The Best San Antonio, TX Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2026

San Antonio pets alive

San Antonio Pets Alive! is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Due to alarming euthanasia rates, San Antonio Pets Alive! (SAPA!) was founded in 2011. SAPA! is unique, it is the only high-paced, high-volume rescue in San Antonio, saving 5,000 at-risk cats and dogs from euthanasia annually. Since its inception, SAPA! has saved more than 70,000+ dogs and cats. SAPA! provides safety nets for the dogs and cats that fall through the cracks of all other lifesaving options and end up on the euthanasia list at the city shelter, often with just hours to be saved. SAPA! promotes the availability of these dogs and cats to other rescues, adopters, and fosters.

Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area

While we are not funded by the city, the county, or any national humane organizations, the Humane Society of New Braunfels, a 501c3 non-profit, contracts with the City of New Braunfels and Comal County to house stray animals brought in by their Animal Control Divisions. We also accept stray pets brought in by citizens and if space allows, pets whose owners can no longer care for them. A small portion of our operating budget comes from the city and country contracts. We handle approximately 4,000 animals a year and at any given time care for approximately 100 cats and 100 dogs. The revenue we collect from our contracts covers approximately three days of care per animal and their intake vaccinations. If the animal stays longer, or needs any veterinary care, we rely on donations and adoption fees to cover those costs.

SNIPSA

Our mission is fourfold: to Rescue, Rehabilitate, and Rehome adoptable animals from high kill shelters and the community, and to encourage Responsibility within the pet owning population. By providing rescue, adoption, and offering low cost spay/neuter options, we are able to connect with our community and enrich the lives of our pet population.

Roxy's K-9 Rescue

We're a home-based rescue, which means all of our dogs are in foster homes learning how to be family members and loving companions. Roxy's K9 Rescue is a 501c(3) non-profit is run by volunteers saving dogs off the streets of San Antonio, TX since 2006.

Homes for Pets/Schertz Humane Society

Homes for Pets is a non-profit organization dedicated to rescue and improving the lives of companion animals in the Schertz, Texas area. We provide foster care and facilitate adoptions of homeless pets, support the staff and animals in the city shelter, and provide community education about responsible pet ownership. The group is comprised solely of volunteers and its activities are financed by membership dues, fundraisers, and donations. All animals brought into our care are examined by a veterinarian, brought up to date on vaccines, heartworm tested (and treated, if positive) and started on heartworm preventative, spayed or neutered, and treated for any illnesses or parasites, and evaluated for temperament. While in foster care dogs are housetrained and usually crate trained and may begin to learn basic commands. Adoption fees do not usually cover the cost of medical treatment of the animals in our care. We depend on donations and fundraisers to continue our work. Homes For Pets would not exist without the commitment of the volunteers who give their time to help our homeless pets. Volunteer opportunities are endless. If you have some time to spare, be it an hour a day to an hour a month, we could use your help. If you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you.

Canyon Lake Animal Shelter Society

Canyon Lake Animal Shelter Society is a 501 (c) 3 non profit, no kill, limited admission animal shelter which enhances the quality of life and adoptability of animals abandoned, neglected, or at risk of being euthanized by other local facilities. All animals receive appropriate medical care, love, and the best care possible for however long it takes to find them a loving family and home. The ultimate goal is to ensure each animal placed in the care of CLASS is cared for with dignity, professionalism, compassion, and humility. CLASS is determined to make a positive impact and change the lives of the animals in it's care. Our efforts include: • Saving animals at risk of being euthanized at local facilities • Providing basic medical care prior to adoption and ensuring all animals requiring further care receive treatment • Performing temperament testing to better understan

Charming pet rescue

We're a home-based rescue, so there's always someone around to care for the dogs and cats in our care. Most of our dogs are allowed to roam the main yard (as long as they behave themselves), and we have several food and water stations throughout. Every evening, the dogs are tucked into our kennel building with soft bedding. We also have around 50 foster homes that house our animals not located on the property. We also have two separate nursery buildings for mamas and puppies or kittens to stay safe and healthy. Our sick bay quarantines any dogs that get an illness or injury that requires special care and separation from the pack. Each of these additions has a/c and heat as needed to keep them comfortable. Since we began in March of 2015, we've worked on adding improvements each year to make life as good as possible for the dogs and cats during their (hopefully) short stay with us. Our focus is family-friendly pets who get along with everyone. Of course, we sometimes don't know a pets temperament until we meet, but we work hard to ensure pets are going to the right homes for them.

