SURRENDERING YOUR ANIMAL

Sometimes the tough decision has to be made to surrender a family pet. We respect those hard decisions and understand sometimes that there may be circumstances where you may have to give up your forever friend. 

Please keep in mind that the shelter is not an ideal place for your pet to be, so we ask you to explore other options prior such as private rehoming as an alternative to surrendering your pet to the shelter.
Pet Rehoming Resources
If you faced with a situation where you cannot keep your pet, there are resources available to assist with finding them a new home.  Please visit these websites which will list your animal online:

Home to Home

Rehome by Adopt A Pet

Privately rehoming your pet offers the following advantages:
  • Avoids the stress on your pet of being placed in a shelter.
  • Allows to you screen potential owners to make sure your pet is placed in a loving home.
  • Avoids the required owner surrender fee.
Animal Behavior Issues


If you are on the fence about surrendering your pet due to behavioral reasons, ICACS has a staff behaviorist that may be able to provide tips on how to correct issues and keep your animal in the home.  Please fill out this form and our behaviorist will contact you for a phone consultation. 


Things to keep in mind if you have to surrender your pet:


  • We only accept pets from residents of Ingham County or animals that were adopted from ICACS.  Proof of residency will be required prior to surrender.
  • ICACS is a managed intake shelter.  If the shelter is at maximum capacity, we may be temporarily unable to accept your animal.  
  • If the shelter is full, you will be placed on a first-come first served wait list.
  • ICACS makes no guarantee of future placement for your pet.  We may euthanize animals if they are medically suffering, if they demonstrate behavior that makes them potentially unsafe to be placed in a home or if the shelter has reached its maximum capacity for care.  Click here to read the ICACS euthanasia policy.
  • If you are surrendering your animal and require euthanasia service, please be aware that ICACS does not facilitate private cremation services and cannot return animal remains.
  • There are nominal fees that are associated with surrendering your pet.  These fees help us cover the cost of providing care for your animal while we attempt to get it into a new home.  Please see our fees page for specific costs.
  • Surrendering a pet to a shelter is a very traumatic process for an animal.  Your pet can start to exhibit medical issues or negative behaviors that are brought about through the stress of the process of being removed from their home.
  • Surrendering your animal is a very serious decision.  All pet surrenders are final.  Once the surrender process is complete, ICACS will not return the animal to you. 
Steps to take to surrender your pet:

  • Call the Shelter first to ensure there is room to accept your animal.
  • Once you have confirmed there is room or have requested a spot on our wait-list you must fill out a canine or feline profile form. (Required)
  • When taking your pet to the shelter, please bring all medical records.
  • You will need pictured ID prior to starting the surrender process.
  • The pet surrender process takes 15-30 minutes, so you must arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to the shelter closing.
  • No animal surrenders will be started after 4:30 PM.