The Best Houston, TX Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2026

Friends For Life Animal Shelter

We're here for the undercat and underdog, regardless of their breed, age or condition. Houston-grown, we're here to help our neighbors care for the pets they love. We're not done until every animal has a safe home. Until then, we'll be innovating, improving and tracking results to find the most effective ways to save lives.

THREE LITTLE PITTIES RESCUE

Three Little Pitties Rescue is a non-profit, 501c3 all-breed dog and cat rescue dedicated to saving animals out of desperate situations, primarily in the Houston, Texas area. From 2018 to 2024 the rescue has saved 13,000+ animals and delivered them to better lives up north.

Donna's love pet rescue

Our charitable, tax-exempt mission is to save as many lives as possible by giving homeless and lost animals a warm and special touch to show them that they are loved so they can trust again and return that love. I served in the military (Navy) from 1989 till 1993. My passion in life has always been to work with and care for animals. I have 7 dogs of my own (Palen, Rocsco, BK, Chico, Beau, Star and Annie). All of my dogs, except Palen, were found and taken in by my facility, The Dog House Pet Salon. If I could take every rescue home with me, I would. We have taken in over 290 homeless and lost animals since we opened our doors for business at The Dog house Pet Salon in 2009. We have re-homed 289 of them. Dash has been with us for one year. Dash needs a little more training to become confident and trust humans again. If I cannot re-home one of my loved ones, they will stay with me and live a good life. We believe that every lost animal with a microchip, rabies id/vet tag number or a name tag should be able to be identified and the parents contacted in a matter of seconds. We created the innovative My Pet Credentials mobile app for that very reason ‚an easy to use digital platform to empower the parents of lost pets with a means to find their lost pet quickly and efficiently without the need of calling, faxing or emailing. Pet owners, pet salons, rescue shelters and veterinarians can download the MPC app or register at www.mypetcredentials.com. The cost to pet owners is $16.99 annually. The platform is free for pet salons, rescue shelters and veterinarians. I am most proud of the lost and found function that is part of the MPC pet service platform. Pet owners enter the microchip number or rabies id/vet tag number in their pet's profile. If someone finds the pet, they can use the MPC mobile app or go to www.mpclost.com to identify the lost pet by entering any one of three tracking numbers. The MPC platform will immediately display: A picture of the pet (front, left and right Image) The pet's name, age, gender, breed, color and markings The pet's most current vaccinations A button to contact the owner who will receive a text, email and mobile app notification with the good Samaritan‚ name, phone number, email and message When someone finds a pet, MPC‚ lost and found function assists in reuniting the lost pet with their family, quickly and efficiently, by giving the Samaritan the ability to enter the lost pet's name, age, gender, breed, color and any markings along with any microchip, rabies id or vet tag number (tracking numbers) and upload an image of the lost pet. Once the tracking information has been entered by the Samaritan the family of the lost pet will be able to go to our universal lost and found website, www.mpclost.com, to input their pet's tracking information and our platform will display to the family an image of their pet, the pet's name as reported by the good Samaritan, age, gender, breed, color and any markings and the name, address and phone number where the pet can be reunited with their family. This innovative process reunites lost pets found with a microchip or rabies id or vet tag number with their families quickly and efficiently by eliminating the need to post lost and found flyers or waste time calling animal shelters, city pounds or veterinarians to locate their lost pet. I could go on about all the features of the MPC platform such as transfer of ownership, vaccination records storage, vaccination reminders and scheduling appointments with your pet salon. We created Donna's Love Pet Rescue for people who want to help end homelessness for animals and provide an easy to use digital platform to help identify pets, contact owners of lost pets quickly and efficiently and allow owners of lost pets with a microchip or rabies id or vet tag number to be registered with MPC for a quick and joyous reunion! The donation we receive from you helps with. Vetting Food Training Fostering Transportation Spay and neuter Our goal is also to educate the community on the importance of spay and neutering, having dogs vetted and properly trained and provided with appropriate identification markers. Animals are family too. To make a tax-deductible donation by mail: Donna's Love Pet Rescue 5917 Richmond Ave. Houston, TX 77057

