Adoption

Help a homeless pet and adopt from the Yancey County Humane Society. Come meet your new family member today!

Our adoption process is fairly simple, but we do want to be sure that the animals that we have cared for and loved go to the best homes!

We will ask you a few questions to determine the suitability of your home for our dogs or cats. You will complete a questionnaire and we will complete an adoption contract.

We offer all dogs and cats on a first come, first serve basis as long as the adopter meets our requirements. We do not “hold” animals for anyone, unless you phone us from somewhere at least an hour away to tell us that you are driving to meet a specific animal. If you have your heart set on one of our animals, you may adopt without meeting first. and we will hold it for you once you pay with a credit card.

One of the most important parts of our contract is that we require all animals adopted from us to be returned to us if it doesn’t work out for any reason.

Before you come to the shelter, here are some questions that you can be thinking about:

* Do you currently have pets?
* How long will the pet be left alone?
* Do you want a kitten or puppy, or are you looking for an adult animal?
* Do you have young children in the house?
* How will your pet be confined when you are not directly supervising it?

Adoption Fees

Our standard fees are as follows:

  • Cats                                       $35.00 and up*        
  • Adult Dogs                           $85.00 and up*
  • Senior Dogs 7+ years         Free
  • Puppies Under 6 months  $200*

There are instances when the adoption fee may be higher or lower than indicated above. When that happens, know that the fee is based on many factors including age, behavior, medical condition, and demand.

Specials are run throughout the year so please contact us for current promotions.

Adoption Return Policy

YCHS takes great care to match dogs and cats with just the right family so they can remain in their new homes for life. Sometimes, despite best efforts and intentions, the match isn’t ideal or life circumstances prevent the pet staying in the home. YCHS is here to support you through the difficult decision to return your pet to us when it just doesn’t work out.

Adopters are given the option to return their adopted pet for a full refund up to two weeks from the date of adoption. If appropriate, YCHS would love the opportunity to help you find a better match and apply the refunded fee toward a different pet’s adoption.

Why return to us?  We have a vested interest in each animal that we receive and adopt out.  During their stay here, we learn their personalities, quirks, temperaments and traits.  This information is integral to our adoption process, and it helps us match pets to people. If our animals are returned to other shelters, they will not have this vital information, nor will they know any background information. This can result in further returns and stress for the animal.  

Does it cost to return a pet?  There is no surrender fee if the dog or cat surrendered was adopted through YCHS.  If you return a dog or cat within the first two weeks of the adoption, the adoption price will be refunded.  After two weeks, however, refunds will not be provided.

We do ask that adopters always contact us if, for some reason, they can no longer keep a pet that was adopted from our shelter.