The MSPCA, founded in 1868, is one of the oldest humane societies in the country, and it runs the Angell Animal Medical Center, a full-service nonprofit veterinary hospital with around-the-clock emergency care. Its officers enforce animal cruelty laws statewide, and its Nevins Farm center cares for horses and farm animals. Here is how adoption, surrender, and Angell work.
The MSPCA does not market itself with the no-kill or open-admission labels. It describes its adoption program as welcoming, nonjudgmental, and free of lengthy applications, and for surrender it states that it will never turn away an animal because the owner cannot afford a donation.
Three adoption centers anchor the organization, in Boston's Jamaica Plain, on Cape Cod in Centerville, and at Nevins Farm in Methuen, which is one of the largest animal care and adoption centers in New England and the rare shelter that also takes horses and farm animals.
Adoption fees are published and tiered by age, and the inclusions are unusually detailed. Dogs go home with spay or neuter surgery, rabies, distemper and parvo, and bordetella vaccines, deworming, a heartworm test, a microchip, an ID tag, and flea and tick treatment. Cats include spay or neuter, the FVRCP and rabies vaccines, deworming, an FeLV test, a microchip, and flea treatment.
| Animal | Adoption fee |
|---|---|
| Dog, under 1 year | $595 |
| Dog, 1 to 9 years | $500 |
| Dog, 10 years and older | $350 |
| Cat, under 1 year | $400 |
| Cat, 1 to 9 years | $250 |
| Cat, 10 years and older | $100 |
| Small animals and birds | about $15 to $250 |
You do not need an appointment or a pre-application for most animals; only farm animals are by appointment. The Boston center is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
The Angell Animal Medical Center is a full-service nonprofit veterinary hospital with more than a century of history and in-house specialists across more than 25 services, plus 24/7 emergency and critical care in Boston. Across its locations, Angell serves well over 100,000 animals a year, and it pioneered veterinary intern training in 1940.
MSPCA law enforcement officers attend a state police academy and are commissioned as special state police officers, with authority to investigate animal cruelty statewide, execute warrants, file felony charges, and testify in court, at no cost to taxpayers. To report cruelty, call (617) 522-6008 or (800) 628-5808 on weekdays.
Owner surrender is by appointment through an inquiry form. The organization requests a $150 donation per animal but will never turn an animal away for inability to pay, and animals seized through law enforcement, including horses and farm animals, often land at Nevins Farm.
Volunteers must be 16 or older, and teens aged 16 and 17 need a Massachusetts youth work permit. Fostering asks people to take on more than young, healthy animals, since many foster pets are adults that are pregnant, sick, undersocialized, or in hospice care.
The wish list includes towels, sheets, washable blankets and pet beds, non-prescription cat and dog food, and collapsible metal crates, with Amazon, Chewy, and Kuranda lists available. The MSPCA holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator with a 100 percent score, and its EIN is 04-2103597.
Dogs, cats, small animals, birds, and farm animals across three centers.
A full-service nonprofit hospital with 24/7 emergency care in Boston.
Officers commissioned as special state police to enforce animal cruelty laws.
Horse and farm-animal care and adoption in Methuen since 1917.
Subsidized low-cost surgery through several Massachusetts programs.
Donated food distributed to local pantries for food-insecure pets.
Sources: MSPCA-Angell (mspca.org) adoption, Angell, cruelty-prevention, and surrender pages; Wikipedia; Charity Navigator (EIN 04-2103597). Angell patient and adoption volumes reflect figures reported by the MSPCA. Retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with MSPCA-Angell and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
More animal shelters and donation guides