Dogs are a welcomed addition to any home. They’re full of energy, compassion, and light, they’re extremely compassionate, and they offer unconditional love. If you are interested in enjoying all of the joy that a dog provides, you may be thinking about bringing one into your home.
While you could purchase a dog from a breeder or from a pet shop, often (and very unfortunately), both often follow unethical practices, and sadly, those practices can be very harmful for the animals. While those pets need homes, too, it’s sad to say, but if you were to purchase a dog from a breeder or a pet shop, you are supporting those practices and they will continue.
Instead, there’s a better way to bring the love of a dog into your life.
How?
By adopting one from a shelter. Animal shelters house stray, abandoned, and orphaned dogs. Texas is the second highest state with the highest intake of dogs and cats. During 2020 there were 340,000 dogs and cats that entered shelters as strays.
Many provide the medical services that the dogs require until they can find a forever home. When you adopt a dog from a shelter, not only are you saving the life of and giving a second lease on life to an animal, but you’re also making room for another stray, abandoned, or orphaned animal in the shelter so that they, too, can have the chance to have a good life.
Now that you know the benefits of adopting a shelter dog, if you’re located in the Dallas area, you may be wondering where you should go to find one. Below, you’ll find a list of the best 10 dog shelters in Dallas, TX.
Top 10 Dallas Dog Rescues
Humane Society of North Texas
Address: 1840 East Lancaster Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76103
Website:
https://hsnt.org
Tel: (817) 332 - HSNT
Get Directions:
Google Maps
Email: info@hsnt.org
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HumaneSocietyofNorthTexas/
The Humane Society of North Texas is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and gives shelter to hundreds of thousands of abandoned and abused animals from the city and the surrounding areas.
The Humane Society offers a unique way to adopt animals. In addition to giving interested pet owners the chance to see and meet possible new four-legged family members, but the adopters are also screened, counseled, and carefully chosen to ensure that the animals will have a good home.
The Humane Society of North Texas shelters dogs of all ages, shapes, sizes, and breeds, and all of the pets receive the health care that they need before they are released to their new homes. Here's a list of available dogs to either adopt or foster.
Operation Kindness
Address: 3201 Earhart Dr Carrollton, TX 75006
Website:
https://operationkindness.org
Tel: (972) 418- 7297
Get Directions:
Google Maps
Email: ok@operationkindness.org
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/OperationKindness/
The longest no-kill shelter in operation in the North Texas area, Operation Kindness cares for, on average, about 300 animals per day and more than 3,000 dogs and cats on a yearly basis.
They also have successfully placed countless animals in loving foster and forever homes. Operation Kindness is a completely independent, non-profit organization that receives absolutely no funding from the government.
The goal of the organization is to provide homeless dogs and cats with the care, support, and love they need until they are placed in a forever home. They offer tours by appointment only and run extensive background checks on all prospective adopters to ensure that the animals are placed in a safe, loving home before they are released.
A wide variety of dog breeds, including pure breeds and mixed breeds, as well as dogs of all sizes and ages, can be found at Operation Kindness including a fostering program and pet education. For a list of their adoptable dogs click here.
Cody's Friends Rescue
Address: Dallas, TX
Website: https://codysfriendsrescue.org/
Email: adopt@codysfriendsrescue.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CFRDallas/
Cody's Friends Rescue is an all-breed, volunteer-based, Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex based 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue formed by passionate dog lovers. To date they have rescued over 7,000 dogs (from Poodles to Pits).
They take every dog that comes through their doors regardless of breed, temperament, health conditions, or circumstance. They offer foster care for homeless dogs and works diligently to find those animals permanent, safe, and happy forever homes.
Click here to see their adoption process. Adoption fees are $324.75 (incl. sales tax) for puppies under 6 months old, $270.63 (inc. sales tax) for dogs between 6 months and 9 years old, and $162.38 (incl. sales tax) for senior dogs 9 years and older.
Dallas Animal Service
Address: 1818 N. Westmoreland Dallas, TX 75212
Email:
https://www.bedallas90.org/
Tel: (214) 671-0249
Get Directions:
Google Maps
Email: dasadopt@dallascityhall.com
Facebook page:
https://facebook.com/dallasanimalservices
Located in the heart of Dallas, Texas, Dallas Animal Services is one of the premier animal rescues in Northern Texas. Their vision is to “lead the nation in compassionate care of animals while finding positive outcomes for all placeable pets through innovative shelter operations and community engagement”.
A non-profit organization, Dallas Animal Services has successfully sheltered and placed countless animals in healthy, happy forever homes.
Their Dallas90 plan is a community outreach campaign that is designed to generate the support and participation of Dallas Animal Services to locate positive outcomes for healthy pets.
Take Me Home Pet Rescue
Address: 561 West Campbell Road, Suite 303, Richardson, TX 75080
Website:
https://tmhpr.com
Get Directions:
Google Maps
Email: adopt@tmhpr.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/takemehomepetrescue/
Take Me Home Pet Rescue (TMHPR) is situated in Richardson, not far from Dallas, is a 100% non-profit organization that is fully committed to minimizing the overpopulation of homeless pets throughout the Dallas area since 2008.
