed a limit on the amount of time animals stay in the shelter. As long as they stay happy and healthy, they’ll stay at the SPCA of Texas, waiting for homes.
The SPCA of Texas does not require a reservation for animals that have been previously adopted from the SPCA or owner requested euthanasias (if the SPCA of Texas concurs). A surrender fee of $30.00 will be required for owner requested euthanasias.
Yes, we can euthanize your pet at your request the SPCA of Texas agrees that the euthanasia is appropriate.
We’d love to have you as a volunteer! Please visit our volunteer pages online to learn more and complete a volunteer application.
SPCA of Texas volunteers help in many ways that make our work providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home possible. Some of our volunteers help us clean kennels and socialize our animals while others walk dogs, brush cats and help customers find the perfect pet for their lifestyle. Volunteers also help us with administrative duties.
All volunteers are required to be 18 years of age or older. If you are between the ages of 12 and 17, you may volunteer with a parent or legal guardian also becomes a volunteer and attends with you.
Our volunteers help out from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., seven days a week.
After 30 days as a volunteer, you can foster an animal. You simply complete your volunteer orientation, three hours of TLC, foster training and a home check.
The SPCA of Texas does not take in stray animals for surrender in an effort to increase the likelihood of a stray being reunited with their owner. Instead, people finding a stray animal are directed to the animal control agency closest to where the animal was found.
Take a look at a listing of local animal control agencies.
Yes. Our Rescue & Investigations staff investigates reports of animal abuse or neglect throughout eight counties (Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains & Van Zandt).
To reach our Rescue & Investigations team, please report suspected cruelty or abuse online or call 214-742-SPCA (7722).
Yes! Our Humane Educators provide free presentations throughout the metro area, free of charge. For more information, visit our Humane Education page online.
Setup your classroom's animal lesson by calling Michelle Douglas at 214-461-1811 or complete an online information request form and someone from the SPCA of Texas will contact you.
The SPCA of Texas offers a variety of programs which enhance our human experience through interaction with animals.
Programs that educate children, assist people and pets in need, reunite lost pets with their families, counsel people whose pets have passed away and provide for pets that outlive their owners. These programs include: Humane Education, Pet Grief Counseling and Compassion Connection.
Please take a look at our Employment pages today to see if we currently have any job postings.
The SPCA of Texas has five major events each year and many smaller events. Learn more about Paws Cause, Strut Your Mutt (Fun Run/Walk), Pet Flix (Pet Film Festival) and Fur Ball (Gala) or see our online calendar for more information.
You can find all of that and more on our News pages online.
How do I register to receive electronic communications from the SPCA of Texas?
We’d love to count you as a part of the SPCA of Texas online family! You can register today quickly and easily.