Animal Care
Broward County Animal Care provides shelter services, pet adoptions, lost and found assistance, animal issue reporting, rabies registration, and community programs for dogs and cats. This article explains which services are available, how to prepare before contacting the division or visiting its shelter, and where to check the County’s requirements for clinics, tags, and community cats.
What Animal Care Handles
The Broward County Animal Care Division operates the County shelter and provides animal services and community education. Its shelter staff help people adopt dogs and cats, assist owners who have lost a pet, and provide information for people who have found one. The division also offers community wellness clinics, pet rabies registration tags, community cat programs, foster opportunities, and volunteer opportunities. Animal Care Specialists address animal issues through enforcement of County and state animal laws.
The Broward County Animal Care website is the central place to check current shelter information and announcements. Choose the page for the task you have in mind before making a trip. Adoption visits, animal admissions, field service requests, and wellness clinics follow different hours or procedures.
Shelter Visits and Service Hours
The Animal Care shelter is in Fort Lauderdale, across from employee parking for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The adoption lobby is open seven days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with the last customers taken at 5:30 p.m. The admissions lobby is open seven days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the last customers taken at 4:30 p.m. Animal Care says it is closed on all federal holidays, so check the official hours and contact page before a holiday visit.
Field Services operates seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Foster Care Clinic is by appointment only. These schedules should not be treated as interchangeable: arriving during adoption hours does not establish that an admissions service, field response, or clinic appointment is available.
Adopting a Dog or Cat
Animal Care’s Adoption Center offers dogs and cats in need of homes. Its adoption page directs visitors to browse the full list of pets or the separate dog and cat listings, choose an animal they would like to meet, and then visit the Adoption Center. The listings are a useful starting point, but they do not replace meeting a pet or speaking with shelter staff about an animal that interests you.
The County describes its approach as open, nonjudgmental adoptions. It says dog and cat adoptions currently have no adoption fee and that adopted pets receive vaccinations and a free microchip. The Animal Care homepage also states that a $25 pet registration fee is required. Keep the adoption charge and the registration charge separate when planning your visit: a waived adoption fee does not mean there is no registration cost.
For an efficient visit, identify the pet or several pets you want to ask about before going to the shelter. If a listing includes an animal identification number, keep it with the pet’s name so staff can tell which animal you mean. Allow enough time to arrive before the adoption lobby stops taking customers at 5:30 p.m. A featured pet may no longer be available by the time you visit, so review the current listings rather than relying on an older announcement.
Lost Pets and Found Animals
Animal Care provides lost and found services for people separated from their pets. It also shelters homeless animals and works to reunite lost dogs and cats with their owners. The programs and services page identifies lost and found assistance, loss prevention, and pet surrender among the division’s services.
If you are contacting Animal Care about a missing pet, have a clear description ready: the animal’s species, color, size, and distinguishing features, along with where and when it was last seen. A registration tag number or microchip information can help identify the animal if you have it. For a found animal, be ready to describe the location and circumstances. These details help you explain the situation to shelter staff; they are not a substitute for any instructions staff give you.
Choose the appropriate service before visiting. The admissions lobby closes earlier than the adoption lobby and stops taking customers at 4:30 p.m. If you are considering surrendering your own pet, review Animal Care’s program information and contact the division about the applicable process rather than assuming that adoption hours are surrender hours.
Rabies Vaccinations and Pet Tags
Broward County’s Tags and Shots page states that dogs, cats, and ferrets must receive rabies vaccinations. Dogs and cats must also have and wear a Broward County Pet Rabies Registration Tag on their collar. The tag provides an identification route if a pet gets lost, while registration proceeds help support shelter care and sterilization programs.
For a microchipped pet, the listed one-year registration or renewal fee is $25. The listed three-year registration or renewal fee for a microchipped pet is $65 and requires a valid three-year rabies vaccine. A replacement for a lost tag is $10 and is available only at the Adoption Center. Pet tags purchased online or at approved veterinary offices are subject to a service fee of no more than $5 per tag.
The County says a tag can be purchased or renewed online, although the reference material does not provide a separate payment-system address. Begin with the County’s Tags and Shots page so you reach the County’s current purchase or renewal instructions. Do not confuse a pet’s microchip with its County tag: the County describes both as useful for identification, but its tag requirement still applies to dogs and cats.
Community Wellness Clinics
Animal Care’s Pet Care Clinic provides basic wellness services for Broward County residents’ dogs and cats at community wellness clinics held throughout the year. The listed services are rabies vaccinations, DAPP vaccinations for dogs, FVRCP vaccinations for cats, microchipping, and pet registration tags. At the County’s wellness clinic page, the rabies, DAPP, and FVRCP vaccines and microchips are listed as free. The required registration or renewal is listed at $25 for a microchipped pet and $55 for a pet that is not microchipped.
Pre-registration is required for the mobile wellness clinics and remains available until a clinic is fully booked. A pet must be at least four months old to receive a rabies vaccine. All pets attending a wellness clinic are required to be registered. Clinics operate on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last, even for people who have pre-registered.
