What Is the Difference Between Adopting from a Shelter or a Rescue?

When you’re ready to adopt a pet, one of the choices you’ll make is where to get your pet. Animal shelters or rescue groups are the most common and accessible options. If you’re unsure about the difference between these two animal-welfare organizations, we’ll guide you through the basics and explain how where you adopt from affects the adoption process.

TL;DR: Animal shelters are typically municipally-owned or nonprofit facilities that house a wide variety of dogs and cats at lower adoption fees, but they have less information about each animal. Rescue groups are often more specialized, and because they place animals in foster homes, have more behavioral information available to potential adopters. However, rescue groups may charge higher fees and have stricter application requirements. 

Shelter vs. rescue overview

According to the ASPCA, shelters and rescues take in approximately 6.3 million animals each year in the U.S. Both organizations help homeless animals, but there are several key differences.

What is an animal shelter?

An animal shelter is a municipal facility that provides temporary care for homeless animals. Shelters can be operated by cities or nonprofits, and may rely on donations or adoption fees to keep running. In addition to caring for homeless animals, many shelters offer low-cost vaccines, discounted spay and neuter services, microchipping, and clinics for pet parents — as well as educational community outreach. Because large numbers of animals are typically kennelled and the admission rates are high, depending on the location, staff may not know as much about each animal’s true personality and behavior. 

• No-kill shelter: The term “no kill” comes from a movement formed in the ’90s as a response to the overwhelming number of healthy animals being euthanized in shelters, often due to overcrowding. The no-kill movement helped shift the conversation toward saving lives. But it can also be used to oversimplify a complicated system, so many shelters have started moving away from the term.

• Open admission: Terms like “open admission” and “limited admission” have become more common, because they’re more transparent about how shelters operate on a basic level. They describe intake policies, not just outcomes — which helps people actually understand what each shelter does. An open-admission shelter will take in every animal, no matter their health, age, or behavior — even when it means tough choices in outcomes.

• Limited admission: Limited-admission organizations focus on those they can responsibly care for and accept only a limited number of animals, based on space, resources, or other specific criteria such as breed, size, or adoptability.

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What is an animal rescue?

Rescue organizations often work hand-in-hand with shelters. Animal rescues are often limited-admission animal welfare organizations that pull pets from municipal shelters or take in animals in need directly from the community. Many are foster-based, meaning pets stay in volunteers’ or staff members’ homes until they’re adopted. Others have a central facility or kennels where they house animals. Some shelters and rescues periodically host pop-up adoption events at pet stores and other locations to get their animals adopted. And like shelters, some rescue groups may offer low-cost vaccines, discounted spay and neuter services, microchipping, etc.

How shelters and rescues work together

Shelters and rescues often work hand-in-hand, each playing a role in making sure animals are safe, healthy, and ready for their adoptive home. There’s no one way that shelters and animal rescues operate, but they do share a commitment to giving pets a second chance. 

Many rescue animals start out in shelters. When shelters are full, animals may be transferred to rescues that have room, giving them a better chance at adoption instead of staying in overcrowded conditions.

Sometimes shelters and animal rescues save dogs and cats from unsafe situations, such as hoarding. These cases are investigated, and the animals are then transferred to shelters and rescues for care. 

At both shelters and rescues, dogs and cats are fully examined, scanned for microchips, given veterinary care, and vaccinated. If applicable, they are also spayed or neutered before being moved to a rescue organization.

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Which one’s right for you?

The right choice depends on what kind of adoption process you’re looking for. Many people use the terms “animal shelter” and “rescue” interchangeably, but they are different kinds of organizations. That said, adopting from either a shelter or a rescue is a great option, as both save animals in need and are still less expensive than going to a breeder. 

Here are a few differences between an animal shelter and a rescue when adopting.

Adopting from animal shelters

Animal shelters are municipal facilities that have more animals available for adoption, but less information available about each animal. The animals available will vary widely with breed, age, and temperament, because they may be homeless, surrendered, or part of a feral litter. 

• Adoption fees: An animal shelter’s adoption fees will typically be $50 to $150 for dogs.

• Adoption application and process: An animal shelter’s application will ask for contact information, your availability to care for a pet, and details about your home size and occupants (including children). 

Adopting from rescues

Animal rescues are typically nonprofit, private entities and have more rules. They are often better matchmakers with fewer animals for adoption, but more information available about each animal. (This is because the animals are usually placed with foster families.) Expect to pay more to adopt from a rescue.

• Adoption fees: Rescues typically have higher adoption fees for dogs, running anywhere from $100 to $450. The higher fees reflect the personalized care each animal receives in foster care. 

• Adoption application and process: Rescues have more detailed adoption applications that may come with rules, such as keeping pets indoors or surrendering them back to the rescue if you are unable to care for them. They also tend to have longer, more detailed adoption processes that include everything from home visits to background checks. 

How to begin the adoption process

Once you identify the kind of pet you’re looking for, start researching which shelters and rescues are available in your city. You can look at pet profiles on their websites and submit an online application. You can also visit a shelter in person or attend an adoption event and fill out an application there. 

If you’re looking for a quicker find your new companion, use Adopt a Pet’s search function to browse available pets near you, searching by what you’re looking for in a pet. Once you find a pet you like, you can submit an online application through the platform.

Commonly asked questions 

How much does it cost to adopt a dog? 

Breeders will charge up to $5,000 for a purebred puppy. Adoption fees are much less, typically costing less than $400. Beyond that, based on breakdowns, your first year of pet parenthood may cost anywhere from $420 to $3,270.

How long does it take to adopt a dog?

It doesn’t take long to adopt a dog, especially at a shelter, where you can typically bring home a new pet ASAP. Rescues, especially breed-specific ones, have more detailed and longer application processes, so they may take a few days. 

How much does it cost to adopt a cat? 

Adoption fees for kittens fall between $75 and $200, while adoption fees for cats are between $25 and $150. 

How long does it take to adopt a cat?

Adopting a cat is quick, especially at shelters, where you can usually bring home a new pet immediately. Rescues, particularly breed-specific ones, often have more detailed and lengthier application procedures, which can delay the process by a few days. 

References

“Behind the scenes of an animal rescue.” www.aspca.org/investigations-rescue/rescue-work-and-field-deployments/behind-scenes-animal-rescue. 

Howell, Sam. “What’s the difference between a shelter and a rescue?” www.thedodo.com/dodowell/animal-shelter-vs-rescue. 

“US animal shelter statistics.” www.aspca.org/helping-shelters-people-pets/us-animal-shelter-statistics.