Adoption Process

TfaYouGlenn Allan Stonehouse Dog Adoption Program ● Cynthia Richards Cat Adoption Program

Considering adopting a friend into your ‘fur’ever home? Please read through our adoption process at the Peterborough Humane Society. You can also learn more about the Road to Adoption! (PDF file)

Visit our Adoptable Animals page.

Adoption Process for Cats & Small Animals

Brown and white large puppy

Visit the Shelter. Visit us during our business hours to view the available cats. Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 11am – 4pm.
Cats and Small adoptions are facilitated on a first come best match basis. Please prepare to be in the shelter for at least an hour as our Adoptions Team may be occupied with other adoptions. We appreciate your understanding that we may not be able to accommodate an adoption close to closing.
Fill out a Cat Adoption Application. Applications are available online and in-shelter. A member of the Adoptions Team will review your application with you and discuss what qualities you are looking for in a cat.
Meet & Greet. Now for the best part – meeting the cats! You are welcome to meet a few cats that you are interested in and the Adoptions Team may also make suggestions of cats who may be a great fit for your home.
Once you’ve found your match then we will advise you of next steps. This could be completing the adoption on the spot or we will offer to put the cat on a 24-hour adoption pending hold. We offer the hold to give you time to “sleep on it” to ensure you are making the right decision or to give you time to prepare your home for your new family member.
Finalize the Adoption. Congratulations! You are now ready to bring home your new family member. The Adoptions Team will go over all of the paperwork and answer any questions you might have. Please bring a size appropriate carrier to bring home your new cat/small animal. *Please bring photo ID and proof of address to finalize your adoption.*

Adoption Process for Dogs

View Adoptable Dogs. You can view dogs anytime online or in-shelter during business hours.
Dog adoptions are facilitated by appointment only; this allows our Adoptions Team to spend quality time with each potential home to ensure the most successful matches are made between the animals and their new families.
Fill out a Dog Application. Applications are available online and in-shelter. An application and appointment are required prior to any meet and greets with dogs. Please give us as many details as possible so our team can really get a sense of your home and what you are looking for in a dog.
Application Review. A member of our Adoptions Team will review your application. If the dog you have applied for will be a good fit for your home we will contact you to schedule an in-person meet and greet. Please note: Due to the overwhelming number of applications we receive for dogs we may take a few days to review your application and will only make contact if it is determined that the dog is the right match for you. We also encourage you to follow-up or ask any more questions by contacting us at 705-745-4722 x 201 or [email protected].
Meet & Greet. Please be prepared for the potential of multiple meet and greets between you, your family and other dogs in your home. If the meet and greet(s) go well then you will discuss with the Adoptions Team next steps. We do not finalize adoptions on the same day of an initial meet and greet. Exceptions to this can be made on a case by case basis at the discretion of the Adoptions Team.
Finalize the Adoptions. Congratulations! You are now ready to bring home your new family member. The Adoptions Team will schedule a time to go over all the paperwork and answer any questions you may have. Please bring a collar/harness, leash and potentially a kennel to bring your new dog home. *Please bring photo ID and proof of address to finalize your adoption.*