How to adopt

When you adopt an animal, you save a life. As an open adoption shelter, we help thousands of homeless animals find loving homes each year. Our adoption counselors are here to help you find the perfect pet that will complete your family.

How to adopt

1View Adoptable Animals Online

We always have a wide range of animals available for adoption – from dogs and cats, to small mammals, exotics and barnyard animals. All adoptable animals are listed on our website; check back regularly as our adoptable animal pages update frequently. Or better yet, visit our shelters in-person to view adoptable animals. Scroll to bottom for locations and operating hours.

2Visit with an Adoptable Animal

To see if an animal will be a good fit for your family, come meet the animal and chat with an adoption counselor. No appointment is needed and our adoptions operate on a first come, first served basis. An animal must be visited with before adopting them or placing a hold.

3 Adopt or Place a “Hold”

Once your visit is over and you would like to move forward with adoption, our Client Services team will assist you with the adoption process and signing an adoption contract. If you’re interested but would like more time to consider, an animal may be placed on hold for a $30 non-refundable, non-transferable fee. This fee is not applied to the adoption fee of the animal. If an animal has an existing hold, you will see an “ON HOLD” image above their photo on our website. Holds expire at the close of operating hours the following business day, and cannot be extended.

Plan Your Visit

When you come for an adoption visit, plan on spending a minimum of one hour at the shelter meeting your new family member. To minimize your wait time, consider visiting the shelter on weekdays during the mid-morning or mid-afternoon when there is less traffic.

Please note: If you plan to visit with an animal at NOCO Humane, please more than 15 minutes before closing. We will not be able to conduct visitations for those who arrive within 15 minutes of closing.
When you arrive at the shelter, check in with a representative at our host desk. Feel free to ask them for recommendations on animals that might suit your personality and lifestyle.
If you believe you’ve found an animal that might be right for you, inform the host desk of the animal’s name and kennel number upon your return from the adoption rooms. Our team will share that animal’s behavioral and medical history to ensure you have all information before making your final decision to adopt.
Next, we will arrange a meet-and-greet in one of our visitation rooms. If you are interested in adopting a dog and have another dog at home, we encourage bringing in your dog so we can conduct a dog-meet-dog introduction to see how they get along – this can be done following your initial visit with the adoptable dog.
Once your visit is complete, you are now eligible to adopt that specific animal or to place a hold. When you are ready to adopt, our team will assist you with filling out paperwork and signing the adoption contract.

Adoption Fees

NOCO Humane uses variable adoption fees. The adoption fee for certain animals is dependent on many factors including age, size, behavior, medical condition, and demand.

Adoption fees range from $25 to $175 for cats and kittens, and $75 to $750 for dogs and puppies. Adoption fees for small mammals, fish, birds, exotic and barnyard animals vary. Click on each animal’s photo on our website to find the adoption fee.

When you adopt, you’ll receive a new best friend and:

Spay or neuter surgery for cats and dogs
General medical examination and testing for good health
Preliminary vaccinations
Microchip implant and registration for cats and dogs
Temporary collar and/or leash to get your new pet home safely
Complimentary post-adoption medical exam from a participating veterinary clinic
Discount on your first initial purchase from Poudre Pet & Feed Supply

Why Do Our Adoption Fees Vary by Animal?

NOCO Humane implements a variable pricing model for our animals. While we don’t see one particular animal as more “valuable” than another (every animal up for adoption at NOCO Humane is equally wonderful from our perspective), we tend to assign higher adoption fees for our puppies, kittens, and purebred animals, as this helps off-set the cost of care for all our animals. Since there is no time limit on how long an animal can stay in our adoptions program (provided that the animal’s overall health and temperament remain positive), assigning higher fees to our animals who have a higher chance of getting adopted quickly allows us to reduce the adoption fees for those animals who might spend more time in the shelter. It also allows us to offer additional assistance to injured, sick, or under-socialized animals who may need a little extra TLC before being placed up for adoption.

Please note, regardless of where our adoption fees are set, they do not cover all the costs NOCO Humane incurs for caring for the nearly 12,000 animals we see each year. Donations, provided by generous members of the community (like you), help us supplement the animals’ care. If you have the ability to make a donation to NOCO Humane, we greatly appreciate it! Your support goes a long way and means everything to us and the animals.