How to Adopt

View the available pets and select a few that you would like to meet.

Please note, it can take up to 4 hours for available pets to appear on the website after being made Available for Adoption or be removed from the website once adopted, so please be sure to check it frequently. In addition, we recommend checking our Facebook page for updates on available pets.

Please note, we are using the online bookings system for adult cats, kittens, puppies, and small animals (i.e. rabbits). However, for adult dogs, applications must be pre-screened. Please review the instructions below:

Schedule your Adoption Appointment here if you’re interested in meeting an adult cat, kitten, puppy, small animal, or livestock you see on our website. 

• Prior to scheduling an appointment, please carefully review the online information for the pet you are interested in meeting, to ensure that your home is a match for that pet’s needs. You can find the pet’s information by clicking on their photo on our Available Pets page and then reading the “My Story” section of their profile on Adopt-a-Pet.com. Please do not book an adoption appointment for a pet that has needs/requirements listed that do not match your home and lifestyle.
• Appointments are open Wednesday through Sunday and are held between 12pm and 4pm.
• Appointments can only be scheduled two days in advance, as new pets arrive at our shelter daily.
• If there are no appointments for the pet type that you would like to meet listed on a specific day, that either means that all appointments for that pet type are full; we don’t have any of that pet type available for adoption; or you are looking too far into the future to schedule an appointment – remember you can only book an appointment up to two days in advance. Appointment slots open at midnight two days prior to the date of the appointment. For example, if you’re looking to book an appointment for a Thursday, appointment slots will open at midnight two days prior on Tuesday.
• Be sure to check the Bookings page frequently, as appointments may open up as others cancel their upcoming appointments.
• When you have booked an appointment, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, there may have been an error in scheduling your appointment.
• You can meet up to two pets at each adoption appointment, but you should have several pets in mind, in the event that your first or second choices are adopted during appointments prior to yours. We cannot guarantee that the specific pet you wish to meet will be available at the time of your appointment.
• If you have an appointment scheduled to meet a specific pet, and another adoption appointment is scheduled for the same pet during the same time slot, priority will be given to the person who arrives at the shelter with their completed adoption application first. When you arrive at the shelter, please ring the doorbell at the Pet Adoption Center. Staff will assist you and take your adoption application to set you up with the animal you wish to meet, then you will wait in your car until an adoption team member is available to begin your counsel.
• If you book an appointment for the wrong animal type (for example you book an appointment for an Adult Cat, but indicate that you would like to meet kittens), your appointment will be cancelled. This is in order for us to be fair to those who booked their appointments for the correct animal type first, before appointments for that animal type were full and were made unavailable.
• If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment time, we will be unable to move forward with your appointment to view the pets you wish to meet, and you will need to reschedule your appointment for a later date.
• For adult dogs, be sure that all members of your household are present at your appointment time. Adult dogs (ages 6 months and up) require that all household members and all resident dogs are present for the adoption meet. Adopters who do not come prepared with all household members and all resident dogs (if applicable) will not be able to move forward with their adoption meet and will need to reschedule.

If you are interested in an adult dog you see on our available pets page, please review the following instructions to schedule an appointment: 

Please note, at this time we are only able to accept adult dog adoption applications from adopters residing in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

1. Review the dog’s information thoroughly. Each animal has specific behaviors and needs in a home. If we have learned information or observed behaviors in a dog that indicate it has specific requirements in a home (for example, a home without other pets), this information will be stated clearly at the top of the pets adoption summary.

2. If your home fits the needs of the dog you are interested in meeting, email a completed adoption application to adoptions@kitsap-humane.org. In your email subject, please indicate the name of the dog you are applying to adopt. Please note, submitting an adoption application for another animal type (such as puppies or kittens) does not place you in line to meet that animal. For adult cats, kittens, puppies, small animals, and livestock, you will need to schedule an appointment through the Bookings page, as indicated above.

3. Once we have received your application, you will be placed in line to meet the dog you indicated you are interested in adopting. If other applications for the dog you are interested in adopting have been submitted ahead of you, the dog may be adopted before your application is pre-screened or before you have the opportunity to meet the dog in-person.

4. Applications are screened in the order they are received. We will email you more information about the dog, and set up a time to talk on the phone. Please note, that if emails/phone calls are not returned within 24 hours, we will move on to the next application in line to meet the dog.

5. Once your application has been pre-screened over the phone, we will schedule you for a time to come in and meet the dog you are inquiring about. Please note, all household members must be present at the time of the adoption meet, and any other adult dogs (aged 6 months or older) in the home must also be present in order to perform a dog-to-dog introduction at the shelter before we approve your adoption.

6. If your adoption is approved, the dog will be able to go home with you right away!

Download an Adoption Application and fill it out prior to your appointment. 

You will bring your completed application to your adoption meet and greet. If you are unable to fill out your application in advance, paper copies will be available to fill out when you have arrived at the shelter for your appointment.

• If you need to fill out your application in-person prior to your appointment, please arrive at the shelter a few minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time, so you have time to fill it out prior to your scheduled start time.
• If you have completed an application online but you are unable to print it prior to your appointment, you can email your completed application to adoptions@kitsap-humane.org. Please indicate in the subject line of your email the date and time of your scheduled appointment as well as the pets you are meeting at your scheduled appointment. Please note, emailing an application is not the same as scheduling an appointment! You must schedule your appointment here.

Come to the shelter at your scheduled appointment time to meet your selected pets.

The front doors of our Adoption Center will be locked, so please ring the doorbell and staff will assist you.

• Bring a valid photo ID and payment for the adoption fee (cash and major credit cards only, no checks).
• Please note, based on the CDC’s recommendations, we are encouraging all customers visiting our shelter to wear a mask or other type of face covering when they come to our facility.

Once you have arrived at the shelter for your scheduled appointment, you will have a Meet and Greet with an Adoption Counselor to discuss your application, review the information on the pets you want to meet, and introduce you to the pets. 

*Please note for dog adoptions: For dogs ages 6 months and up, all people in your household are required to come to the shelter for a Meet and Greet before an adoption can be approved or finalized.  Do you have other dogs in your home? You must bring them to the shelter for a Meet and Greet with the dog you are interested in adopting before your application may be approved. Adopters who do not come to their appointment with all members of the household and all resident dogs (if applicable) will not be eligible to move forward with their Meet and Greet and will need to reschedule for a later date when all members of the household can be present. 

If the Meet and Greet is a success, staff will complete your adoption paperwork to make it official! 

Your new pet will go home with you right away! 

All adopted dogs must leave the shelter on leash  and collar. Cats must leave in a carrier. Collars, leashes, and cardboard carriers are available for purchase at the shelter.

Small pets must leave in a size-appropriate carrier and livestock must leave in either a size-appropriate carrier (for example fowl) or in a secure trailer (for example for goats, pigs, horses, etc.)