The Oregon Humane Society runs Portland's oldest animal shelter, a second campus in Salem, and a community veterinary hospital, and its agents enforce animal cruelty laws across the entire state. Here is how adoption, surrender, low-cost spay/neuter, and cruelty reporting actually work, with current fees and hours.
Oregon Humane avoids the no-kill label, but its policy comes close to it in practice. The shelter says pets stay available for adoption as long as it takes, sometimes six months or more, and are never put down to free up space. It reports a save rate it describes as three to four times the national average, measured under the Asilomar accord that shelters use to compare outcomes.
It is a private nonprofit, not a city or county pound. Oregon Humane takes no government money and runs on donations, adoption fees, and clinic revenue. Stray animal control in Portland is handled by a separate agency, Multnomah County Animal Services, so the two organizations do different jobs.
Adoption fees run from $25 to $200 for cats and $55 to $600 for dogs. There is no flat price; each fee is set per animal based on age, breed, and health. Every adoption covers spay or neuter surgery, a microchip with national registration, first vaccinations and deworming, and a collar for dogs or a carrier for cats.
You do not need an appointment. Visitors walk the kennels during open hours, adoptions are handled first-come, first-served, and a short questionnaire can be filled out in advance. Both campuses are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
Surrendering a pet is by appointment only, with no walk-ins, and starts with a pet personality profile. Fees are $50 for the first dog and $45 for the first cat, $10 for each additional animal, and nothing for puppies or kittens under six months. An appointment does not guarantee the shelter can take the animal that day.
The Spay and Save program offers income-qualified surgeries at $135 for a cat and $275 for a dog, well below standard clinic rates, and also serves rabbits. A separate Community Veterinary Hospital in Portland handles preventive care, dentistry, and urgent visits, and gave more than $825,000 in financial help to pet owners in 2025.
Oregon Humane is one of the few shelters with sworn Humane Special Agents, who are commissioned police officers with authority anywhere in Oregon. To report animal cruelty, file online or call (503) 802-6707. In Multnomah County, cruelty calls go to county animal services at (503) 988-7387.
Volunteers must be 18 or older, and a youth program covers ages 12 to 17. Foster homes need an adult lead, must live within reach of Portland or Salem, and commit for the length of an assignment; the shelter supplies food, bedding, and crates and covers all medical costs.
The donation wish list leans toward unopened pet food, leashes, collars, bowls, toys, clean litter boxes, and blankets, with itemized registries kept for each campus. Oregon Humane holds four stars from Charity Navigator with an overall score of 99 percent. Its EIN for tax-deductible gifts is 93-0386880.
Dogs, cats, small animals, rabbits, and horses across the Portland and Salem campuses.
Income-qualified surgeries at $135 (cat) and $275 (dog), rabbits included.
Preventive, dental, and urgent care in Portland, with aid for owners who qualify.
Sworn agents investigate animal cruelty anywhere in Oregon.
Short-term homes for animals not yet ready for the adoption floor; supplies provided.
Euthanasia and pet memorial services open to the wider community.
Sources: Oregon Humane Society (oregonhumane.org) adoption, services, and statistics pages; Charity Navigator (EIN 93-0386880); 2025 figures reported by Oregon Humane and local news, retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with Oregon Humane Society and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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