Texas Sled Dog Rescue

Texas Sled Dog Rescue is a small rescue focusing on finding fur-ever homes for sled dog types (Siberian huskies and Alaskan Malamutes, and mixes). While in rescue, we will place them in foster homes, provide basic training as needed, and vetting which includes vaccinations, spay or neuter, microchip and other medical services as needed. Our volunteers are involved in all facets of rescue including but not limited to fundraising, transporting, evaluating dogs, respresenting the rescue at local dog events, fostering, etc.

Caitie's Foster Fam Rescue

Founded in May 2021, we are a non-profit 501(c)3 rescue made up of animal-loving individuals. Our team consists of animal rescuers who have been making a difference in the lives of homeless pets for over a decade. We each started as volunteers and fosters, specializing in medical needs cases. Because of the high demand for more medical fosters and rescuers, we decided to join together and start our own non-profit rescue. We are an entirely foster-based organization, so we do not have a physical shelter. All animals are kept in loving foster homes. Our founder, Caitie, has been fostering medical cases in the Houston area for over ten years.

Corridor Rescue

Corridor Rescue was born in 2009 when Deborah Hoffman, while driving through the area to work, realized there was a horrible problem with abandoned and stray animals. Her tenacity and love for the dogs would not allow her to stand by and watch...Corridor Rescue was conceived! Corridor Rescue is named after a 14 square mile area of Northeast Houston dubbed ‚'The Corridor of Cruelty'. The sheer number of dogs abandoned, dumped and allowed to roam the streets in this area is mind boggling. But sadly, the Corridor area is known for animal cruelty. The animals are unwanted, seen as a nuisance, and in some cases wrongly thought of as aggressive. People hit them, throw things at them, shoot them, fight them, and even deliberately run them over. Corridor Rescue has grown phenomenally over the last decade. What started as a one-woman show now has multiple volunteer teams and a kennel facility where we are able to take our rescued street dogs directly off the street for rehabilitation. The facility can house up to 30 dogs and is staffed with two Veterinary Technicians and three Kennel Technicians. The dogs receive medical care and enrichment to begin healing and to put them on the road to their forever home. Corridor Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is solely funded by the generosity of our wonderful donors and supporters. We are a volunteer-based organization, always looking for enthusiastic, outgoing, motivated, and animal loving volunteers to join our team. Corridor Rescue has a number of areas that you can help save lives.

Cypress Lucky Mutt Rescue

Cypress Lucky Mutt Rescue is a Houston area 501(c)(3) non profit organization dedicated to rescuing homeless and abandoned puppies and dogs from high-kill shelters and owners who can no longer care for them. By working with committed volunteers, foster homes, local veterinarians, trainers, and boarding facilities, we are able to rescue countless animals every year, provide them with loving foster care, and ultimately find them well-matched, carefully screened forever homes. We also plan to serve as a resource to our community and all pet owners by providing education and information on responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter, positive behavior training, and good nutrition and care.

Wag Again Rescue

Wag Again is a section 501(c)(3) foster based dog rescue group with years of animal and rescue experience amongst our volunteers. Wag Again is committed to helping the neediest, as well as the readily adoptable, among our community's most vulnerable creatures. We are a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to restoring the dogs under our care to physical and emotional health as they await placement in loving, responsible homes. Virtually all donated funds will be spent directly on the care of the animals. Wag Again stands ready to help you, the prospective adopter or foster home, find a companion who will thrive in your home. We are here to assist you in every way possible throughout the adoption process and will continue to be a helpful resource after you have welcomed your new pets into your life.

