The Best San Francisco, CA Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2026

Muttville

dogs in good health with wonderful personalities are euthanized. Why? Because they're older, and not considered adoptable. A dog is brought in because he can't jog with his guardian anymore. Or he needs a little time to get up the stairs. Or he's simply not a puppy. In some cases, dogs are moved from loving homes to concrete cages because their guardians have died or simply can't care for them anymore. We reach out to senior dogs at risk, give them the care they need, and find them loving forever homes. If we had our way, no dog would spend their last days in a shelter. There is so much love and joy in these dogs!

Rocket Dog Rescue

Rocket Dog Rescue saves dogs from abuse, neglect, and death at overcrowded shelters and places them in loving homes. We support pet owners in need in our community, and serve as first responders in emergency animal situations and natural disasters. Funded entirely by donations, we are a volunteer-run, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Learn about what we do or apply to adopt a dog in the San Francisco Bay Area

Reunion Rescue

Reunion Rescue has been saving pit bulls for over 20 glorious years. We love these dogs and want to show the rest of the world how wonderful they are.

Grateful Dogs Rescue

Grateful Dogs Rescue ‚ a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization ‚ was founded in 1990 by Michelle Parris, a former SF Animal Care & Control (SF ACC) volunteer. She made it her mission to rescue SF ACC shelter dogs not made available for adoption, and we continue that mission today. Rather than letting these dogs be euthanized, Grateful Dogs Rescue saves as many as possible by fostering them until loving homes are found. In recent years we have expanded our mission to include other Bay Area shelters. GDR is the oldest all breed rescue group in the San Francisco Bay area. The Grateful Dogs Rescue adoption procedure is designed to find a good match between the dog and adopter.

K9 Paw Print Rescue

K9 Paw Print Rescue (K9PPR) is an animal rescue group. Our founding volunteers are known in the rescue world and have been rescuing as well as working in animal-related fields for quite some time. K9PPR became fully operational at the beginning of 2012. We have volunteers in fields such as Veterinary, Animal Training and behavior fields, Nurses, Shelter workers, and hard core animal lovers. We all work together to save lives of dogs in need! Our family is growing every day, and we are very excited for the things to come in the coming years! As an animal rescue group, we have access to animals that are not available to the public which may need some extra help medically, or just need a little extra TLC before becoming adoptable. We are contacted about animals who have run out of time at shelters, evaluate them for temperament and work with them until they are ready for adoption! We rescue animals primarily from local shelters and place the animals into our volunteer foster homes until we can find them their fur-ever home!

Rescues Rock

Rescues Rock is a community based animal welfare, education and rescue organization servicing Hollywood, West Hollywood, The Hollywood and Beverly Hills neighborhoods, as well as, Studio City and neighborhoods of East San Fernando Valley. We adopt to homes throughout Southern California. Rescues Rock operates a dedicated, foster house located in Laurel Canyon. 100% Volunteer fueled Rescues Rock and BarkPark focus on at risk orphan kittens and puppies and dogs and cats requiring medical intervention. Adoptions and meet and greets are by appointment only. Thank you for making the loving and responsible decision to adopt and not shop for your new family member. Rescues Rock is here to help you every step of the way in your adoption process. If you don't see your future family member among our current adoptables, reach out and let us know who you are hoping to find and we will contact our extensive network to help you find your perfect match. Rescues Rock adoptable dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are always up to date on all vaccinations, spayed/neutered and cleared by a veterinarian at the time of adoption. We offer foster to adopt scenarios to approved fosters. Vaccination and S/N clinics are offered at BarkPark for the convenience of our fosters and adopters. Rescues Rock is here for the life of your pet. We are available to consult on training, nutrition, health and wellness at no charge to our adopters. Rescues Rock is a 501c3 non profit organization.

