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.

Bexar County Animal Facility

The Bexar County Animal Facility (BCAF) is the county’s only shelter to house animals for Bexar County Animal Control Services. Created in late 2013, the department helps constituents of the unincorporated areas of Bexar County with loose animals that cause a threat to health and human life. The facility is located at 5510 Duffek Drive in Kirby, TX 78219. At that __cpLocation, we house 60 kennels for stray, abandoned, and abused dogs of unincorporated Bexar County. If you suspect your animal has been picked up, please call the BCAF Intake at 210-209-5687. To report stray dogs, residents of unincorporated Bexar County should call our Animal Control Dispatch at 210-335-9000. Animal cruelty is handled by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. If you suspect animal cruelty, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000; press option 1.

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.

Diamond Dachshund Rescue of Texas

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.

Kendall County Animal Shelter

Our shelter opened its door in 2010 and since then we continue to strive to give every animal in our care the best opportunity for adoption.

Cheri's Heart Animal Rescue

San Antonio Doberman Advocacy and Rescue

San Antonio Doberman Advocacy and Rescue (SADAR) • SADAR is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding homes for stray and abandoned Doberman Pinschers. • Our goal is to help as many Dobermans as we can by providing needed medical care, annual shots, heartworm treatment, and spayed or neuter prior to being adopted to their forever home. • We accept Doberman Pinschers from Animal Control facilities and from families who have circumstances where they are unable to care for the dog any longer. • The process of adoption involves application, personal approved home inspections and reference checks. • SADAR is always looking for dedicated persons interested in fostering Dobermans in their home. Please contact us if you can help foster dogs or contribute in other ways such as food, medicines, or monetary donations. • Our staff is strictly volunteers and all donations go directly to help Dobermans in need.

Humane Society of New Braunfels Area

The Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area (HSNBA) became a 501c3 organization in 1975 and incorporated in 1979. HSNBA has operated an animal shelter for 43 years. In those 43 years, there have been five executive directors. The first New Braunfels Humane Society animal shelter was located at 1920 Kuehler Avenue and opened in 1980. The land on which the Kuehler shelter was built was leased to the Humane Society by New Braunfels Utilities (NBU). The 5,000-square-foot shelter was originally built with one dog run, and eventually, 36 dog runs and 34 cat kennels were added. Over time, the shelter became too small to serve the growing community, and HSNBA also had to relocate because NBU was expanding its wastewater treatment plant at that site. In February 2013, the current 11,000-square-foot shelter built on Morningside Drive officially opened. The shelter resides on 16 acres of land owned by the Humane Society. In 2016, we added an onsite Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) spay/neuter clinic for feral cats in a large metal storage container that was converted into a holding area and a surgery area. In 2022, we added an onsite spay/neuter clinic for HSNBA shelter dogs and cats in a portable classroom that was converted into a surgery room and a recovery room. We still have lots of room to grow!

City of San Antonio Animal Care Services

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.)

City of Schertz Animal Services

The Schertz Animal Services Division of the Police Department enforces the City’s Animal Ordinance and Texas Laws relating to animals, provides an animal adoption program, picks up and shelters stray, sick and/or injured animals, and investigates animal cruelty and neglect.

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.

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.

Hay Dude Critter Rescue

We are a nonprofit animal rescue organization located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country! Because we are a Public 501(C)3 organization we rely solely on the generous donations of are residents and other animal loving individuals that want to help! My name is Jessica Minarcin, and I have had a passion for animals since I was a kid. A lot of children outgrow the animal bug, but I never have. I grew up in New Mexico competing on performance horses, taking home every stray I could find much to the dismay of my family. Like many people, I truly thought that the only animals that ended up unwanted were old, crippled, crazy, or unmanageable. How wrong I was! Once I discovered how many sound, sane and well trained animals were in need of new homes, I knew something had to be done. I have been involved heavily in dog rescue as fosters for a while. We have worked hand in hand with some amazing animal rescues, and felt a calling to start something of my own to help those in need. Along with some of my closest friends and family, we are now Hay Dude Critter Rescue! The rescue is located in the Texas Hill Country, just a few miles outside of San Antonio. We assist in the rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming of animals that are brought into our program.

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.

Animal Rescue Foundation

ARF-Texas is a 501C3 non-profit organization and we work in Guadalupe County, Texas. We promote animal welfare by reducing the euthanasia rates at local shelters through adopting, fostering and rescuing animals. Each year we save approximately 300 dogs and cats. We also provide pet food to our local food bank, and have the only community cat support program in our county. We provide low-income families with medical support for their pets, including vaccines. We provide vaccines for shelter animals. We helped design and build a dog park for our community. We are active advocates for animal care issues. ARF celebrated our 10 year anniversary in 2019! Thank you all for supporting us and helping us make it to 10 years!

