ANIMAL SERVICES

The Sarasota County Animal Services section is located at 8451 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota. The administrative offices are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. 
 

To view adoptable animals currently available CLICK HERE or     

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took over the responsibilities of Animal Control from the County Government on Oct.1, 1994. The name "Animal Control" was changed to "Animal Services" due to the many services provided to all of Sarasota County.

We regularly post our adoptable animals on YouTube™. Click on the icon below to view our videos.

Lost and Found

Our goal is to help reunite lost animals with their families. We keep a list of animals that are reported missing and those that are found in hopes of making a match. We recommend that pets be microchipped as a means of secondary identification. To make it easier for your pets to be returned should they get lost, be certain to keep current identification tags on them at all times.

If you wish to report a lost animal contact Animal Services at 941.861.9501. If you get the answering machine leave a message, as it is checked regularly including weekends & holidays. We will need to know the animal type/description, name, location it was last seen, your name, address, and contact information. You can email a photo with the above information to kennel1@scgov.net.

Adoptions (Click here for Adoption Application)   

The goal of our adoption program is to help place the stray and unwanted pets brought into our facility. Each dog or cat is given an overall health exam by one of our Animal Care Technicians. The adoption fee for dogs/puppies is $70. The fee for cats/kittens is $60. This fee includes neutering or spaying (FSS 823.15, requires that any dog or cat adopted from an animal shelter must be surgically sterilized), a rabies vaccination and county license for the first year, and dogs are AVID micro chipped for identification.

Animal Services has no maximum holding period for an adoptable animal. The length of time an animal is kept depends on how well the animal handles being kenneled. These evaluations are done on an individual basis and the determination of how long to keep an animal is based on observations made by the Animal Care Technicians.

On occasion we have other animals for adoption, such as birds, ferrets and rabbits. For information on these animals contact the Animal Services Center at (941) 861-9500.

To adopt an animal, reserve/pick up a trap, or claim/turn in an animal, visit during these hours:

Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.  

Saturday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Sunday Noon-2 p.m.

To view adoptable animals currently available click here. 

Spaying/Neutering Program (Click here for Application Form) 

Sarasota County Animal Services has a no cost/low cost spaying and neutering program for your pets. This program is designed for people who are on low or fixed incomes. If you are qualified to receive benefits from other social programs or have a low or fixed income, you probably also qualify for this program.  

Funds have been appropriated in the budget of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. Thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens are born each year in Sarasota County. Minimizing these births reduces the operating cost of Animal Services to Sarasota County taxpayers. Because this program is so popular it is administered on a "first come, first serve" basis and will continue until all the annually appropriated funds have been exhausted. The fiscal year runs October through September. This program does not cover the cost of a mandatory rabies vaccination and license tag, additional examination fees or vaccination fees that may be required by your veterinarian.    

In addition to managing the animal population, sterilization prevents irritability and aggressiveness. It can increase the lifespan of your pet, among other health benefits, reduce the urge to roam, and reduce spraying in male cats.  

In addition to Sheriff's Office Animal Services, the following organizations offer no or low cost spaying/neutering: 

Pet Parks   Sarasota County has a number of parks and beaches that are pet friendly, allowing both on-and-off-leash activity. This link will provide a list of those locations and some rules and regulations.

Disaster Planning

Pets need a plan for hurricane season and other emergencies. This link will take you to the Sarasota County Emergency Services page for pet preparations: Sarasota County Emergency Services

Volunteer Sign-in

The link below is for approved Animal Services volunteers only and requires a log-in and password.

CLICK HERE