Before You Surrender Your Pet ...

The Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department considers itself to be a place of last resort for the surrender of pets. Before surrendering, please explore every possible alternative including friends, relatives and rescue groups.

Although we do our best, we simply receive too many pets to place them all and cannot guarantee that any pet will be adopted. We are asking people who want to surrender a pet to speak with an Animal Welfare representative before bringing your pet.

Shelters at Capacity

In order to better manage our shelters and care for the thousands of stray animals that come through our doors each year, we are asking people who want to surrender a pet to speak with an Animal Welfare representative before bringing your pet.

Call Animal Welfare First

Animal Welfare has surrender counselors who will work with pet owners to see if we can help the owner prevent the surrender. Services include advice on behavior issues, free low and moderate income spay or neuter services, and advice on other placement options that would be in the best interest of the animal.

To voluntarily be placed on a waiting list, call 311 or (505) 768-2000 and give your name and telephone number to the operator. You will be contacted within one to three days. If you must surrender a pet immediately, bring it to one of our animal shelters.