In the name of Zoey

Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue

is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization founded in 2008. We are a breed-specific organization dedicated to rescuing and rehoming German Shepherds in Houston, Texas and surrounding areas. GHGSDR is guided by three core values: dedication, integrity, and compassion. We are devoted to finding homes for our GSDs with people who want to continue our mission of giving these dogs a better life and a second chance. Our GSDs are obtained from public shelters after they have completed a stray-hold period or they are surrendered to us directly by their owners. We strive to ensure that each dog in our care is given the love, attention, and medical care they need to thrive. We believe that every dog deserves a second chance at a happy life. All of our rescued German Shepherds are placed in a foster home while we work tirelessly to find loving, forever homes; carefully matching each dog with an adoptive family who will provide them with the love and care they deserve. We attribute our success in rehoming German Shepherds to our wonderful volunteers. We have many volunteers who have been with us since inception, which gives us stability and a sense of history. We also have newer volunteers who bring enthusiasm and new ideas to our group, which is essential for us to continue our mission. As an all-volunteer run organization, we all hold different jobs in our actual lives. We are not professionals in animal behavior, training, or health, but we work closely with local veterinarians, trainers, and other animal welfare organizations to ensure that our dogs receive the best possible care and support.

Lola's Lucky Day

Lola's Lucky Day strives to make a positive impact by rescuing animals that otherwise would not have a chance in Texas. We rescue pups from the streets and shelters, get them healthy, fully vetted, spayed/neutered, and network with our partner rescues in Wisconsin to match them with loving families.

Sunnyside Street Dogs

At Sunnyside Street Dogs, we believe every dog deserves a loving home and a happy life. We rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome street dogs, ensuring they receive the care and love they need. Our mission is to create a world where every dog is valued, protected, and cherished.

Forgotten coast animal rescue

Our co-founders Rachell Jones and Courtney Lomelo met in 2019 where all good rescue ladies hang out: Facebook groups dedicated to rescuing dogs. Although Rachell lives in Florida, and Courtney in Texas, together they networked and found a home for their first dog together! His name was Ryder. Courtney began rescuing street dogs in 2011 and Rachell entered the rescue world in 2018 inspired by countless dogs displaced by Hurricane Michael in Florida. The duo went on to network several more dogs on high-kill Houston shelters' euthanasia lists. They got to know each other over late night calls and Facebook messages. A true modern friendship! Finally, they decided to officially form a rescue together and Forgotten Coast Animal Rescue was born. Forgotten Coast Animal Rescue was named for Rachell's home coast in Florida. Presently, FCAR operates primarily in Houston, Texas. We hope to expand to North Florida, the forgotten coast, in the coming years to care for Rachell's home state.

Texas Muttley Love Dog Rescue

Texas Muttley Love Dog Rescue is a 501c3 foster based rescue that was founded in 2019 by Mattie Gallier. We pull from the euthanasia lists at high kill for space shelters, street dogs and owner surrenders and find them homes in the PNW. We do our own transports monthly to ensure the dogs are properly taken care of and go to the best homes possible. The rescue was created to honor the memory of my friend and mentor in dog rescue Barbara. Barbara was the founder of Muttley Love which was ran out of her home and her garage apartment. I met her when I first moved to Houston and started work, which ended up being a huge dumping yard for dogs. I must have contacted 25 rescues to help me and everyone said no. Not Barbara! In fact she said yes 32 times. There aren’t many people like Barbara. When it came to people and organizations in rescue she was IT. She was the definition of selfless, compassion and dedication! She is who I have wanted to be when it comes to helping the stray and homeless population in Houston. We ended up saving 32 dogs from my job site and she vetted them all, fostered them all and found every single one of them a loving home. Barbara passed away in 2015 leaving a huge hole in the rescue world. I knew at that point I needed to honor her. I hope Texas Muttley Love will always honor you, display your heart and make you proud. You will never truly know how much you influenced me!

Waiting Under the Willow Foundation

Missouri City Animal Services

IDOG Rescue, Inc.