Paddington Station

Paddington Station rescues at-risk animals from municipal shelters that are overseen by local Animal Control. These animals are surrendered to the shelter, are brought in as strays, or occasionally are confiscated from poor living situations. They are kept at the shelter for any mandatory periods ("holds"). Shelters vary widely in resources and in population of animals served, but virtually no shelter can care for and place every animal it takes in. Many U.S. shelters euthanize a horrifying number of animals, sometimes for health or behavioral problems, often for simple lack of space. Many shelters too are striving to earn the "no kill" designation. The shelter system coordinates with private, non-profit public charities such as ours, corporations devoted to animal rescue. We accept transfer of ownership for a limited number of animals, and those animals become our responsibility. We make an initial assessment and determine what medical care or behavioral assistance the animal requires. We then place the animal in an appropriate foster home. We do not have a kennel or other boarding facility - all our foster animals are cared for as family members until placement. We run a small, closely coordinated, all-volunteer rescue, with a limited number of foster homes. Throughout their foster period, we continue to evaluate our animals carefully, and rehabilitate them as needed. We post these animals as "available" when they are ready to leave their foster homes. At the human end, we work with potential adopters to ensure the best possible match of animal and new family. After placement, we keep in touch with and continue to support our adopters. Although we take in many different dogs and cats, we intend to focus on livestock guarding dogs, such as Great Pyrenees, Kuvasz, Maremmas, and Akbash. These gentle giants have been bred for centuries to work and think independently, rather than responding to cues from humans. They are bred to perform a critical job, guarding flocks of sheep, goats, and other livestock from predation by lions, bears, and so on. They must be fiercely protective of their flock, yet exquisitely gentle with, for example, baby lambs and goat kids. These exceptional dogs make wonderful family companions as well as life-protecting ranch guardians. All breeds have their own peculiarities and special skills; livestock guardians are perhaps more different than most others. Their people must have an understanding of the dogs' unique skills and instincts. Our careful placement process ensures that these dogs will be granted that understanding, as well as awed appreciation of their powerful graceful bodies, courageous temperaments, and loyal hearts.

Hayward Animal Shelter

Hayward Animal Services (HASB) is an “open admissions” shelter: We accept Hayward’s homeless, injured, orphaned, unwanted, lost, abandoned and mistreated animals, regardless of age, breed, temperament or medical condition. Our staff provides critical services to our community, sheltering thousands of Hayward's stray animals each year and responding to animal-related calls for service. We are a division of the Hayward Police Department and proudly provides public safety and animal welfare services. We are here to serve our community’s residents, and promote responsible pet ownership and humane care.

East Bay Animal Rescue & Refuge (EBARR)

EBARR was founded out of a recognized need in the East Bay Area for a high-quality rescue group that accepts cats and dogs (under certain conditions) from the community. Since our inception, we have successfully placed thousands of orphaned animals, many community surrenders or at risk of being euthanized at local animal shelters. Since we are a foster-based program, there must be available space with one of our foster homes to accept an animal into our program. Once part of the EBARR family, all animals receive a complete veterinary package, training, socialization, love, and affection.

Doggie Protective Services

Doggie Protective Services is a non-profit, volunteer-driven animal rescue organization. We are a 501(c)(3) rescue that was incorporated in 2001. We rescue dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes. Since our creation, we have helped over 12,000 dogs and cats find their forever homes. We do not have a facility, so we rely on our foster homes located throughout California. Anywhere from 100-200 foster homes are active at various times in some capacity, whether they are long-term, short-term or overnight fosters. Most of our fosters are also involved beyond just fostering - they come to events, transport our animals, do post-adoption outreach and help spread the word about DPS! We also rely heavily on volunteers, and are lucky enough to have a supportive group of dedicated friends who help assist in everything from writing bios for dogs to promoting them on their own social media to help them get adopted! While our name may be Doggie Protective Services, we also rescue cats as well! We have a small, vibrant group of cat fosters who take in our rescue cats and kittens. For cat owners requesting re-homing assistance, we also assist if they can foster their own cat while we work to find a perfect forever home. Approximately 30 shelters throughout Southern and Northern California partner with us in our rescue efforts. We are contacted by shelters and asked to help with overpopulation by taking in specific dogs who otherwise may not be adopted or who have been at the shelter for an extended period of time. We take in dogs who do not thrive in a shelter environment or who need medical or behavioral attention outside of the facility. Our partnership with a rescue group in Korea helps us fully realize the impact of a highly dedicated, global network of volunteers. Our Korean rescue partners save dogs who are sold to the meat markets or who are in danger of ending up at the meat markets. We also have a partnership with a rescue in China who sends us dogs she would not be able to place in her country. It is our strong belief that because we have the resources and the ability to save highly adoptable dogs from certain death, that we should do so. It doesn't matter if the dogs in need are in the Bay Area, LA, or as far away as Korea. Our philosophy is simple: If there is a need, and we can and want to assist, then we will.