Bulverde Area Humane Society

We are a non-profit (501 c 3 Corporation) shelter run by volunteers, working to help solve the dog and cat problems in our community. We also partner with other shelters and rescue organizations in Comal County and beyond to care for, rehabilitate, transport and rehome homeless pets. What else we do We seek to place pets in forever homes where they will be part of the family. We spay or neuter every dog or cat in our shelter. Where possible, we treat them for parasites, injuries, and illnesses. We microchip them. We educate adopters about how to be responsible pet owners. In addition to caring for animal needs, volunteers perform much of the construction, repairs and grounds maintenance answer phone and email inquiries and maintain records on the animals.

Blue Angel German Shepherd Dog Rescue - Rescuers United for Furry Friends (R.U.F.F.)

Blue Angel German Shepherd Dog Rescue operates under the 501c3 nonprofit umbrella of Rescuers United for Furry Friends (R.U.F.F.)

Society for Animal Rescue and Adoption (SARA)

SARA stands for Society For Animal Rescue & Adoption. Founded in 1996, SARA has grown into one of the largest sanctuaries in the world, with no fewer than 700 animals in our care at any given time. ​ When outside adoption is not possible, our animals live at the sanctuary for the duration of their natural lives. Euthanasia is only employed in the true sense of the word: when an animal is suffering with no chance for recovery. No animal is ever killed for convenience. ​ Our slogan has always been “Unconditional Life” and by that we mean that SARA seeks to save as many animals as possible regardless of species, special health needs, or temperament. SARA is a 501 C 3 Non-profit organization. DLN 74-2790363.

San Antonio Great Dane Rescue - Homeward Bound Dog Rescue

We are a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and we are the #1 great dane rescue in San Antonio and surrounding areas. We pride ourselves with all the volunteer work we do and everything we do for the dogs that we rescue. We are an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, the rehabilitation and the placement of all great danes and other breeds that are in the rescue. All our dogs will go to their forever homes neutered/spayed to prevent the euthanasia of all healthy dogs and to reduce the number of unwanted dogs being destroyed each year. We try to educate the general public why you shouldn’t buy a dog or puppy from a pet store and advise them about puppy mills. We evaluate the temperament of the dogs that come into this rescue and make sure that they go to the correct family. We ensure that all our dogs are in homes that will provide a safe living environment, that can give the attention and interaction that dogs deserve. These dogs of ours are not just pets — they are our family members. All of these dogs are in foster families throughout San Antonio and the surrounding areas and will stay there until the correct home will be found. They are NOT in a shelter in cages or runs, they are all in loving homes that share our beds, our couches for that short period of our lives.

Sierra's K9 Rescue and Rehab

Sierra's K9 R&R is dedicated to saving street dogs of San Antonio and surrounding areas. We want those dogs to know that there are people out there willing to help them and give them a voice.

In Dog We Trust

In Dog We Trust was formed for people to adopt trainable dogs for service dog training or good temperament pets. Many dogs have been returned to shelters by inexperienced people who fall in love with the look of a dog without really understanding what it takes to be a service dog. In Dog We Trust trains owners dogs with assessments as well as our rescues at no charge for veterans or first responders.

San Antonio Humane Society

The San Antonio Humane Society (SAHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, no-kill organization that has served Bexar County and its surrounding areas since 1952. The SAHS shelters, medically treats, and rehabilitates thousands of dogs and cats every year. Many of the dogs and cats in our care have been abused, injured, surrendered by their owners, or found as strays. As a no-kill organization, every treatable pet in our care stays in our care until they find a home or necessary placement with another no-kill organization. No pet in our care is ever euthanized to create space. Thousands of dogs and cats in San Antonio and its surrounding areas are saved from euthanasia every year due to the mission and practices of the SAHS. Through our adoption, volunteer, foster, spay/neuter, and educational programs, we inform and educate the public on the importance of responsible pet ownership. We serve as one of the largest dog and cat adoption organizations in San Antonio, Texas, helping to decrease the community's large pet overpopulation problem in a humane manner. As a local nonprofit, we are not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). We do not receive funding from the federal government, the HSUS, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Atascosa Animal Allies

Atascosa Animal Allies is a group of unpaid volunteers who serve the Pleasanton Animal Shelter in Pleasanton, Texas. We were formed in August 2017 when the City of Pleasanton needed help getting animals transferred in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Some of our current members offered to house the animals. Through this emergency, we saw a great need for a rescue group in our city. We became a 501(c)(3) in October 2017. We do not own a facility, but instead, foster out of our homes. Since our inception, we have rescued over 6000 animals. We: • Rescue animals from high-kill shelters and the community. • Rehabilitate animals while fostering them. • Rehome cats and dogs by adopting them out or transferring them to other no-kill rescues. • Teach Responsibility to the pet owning population. • Host low cost spay/neuter clinics for pets in our community to enrich the pet population and to keep them out of shelters. • Created a cat Trap-Neuter-Return program in 2018.