WHO WE ARE • IDOG Rescue, Inc. was created in 2006 as a national not-for-profit 501(c)(3) foster-based rescue dedicated to the protection of Doodles. • We have foster homes throughout the U.S. • IDOG has successfully assisted over 3,000 Doodles find their forever homes since 2006. WHAT WE DO RESCUE • We work with shelters around the country to ensure that Doodles are pulled as quickly as possible. • We also accept owner-surrendered Doodles. • We accept Doodles regardless of color, coat type or heartworm status. Doodles with other medical issues or behavioral issues are considered based on our ability to treat and successfully place them in a foster home and eventually an adoptive home. REHOME • We offer our rehoming services to owners who need to find their Doodle a new home. • We work hard to find a good fit where the dog and the adoptive family thrive.

Save Some Souls

Jade's Legacy

John is a one-man show. Crazy multilingual dog training dog rescuing MBA Buddhist rugby playing distance running music enthusiast guy who abandoned the corporate grind to work with dogs. Our History Jade's Legacy was sprouted from Zen Dogs, John's boarding and training business. For years he was rescuing so many dogs, and all those vet charges and transport fees and food costs were eating at the business's bottom line. So he filed for the 501c3 at the end of 2019.

Shaggy Dog Rescue

Kathy Wetmore, founder of Shaggy Dog Rescue, is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit animal welfare organization dedicated to providing rescue services, vet care, foster care, and adoptive placement to stray and abandoned shaggy dogs. All of our animals are vaccinated, spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, and on heart-worm preventative. All animals in our program are fostered by individuals who keep the dog in their residence until it is adopted. Please consider becoming a foster parent and opening your home to a dog in need of love and care.

Lifeline of Galveston County

Lifeline of Galveston County is a 501(c)3 non-profit located in Southeast Texas. We envision a future where our municipal animal shelters do not have to euthanize pets due to a lack of kennel space & our community members have access to the resources they need to keep their pets healthy, happy and home.

Our Pet Project, Inc

Volunteers For Animal Protection

Volunteers for Animal Protection (VAP) is a no-kill animal rescue organization that has been rescuing injured, abandoned, abused, and neglected cats and dogs for over 30 years, in Kingwood and the surrounding areas. We rehabilitate these animals by getting them the medical attention they need and provide them with food, shelter and lots of love and attention until they are ready to move to a foster or adoptive home. We also aid in the prevention of cruelty to animals and the relief of suffering among animals, through the extension of humane education to the public. Volunteers for Animal Protection is dedicated to providing injured, abandoned and stray cats and dogs the help they need to prepare for new loving homes. By working with committed volunteers, accredited veterinarians, and other rescue partners we seek to: -Provide displaced animals with temporary housing and proper care through our foster program and/or our shelter facility -Ensure animals receive quality medical care through the use of accredited veterinary services -Find loving permanent homes utilizing our application, interview and home visit process -Educate adopters and the general public on responsible pet care

Basset Buddies Rescue of Texas

Basset Buddies Rescue of Texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization staffed solely by volunteers devoted to the rescue of unwanted, abused, and homeless Bassets in Houston, TX, and surrounding regions. Established in 2007, Basset Buddies Rescue of Texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization staffed solely by volunteers devoted to the rescue of unwanted, abused, and homeless Bassets in Houston, TX, and surrounding regions. • RESCUE. We take in Bassets from shelters or directly from owners who are unable or unwilling to care for them. We do not discriminate based solely on the dog's age, condition, or medical needs. • REHABILITATE. Before adoption, we place the Bassets in loving foster homes where they are evaluated for temperament and behavior. We also update all vaccinations, insert microchips, address all medical conditions, and spay/neuter all unaltered hounds. Most of our Bassets need heartworm treatment, as well. Despite the time and expense, we are committed to providing the most appropriate and humane treatment for every Basset in our care. • REHOME. We work hard to place each Basset with the right forever family. After you complete an application, we will call your vet to ensure all past and present pets are current on preventatives and vaccinations, chat with you via phone, and conduct a home visit—all to match you with the best hound for your home and lifestyle.

Humble Animal Shelter

Scout’s Honor Rescue Inc.