Love Dogs Rescue and Foundation Inc.

Love Dogs Rescue and Foundation is a federal income tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 2019, we seek to end the killing of homeless dogs through two avenues: adoption and free or low cost spay/neuter.

Saving Dog’s Lives Rescue

Saving Dog’s Lives is dedicated to providing services with humane care, love and support throughout the foster and adopt process, as well as provide extensive education of current and future pet owners through the Dog go. Love Foster-Adopt Program. We believe in helping people through their animals, including the homeless.

Stitch in Time Animal Rescue

Woof Animal Rescue

WOOF Animal Rescue is a 100% volunteer-based non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing animals in Northern California. With the help of our volunteers, WOOF has rescued numerous dogs from high-kill shelters, trained them as necessary and found wonderful forever homes for them. We believe in… • Saving animal’s lives • Adoption of animals rather than purchasing from those breeding for profit and/or irresponsibly • Responsibly placing these animals in loving permanent homes • Finding the perfect match for both human and animal, rather than placing animals in any homes • Educating people and spreading the word about the importance of pet sterilization to control overpopulation of animals • Educating people about responsible pet ownership, positive behavior training, good nutrition and the humane treatment of animals If you are interested in adopting one of our animals or becoming an animal foster parent, click here to apply. If you are interested in Volunteering and/or Donating, visit our Donate page for more instructions, or fill out our contact form to reach one of our dedicated volunteers! We want to thank you in advance for your support and compassion for the animals. It is people like you who make up our circle of friends, helping those who cannot ask for help themselves. Without your support and compassion, our mission would not be possible.

Bay Area Animal Rescue Crew

Bay Area Animal Rescue Crew (BAARC) was born August 2015 from a group of friends with a passion and love for saving animals. We provide loving foster homes to homeless dogs until we find them their new FURever family. At BAARC, we are dedicated to finding the right fit for all of our ADOPTables. Our animals come from a variety of California shelters or from owners who can no longer take care for their pets. If you are interested in owner-surrendering a pet, please know that while we are committed to saving as many animals as possible, we are bound by the number of foster homes we have to house and love the animal. If we cannot take in the animal due to a lack of space, we can provide referrals to other rescues who may be able to help keep your animal out of the shelter system. ADOPTable dogs are spayed/neutered (fixed), microchipped, up to date on vaccinations. We will not adopt out dogs for breeding purposes, and as such, each dog that is eligible for spay/neuter will be desexed.

Ozzies Pound Puppies

Ozzies Pound Puppies was established in 2012. It is named after our founders beloved dog, Ozzie, who died in 2011 due to spleen cancer. When Ozzie died, she adopted two puppies from Stanislaus shelter and they promptly got parvo. They both survived and a rescue was born. We focus on saving parvo puppies from the shelters and the public. We also focus on orphaned puppies whose mothers have passed away, these puppies would not survive without round the clock care. We do not have a shelter, all our dogs are in foster homes mostly in Alameda and Conta Costa County (close to our vets). We are 100% volunteer based, we all have regular jobs and save dogs because we love them. Please be patient with us as we communicate by email only.

