Adopt a dog
Before beginning the process of adopting a pet, please review the Rochester Animal Services Pet adoption and application process:
Pet adoption and application process
Sponsored dogs
Many of our dog's adoption fees are generously sponsored by partners such as Colleen Bracci and the CB Real Estate Team, Rochester Woman Online, and All Access CBD Dogs. Dogs whose fees are sponsored are indicated in their profile picture below. To take advantage of these offers, visit Rochester Animal Services and speak with the front desk.
Rochester Animal Services is enormously grateful to our partners for making this possible.
Adoptable dogs
Click the button below to view adoptable dogs. If there are no dogs listed, please do not fret. That means that the dogs are being reunited with their owners or adopted into new homes right away. Check back frequently to see who might be looking for a new home with you. Also, check out the pets needing re-homing at our Home-to-Home site.
Adoption fee: $50
Visit us
Visit these adorable companions and other homeless pets at the Animal Services Center:
184 Verona Street, Rochester, New York 14608
Monday through Sunday, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
(Adoptions and visitations end 30 minutes before closing each day)
The shelter is also closed on select holidays (New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day), as well as the third Tuesday of each month for staff and volunteer training.
For more information, contact our office at 585-428-7274 or email us.
If you do not find that special match today, please check back with us frequently as new dogs come in daily. Also, consider contacting one of our area's other shelters or pet rescue organizations. By adopting from our partners, you may be facilitating the transfer of another pet from Rochester Animal Services to one of those organizations.
Why are the dogs listed as mixed breeds?
Visual breed identification in dogs is subjective and frequently inaccurate and the consequences associated with using particular labels can be significant. Therefore, we are no longer using breed labels for our dogs unless we are provided with corresponding documentation from the previous owner. Without pedigree records from a breeder or DNA testing, breed labels will not be used on our web postings, kennel cards, rabies certificates, or dog licenses. We get to know each dog as an individual and will do our best to describe each one based on personality, not by suspected breed composition.
To learn more about this topic, we encourage you to read Visual Breed Identification: A Literature Review.
Donate to boost adoptions
Some donors have expressed interest in sponsoring the adoption of a particular animal. Others may want to contribute to medical expenses or special needs for other animals. These may be animals that have been with us for longer than others or for animals with some special needs that may deter adopters. In either case, such contributions help place pets into new homes quickly. If you are interested in donating towards a specific animal's adoption fees or expenses related to medical or special needs care, please notify us at AnimalServices@cityofrochester.gov so that we can ensure that your contribution is allocated for those particular purposes.
When making an online donation to a specific animal, please explain the purpose and enter the animal's name and reference number in the memo field.