Scout's Honor rescues animals from city pounds, including animals from Houston's local animal shelters. Scout's Honor also takes in animals living on the streets. We do not limit our program to healthy animals or particular breeds, and we often save animals from abusive situations. Scout's Honor provides these beautiful creatures with a second chance to be placed in loving, permanent homes so that they can receive the love and attention they sorely deserve. Since our formation, Scout's Honor has rescued over 3,000 animals and currently has over 80 dogs and cats in our program! Scout's Honor's rescue program is "foster based"; that is, each of the animals we rescue is placed in a temporary foster home, where it receives much-needed love, care, and structure while it waits for its permanent home. We could not exist without our wonderful foster parents. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent or in learning more about fostering for Scout's Honor, please click on our "Fostering" link and read more! Unfortunately, Scout's Honor is unable to take in each animal about which we are contacted. We simply do not have enough money, fosters, or other necessary resources to help all the stray and neglected animals in the Houston area (and, believe us, there are an overwhelming number of needy animals in Houston!). Our ability to take in a dog or cat depends on our current funding, our volunteers, and whether we have an available foster home. Many times we are forced to close our intake when we run low on any of these. We never wish to turn away an animal in need, but sometimes we do not have the luxury to choose. If you wish to help us better our ability to help a needy animal, please click on our "Volunteering," "Fostering," and "Donate" pages and see how you can get involved! We have the most amazing dogs and cats in our program! Indeed, we are almost a "one-stop-shop" for any type of dog you might want. At any one time, we have all different types of breeds and mixed breeds—from small to large. And do not forget about our kitties! We have them from short haired to long haired (and any length of hair in between). Please click on our "Available Pets" link to browse through all of the animals in our program. You can find out more about our adoption policies and download an adoption application at our "Adoption Info" link. Please browse our wonderful dogs and cats and consider adopting one today! Thank you for considering adopting a rescued animal and for taking the time to view our website to see how you can get involved in helping Houston's homeless animals. They need you. Scout's Honor Rescue—Providing Courage, Character, and Compassion to Houston's Homeless Pets.

632 Canine Rescue

632 Canine Rescue is a 501(c)3 organization based in Houston, TX. We are dedicated to the rescue of senior, special needs, and hospice dogs. Founded during the height of a global pandemic. Our rescue was started after witnessing firsthand, perfectly amazing dogs get overlooked in shelters simply due to age or special needs. We believe every dog is deserving of their own happily ever after regardless of age, ability, or life expectancy.

Twyla's Friends

Twyla’s Friends is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1995. We are a small group of Volunteers in the Kingwood, TX Area and our goal is and has been to help homeless dogs in our community. We do not have a physical shelter or kennel facility; instead are a network of dedicated foster homes that house dogs and transform them into valued members of the family. We are an all-volunteer organization with no paid members. All Volunteers have families and jobs to juggle alongside their various foster dogs and volunteer jobs. All money donated is used to cover vet expenses – all dogs receive the necessary health care, including spaying/neutering and are micro-chipped. We sometimes get asked if we are “‘Twyla”. No, none of us are Twyla, Twyla was a dog who was rescued by the founder of our group, and all friends – two and four legged – that assisted with stray and abanadoned dogs near her home were soon called Twyla’s Friends.

City of Webster Animal Shelter

The primary function and intent of the City of Webster Animal Control is to provide protection for health, safety, and welfare of the public within the city limits, by controlling the animal population and by establishing uniform rules for the control and eradication of rabies.

Lone Star Pawz

Lone Star Pawz is a Non-Profit animal rescue and rehabilitation organization for both Cats and Dogs for the Brazoria County area focusing on Feline care. Seeing a growing need for non-profit work in our community, we formed our organization to provide solutions for helpless and homeless animals. Our amazing team of regular and part-time volunteers are committed to helping animals in need. We provide solutions that make a long-lasting difference aiding Cats and Dogs in need to a healthier and happier life while finding the purrrfect placement into their furever homes.