The Last Resort - Surrendering Your Pet to a Shelter

Giving up a pet is a very difficult decision to make, but we are here to support you. The process may take a little bit of time to ensure you find a loving home that is a good fit for your pet. Surrendering your pet to a shelter should be used as a last resort. The ever-changing environment of a shelter can be very hard on an animal’s mental and physical wellbeing. If you have not done so already, we highly recommend exploring the following pages before surrendering:

Explore the financial, behavioral, and medical resources available to help you keep your pet in your home.

Skip the shelter! Explore options for self-rehoming.

There are shelters/rescues that specialize in specific ages, breeds, behaviors, and medical conditions. We recommend owners explore their surrender options to find which shelter/rescue will fit their pet best. Don’t be afraid to reach out to multiple agencies! Many shelters/rescues are operating at or near capacity, so you may need to contact those not in your immediate area.

Click here to view all animal shelters in the surrounding areas.

Surrendering Adopted Animals

Many breeders, shelters, and rescue organizations will take back an animal that is originally from the shelter if the owner is no longer able to care for them. Please reach out to the original adoption agency before contacting our shelter. 

While Aurora Animal Care & Control accepts returns of all animals previously adopted from our shelter, it is not required. We understand our shelter may not be the best fit for every animal and encourage owners to explore surrender or rehoming options that will fit their pet best.

Surrendering to AACC

If you are unable to rehome your pet, Aurora Animal Care & Control accepts animals residing in the city limits of Aurora by appointment only. While we do our best to re-home as many animals as possible, humane euthanasia is a possibility. Each animal is unique and evaluated on a case-by-case basis when evaluating potential outcomes.

Surrender Process:

  1. Fill out the Animal Surrender Questionnaire(PDF, 56KB). Once completed, the questionnaire and proof of ownership (such as veterinary records or microchip information) can be emailed to adopt@aurora.il.us or dropped off at the shelter during open business hours.
  2. Our staff will review your questionnaire, proof of ownership, and assist you with scheduling an appointment. 
  3. At the time of surrender, the owner must present a valid government issued ID and pay all associated surrender fees. 
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