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The APA Adoption Center assists dogs, cats and other pets such as guinea pigs or bunnies. We do not shelter wildlife. We are happy to make referrals to appropriate agencies and organizations.

We take in over 6,000 animals annually. Between our veterinary clinic and shelter, we handle more than 11,000 animals each year. Our daily numbers vary due to the season, but we can house around 200 animals at one time—that number doubles to over 400 thanks to additional capacity of our caring fosters!

Our mission is limited to working with animals that are brought to us for placement in new homes. We simply don’t have the resources to come out to rescue animals in distress. If you are concerned about a stray or other animal, please call your local animal control office. You may also report suspected abuse or neglect to the Humane Society of Missouri at 314.647.4400, which does have a rescue service.

It costs a great deal of money to shelter, feed and take care of the animals. Some of them require veterinary care before they can be adopted.  Adopting a companion animal will be an ongoing expense.

Our adoption fee includes an exam, microchip, spaying or neutering, vaccinations, deworming, flea and tick preventatives, and any necessary medications. We also do a heartworm test on dogs. Overall, we estimate our fees cover only about 25% of the combined cost of these medical expenses and the care of the animal while it’s waiting for its new family.

If you need to find a new home for your pet, personally rehoming may be the best option. This keeps them out of the shelter, and because you know your pet best, you can be involved in finding the most suitable home and family. If you’ve exhausted your options, visit the APA resource center to learn how we can help you navigate the rehoming process.

The problems of illness exist in any facility with multiple animals, including shelters, pet stores and breeders. In fact, every time you take your puppy or kitten to the veterinarian, obedience school or the park, it can be exposed to a number of diseases. We encourage all pet owners to be extremely careful when considering the health of their pet and to maintain current immunizations and medical records. The stress of being held in a shelter environment can unquestionably reduce an animal’s immunity to disease.

Animals are surrendered to the APA Adoption Center from many sources, and we can never be certain of the health care they received before arriving at the shelter. This is why we try to determine an animal’s health at the first evaluation and continue to monitor its well-being while it stays with us. Our team of experienced veterinarians and technicians screen the animals and administer necessary medical care and vaccinations.

Health concerns are also the reason we offer high-quality Purina pet food to our animals. These foods tend to keep animals healthier and put less stress on their systems.

Approximately 25% of the dogs and cats that come into shelters are purebreds. You can also search for specific breeds on petfinder.com.

No. Adoptable animals are available only by coming to the shelter. Maintaining such a list and notifying people would take staff time away from working with adopters in the shelter. It could also cause missed matches for the animal. If we held an animal for you and you chose not to adopt, we might miss opportunities for a match with someone who had come to the shelter while the animal was unavailable.

The Adoptable Pets page of our website allows you to perform a search of our available pets with a few basic selecting factors.

Most of the pets who enter our shelter are a blend of different breeds, and we have no way of knowing what that blend may be. When attempting to label a dog we are simply making an educated guess, which is often wrong—research tells us that dogs are labeled incorrectly 75% of the time. We believe that removing labels and focusing on the personality and other observable traits of a dog is much more transparent and helpful to adopters. Essentially, we focus on the WHO instead of the WHAT. We share everything we know about a pet with an adopter because that is how we create the very best match.

No we do not. DNA testing is costly and time consuming, and even if we know the makeup of a particular pet, breed traits are not always accurate with mixed breeds. We focus instead on who the pet is, including their personality, quirky behaviors, and all of the other great things that make them unique.

The APA follows industry best practices and cat testing dogs is not recommended.  The Association of Shelter Veterinarians' Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters recommends against exposing cats to dogs as a test to determine if the dog is cat-friendly and recommends dogs and cats remain separate. Direct interaction can cause physical and emotional harm to cats, even if it seems calm. Indirect contact, like through a kennel door, can also be stressful and is not an accurate assessment of whether a dog will get along with a cat in a home.

Instead, we gather as much information as possible about the dog’s behavior from previous owners, fosters, or our staff and volunteers who interact with the dog regularly. If a potential adopter has a cat at home, we encourage the adopter to have a conversation with our adoption counselors who can recommend a dog who has previously lived with a cat or provide guidance on how to introduce a new dog to the household.

The APA Adoption Center does not conduct meet-and-greets with owned pets and pets in our care. When you adopt from the APA, you will be sent home with instructions on how to introduce your pets.