CalPaws K9 Rescue

CalPaws K9 Rescue was established in October 2019. We are an all-volunteer non-profit dog rescue focused on saving dogs of all ages and breeds. Our volunteers consist of experienced animal rescuers located across the San Francisco Bay area and beyond.

Companions In Waiting

Companions in Waiting began in 2003, and was incorporated as a 501(c)3 California non-profit corporation in 2007. Companions In Waiting works to help dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies become welcomed members of a family. Each animal goes through a program of "in home" socialization, animal good manners, beginning obedience training and other therapies designed especially for them that will nurture their physical and mental well-being while in our care. Potential adopters will be given guides to support, develop and enhance their relationship with the new member of the family. Follow-up communication will increase the likelihood that these companion animals will stay in a stable, loving home their entire lives. Companions In Waiting is a California corporation for charitable and educational purposes. The corporation has tax-exemption status under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donations to Companions in Waiting are tax-deductible.

SF SPCA

The SF SPCA is an independent nonprofit supported entirely by our community. We exist to ensure every companion animal has access to quality medical care, compassionate shelter, and a loving home.

Bull Terrier Rescue, Inc.

Bull Terrier Rescue, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization managed wholly by volunteer board members and officers. We are active in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Our TIN/FEIN is 68-0272385.

Contra Costa Animal Services

The Animal Services Department has a long history in Contra Costa County. In 1959 Animal Control (as it was called then), consisting of five employees, was re-assigned from the Sheriff's Office authority to the County Agriculture Department. Animal Services became its own County department in 1985. The original shelter was located one block from where we are now on the eastern edge of Martinez. In May 2005, a beautiful two-acre state-of-the-art shelter complex and six-stall barn with open corral area, totaling more than 38,000 square feet, was dedicated by the Board of Supervisors and local dignitaries. Our 75 employees and over 150 volunteers take great pride in serving our community, work very hard to care for the animals, and are eager to show you what we have to offer. We invite you to visit us soon. Who knows, you may find your new best friend at the Animal Services Shelter!

Partners in Animal Care & Compassion

We are a group of former Peninsula Humane Society (PHS) volunteers and animal rescue advocates who have over 40 years combined experience in animal welfare. Having worked extensively with the animals coming into San Mateo County's Coyote Point shelter, we have witnessed first hand the shortcomings of an outdated animal warehousing model. ​ PACC Board Members successfully forced the county to open the $6.6M, FY21-22 San Mateo County Animal Care, Control and Sheltering Services contract for bid - something that had not been done for 69 years, which is illegal. ​ Predictably the county re-awarded the contract to PHS despite a strong and viable alternative application PACC submitted in partnership with Pets in Need. ​ The county is crystal clear in its complacency around PHS's outdated animal sheltering model sending a clear message that mediocrity is worth $6.6M of your taxpayer dollars. If the regular, premature death of healthy, adoptable animals concerns you, join us in being the voice they don't have.

Jelly's Place

Jelly's Place was founded in 2017 to be an advocate for the lives and dignity of urban animals who are homeless, abandoned, impounded, sick, or injured, by providing responsible care, placement, and community education with the commitment to the No-Kill philosophy. Its founder, Julie Bainbridge, has been rescuing and fostering animals since childhood. She has rescued, fostered, and /or raised all kinds of animals, including baby squirrels, racoons, pigeons, chickens, geese, ducks, opossums, skunks (yes- skunks), wild and tropical birds, pigmy goats, mice, snakes, rabbits, dogs, and cats. Animals are cared for by volunteers in their homes and at our shelter located in San Pablo. Jelly's Place is named in memory of her beloved English Bulldog who crossed over the Rainbow bridge in 2016. Jelly's Place depends on donations and grants, and volunteers to foster and care for animals. Your donations are tax-deductible.

Adopt a Doggie

Adopt a Doggie is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit dog rescue organization that has been committed to rescuing, fostering, and finding forever homes for dogs in need since its inception. Our EIN is 47-1384002. Our team, led by Mary Choi in Taiwan and Laura Shelley as Adoption Manager in the US, has dedicated countless hours to saving and improving the lives of thousands of dogs.

