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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Universal City Animal Care & Control

Animal Care and Control serves the citizens and animals within the city limits of Universal City and is committed to providing animal control by enforcement of our City Animal Ordinances and State Law; as well as provide care for the animals which are brought into our facility. Animal Care and Control along with the support of Homes for the Homeless, the City's designated humane organization, strive to provide low cost adoption programs for our adoptable animals, promote the importance of spaying and neutering dogs and cats in order to reduce the number of homeless, unwanted animals, and to promote responsible pet ownership throughout our community. It is our hope that the Universal City Animal Care & Control can educate our community to gain a better understanding about animal control, the services we provide, and the responsibilities and obligations that are part of being a responsible pet owner.

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.

City of San Antonio Animal Care Services

Tejas Rescued Pet Adoptions

Tejas Rescued Pet Adoptions (TRPA) is a 501c3 non-profit organization in action since 2005. Tejas consists only of dedicated volunteers who foster and care for rescued cats and dogs (mainly Chow Chows). TEJAS does not have a physical shelter but operates instead through the use of private foster homes and boarding. TRPA is based in Bexar County, Texas but covers the surrounding cities and counties. Tejas Rescued Pet Adoptions (TRPA) takes the necessary steps to make a rescued pet ready for adoption into a loving home. Our rescues arrive into our care from many different circumstances, requiring various degrees of medical attention. All vaccinations and veterinary care are provided prior to the adoption along with spay and neuters and a microchip. The rescues are fostered in private homes or boarded until ready for adoption.

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.

Heart of Texas SPCA

We are a Texas registered 501c3 non-profit organization. We do not receive any city, county or state funding; we survive solely on public donations and volunteer support. Our History Our organization was established as a no-kill shelter in May of 2000, devoted to helping the homeless and unwanted animals in this city find responsible, loving homes. Animal Friends, now Heart of Tx SPCA, is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit Texas corporation. We do not receive any city or county funding and survive solely on public donations and adoption fees. Heart of Tx SPCA is a K-9 Rescue with the same mission, same goals and expanded resources. Our programs will allow us to help even more homeless pets in and around Bexar county. What We Do: Provide an escape from certain death for hundreds of dogs and puppies in our community by providing temporary shelter and care until loving homes can be found. • At a no-kill shelter, pets are not euthanized because of space restrictions or their appearance • Giving unwanted pets a second chance for happiness; saving lives that others toss away • Micro-chipping all pets offered for adoption to ensure they can be returned if they become lost • Surgical spaying/neutering of all shelter pets to prevent unwanted animals and help them live long, healthy lives • All pets offered for adoption are fully vaccinated • Help educate the community on proper pet care and provide resources for those with questions • Provide rehabilitation and treatment for those dogs traumatized by abuse, neglect or injury

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.

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.

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.

Atascosa County Animal Control

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.

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.

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).

Southwest English Setter Rescue

Established in 2012, Southwest English Setter Rescue (SWESR) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization and is incorporated in the state of Texas. Our founding members and volunteers have decades of experience in animal rescue and specifically English Setter rescue. We share a love for English Setters and an in-depth understanding of this wonderful breed. SWESR dogs are rescued from shelters and hunting operations in the Southwest USA which includes Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California. We also work with individuals in the Southwest USA who wish to rehome their Setters. All SWESR dogs live in foster homes where their energy level, temperament, training and other skills can be assessed prior to adoption. All our dogs receive a complete vet exam, are spayed or neutered, brought up-to-date on vaccinations, tested and treated (if needed) for heartworms and other parasites, given heartworm prevention, and micro-chipped. We welcome prospective adopters in the contiguous USA. Because our goal is to make the best possible placement for each dog, we work closely with prospective adopters to ensure a successful match. Because we require home visits before adoption, applicants in remote areas and/or outside of the Southwest USA may need to be patient while we locate a volunteer to assist us. We encourage adopters to drive to pick up their adopted Setter from their foster home whenever this is possible. If an adopter is unable to drive to the foster location to pick up the dog being adopted, transports within the Southwest USA may be arranged on a case-by-case basis on some routes through our network of volunteer drivers. SWESR is wholly dependent on our adoption fees and private donations to meet our expenses. All donations go directly to the care of our rescue dogs. We need volunteers to support our efforts, especially foster homes, in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. Please consider making a donation or volunteering for SWESR.

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.

Abandoned Pet Project Rescue

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.

Converse Animal Shelter Inc

In 1982, Casi began rescuing and re-homing dogs and cats as one of the first no-kill shelters in the San Antonio area. Our shelter was build on land donated by George Ammeman, with donations, volunteers and lots of hard work. Since then over 20,000 helpless, abandoned, unwanted, sick, and lost animals have come through our gates. We offer people a way to find a new best friend while saving a life. We also provide opportunities and community support events that advance responsible pet ownership and the humane treatment of pets. Please help us help these needy pets with a donation. No amount is too small. Visit our how you can help page for more ways you can help the Converse Animal Shelter.

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

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.

A Doggie 4 You

We at a A Doggie 4 You understand you want to do what is right for the dog that you have either found as a stray or can no longer keep. We have to be clear before proceeding, we are a volunteer run not for profit organization who is funded only by donations and adoption income. We are not able to go out to rescue a dog off the street nor we can not legally go on to private property for any reason. We are NOT the resource you need if a dog is in an emergency situation. We do not euthanize but we are limited by our space and resources. Our medical bills alone are almost equal to our income. Having said this we want to help when we can. If you have an animal you would like us to consider taking in please submit the surrender form below. Allow at least 2 business days for a response, sending multiple requests or calls for the same animal only slows the process. Submission of this form in no way guarantees we will be able to accept the dog.

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.

Trails End Retreat

Trail’s End is also an animal rescue (501c3) and a welcoming place for all kinds of critters in need. We work with multiple shelters in the surrounding area to provide a foster home for all types of animals waiting for their forever home. There are always dogs to take for a walk and you never know what else might be on the property from chickens, ducks or, goats to turtles, tortoises, maybe even a donkey, pony or pig! We are members of the Texas Wildlife Association, Comal County Beekeeping Association, The Texas Native Plant Society and also work with the Texas Butterfly Ranch to provide habitat for local and migrating species. Relax at this rustic getaway minutes from the Guadalupe River, Whitewater Amphitheater, Canyon Lake & New Braunfels, half an hour from San Marcos and Wimberly and an hour’s drive to Austin and San Antonio. Enjoy year round watersports, fishing & hiking, or explore the unique shopping, dining, wineries, breweries and live music this area is known for! Or just kick back and enjoy the nature, wildlife and rescued animals on our 10 acre, working homestead.