Frequently Asked Questions

Adopting a pet from our shelter has never been easier! Simply look at a live listing of all of the animals in our care at www.rgvhs.org/dogs or www.rgvhs.org/cats. If you see someone who catches your eye, head to the shelter as soon as possible and do not forget to bring a valid ID or drivers license!

All of our adoptions are first come first serve. If you are interested in adopting a pet that is currently on a stray hold, we recommend that you submit an adoption application through our website. Please note that submitting an application does not place a hold on the pet you are applying for. Submitting an application puts you in line to adopt the pet. You must be present at the Humane Society at the time the stray hold is up in order to adopt. If you are not present, the adoption will go to the next person who submitted the application.

For pets that are in foster homes, please submit an application and wait for a member of our team to reach out to you about setting up an appointment for a meet and greet. This will allow for the foster parent to bring the pet to the shelter for you to meet.

Our primary motivation is to matching families with homeless pets. While we cannot guarantee that someone will come in to adopt today, we can guarantee that an animal will arrive at our doors in need of help. For that reason, we complete adoptions on a first come, first serve basis, based on whoever physically arrives at the shelter interested in that animal first.

"Stray Hold" is a term used to describe a time during which an animal may be physically at the shelter, but not yet available for adoption. This 72 hour period is reserved for animals that were found as strays, and works to ensure that if this pet does have a family, they are given ample time to come to the shelter and be reunited with him or her.

At the moment, RGVHS does not have any set adoption fees on Cats, Kittens, Dogs, or Puppies. Adoption fees on these pets are "donation based" meaning you get to choose how much to donate toward the cost of their care.

Harlingen Location:

All adopted pets go home up-to-date on age appropriate vaccinations, dewormed, on preventatives for fleas, ticks, and heartworms (if age appropriate), heartworm tested (if appropriate), and microchipped. Pets will either already be spayed/neutered or scheduled to be spayed/neutered. A $50-$125 spay/neuter deposit may apply.

Mission Location:

All adopted pets go home up-to-date on age appropriate vaccinations, dewormed, on preventatives for fleas, ticks, and heartworms (if age appropriate), heartworm tested (if appropriate), and microchipped. Adopters will be responsible for getting the pet fixed. A $50-$125 spay/neuter refundable deposit may apply to ensure that the pet gets spayed/neutered.

Our "Foster-to-Adopt" program allows pets to be taken home on a "trial" basis to determine whether or not they are a good fit for your home and family. During this time, the pet is still considered to be in HSH custody and sent home on a foster basis.

At the end of the "Foster-to-Adopt" period (typically about 1 week), a member of our team will reach out to you to determine the next steps.

A pet may also be sent home on a "Foster-to-Adopt" basis if they are too young to receive their initial vaccines, in which case they would be considered foster pets until they reach such age and we can process the adoption.

Puppies and kittens are not eligible for "Foster-to-Adopt" as they are adopted quickly.