An animal shelter is a facility that takes in lost, stray and surrendered animals, and it is often run or funded by a city or county. A rescue is usually a private nonprofit that places animals in foster homes rather than a building, and a humane society or SPCA is a private nonprofit that often runs its own shelter. All three adopt out pets, but they differ in who funds them, which animals they must accept and how their adoption process works.
The names overlap a lot in practice. Some humane societies hold the city's animal control contract, some municipal shelters are called "humane society," and some rescues run a small adoption center. The details below describe the typical pattern, and the best way to know how a specific organization works is to read its website or ask.
The short version
| Type | Who runs it | Typical funding | Accepts every animal? | Where animals live |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal or county shelter | Local government, sometimes through a contractor | Taxes and fees | Usually must take strays from its area | Kennels in a shelter building |
| Humane society | Independent nonprofit | Donations, grants, fees, sometimes a government contract | Varies; many limit owner surrenders by appointment | Shelter building, plus foster homes |
| SPCA | Independent nonprofit | Donations, grants, fees, sometimes a contract | Varies | Shelter building, plus foster homes |
| Rescue group | Nonprofit, often volunteer-run | Donations and adoption fees | No; takes animals as space allows | Mostly foster homes |
| Animal control | Local government agency | Taxes | Responds to calls in its jurisdiction | Often operates or contracts the public shelter |
Municipal and county shelters
Public shelters are run by a city, county or regional authority, sometimes as part of animal control and sometimes by a nonprofit under contract. Because they serve the public, they generally take in stray animals found within their area and hold them for a period set by local law so owners can reclaim them. That legal duty to accept strays is the biggest difference between a public shelter and most private groups.
Public shelters also tend to handle cruelty seizures, bite quarantines and animals from evictions or emergencies. Their adoption fees are often lower, and many run regular fee-waived events when they are full. See what animal control does for how the enforcement side works.
Humane societies
A humane society is a private nonprofit focused on animal welfare. Most run an adoption center, and many also offer low-cost vet services, spay and neuter clinics, pet food banks, training classes and humane education.
A common misunderstanding is that local humane societies are branches of a national group. They are not. The Humane Society of the United States (renamed Humane World for Animals in 2025) is a separate national organization that works on policy and large-scale programs. It does not operate or fund most local humane societies, which are independent and raise their own money.
SPCAs
SPCA stands for Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Like humane societies, local SPCAs are independent nonprofits. The ASPCA (the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is a national organization based in New York, and local SPCAs are not chapters of it. Some older SPCAs still have humane law enforcement officers who can investigate cruelty, depending on state law.
In daily practice, a local SPCA and a local humane society often look very similar: a shelter, an adoption program and community services.
Rescue groups
Animal rescues are usually smaller nonprofits, and many have no building at all. Animals live in volunteer foster homes until they are adopted. Many rescues specialize by species or breed, such as dog rescues, cat rescues, rabbit rescues or groups focused on one breed.
Rescues often pull animals from crowded public shelters, which frees space there. Because a foster family lives with each animal, rescues can usually tell you a lot about behavior at home: how a dog does with children, whether a cat uses the litter box reliably, how an animal handles being alone.
The trade-off is that rescue adoptions can take longer. Many ask for an application, references, a home visit and a meet-and-greet, and fees are sometimes higher to cover the medical care each animal received.
How adoption differs
- Public shelters often have the fastest process, sometimes same day, with a short application.
- Humane societies and SPCAs usually have a conversation-based process, and many have dropped strict rules in favor of matching.
- Rescues tend to have the most thorough screening, because they place animals one at a time from foster homes.
For step-by-step help, see how to adopt a dog and how to adopt a cat.
Where "no-kill" fits
"No-kill" describes an outcome goal, not a type of organization. A public shelter, a humane society or a rescue can all be no-kill. Best Friends Animal Society uses a benchmark of saving at least 90 percent of the dogs and cats that enter a shelter. Read more in what no-kill means, or browse no-kill shelters.
Which one should you contact?
| Your situation | Best first contact |
|---|---|
| You found a stray dog or cat | Your local public shelter or animal control |
| You lost a pet | Every public shelter and animal control agency nearby, plus humane societies |
| You want to adopt a specific breed | A breed-specific rescue, plus shelters |
| You want to know a pet's behavior in a home | A foster-based rescue |
| You need low-cost vet or spay/neuter services | A humane society, SPCA or dedicated clinic |
| You need to rehome a pet | Start with rescues and humane societies, and ask about waitlists |
To see every type of organization in your area, use the near me page or browse by state.