Founded in 1880, the San Diego Humane Society is the county's oldest and largest animal welfare group. It runs five campuses, cares for more than 40,000 animals a year, rehabilitates wildlife through Project Wildlife, and provides animal services for 14 cities. Here are the current adoption fees, surrender steps, and ways to help.
The shelter calls itself open-admission, meaning it does not turn animals away, and it commits to what it calls Stay at Zero, zero euthanasia of healthy or treatable shelter animals. In 2015, San Diego became the largest U.S. city to reach that mark. Reported live-release figures have run around 91 percent in recent years.
Unlike many private shelters, the San Diego Humane Society also acts as the contracted animal services provider for 14 San Diego County cities: Carlsbad, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Oceanside, Poway, San Diego, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach, and Vista. Its officers carry state peace-officer authority during cruelty investigations.
Adoption fees are published and include spay or neuter surgery, current vaccines, a microchip, a certificate for one free vet exam, a one-year dog license in eligible cities, and an adoption guarantee that lets you return a pet for any reason:
| Animal | Adoption fee |
|---|---|
| Dog | $165 |
| Puppy | $275 |
| Cat | $115 |
| Kitten | $175 |
| Rabbit, guinea pig, chinchilla, large bird, or reptile | $35 |
| Small bird, mouse, rat, or hamster | $20 |
| Red-eared slider turtle | $5 |
| Sheep, horse, or farm animal | $265 |
A cardboard carrier adds $20, and adoptions at the El Cajon campus add a $3 facility fee. Adoption hours run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
Owner surrender and rehoming run through the Resource Center at 619-299-7012, by appointment. The fee is about $30 for residents within the service area, while animals from outside the jurisdiction cost more and depend on space. Staff also point owners to the Home to Home rehoming tool as an alternative to surrender.
Project Wildlife is one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation programs in the country, caring for more than 10,000 injured and orphaned wild animals a year across 320-plus species. Native predators such as bobcats and birds of prey are treated at the 13-acre Ramona Wildlife Center.
Because the society holds animal-control contracts, its Humane Law Enforcement officers respond to cruelty, dangerous animals, and bites seven days a week in the cities it serves. Residents of those 14 cities report cruelty to the San Diego Humane Society.
Volunteer roles range from single shifts, such as the Dog Day Out program that needs no application, to ongoing scheduled work; minimum age varies by role. Fostering requires an adult lead, residence in San Diego County, and reliable transportation, and the shelter covers all supplies and medical care.
Donations of goods go through the society's Amazon and Chewy wish lists, which ship straight to the shelter; Kuranda beds are a standing request. The San Diego Humane Society holds four stars from Charity Navigator with a 97 percent score and the Candid Platinum Seal. Its EIN is 95-1661688.
Dogs, cats, small animals, and farm animals across five county campuses.
Wildlife rehab for 10,000-plus animals a year, including native predators at Ramona.
Sworn officers handle cruelty and dangerous-animal calls for 14 cities.
Low-cost vaccines, microchips, and surgery.
Free pet food and supplies at campuses and neighborhood sites.
More than 35 group classes plus private and virtual training.
Sources: San Diego Humane Society (sdhumane.org) adoption-fee, services, Project Wildlife, and humane-law-enforcement pages; Charity Navigator and Candid (EIN 95-1661688); Wikipedia. Surrender fees and the recent live-release rate are drawn from the organization's pages and reporting; confirm current figures before relying on them. Retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with San Diego Humane Society and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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