City of San Antonio Animal Care Services

Paws Ranch Rescue and Animal Sanctuary

Paws Ranch Rescue and Animal sanctuary 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (PRRAS for short) that got its start in 2010 thanks to a publicly voted grant from Pepsi. We exist solely on grants, donations, and the help of our dedicated volunteers. Our goal is to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home or provide sanctuary to as many pets as possible. Over a thousand abused, abandoned, and neglected animals have already been saved by PRRAS. We at PRRAS along with the Alamo Area partnership for animal welfare (AAPAW) and other local rescues are striving to make San Antonio a truly NO KILL city. You can help by getting involved. Adopt a less adoptable pet, foster a pet, sponsor a special needs animal, become a volunteer, donate funds, pet supplies, or food, educate friends and neighbors about the stray pet problem, spay and neutering, and encourage them to adopt instead of breeding or buying. Together we can reach our goal of a Real No Kill City!

TracysPawsRescue

Ordinary Miracles Canine Rescue

Ordinary Miracles Canine Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit rescue group. We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome abused, unwanted and abandoned small dogs from the streets and kill shelters in and around San Antonio, Texas. We are a private, foster home-based rescue and do not have a public shelter. All our dogs are examined, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, microchipped and receive any and all necessary medical treatment before they are placed into carefully screened adoptive homes. We hope to raise awareness of the plight of companion canines in San Antonio and educate the public on responsible pet ownership one foster and adopter at a time.

Footbridge foundation

Wendy Black fostered dogs for many years, and she always enjoyed walking them through the King William neighborhood and across the footbridge on Johnson Street. One day it struck her that the bridge itself was becoming symbolic. Around the time the dogs got the hang of their claws touching the metal surface of the bridge, they also forgot their desperate pasts and became ready to move into their happy futures. Shortly after this revelation, Wendy created a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and Footbridge Foundation was born. Over the last five years, Footbridge Foundation, along with the kind and dedicated help of donors, fosters, and volunteers, has saved the lives of thousands of dogs and cats. The organization is on track to rescue and adopt out at least 450 animals this year alone. To fund their charitable animal rescue efforts, Footbridge Foundation relies solely on the much-needed donations of generous supporters.

They Have The Right to Live Rescue

They Have the Right to Live Rescue was founded by President Geraldine Smart in 2012. Geraldine has spent her entire life with animals--they were always her best friends growing up and have been a constant in her life. Never without them, she has loved dogs, cats, horses, birds, hamsters...there isn't an animal she doesn't love out there and will gladly take in. With 4 dogs (currently) of her own, her love for dogs runs deep and her desire to protect them all meant that she needed to make a difference in this world and thus The Right To Live Rescue was born. ​Having seen the horrific situation with high-kill shelters in San Antonio, Geraldine made it her mission to bring awareness to the reality these dogs face and to rescue as many as possible from their certain death. When she first started TRTLR, by herself, she was still unable to pull dogs, and so was asking other people with the ability to pull, to go in and get the dogs, which she then arranged fosters for, all funded with her own money. Over time, while working so much with SAPA, they allowed her to be able to pull dogs herself. This was when things really took off. TRTLR became a registered 501c3 rescue, which gave her the ability to pull dogs from any shelter and adopt out dogs once they are healthy both mentally and physically. Geraldine was now working in collaboration with SAPA and TRTLR was truly up and running. Fast forward from those early days of working by herself to today: Working with a great team of people down in San Antonio, and with a huge network of fosters, rescues, vets and transports etc., Geraldine and TRTLR has saved close to 1,000 dogs' lives. This is a huge feat for a rescue that started with one woman's love of animals, on her computer, funding it herself to where we are today. Our name is spreading, the tireless work the team does is spreading, and both Geraldine's and TRTLR name proceeds them with connections across the US and in Canada. ​ ​Geraldine dreams and works towards a day where there are NO KILL SHELTERS, there are NO ANIMALS SUFFERING, and all animals know what it's like to be loved and be safe with soothing voices and gentle hands.

