ADOPTION PROCESS
Adoption Process for Dogs
All animals housed at Lancaster County Animal Shelter must go through several behavior tests before being considered "adoptable" or "rehab-able".
Once the animal is approved for release, it can then be placed with an adopter or rescue group. The staff at Lancaster County Animal Shelter always tries to place animals with families or rescue groups that are best-suited for that animal's size, temperament, condition and personality. Each animal receives distemper/parvo shot, Bordetella (kennel cough), heartworm tests, microchip, and de-wormer according to age and species prior to leaving the shelter. Any animal adopted from our facility is spayed or neutered and microchipped.
The animal shelter must stay within South Carolina state law and ensure that all animals that are rescued from our facility are sterilized.
You do NOT have to be a Lancaster County resident to adopt from our facility.
If you're thinking about adopting a dog from Lancaster County Animal Shelter, please complete an online application in advance. This will expedite the process when you arrive. If you prefer to complete the application offline, please print and complete an adoption application and bring it with you. Links to the online and printable applications are below.
We also encourage you to visit the websites of our local rescues for adoption as well.
The current rescues in our county are as follows :
Humane Society Lancaster SC
Lancaster SPCA
Adoption Process for Cats
If you are interested in adopting a kitten or cat, we urge you to come by and meet them in person or take a look at our adoptable cats on the Available Pets page. All kittens and cats are spayed/neutered and dewormed. If kittens are NOT 6 (six) months old, they will have to be brought back at that time to be sterilized. Please make sure you check out our local rescues here in Lancaster SC for available kitties, too!
If you're thinking about adopting a cat from Lancaster County Animal Shelter, please download, print and complete an adoption application (link below) and bring it with you. This will help expedite the process.
FARMERS FOR FERALS
Feral cats can be an asset to our farmers. They make great hunters of rodents and snakes that like to live in barns and/or buildings. We are looking for a few good farmers to take some of our feral population onto their property. Each cat will be tested for FIV/FeLV, up to date on shots, sterilized and wormed. Keep in mind, these aren't the lap kitties you have in your house! If you are interested in taking in one or ten, please send an email to animal@lancastersc.net. *FERAL CATS ARE FREE*