All Beings Cooperative Animal Rescue

We believe that in order to achieve peace of earth, we need all being to cooperate! Animals instinctively cooperate in nature! Our pets live to give us love, protection, healing and companionship. Therefore it is our duty to provide equivalent support to our animal brothers and sisters. We believe that when all being cooperate, we can achieve happiness for everyone, and are excited to do our part! After many years of collaborating with rescues all over the bay area, fostering, rescuing animals from individuals and off the streets, we have established ourselves as an official 501(c)3 nonprofit charity organization in Bay Area, CA - with the continued support of other rescues, veterinary hospitals and animal shelters in the area. Saving lives is everyone's duty! Our organization has been rescuing animals internationally for over 20 years! All types of animals in need are welcome at our sanctuary. From birds to livestock, reptiles or puppies & kittens - we welcome the opportunity to alleviate suffering and loneliness for our voiceless wards.

A Better Chance Rescue

1. We are an international non-profit dog rescue organization. 2. We do not have a facility to hold all dogs. 3. We have some dogs that are being fostered in the Bay Area, California. 4. We review all applications. However, our organization is run by dedicated volunteers. Therefore, we may not be able to answer all emails or calls. If your application is approved, we will reach out to you for further information. Moving forward, we will schedule a meet and greet and home visit to ensure your home perfectly matches your potential puppy. 5. We can only adopt our dogs to BAY AREA families because our adoption process requires a home visit and follow-up after the dog is being adopted (sorry we are unable to do it virtually). 6. If there are kids in the household, they MUST BE OVER 10 years old. 7. If you have experienced difficulty in submitting an application online, kindly download the application form and email it directly to [email protected]. 8. We highly appreciate your interest and understanding. 9. Thank you for considering adopting from A Better Chance Rescue.

TikiHut Akita Rescue Association (TARA)

TikiHut Akita Rescue Association (TARA) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, animal welfare and education organization located in the Northern California/San Francisco Bay Area, dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of orphaned Akitas. Our group is comprised of a handful of volunteers and foster homes. The members in our organization have come together because of the passion we share for the Akita breed. Our breed is respected and treated as royalty in their native Japan, but here in this country, so many of them sit alone in the local shelters, waiting to die. Each of our members (and their spouses and families), work tirelessly to save the many Akitas that end up in these shelters. In addition to rehoming and rehabilitating these wonderful dogs, we also dedicate our efforts to educating the public about the breed, including but not limited to, the importance of spaying and neutering, proper nutrition, genetic issues plaguing our breed and behavior and training information. Our volunteers all have full-time jobs and still find time to support the needs of our organization. But please be patient as we do what we can after hours and on weekends, to return phone calls and emails. Each Akita we bring into our program undergoes a thorough health exam, is spayed or neutered, brought up to date medically, and is worked with for basic obedience and socialization. We crate train all our pups and put them through basic puppy classes. All our dogs are microchipped before they are adopted. The Akitas we take in come from all walks of life. Some have been abused and neglected and some have come from well known breeders. It is a huge misconception that all dogs that come from rescue are all problem dogs. We have seen some of the most wonderfully tempered Akitas come out of these shelters, and we hope we can give many more a second chance at the life they never had. In order to help us fund the work we do, we participate in various fundraisers throughout the year, and/or have merchandise on our website for sale to the public. We also are grateful for monetary contributions from the public. If you would like to help support our cause and are interested in making a donation, we would appreciate any amount you would like to send. We pay for all our foster dogs' expenses out of our own pockets, and until we raise enough funds to reimburse ourselves, we operate on a shoestring budget. The average cost to foster a dog for 4-5 months can be $500.00 or more. To spay or neuter an adult Akita can cost upwards of $150.00. The harsh reality is, that sometimes those costs are a determining factor in how many Akitas we can save. Luckily those we can save, will find loving homes with families that will treat them like royalty! You can see some of the happy faces that are now in their new homes by clicking on the "New Beginnings" button. If you are interested in volunteering or fostering, please email us at: [email protected]

