About Farmington Animal Shelter
Farmington Animal Shelter's mission is to provide care, shelter, and adoption services to all animals in a bid to improve the overall quality of life in the City of Farmington. While they're the City of Farmington's local municipal shelter, they've also contracted with San Juan County to provider shelter and care to their animals.
Providing lost and found services, animal surrender, humane euthanasia, and low or no-cost spay/neuter and microchipping services, they help hundreds of people every year. All no and low-cost services are offered based on household income. Residents are encouraged to get involved by volunteering, fostering, donating, or taking part in the shelter's various events and programs.
Adoption Process
When you adopt a shelter animal, you're saving two lives: that of the animal going home with you and the one that will be taking it's place at the shelter.
The majority of dogs and cats that end up at Farmington Animal Shelter are the result of abuse, neglect, and owner abandonment, but they make perfectly good family and companion animals.
Here's what's required to adopt from Farmington Animal Shelter:
- Be 18+ years of age
- Provide a valid photo ID
- Complete all the paperwork including an adoption contract
- Pay the adoption fee
You can view all the dogs and cats waiting for a forever home via the shelter's Petango listings.
Same-day adoptions are possible only for animals that are already spayed or neutered. If your lucky dog or cat still requires surgery, you'll be able to take them home once it's been completed.
The shelter does not place holds on animals, and due to space restrictions, you must immediately take them home after finalizing their adoption.
Adoption Fees
Adoption fees at Farmington Animal Shelter are as follows:
Dogs
- Puppies (under 6 months): $100
- Adults (6+ months): $80
- Seniors (6+ years): $50
Cats
- Kittens (under 6 months): $70 (two for the price of one)
- Adults (6+ months): $50
- Seniors (6+ years): $25
Your adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations (excluding rabies), microchipping, and 30 days of free pet insurance from 24PetWatch.
Why Rescue A Shelter Dog?
Because shelter dogs are full of love!
Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?
Ican't say for certain, but yes.
Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:
- Love
- Patient
- Training
Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:
- Anxiety
- Aggression toward people & pets
- Resource guarding
- Destructive behavior
- Housetraining regression
- Poor social skills
- Leash reactivity & barrier-related aggression
- Constant whining
These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.
Animal Shelter vs Humane Society vs Rescue:What's the Difference?
You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.
Animal Shelters
- Most Animal Shelters are city or county-run organizations, often operated by the local Animal Control department, that manage strays and handle owner surrenders.
- They usually have kennel facilities you can visit to adopt animals, and they usually have less stringent adoption requirements, lower adoption fees, and same-day adoptions (because their goal is to get animals out of the shelter).
- Unfortunately, they usually know very little about each animal, including their true personalities and any behavioral problems.
Humane Societies
- Most Humane Societies are non-profit organizations, many of which are no-kill shelters.
- Some (but not all) are affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States.
- They exist to improve animal welfare in the local community and often partner with city or county-run Animal Shelters that often euthanize animals due to capacity restraints.
- They usually have kennel facilities, sometimes at multiple locations, and usually offer other services to the community such as low-cost spay/neuter clinics, community education programs, and more.
- They may also have some animals in foster care.
- There's a lot of variation in process and fees among Humane Societies, but they usually have really good websites that detail everything for you.
Rescues
- Most Rescues are foster-based organizations that don't have physical facilities.
- They usually have websites and contact emails, but not all of them have phone numbers.
- Because they don't have a physical facility, you need to view animals in their foster network online, usually on their website but sometimes on their member pages on either PetFinder or Adopt-a-Pet.
- If you see an animal you'd like to meet, contact the rescue using the process listed on their website or via email. They'll help you through the application process and set up a time for you to meet the animal at the foster's home.
- Adopting from a rescue generally is the most expensive option here and takes the longest, but you get an animal that's been cared for in a loving home environment and their foster can tell you a lot about their personality.
6 Tips to Improve Your Adoption Experience
Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.
- See an animal online that you'd like to meet?Call the shelter before your visit to make sure the animal is still available. This especially applies for puppies, which are adopted out quickly.
- Usually, you'll need to get some paperwork in order: a photo ID, vaccination/medical records for any pets you currently have, possibly your vet's contact info and a couple of personal references, and (for renters) proof you're allowed to have a pet (copy of your lease or your landlord's contact info).
- If you need to provide contact info for your vet, let your vet know ahead of time. Otherwise, they may not release your information.
- Many shelters require your current dogs to meet adoptive dogs. Your current dogs need to be up-to-date on vaccinations.
- Some shelters require you to schedule a home visit to ensure a suitable living environment for the new animal.
- Adoption fees may seem excessive, but they're actually amazing values. Truthfully, caring for a pet is expensive. Most adoption fees include required medical care to get the animal ready for their new home including (but not limited to) spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, general vet exams, flea/tick treatment, deworming, heartworm testing/treatment for dogs, and feline leukemia and feline AIDS testing/treatment for cats. In general, your adoption fee is less than the cost of this care, so you're saving money in addition to your new animal's life!
If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!
For more information about what's included in your adoption fee, or any other questions about the adoption process, reach out to
Farmington Regional Animal Shelter
in
Farmington
,
New Mexico
directly using the contact info above.