COVID-19 Updates
All San Diego Humane Society shelters are open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., by appointment only.
San Diego Humane Society is taking necessary steps to protect the health and well-being of the animals in our care, our staff, volunteers and the community we serve. This page is intended to provide helpful information and any emergency updates about our operation.
We also recommend you follow San Diego Humane Society on social media (Twitter, Facebook or Instagram) for the latest information.
Here at San Diego Humane Society, we are working hard to save animal lives while protecting our staff, volunteers and guests. Our employees and volunteers are all wearing masks and keeping six feet apart while interacting with each other and the public. Adhering to the required policies of wearing masks and social distancing is required when visiting our shelter to protect our team who is interacting with the public.
Temporary Change in Services
We are providing the following services to our community:
- Adoptions are by appointment only. Virtual consultations will be conducted over the phone prior coming in to complete the adoption. Once you’ve selected an animal you’re interested in adopting, you will receive an email with instructions for scheduling your phone adoption consultation.
- Vaccinations and microchipping are offered curbside by appointment at our San Diego, Escondido and Oceanside campuses. Please bring your dog(s) on a leash and cat(s) inside a cat carrier (one cat per carrier). Collars and ID tags on your pets are recommended. Due to COVID-19, we are only accepting credit/debit card payments at this time.
- Owner-requested euthanasia can be scheduled by appointment only.
- Pet licensing can be completed online here.
- Project Wildlife will accept injured and ill wild animals at our Bahde Wildlife Center at 5433 Gaines St., San Diego. Please see more info below.
- Humane Law Enforcement is responding to priority calls.
- Foster homes are especially critical right now with the COVID-19 outbreak to keep as many animals out of the shelter as possible. Thanks to our incredible volunteers and the recent outpouring from the community to help, we do not currently need fosters, but that may change as we go forward. If you would like to help us be prepared, you can sign up here.
Pet Food and Supplies
Pet families who need extra help during the COVID-19 pandemic can turn to us. Through our Community Pet Pantry, anyone can visit our El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside (572 Airport Road) and San Diego campus locations between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, to pick up a bag of dog or cat food as well as other supplies as available. No appointment is needed for this service.
Appointments for Services
Before coming for your appointment:
To protect the health of our staff, volunteers and guests, if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you're in an “at risk” category as defined by the CDC and the State of California, please stay home. Take care of yourself and we'll see you soon.
When you arrive for an appointment:
Please expect a pop-up guest check-in outside before you enter the campus. From there we can route you to your destination. We’re also asking guests to wash their hands at the entrance to the shelter where we have portable hand-washing stations. All areas are being regularly sanitized, and janitorial services have increased cleaning protocol for public spaces.
Found a lost pet?
- San Diego Humane Society is admitting stray animals at El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside and San Diego campus locations between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Please schedule an admissions appointment online.
- If you find a stray animal outside of these hours and are able to keep the animal overnight, please do so, and call us in the morning. If you are unable to safely care for the animal overnight, call us during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., or call your local law enforcement agency outside those hours, and they will contact our on-call Humane Officers.
- If you are in a position to keep the animal in your home while searching for their family, please consider doing so. Visit our lost and found page for tips on searching for an owner, and notify us by email at [email protected] to file a report so we can assist you with reuniting the pet with his family.
What about a healthy adult cat or kittens living outside?
- We will not be accepting cats who live outside unless they are sick or injured. This decision has been made due to our temporary reduction of elective surgeries, including spay/neuter procedures, at the guidance of public health and shelter medicine specialists. You can learn more here.
- If you’ve found kittens who are being cared for by their mother and seem healthy, please leave them with their mother. If the kittens are sick, injured or have been orphaned, please call us at 619-299-7012 to make an appointment to bring them to one of our locations. Often, kittens are left alone for several hours by their mother, but not been abandoned. For more information about how to determine whether kittens should be brought to the shelter, please visit , please visit this web page for instructions.
- If you think kittens are abandoned, you can help us by raising them in your home! Follow our orphan kitten care guidelines.
Need to relinquish your pet?
- We understand the need for some owners to relinquish their pets. At this time, we strongly encourage owners to hold on to their pets. Please consider keeping your pet until we’ve reached Phase 3 of reopening in San Diego.
- Our website also has resources that will help you find a new home for your pet.
- Additionally, you may visit our website to learn about resources that may help you keep your pet by addressing medical, behavioral and other concerns.
- If you must relinquish your pet at this time, schedule an admissions appointment online here.
Found injured wildlife?
- Our Project Wildlife program rehabilitates injured, orphaned and ill wildlife and is currently accepting these animals at the Pilar & Chuck Bahde Wildlife Center, located at 5433 Gaines St., San Diego, CA 92110. If you absolutely can’t make it to this location, animals may also be dropped off at our Oceanside and Escondido campuses.
- Before capturing a wild animal, please review this information to ensure intervention is needed.
News Center
Thanksgiving can be a very food-centric holiday, but is it safe to share what you’re eating on Thanksgiving with your dog or cat? San Diego Humane Society has tips to help make this a safer celebration for everyone.
San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement rescued 31 cats abandoned by their owners inside a condo in central Escondido. Officers received a call for help from the property manager of the condo complex in the 1,000-block of East Washington Ave. on Oct. 22, stating the tenants had been evicted and left their cats behind.
San Diego Humane Society has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2020 honor in the large companies category by The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Humane at Home
San Diego Humane Society's Community Engagement team offers an exciting new series that engages youth during this time of home isolation. View this and more at Humane at Home.
Graphics and Flyers for Messaging Your Community
Feel free to download and share these informational graphics with your social networks! During this time of uncertainty, the more we know, the better off we'll all be. Thank you for your help spreading this information!
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