City of Converse Animal Care Facility

Converse Animal Care is responsible for: · Providing a safe humane shelter for unwanted, stray, abused, and impounded animals in accordance with state and city regulations in a cost-efficient and effective manner · Balancing the health, public safety, and welfare needs of people and animals · Enforcing animal related laws responsibly · Community outreach on responsible animal ownership · Investigating cases where animal care is questionable · Finding new loving homes for homeless animals at our shelter

Atascosa County Animal Control

Abandoned Pet Project Rescue

Cheri's Heart Animal Rescue

Protecting Animals Within San Antonio (P.A.W.S.)

Protecting Animals Within San Antonio (P.A.W.S.) is a foster-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue. We are not a shelter and are 100% volunteer only. We do not have a facility.​​​​ P.A.W.S. is unique because we have been the ONLY foster-based rescue in Texas that saves animals, sponsors student groups AND teaches animal welfare education. ​​​We present the youth in San Antonio with an opportunity to be a part of something where they can make an immediate difference.At Harlandale High School, we sponsor the P.A.W.S. Club. These students choose which shelter animals to save and become a part of their rescue story. Students assist during spay/neuter events and help teach our humane education curriculum to elementary/middle schools and through this, the community learns about responsible pet ownership and how to prevent cruelty to animals. ​​To date, P.A.W.S. has rescued over 800 dogs and cats.We have sponsored over 1500 free spay/neuter surgeries to the public at large by hosting mobile clinics through SNIPSA. We have provided over 400 spay/neuter surgeries, eye enucleations, and amputations for community-owned pets in need. Over 300 students have participated in and been educated about animal cruelty and its prevention during our P.A.W.S. camps which were postponed when COVID hit.Every year we try to add new components to our curriculum. For example, in 2017, P.A.W.S. camp offered students the opportunity to work with certified CCPDT dog trainers to learn the tricks of the trade.

Saving Grace Dog Rescue of San Antonio

Saving Grace Dog Rescue of San Antonio is a 501(c)3 foster-based rescue group dedicated to finding loving forever homes for the abandoned, stray, and homeless dogs of the San Antonio area.

Friends of Dogs Corporation

We are Friends of Dogs Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foster-based rescue located in Seguin, TX. Our goal is to network the dogs at the Guadalupe County Animal Control and find them forever homes. There are 2 parts to what we do at Friends of Dogs Rescue. 1. We are a team of volunteers that network the dogs that come into GCAC. We vaccinate, deworm, & give flea/tick preventative. We assess the dog for age, heartworm status, temperament, whether spayed/neutered and any medical issues. We video and take pictures that are used for networking to the public and rescues. We fund vet appointments such as skin scrapes, xrays, & more emergent situations. We have a team of transporters who aid in getting the dogs to partner rescues. 2. We are a foster based rescue. We will pull these dogs into our rescue if we have a foster step up. From there, we finish the vetting, prepare the dog for adoption, post profiles of the dog, and get the dog adopted into a happy forever home. Here we will share the monthly numbers of what we accomplish with our volunteer team, our amazing social media followers, and our foster team.

Animal Defense League of Texas

The Animal Defense League is supported through adoption fees, donations, grants, bequests from individuals, and special events to raise needed funds. Directed by a volunteer board and operated by a professional management and veterinary staff, ADL provides programs and services that strengthen the bond between animals and people. Through grassroots advocacy, education, and rescue, the Animal Defense League is the leading voice for dogs and cats in crisis. ADL Operates as San Antonio's largest and oldest true- no-kill shelter. This means that no animal is ever euthanized if it can be treated and returned to health. If the shelter reaches its maximum capacity of 400 animals, no additional dogs and cats can be taken in but no animal will ever be euthanized to make room for others. Animals can be brought in and cared for only as others are adopted.

Molino de Suenos/Windmill of Dreams Animal Rescue and Sanctuary

Olga Dib started rescuing in 1994, it was called "Second Chance" at that time, helping to find pet homes that friends, strangers and herself had found. Olga's dream has always been to find a home where all animals could live and not be forced to leave, due to various laws. In November 2011 Olga finds an abandoned deer ranch for sale, now known as Dream Mill, or the "Dream Mill" and houses more than 126 animals, including dogs, cats, birds, horses, donkeys, llamas. She hopes to raise awareness for the cruelty and neglect of animals. The main task at Molino de Sueños is to convert the animals rescued in need, into special friends that would be part of your family, part of our Animal Assisted Therapy program or part of our community education programs.