Surrendering Your Pet

Please consider every available alternative to admitting your pet to a shelter before you schedule an appointment for admission. This might include re-homing your pet to a friend, neighbor or family member who is interested in having a pet or, if your pet has a behavioral issue, working through that problem with our trainer Diann Andress. Our pets are our lifetime responsibility, and we must do all that we can to ensure that they are happy, healthy and loved.

Surrendering Your Pet

We have changed our animal surrenders to by appointment only!  All appointments will require a $10 non refundable fee per animal at the time the appointment is made.  To make an appointment to surrender your pet please contact the shelter at 863-324-5227 Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 to 6 and Saturday from 10:30-4. We close each day from 1-2 for lunch.

Please understand that, as a no-kill humane society, the Humane Society of Polk County cannot accept every animal brought to our shelter immediately. Animals who will not be accepted include those who are so vicious that we cannot safely handle or adopt, cats who test positive for feline Leuk/Aids or canines who test positive for heart worms.  Because we do not have a full time vet on staff pet over the age of 8 will need to have blood work from a vet clearing them medically for adoption before they are surrendered.

All animals surrendered to the Humane Society may be taken to various offsite locations for adoption through the Humane Society of Polk County.

Did you know that Polk County Animal Control is working with Best Friends and the local shelters to become a no kill community by 2025?  Animal Control now has a large foster network helping them to take in and find homes for even more pets.  If you find a stray animal please take it to your nearest Veterinarian or local shelter to check to see if it has a micro chip.  If the animal does not have a micro chip and it is a stray contact Polk County Animal Control at 863-577-1762 for instructions to take it there or have them pick it up.  This will make it easier for those who have lost a pet to find it so they only have to look one place for their missing pet.  You can also list the pet on our lost and found page on this site and consider listing it on Lost and Found Pets of Polk County’s Facebook page. The Humane Society does take animals from Polk County Animal Control on animal hoarding cases. We treat every animal’s life as precious and will not resort to euthanasia to control the number of pets at our shelter. The only cases in which we would send animals to Polk County Animal Control are when an animal has bitten a customer and is required by law to quarantine or when animals have been dumped as stray at our facility!

When You Bring Your Pets

When you bring your pet, please have the following:

  • All veterinary records
  • Your pet’s medications
  • Special food or treats that your pet needs
  • Your pet’s bed, toys, leash and other belongings from home to make their stay more comfortable
  • Your pet’s crate or carrier
  • Your surrender fee

The surrender fee is $25 per pet (this is in addition to the $10 appointment fee).  The fee for a litter of three to six pets is $75. Surrendering more than six pets results in a fee of $25 per additional pet. Other fees may apply.

When You Arrive

  • We will test your cat for feline AIDS and leukemia, or we will test your dog more than six months of age for heartworms. If the test is positive, we cannot accept your pet.
  • A staff member will evaluate the temperament of your pet and may recommend some behavioral training before your pet can be accepted.
  • After we screen your pet, if we can accept him or her, we will collect your surrender fee.