The mission of Pets In Need is to advance the no-kill movement, reduce pet homelessness, and find every dog and cat a loving home. We accomplish our mission by rescuing cats and dogs from public shelters in the Bay Area and beyond when they are in danger of being euthanized due to space or financial limitations. Pets In Need has shelters in Redwood City and Palo Alto. We have owned and operated our Redwood City shelter since 1993, and in 2019 we began operating the Palo Alto Animal Shelter in partnership with the City of Palo Alto.
1. Meet our Pets. Once you find an animal you are interested in, complete an online application. You will find the application within each pets’ profile. 2. Keep in Mind. There may be special requirements or restrictions with certain pets, and we cannot guarantee that the animal(s) you are interested in will be available at the time of your appointment. While we make every effort to accommodate our wonderful adopters, our first priority is to move animals out of the shelter and into loving homes as quickly as possible. Therefore, adoptions are conducted on a first come first served basis for qualified adopters. If the animal you are interested in is adopted by another family before your appointment occurs, please consider meeting one of our other wonderful pets. 3. Application Review. Our adoption team will review your application and contact you via email or phone. We respond to inquiries as quickly as possible and usually get back to prospective adopters within a day. In rare cases it may take up to 48 hours to respond. Thank you in advance for your patience. 4. Schedule an Appointment. Our adoption staff will work with you to schedule an appointment so that you may meet up to meet animals in-person or via video conferencing. Once your appointment is scheduled, you will receive a confirmation email. If visiting in-person, be sure to confirm the location where you are scheduled, either Palo Alto or Redwood City. Please check our website prior to your appointment for the most up-to-date registry of available animals. 5. Visit. Option A: Visit the Shelter. If you elect to visit the shelter in-person, please arrive at the shelter at your allotted appointment time, and bring all members of your household with you. If you are interested in adopting a dog and currently have a resident dog, please bring him or her as well. Please do not bring anyone who does not live in your house. All visitors ages 2 and above will be asked to wear a mask at all times. You will have up to 45 minutes to view adoptable pets. In an effort to prevent unnecessary contact, to ensure that post-appointment cleaning is manageable for our staff and to promote physical distancing, we are limiting meet-and-greets to no more than three animals per visit. Option B: Hold a Video Call. If you elect to meet your animal via video call, an adoption staff person will familiarize you with the animal and answer any questions you have. Please ensure that all members of your household are present for your video appointment. 6. Make it Official. Met your perfect match? You can adopt on-site or participate in our foster-to-adopt program (if eligible), which allows you to bring a pet home and get to know it before finalizing the adoption.