Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC) was established as the first city pound on June 5, 1902. Since then, it has served as the only open-admission public animal shelter in the City of Richmond. We provide humane care for more than 3,000 stray, sick, injured, and relinquished pets per year. As an open-admission animal shelter, RACC takes in every animal in need in the City of Richmond, including animals that are severely injured or behaviorally unsound. We believe that every life is worth trying to save, and we are committed to putting the work behind those words. Our Animal Control unit investigates animal cruelty, enforces humane laws, and issues pet licenses/permits. These services include the enforcement of City ordinances related to animals, removal of killed or injured animals/wildlife, impoundment of stray pets, and investigation of animal-related neglect, cruelty, nuisance, and bite cases. RACC's City budget covers basic operational needs at the shelter, but does not allow for extensive emergency medical surgery or treatment rendered for each animal in need. That is where the RACC Foundation comes into play. The RACC Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to our animal shelter, which supports the costs of critical emergency care for our shelter animals, and increases marketing and outreach efforts through fundraising and volunteer coordination. Together, RACC and The Foundation are passionate about saving lives and are excited to share the many inspiring stories of compassion towards our City's most vulnerable animals. Please follow us on Facebook, and keep an eye out for our upcoming fundraising and adoption events!
Our focus here at RACC is on same-day adoptions. Those interested in adopting an animal from us, as well as all members of the household, must visit our shelter in person to meet and interact with the animal(s) they are potentially interested in adopting. Adoption appointments are available daily, scheduled no earlier than a day in advance, and are animal-specific. Prior to scheduling an adoption appointment, RACC staff will ask a series of questions to determine if the animal(s) would be a good fit for the potential adopter. Once a selection is made, the prospective adopter must complete our adoption application. The application is immediately reviewed by staff and is typically approved or denied on the spot. Our dog and cat adoption fees cover the cost of the spay/neuter surgery, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipping, heartworm testing (for dogs), and FeLV/FIV testing (for cats). If the animal has already been spayed/neutered, the adoption can be finalized immediately. If the animal is not spayed/neutered, the pet is able to go home as a "foster-to-adopt" and the spay/neuter surgery is scheduled with one of our partnered veterinary clinics. The adopter will handle the transport, then the adoption will be finalized once the pet has been spayed/neutered. RACC staff will email and mail the adoption package to the adopter once the surgery is complete.