Bee Pawsitive Husky Rescue

At Bee Pawsitive Husky Rescue we save huskies & large breeds on the euthanasia list or dogs that are in need of URGENT help! Here at Bee Pawsitive Husky Rescue, we know that sometimes all it takes to change the world is a little support. Since our founding in 2022, we have been determined to make an impact. The core of our efforts is to save huskies and northern breeds from the euthanasia lists in shelters and abandon dogs. Through all of our endeavors we hope to display the conviction behind our beliefs.

Helotes humane society

The Helotes Humane Society's mission is to promote the benevolent treatment of animals and provide humane education. Our group takes in neglected, abandoned, and unwanted dogs and cats. We spay and neuter them, medically treat them, and get them ready for adoption. We are a non-profit organization dedicated to placing unwanted animals in Helotes, Texas and the surrounding San Antonio community into loving, forever homes. You can help by adopting a dog or cat, donating or volunteering!

TracysPawsRescue

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.

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!

Petunia's Rescued Friends

Formed in 2016, Petunia's Rescued Friends is named after a very special Opossum named Petunia. Petunia was rescued in Southern California as a baby, and was unable to be released. She was an amazing educational ambassador for all Opossums! Opossums do have very short life spans, but we were happy to have her in our lives for 3 years. Petunia absolutely loved educating the children who attended the Priceless Pet Rescue annual Pet Mania Kids Summer Camp Program. We have volunteered and fostered for Priceless Pet Rescue for many years....and consider them family. We moved to the city of San Bernardino, California...and our lives changed forever. The need for street rescue was downright overwhelming. We asked Priceless Pet Rescue for help. We are proud to say that hundreds of animals were saved off the streets because Priceless Pet Rescue said yes. We were, and still are absolutely blessed to have our Priceless Pet Rescue family in our lives. Now that we are here, living in beautiful Castroville, Texas...we want nothing more than to be a valuable resource to our city, and beyond. We want to help with the over population of street animals, and find them forever homes. All of our adoptable animals receive needed medical care, are spayed/neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated.

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.

Etosha Rescue and Adoption Center

Etosha was named after a salt pan and wildlife preserve located near Namibia, South Africa. Our founding director chose the name to honor her first love since childhood -- a Rhodesian Ridgeback, whose origins are So. African. Once considered rare, the Ridgeback is now a popular companion for many Americans and, unfortunately, also a target for unethical breeders and puppy mills. Texas currently has eight Ridgeback puppy mills that we're aware of, more backyard breeders than any other state, and tops the list for the highest number of purebred Ridgebacks in rescue. Etosha saves and finds homes for hundreds of Ridgebacks every year. Etosha was established in 1988 as a sanctuary for homeless Ridgebacks, Greyhounds, Mastiffs, Great Danes, abandoned hunting dogs and other large breeds. In 1990, Etosha became an all-breed 501c3 rescue that accepted mixed breeds, domestic cats, and exotics such as ferrets and guinea pigs. We also occasionally rescue injured or orphaned rabbits, deer, raccoons, birds and farm animals. Wildlife is returned to its natural habitat or transferred to other sanctuaries as soon as possible and farm animals are eventually moved to other, more appropriate facilities as well. Like most grass roots organizations, Etosha was created in a rural setting by simple country folks. What set us apart in the early years was a diverse membership that included dog show fanciers, hobby breeders, horsemen and women, environmentalists and volunteer firefighters. Having a diversity of personality and character in its membership was exactly what Etosha needed as a fledgling rescue to instill a sense of purpose and dedication which has served us well for more than twenty years. Etosha has evolved over the years to become one of the largest no-kill shelters in Texas, with the ability to house and care for up to 300 dogs and 100 cats year round. We are one of only a few organizations in a five-county area to offer immediate assistance for animals displaced by natural disasters. In the aftermath of hurricanes, Etosha typically rescues enough dogs from coastal areas of Texas to put us at maximum capacity for at least two months. Seasonal flooding in Guadalupe and surrounding counties also increases our number of animals once or twice each year. As a group, we invested many years in building relationships with other rescues and volunteers nationwide, which now allows us to place pets in permanent, loving homes in almost every state in the U.S., and a fair number in Canada as well. Etosha is forever grateful to our rescue partners, foster homes, foundations and animal lovers all over the country that believe in us and support our cause.

Pause for Paws

Pause for Paws Inc. is a no-kill, all volunteer, foster-based 501(C)(3) non-profit, shelter in San Antonio, TX. We are a stray/street dog rescue, primarily taking in dogs directly from the streets in the San Antonio area and from people in the community who have picked up strays. We rescue, treat, rehabilitate, vaccinate, spay/neuter, and microchip all of our animals. We provide foster care in a loving environment while we match the animals with their forever homes.

Atascosa County Animal Control