Payment at these clinics is by debit or credit card only; cash and American Express are not accepted. Check the clinic page for the next event’s date and location before traveling, and use its pre-registration instructions for the event you plan to attend. The County says its Pet Care Clinic at Animal Care has temporarily suspended operations and is not accepting new appointments until further notice. That announcement concerns appointments at the Pet Care Clinic; the County separately lists community wellness clinics.
Reporting Cruelty and Animal Issues
Animal Care’s Field Services handles animal-related service requests, including the field services, warnings, citations, and bite reporting topics identified on its contact page. Animal Care Specialists also enforce animal laws to support public safety. When you report an issue, explain what happened, where it happened, when you observed it, and how the animal can be identified. Stick to what you observed so the division can determine how to handle the report.
For suspected cruelty involving a dog or cat, the County’s animal cruelty reporting page directs people to call the Broward County Animal Cruelty Hotline at 311. After 5:00 p.m., on weekends, or on holidays, call the Animal Care main number in the department list below, select Option 2, and leave a message. Animal Care’s general information page directs people to call 911 for emergencies.
The hotline instructions and ordinary lobby hours serve different purposes. Do not delay reporting an urgent situation until the shelter lobby opens. For other field service requests, the general information page gives the same main number and Option 2 for service during Field Services hours.
Community Cat Programs
Community cats are unowned, free-roaming cats that live outdoors. Some are cared for as part of managed colonies; others roam through neighborhoods. Broward County Animal Care’s Community Cat Management Program describes two sterilization programs: Trap-Neuter-Return, or TNR, and Return to Field, or RTF.
TNR requires an appointment. Kittens must weigh at least three pounds to qualify for either TNR or RTF. The County’s program page includes appointment information and dates when the programs are closed, so review it before bringing in a cat. Someone arranging TNR should secure the appointment first rather than treating the program as an unscheduled shelter admission.
If you have questions about the County’s community cat programs or borrowing traps, Animal Care identifies its Community Cat Management staff as the appropriate contact on the program page. Describe the cat’s situation and the type of help you are seeking so staff can direct you to the relevant program.
Foster and Volunteer Opportunities
Animal Care offers foster and volunteer opportunities for people who want to support pets in need. Its programs include a Foster Care Program and Broward Buddies. The general information page lists separate contacts for fostering and volunteering, which can help you route a question to the right staff. The Foster Care Clinic operates by appointment only.
If you are interested in fostering, contact the foster program for its current steps before planning a clinic visit. For volunteering, use the volunteering contact rather than the admissions or adoption lobby to ask about opportunities. Animal Care’s site also publishes current events and program announcements, so its pages are the appropriate place to check for changes to participation arrangements.
Choosing the Right Animal Care Service
Several Animal Care services involve the same facility, but they call for different first steps. For an adoption, browse the County’s pet listings and visit during adoption lobby hours. For a lost pet or an animal admission, contact the shelter and account for the earlier admissions cutoff. For a mobile wellness clinic, pre-register for a listed event and bring an accepted payment card for the required registration. For TNR, arrange an appointment through the community cat program. For cruelty concerns, use the County’s reporting instructions instead of waiting for a routine shelter visit.
Review the page for your specific service shortly before acting. Clinic events can fill, pet listings can change, and Animal Care posts service announcements such as its temporary Pet Care Clinic closure. Confirming the applicable hours and procedure can prevent a trip to the wrong lobby or an arrival after the last customer cutoff.
Animal Care Departments and Offices
Broward County Animal Care Division — 2400 SW 42nd Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 — 954-359-1313
Admissions Department — 954-357-9758
Pet Care Clinic — 954-357-9567
Animal Care FAQs
What should I do if I can no longer keep my pet?
Start with Broward County Animal Care’s programs and services, which lists both surrendering a pet and finding a new home for your pet. Review those options before taking the animal to the shelter. If you need to ask about surrender, explain whether the pet is yours, whether you have a deadline, and whether there are medical or behavior concerns. Shelter admission has its own procedures, so confirm the next step before bringing the pet in.
Where can I ask about an animal bite or a County warning?
Animal Care directs bite reporting, 30-day warnings, and citations to Field Services. Use the Field Services information on the County’s general information page to route your question. Have the date and location of the incident, a description of the animal, and any warning or citation paperwork available. If someone was bitten, describe what happened plainly; Animal Care can explain its reporting process and what information it needs.
Does Animal Care handle nuisance wildlife?
Animal Care’s resources page includes a nuisance wildlife topic. Check that guidance before assuming the County shelter can accept or remove a wild animal. The kind of animal, its location, and whether it poses an immediate danger matter when you describe the problem. Avoid handling wildlife while you determine the appropriate County guidance.
How can I check the rule behind a pet-related citation?
Begin with the County’s animal laws information under Animal Care Resources. Read the specific issue named on your paperwork, then use the Field Services channel listed on the general information page if you need help understanding what action the County expects. Keep the notice and any deadline in front of you when asking; a general description of the issue may leave out a requirement that applies to your case.