The Animal Shelter is located at 1111 Stedman Street, next to the city cemetary. We are open from 10:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm, seven days a week (closed holidays).
Cats and dogs that come to us already altered can be adopted at any time. Cats and dogs that require alteration are transported to the vet on Wednesday afternoon. All pets for which adoption applications are complete and paid by noon on Wednesday can be picked up by their new family at the shelter on Saturday morning. (Pets adopted after noon on Wednesday will have to wait until the following week to be altered, and will go home the Saturday after that.)
In addition to the adoption/alteration fees, all cats, dogs, and ferrets over the age of four (4) months are required by the State of Alaska to have a current rabies vaccination. Rabies vouchers redeemable at the local vet clinic are available from the Department of Animal Protection at the time of licensing and cost $20. Dogs remaining inside the Ketchikan Gateway Borough must be licensed, at a cost of $15 per calendar year.
Local Adoptions In addition to the above requirements, if you are a local resident you will need to provide landlord approval for your new pet at the time of your application. Landlord approval may be in the form of a phone call from the landlord, or may be in writing. This requirement does not apply to home owners living in their own home. If you have questions about this requirement, please contact the Shelter.
Out-of-Area Adoptions The Ketchikan Animal Shelter does not have a residency requirement for adoption applications. However, those interested in adopting pets from out-of-area are responsible for making all transportation arrangements and paying transportation costs. Pets are available on a first-come first-served basis and adoptions are not final until payment is received. At this time, we can only accept payment in the form of cash or check -- we do not have the ability to guarantee availability of pets while waiting for payment to arrive by mail. For pets that have not previously been altered (spayed/neutered), payment must be received prior to noon on Wednesday and the pet will be ready to go home on Saturday of the same week. Payments received after noon on Wednesday will result in a one-week delay (the pet will go home the NEXT Saturday). Pets not picked up on the scheduled Saturday will result in a $20 per day boarding fee for each additional day at the Shelter. For clarification of our adoption policies, please contact the Shelter.