They work with shelters from the city and the surrounding areas and all of the dogs they bring in are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and provided with the medical care they require before they are released to their forever homes.
Adoption fees for dogs over 12 months are $225, for puppies under 12 months are $275 and for large breed dogs over 75 lbs, fees are $250. Click here to see dogs and puppies available for adoption.
East Lake Pet Orphanage
Address: 10101 E Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75238
Website:
https://www.eastlakepetorphanage.com/
Tel: (214) 342 3100
Get Directions: Google Maps
Email: elpo@welovepets.net
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EastLakePetOrphanage/
Established in 2001, East Lake Pet Orphanage has saved the lives of thousands of puppies, dogs, kittens, cats, and other types of pets.
They have successfully connected humans and pets so that they can enrich one another’s lives.
All of the animals they shelter are provided with the medical and surgical care that they require, a warm place to stay, and plenty of love and affection until they find the human family that’s a perfect fit and where they can live together forever in happiness.
To browse the dogs that they offer, you can visit their website or visit their location. Click here to see their application process.
No Borders Bulldog Rescue
Address: 5959 Royal Lane, STE 539, PO BOX 670694, Dallas, TX 75367
Website: https://www.nobordersbulldogrescue.org/
Tel: 214-235-6494
Email: info@nobordersbulldogrescue.org
Facebook page:
https://facebook.com/nobordersbulldogrescue/
If you’re looking for a bulldog, head to a premier rescue for bulldogs in Dallas, No Boarders Bulldog Rescue.
This non-profit 501(c) (3) organization is run completely by volunteers and is committed to saving and providing bulldogs with a safe place to stay and connecting them with loving families and forever homes.
No Boarders Bulldog Rescue words with local shelters and animal control officers to retrieve bulldogs who are in unpleasant and dangerous situations. Click here to see bulldogs available for adoption. Adoption fees are usually between $300-$600 depending on the age of the dog.
Dallas Pets Alive
Address: 11700 Preston Rd., Suite 660 #263, Dallas, TX 75230
Website: https://dallaspetsalive.org/
Tel: 214 - 444 - 9372
Email: adopt@dallaspetsalive.org
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/dallaspetsalive
Another highly reliable dog rescue in the Dallas area is Dallas Pets Alive. Over the years that they have been in operation, they have successfully implemented innovative and progressive animal care programs.
They’re focused on providing the animals with the health, treatment, and love that they need and helping them find a forever home.
While they focus on rescuing dogs that are in high-risk situations, they do bring in all animals from all walks of life, including strays, orphans, and those who have been given up by their owners. Adoption fees are $250 for puppies under 6 months and $200 for dogs over 6 months. The fees include: spay/neuter surgery, heartworm tests, vaccinations, deworming and microchip. To see their adoptable dogs click here.
A Different Breed Animal Rescue
Address: 11700 Preston Rd Ste 660 Pmb 335 Dallas TX 75230-2739
Website:
http://www.adifferentbreed.org
Tel: (972) 896-6313
Email: adbadoptions@yahoo.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Aceofheartsdogs/
A Different Breed Animal Rescue is a 501 (c) (3) animal rescue organization that has been dedicated to rescuing dogs from the Dallas-Fort Worth area kill shelters since 2004.
They also bring in dogs from puppy raids and accept breeder releases, too. The volunteers that run the organization are dedicated to physically and emotionally rehabilitating the animals that are entrusted in their care and finding them the perfect human family and forever homes.
They take in all types of dogs, including breeds of all shapes, sizes, and ages. If you’re interested in adopting a dog from A Different Breed Animal Rescue, you will need to submit an adoption form and it will have to be approved by the staff before an animal is released to you. See their available dogs for adoption here. For their fostering program click here.
The Street Dog Project
Address: Dallas, TX 75248
Website:
https://www.thestreetdogproject.org/
Email: placement@thestreetdogproject.org
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/thestreetdogproject/
Another excellent dog shelter that primarily focuses on rescuing dogs from the streets of Dallas, TX is Dauntless Rescue Inc is a non-profit 501(c)3, DBA The Street Dog Project.
Run by a small group of volunteers, this shelter group have been rescuing hundreds of dogs ever since they were founded in 2016.
This no-kill animal shelter is dedicated to providing animals that have been neglected with the recovery they require and finding them healthy forever homes.
They take the pets that people don’t want then rehabilitate them so that they become extremely patient and obedient. Their adoption fees are $243.53 (incl. state tax) for dogs over one year old, and $270.63 (incl. sales tax) for puppies.
The adoption fee covers vaccinations, de-wormer, microchip, spay/neuter and all dogs of age are tested for heart-worm and treated if positive; and all dogs are on monthly flea/tick, heart-worm preventative. Click here to take a look at their available dogs for adoption.
