Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is a full scale animal shelter and animal control facility. We are an open door shelter which means we accept any domestic animal, whether stray or owner surrender.
Adopting a friend
Thank you for considering Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter in your search for a new companion animal! We regularly adopt out dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, mice, and from time to time we have birds and exotics.
Adoption fees for Dogs:
$180 for puppies under 7 months old
$115 for dogs aged 7 months to 6 years
$60 for animals 6 years and older
Adoption Fees for Cats:
$120 for kittens 2-12 months old
$100 for cats 1 year to 6 years old
$55 for cats 6 years and older.
The fee to adopt a rabbit is $50 regardless of age.
The adoption fee includes:
The Spay or Neuter of the animal
First set of vaccinations
Microchipping and chip registration
FREE Wellness Exam at a participating veterinarian
Collar (dogs and cats), a leash (dogs)
License (dogs)
Adopters must be at least 18 years of age. Please contact a Client Services Representative with any further questions at (831) 454-7303 x0. Thank you again for including our shelter in your search for a new companion animal!
News
You can be a Spay/Neuter Angel. Sponsor a spay/neuter in honor of a loved one or in memoriam of a pet that has passed or for no reason at all. Friends of Santa Cruz County Animals (FOSCCA) will put your sponsorship into action by promoting and supporting spay/neuter for the pets of low-income residents of the county. Come into either branch of the shelter to become an Angel. If you are donating in someone's honor, we'll give you an acknowledgement card to pass on to that special person.
WE'VE MOVED! Well, this is old news by now... Our Scotts Valley location is now closed and we are open in our beautiful new Santa Cruz facility at 2200 7th Avenue (corner of Rodriguez) in Live Oak.
The Santa Cruz branch is open Tuesday-Sunday from 9am-5:30pm, closed for lunch from 1-2pm and will be closed on Mondays.
Our Watsonville branch is closed on Sundays with the same hours Monday-Saturday, closed for lunch from 12-1pm.
Bring proof of income and proof of residency within the County and a valid ID to either branch of the shelter and to acquire a voucher for the spay or neuter of your dog, cat, or rabbit. (For Santa Cruz County residents.)
Give your companion animal all the health benefits of being altered and help put us (part way) out of business. Not to mention that the County of Santa Cruz has a MANDATORY Spay/Neuter ordinance in effect that requires that all dogs and cats over the age of 6 months must be Spayed or Neutered. Spay or Neuter today!
A microchip is a small chip the size of a grain of rice which is implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. Time and again, we see animals that have lost their collars and/or tags, animals that could have been safely and quickly reunited with their owners if they'd had a microchip. A microchip is not GPS but a permanent form of ID, a dog or cat's personal bar code that can be scanned by a shelter or vet clinic and then linked to the chip manufacturer's national database that will have your contact information on file.
Both the Santa Cruz and Watsonville branches of the shelter will microchip your dog or cat AND register the microchip for $25! This is a steal, folks! No appointment necessary. Just drop in during our open hours.
Dog Licensing
Did you know that your dog must be licensed with us if you reside within Santa Cruz County? Many people get the licensing requirement mixed up with Micro-chipping, rabies vaccinations, or one of the other procedures that comes with yet another collar tag.
Download an application and apply for a dog license by mail through our Website.
You can also purchase a license in person at either branch of the shelter. Please be prepared to furnish proof of Spay/Neuter and a current rabies vaccine. If you have questions about licensing, please call us at (831) 454-7303 or contact our licensing technician at (831) 454-7209.
Licensing Fees:
Altered Dogs:
$26 for 1 year
$46 for 2 years (Rabies Vacc must be valid for license term)
$66 for 3 years (Rabies Vacc must be valid for license term)
Senior License:
$20 one time fee (one senior license per household for an altered animal only; 65 years of age or older, no fee to renew for the lifetime of the dog
Unaltered Dogs (One year License Only):
Regular License: $65 for one year
Senior License: $65 for first year then $33 annual renewal fee