We have no pre-determined time limit for how long we will hold an animal while we try to place it in a good home. Some highly adoptable breeds or cute kittens and puppies will be adopted almost immediately after arriving at the shelter. Other animals, particularly older ones, have slightly longer stays before finding the right family. Fortunately, many animals remain at the shelter for less than one week.

There are times that some animals must be humanely euthanized. We euthanize animals in the same manner that your vet would use if you were faced with the difficult decision to put your family pet to sleep.

Because of the collaborative spirit necessary to reduce euthanasia on a community-wide level, the APA Adoption Center does not use the term “no-kill” to separate ourselves from other shelter partners who are under the pressure of space and/or time constraints. We object to the “no-kill” label because it divides shelters and people that need to work together to focus on what matters, which is saving as many pets’ lives as possible. Many “no-kill” shelters limit their admission by the number of animals allowed into the shelter or by the age, health or temperament of the pet. At the APA, we accept all animals and the only time limit imposed is the five-day stray hold. This time period is provided to give the animal’s owner time to locate the pet before we consider it for placement.

At the APA, we adhere to a PACT model which focuses on collaboration and the power of working together to ensure the most appropriate outcomes for all animals in our community, not just those who enter our doors. We are committed to ending the euthanasia of healthy and treatable dogs and cats, and we know that the pet homelessness problem extends beyond the capabilities of any one agency. We encourage an approach that includes all animal welfare agencies, regardless of their intake philosophies.

Decisions around euthanasia are based on several factors, including an animal’s medical condition, behavior, quality of life, and community safety. Animals who are critically injured or sick and irremediably suffering, who have fear/anxiety/stress and do not have quality of life in the shelter environment, or those who pose a significant safety risk to other animals and/or people may be considered for euthanasia.

The APA uses a thorough evaluation process that is based on industry best practice. Euthanasia decisions are never made by one person, but involve a team of professionals. Each case is considered individually, and the goal is always to prioritize the community’s safety and the animal’s well-being. These decisions are never easy, but they are always made with compassion and expertise.

When an animal is labeled “at risk,” it means that due to medical or behavioral challenges, the animal is struggling to thrive in the shelter environment, and their well-being is at risk. The goal is to find alternative rescue placement, foster, or an adoptive home as quickly as possible. Depending on the severity of the situation and quality of life, the animal may also be at risk for euthanasia. All animals on the at-risk list are urgent priority, but we cannot provide a specific date for euthanasia.

We are committed to giving every animal the best chance to find a positive outcome. However, if an animal’s condition declines further, we believe it is important to prioritize their comfort and well-being rather than waiting for a predetermined date. We give every animal as long as we can. We are also over capacity with nearly 200 new animals entering our doors every week. Some of these are large intakes of multiple large dogs, cruelty/neglect cases with mandatory holds, and medical emergencies. We must ensure capacity to care for the other vulnerable animals in our community.

By not setting a euthanasia date, we remain flexible and responsive to the needs every animal, ensuring that their health and well-being are always our top priority. We work diligently to explore every possible avenue for each animal, including rescue partnerships and community support, to find the best solution for their care.

The APA wants every pet to have a safe and loving home and only euthanizes as a last resort when an animal cannot be safely placed in the community, for irremediable medical reasons, or when they are suffering from severe fear/anxiety/stress in the shelter and no longer have quality of life.  Whenever possible, the APA actively seeks alternatives to euthanasia. This includes medical treatment, behavior enrichment and training, behavior modification plans, behavior medications, fostering programs, returning the animal to the owner or person who found them, adoption promotions to help facilitate adoption, marketing of the animal, increased opportunities for exercise and time out of the shelter, as well as alternative placement options through partner rescue groups.

When euthanasia is necessary, it is done in the same manner that your vet would use if you were faced with the difficult decision to put your family pet to sleep.

The APA follows strict guidelines and approved methods that align with best practice in veterinary medicine to ensure euthanasia is performed humanely by trained and compassionate staff.

The APA Adoption Center is an independent not-for-profit organization. We are not a branch of any other animal welfare organization.

A portion of our funding is provided by the fees charged in the shelter and wellness clinic, and some comes from special events and grants from corporations and foundations.

The majority of our expenses are covered by the contributions of individuals who share our passion for the animals. Visit the Donate section of this website to learn how you can make contributions to our cause.

Of course we welcome your assistance in other ways as well. Visit the Volunteer page for information on volunteering at the shelter and other things you can do to help the animals.