Frequently Asked Questions

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We try to help any animal that comes through our doors. The most common types of animals that we help and have the resources for are cats, dogs, and small pets. 

Most wildlife, aquatic species, or other types of animals will be sent to a specific rescue for those types of animals as we do not have the resources to care for them.

Over 2,500 animals come through our shelter on an annual basis. We take in stray animals from the Scott County area and will help with owner surrenders when we have the space.

It costs a great deal of money to shelter, feed and take care of the animals. Some of them require veterinary care before they can be adopted.  Adopting a companion animal will be an ongoing expense. We estimate that with proper vet care, a nutritious diet, and general care, it costs up to $500.00 a year to keep a pet.  Our adoption fee includes an exam, microchip, spaying or neutering, vaccinations, deworming, flea and tick preventatives, and any necessary medications. We also do a heartworm test on dogs and FIV/Felv test on cats when necessary. Overall, we estimate our fees cover only about 25% of the combined cost of these medical expenses and the care of the animal while it’s waiting for its new family.

If you need to find a new home for your pet, personally rehoming may be the best option. This keeps them out of the shelter, and because you know your pet best, you can be involved in finding the most suitable home and family. Here is a link with more information on rehoming your pet: https://rehome.adoptapet.com/help-keep-pet

If you’ve exhausted your options, call our shelter to see if we have any available space for you pet. Often times we have a waitlist of animals waiting to be surrendered, so keep in mind, it might be some time before we are able to take in an animal.

If you are in a crisis situation, please explain that to our staff when speaking on the phone with them.

The problems of illness exist in any facility with multiple animals, including shelters, pet stores and breeders. In fact, every time you take your puppy or kitten to the veterinarian, obedience school or the park, it can be exposed to a number of diseases. We encourage all pet owners to be extremely careful when considering the health of their pet and to maintain current immunizations and medical records. The stress of being held in a shelter environment can unquestionably reduce an animal’s immunity to disease.  

Many animals come to us as strays or with very little background, so we can never be certain of the health care they received before arriving at the shelter. This is why we try to determine an animal’s health at the first evaluation and continue to monitor its well-being while it stays with us. Our health tech team screen the animals and administer necessary medical care and vaccinations. 

Health concerns are also the reason we offer high-quality Hill's Science Diet pet food to our animals. These foods tend to keep animals healthier and put less stress on their systems.

Every adoptable pet finds a home no matter how long it takes. We have no pre-determined time limit for how long we will hold an animal while we try to place it in a good home. Some highly adoptable breeds or cute kittens and puppies will be adopted almost immediately after arriving at the shelter. Other animals, particularly older ones, have slightly longer stays before finding the right family. 

There are times, for reasons of health or behavior, that some animals must be humanely euthanized. We euthanize animals in the same manner that your vet would use if you were faced with the difficult decision to put your family pet to sleep.

Because of the collaborative spirit necessary to reduce euthanasia on a community-wide level, The Humane Society of Scott County does not use the term “no-kill” to separate ourselves from other shelter partners. While we don’t euthanize adoptable animals, we object to the “no-kill” label because it divides shelters and people that need to work together to focus on what matters, which is saving as many pets’ lives as possible. Many “no-kill” shelters limit their admission by the number of animals allowed into the shelter or by the age, health or temperament of the pet.

At the HSSC, we accept all animals and the only time limit imposed is the seven-day stray hold. This time period is provided to give the animal’s owner time to locate the pet before we consider it for placement.  At the HSSC, we adhere to a socially conscious animal sheltering philosophy which focuses on the most appropriate outcomes for all animals in our community, not just those who enter our doors. We are committed to ending the euthanasia of healthy and treatable dogs and cats, and we know that the pet homelessness problem extends beyond the capabilities of any one agency. We encourage an approach that includes all animal welfare agencies, regardless of their intake philosophies.

Most of the pets who enter our shelter are a blend of different breeds, and we have no way of knowing what that blend may be. When attempting to label a dog we are simply making an educated guess, which is often wrong—research tells us that dogs are labeled incorrectly 75% of the time. We believe that removing labels and focusing on the personality and other observable traits of a dog is much more transparent and helpful to adopters. Essentially, we focus on the WHO instead of the WHAT. We share everything we know about a pet with an adopter because that is how we create the very best match. 

No. Adoptable animals are available only by coming to the shelter. Maintaining such a list and notifying people would take staff time away from working with adopters in the shelter. It could also cause missed matches for the animal. If we held an animal for you and you chose not to adopt, we might miss opportunities for a match with someone who had come to the shelter while the animal was unavailable.

The Adoptable Pets page of our website allows you to perform a search of our available pets with a few basic selecting factors.

The HSSC is an independent not-for-profit organization.

A portion of our funding is provided by the fees charged in the shelter, and some comes from special events and grants from corporations and foundations.

The majority of our expenses are covered by the contributions of individuals who share our passion for the animals. Visit the Donate section of this website to learn how you can make contributions to our cause.

Of course we welcome your assistance in other ways as well. Visit the Volunteer page for information on volunteering at the shelter and other things you can do to help the animals.

We also receive some money from contracts with some cities located within Scott County such as Davenport and Bettendorf. These contracts usually only cover the bare necessities to care for an animal during it's short stray-hold.