1. Must be at least 18 years old, with a current photo ID
2. If a resident of Fairfax County, meet county zoning requirements for three or more dogs, or livestock

1. Spay/neuter (or a voucher for this surgery at a later date)
2. Rabies vaccination (if they're old enough)
3. Distemper and bordatella vaccinations
4. Microchip
5. Initial deworming and flea/tick preventative, courtesy of the Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter 
6. Heartworm test (if they're old enough)
7. A collar, personalized tag, and leash, courtesy of the Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter
8. A certificate for a free exam with a participating veterinarian, to be used within 30 days of adoption. (Fees for other services performed will be paid by the adopter to the vet hospital.)
9. An information packet including medical documents and other useful resources
10. A follow-up phone call or email to check in!

Some available shelter dogs have a requirement that they meet a potential adopter's dogs prior to adoption. This is usually because the shelter dog is known to be selective about other dogs, and we like to have that dog-to-dog meeting happen here at the shelter before anything is finalized! If a dog-to-dog meeting is required, it will be in the shelter dog's bio (available on our Petango page, and printed and on the dog's kennel in the shelter).

If an available shelter dog does not have that requirement, then it's not mandatory. However, it is still advisable that you bring your dog in for a dog-to-dog meeting with your prospective new dog before finalizing the adoption. Our staff facilitate these either outside in a play yard, or inside in our large training room. No need to set up an appointment for a dog-to-dog; just bring your dog in with you and we'll go from there!

1. Spay/neuter (or a voucher for this surgery at a later date)
2. Rabies vaccination (if they're old enough)
3. Distemper vaccination
4. Microchip
5. Initial deworming and flea/tick preventative, courtesy of the Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter 
6. An optional collar and personalized tag, courtesy of the Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter 
7. A certificate for a free exam with a participating veterinarian, to be used within 30 days of adoption. (Fees for other services performed will be paid by the adopter to the vet hospital.)
8. An information packet including medical documents and other useful resources
9. A follow-up phone call or email to check in!

1. Spay/neuter, or a voucher that will cover the spay/neuter surgery (if the rabbit is too young, or hasn't been altered yet).
2. A certificate for a free healthy exam at Pender Veterinary Centre, to be used within 30 days of adoption. (Fees for other services performed will be paid by the adopter to the vet hospital.)
3. Initial deworming, courtesy of the Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter 
4. An information packet including medical documents and other useful resources
5. A follow-up phone call or email to check in!

If there is "bonded pair" - meaning we've determined that two pets are inseparable and for their benefit need to be adopted together into the same home - the pair can be adopted for just one adoption fee! Bonded pairs can come in a variety of same-species pairs, including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, bird, rats, and more.

All dogs/puppies and cats/kittens are spayed/neutered prior to being made available for adoption, and rabbits although sometimes due to scheduling or age/size of rabbits that isn't possible. In those cases, we provide rabbit adopters with a free spay/neuter voucher so it can be done post-adoption.

Yes, absolutely!

After you visit with your prospective new pet, the adoption paperwork process generally takes 30 minutes to an hour. Staff will begin the last adoptions of the day 30 minutes prior to closing, and will make an announcement each day when that time arrives. You may still visit the shelter and adoptable pets up to closing time, we will just not be able to begin the adoption process that day.

People who live in Fairfax County who adopt a dog will need to purchase a county dog license for $10. Residents of other counties who adopt will need to check with their jurisdiction on the license laws there.

In fairness to everyone and in the best interest of animals waiting to find a home, we do not hold pets for adopters who are not prepared to complete an adoption at the time of the visit. We also are not able to maintain a call list for people interested in a specific type (breed, size, color, etc) of animal.

A manager may place a hold on a pet when a visitor has an adoption in progress at the end of a business day that staff cannot complete before closing. If you have met with the animal you wish to adopt, have completed the adoption questionnaire, and are simply waiting for an adoption counselor to process the adoption, and it is too close to the end of our open hours for that to be completed, the shelter may place an "administrative hold" on that animal until the next day. If you find yourself in this situation towards closing time, please ask about an "administrative hold."

No. The Shelter is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12-5 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays 12-7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and closed Mondays. Please note: We take our last adoption application 30 minutes before closing. 

For all adoption process information: fairfaxcounty.gov/animalshelter/adopt/steps

Pets available for adoption can be viewed online, on our adoption page. The website is updated in real time, so you can see which pets are available. 

While uncommon, the shelter does reserve the right to decline an adoption, even if the interested adopter meets our adoption criteria, if the Shelter feels strongly it is in the best interest of the animal and/or the interested adopter to do so.