Namaste Akita Rescue Alliance

Namaste Akita Rescue Alliance is a 501(c) (3) Non-profit charitable organization located in Northern California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are a small grassroots volunteer based organization. We take in only the number of Akitas we can responsibly care for and re-home. Caring for a manageable number of dogs allows us to provide necessary medical treatment, quality nutrition, training and socialization. It also gives us ample time to get to fully know our fosters and their unique personalities, all of which enables us to find the best possible match for them in an adoptive family. Our members and volunteers are a group of dedicated individuals who have full time jobs, family commitments, children and their own companion animals, yet make time to provide structure, training, behavior modification, medical care when necessary, socialization and plenty of TLC for the dogs in our program. Our goal is to place our Akitas in appropriate homes that provide for and compliment the needs of each individual dog, as well as meets the requirements of our adopters. Collectively, we have more than 30 years of rescue experience with the breed. We partner with local shelters in Contra Costa County, Alameda County, San Francisco, Sacramento, Solano County, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Barbara, the Tri-Valley and Central Valley and Marin County. We will consider other locations depending on available resources and space available. Before we accept a dog into our program, they are carefully evaluated for temperament and health. We then begin the process of getting to know each dog and asses their needs, before we make them available. Some dogs may require more time for rehabilitation, physical or physiological healing or just basic training. They receive whatever time is needed to ensure they are ready and well adjusted so they can thrive in a loving qualified home. We are not a "sanctuary". We don't have acres of land with our own kennels, nor do we have a long list of foster homes to take in large numbers of dogs. We have a small network of volunteers and while our priority is to place our orphans in foster homes first, unfortunately there simply are not enough. Unlike government funded agencies, we rely purely on donations from you, our community and supporters to help fund the work we do. Adoption fees help defray some of our operating costs to spay/neuter, immunize, feed, board/kennel, microchip and provide any medical treatment needed. Often times extensive medical tests are required, and/or major surgical procedures are necessary to get these dogs back to optimum health. Your donations enable us to provide these dogs with the care they never had. Because we are recognized in the state of California as a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, your donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Our outreach efforts include supporting our local communities by being a resource for educating the public about responsible pet ownership, the importance of spaying/neutering, breed selection, how to prepare for your newly adopted dog, and the many other challenges of pet ownership. We also provide resources for veterinary specialists (i.e: oncologists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists), rehabilitation and therapy centers, animal behaviorists and trainers. Our extended family of Akitas who were adopted from the Akita chapter of Niko Rescue appear on our "Adopted" page, because we want those adopters to know they have our commitment of continued support for the life of their Akita. We hope you're here because you'd like to learn more about the breed, or perhaps because you'd like to join us in our efforts, either by adopting, volunteering or donating. Your support could make the difference in the life of an Akita for the rest of their life.

Friends of Contra Costa Animal Shelters

Friends of Contra Costa Animal Shelters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2018 by a dedicated team of volunteers committed to raising much-needed funds to support the animals at Contra Costa Animal Services. FOCCAS has no paid officers or staff.

Contra Costa Humane Society

Contra Costa Humane Society was established in 1991 as the result of the merging of two former longstanding Contra Costa County animal welfare groups — Stop Pets’ Annual Yield (SPAY) and Animal Protection Bureau (APB). Since its formation, CCHS has been in a few locations around the East Bay and in Fall 2023, we expanded our office space to accommodate our growing programs. Kitty Corner, our free-roam space for cats and kittens in our program, doubled in size in 2023, enabling us to rescue more animals! Our space can house up to 25 adult cats in our “big room”, plus a dozen kittens between two smaller rooms. We have a quiet room to provide isolation if needed or use for acclimating a cat or kitten not quite ready to join the others in Kitty Corner. A special space is also available for hospice cats and kittens where we can provide the comfort of home and give special medical attention while in our care.