Here is everything you need to know on how to adopt a pet from LifeLine. Adopting a pet is a very exciting experience. We have many wonderful dogs and cats looking for a new home. Learn more about our pet adoption process by exploring the sections below. Adopt a pet today!
ADOPTION FEES
Prior to adoption, all dogs are spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, tested for heartworms, and given a dewormer and flea/tick prevention at no additional charge.
2 kittens from the same litter ($65)
All cats will be spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, combo tested for FIV and FeLV and given a dewormer and flea/tick prevention at no additional charge.
Working Cats are unsocialized cats who are not household companions and are happiest living outdoors. They help control rodent populations and are safest in areas such as warehouses, barns, and even breweries! Walk-ins are welcome to meet our working cats and learn more. You may also contact our teams by email to inquire about adopting:
DeKalb County Animal Services: adoption@dekalbanimalservices.com
Fulton County Animal Services: adoptions@fultonanimalservices.com
LifeLine Community Animal Center: adoptions@lifelineanimal.org
Fish: $2 (per fish)
Mouse: $5
Duck: $10
Chicken: $10
Hamster: $10
Gerbil: $10
Rat: $10
Turtle: $10
Snake: $20
Finch/Canary/Parakeet: $20
Rabbit: $20
Guinea Pig: $20
Bearded Dragon: $20
Parrot: $50
Ferret: $50
Goat: $75
Sheep: $75
Pot-Bellied Pig: $75
Donkey: $100
Horse: $200
Unicorn: $1,000,000
Dogs and cats over 7 years of age can be adopted for no fee in 2024! These adoptions have been generously sponsored by an anonymous donor.
Adopters over 55 years of age may adopt a pet under 7 years of age for $40.
ADOPTION PROCESS
If you are looking to adopt a a pet, use the filter options provided to narrow down your search by location, pet species, age and size. Breed is not a filter option because we do not DNA test our dogs to identify their breeds; thus, all dogs are listed as mixed breed. We know that all dogs are individuals, and we focus on matching people and pets based on personality!
Also, some of our pets live in foster homes and are designated under the Care Status filter, “In foster.” Foster pets are available for adoption, and foster parents can share a lot of information with you about the pet’s personality.
For pets living at the shelter, please visit the shelter as soon as possible to meet the pet. Please know we cannot hold or reserve adoptable pets through online adoption inquiries or any other method of inquiry. If another adopter visits us before you do, we are unable to hold the pet for you.
If the pet is in a foster home, please complete an online adoption inquiry for the pet. Details on completing this can be found in Step 4 below, or in this video. After submitting the adoption inquiry, you will receive an email confirmation with more instructions. The adoption teams will connect you with the pet’s foster parent via email within 72 hours. Then, the foster parent will reach out to you to share more information about their foster pet and to coordinate a time for you to meet the pet.
Next, it’s time to make a match. Our shelter teams and foster parents can help you decide whether this pet is a good match for your family’s needs. If the pet is not a good match, that’s okay! Adopting a pet is a big decision, and we can help you find a new match that best fits your family. When you find a good match then you are ready for the last step to finalize the adoption.
Once you’ve determined a dog or cat is a good match, or if another catches your eye, navigate to the pet’s profile on our website. Our adoption teams or foster parents can also help you find the pet’s profile. Once clicked, you will be taken to a new screen hosted by Adopets. Click on the “I’m Interested” button to begin an adoption inquiry. And, you will need to create an Adopets account to submit an inquiry. If you are submitting an adoption inquiry prior to meeting the pet, please know this is not a hold or reservation, nor does it guarantee your adoption. The adoption inquiry is a simple questionnaire about the adopting parent or family, and allows us to save time once the adoption is ready to be finalized.
Helpful tip: When you create your Adopets account, you can submit an inquiry for more than one pet without having to reenter your inquiry responses! Also, you can mark pets as “favorites” as you are browsing before submitting an adoption inquiry.
The last (and most exciting) step to adopt a pet is to finalize the adoption. The adoption team will approve your Adopets inquiry, and then you will receive an email confirmation to sign the adoption contract and pay the adoption fee.
You can also add a donation during the checkout stage to help the thousands of pets we care for every year. Once the contract is signed and the fee is paid, that’s it!
Congratulations, you’re a pet parent! You may now take your new pet home from the shelter or from the foster parent.
ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS
To adopt a pet, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Provide a government-issued photo ID
- Complete a preliminary questionnaire and meet with an Adoption Counselor
Although meet and greets with resident pets are not required, we encourage you to introduce your pet to your potential adoptee to ensure that the pet is a good fit for your family. Our team members can assist you.
***Due to overcrowding and the current risk of disease, we are pausing dog meet and greets with resident pets at DeKalb County Animal Services. We recommend separating pets for 2 weeks when adopting or fostering a new pet to ensure a healthy integration into your home.***
Adoption FAQs
While our priority is to keep pets with their current families, LifeLine serves all of the lost, neglected, abused and homeless pets in Fulton and DeKalb Counties. Our county shelters are open admission, so we take in pets within Fulton and DeKalb counties who come to our doors or are brought in by our Animal Services Officers. This can include pets surrendered by their owners, stray pets and pets who were victims of neglect or cruelty.
Yes. LifeLine provides a complete medical examination, including spay/neuter, vaccination, canine heartworm or feline combo testing and a microchip, for every dog and cat before adoption. This is a great value for adopters and ensures that adopted animals do not contribute to the number of unwanted pets in our community.
Our adoption fees typically range from $65-$85 for cats and dogs. We also waive adoption fees throughout the year, so stay up-to-date on our fee-waived promotions by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Yes. Our Foster to Family program allows you to take a dog or cat home for a two-week trial period to help determine if they are the right match for your family.
Come visit our shelters in person! Our teams will help answer your questions about our pets’ personalities and facilitate meet and greets.
You can also visit our Adoptable Pets of LifeLine Facebook group to view detailed adoption posts from our fosters and volunteers about available pets. Our volunteers will also typically provide recommendations if you create a post listing the type of pet you’re looking to adopt.
Lastly, send an email to our shelter adoption teams with any additional questions or for help getting connected with any pets living in foster homes.
LifeLine uses the Humane Society of the United States’ Adopters Welcome approach. This approach welcomes community members, encourages them to adopt and helps them and their pets succeed. Adopters Welcome enables us to find more great homes for our shelter animals without unecessary judgment.
Yes. Eligible pets may be adopted for free through our partnership with Pets for Patriots.
If pets are already spayed/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and past their stray-hold, they can go home with you on adoption day. Pets who are not spayed or neutered are still available for adoption, but they will need to stay at the shelter to be spayed or neutered by our veterinarian, at no cost to you. We will schedule this surgery date and arrange a pick-up time with you at the time of the adoption. If you are adopting a foster pet, coordinate a pick up time with the foster parent.
Yes. We do allow residents of other states to adopt, but we are unable to hold pets. You would need to visit us as soon as possible to meet the pet you are interested in adopting. We do not provide transportation of the adopted pet to your home.
No. Our pets are adopted on a first-come, first-serve basis and pets cannot be held. Submitting an adoption inquiry online does not place a pet on hold or reserve a pet.
We understand that sometimes things don’t work out the way we expected. We allow adopters to return adopted pets during shelter hours by appointment. We also provide self-rehoming assistance to avoid pets re-entering our shelters and encourage adopters to rehome the pet themselves.
When a pet comes into our care as a stray, we hold the pet for three days (five days if there’s a known owner) to give the owners a chance to retrieve their pet. During the “stray hold,” the pet may be pre-adopted, but cannot leave the shelter unless they are already part of the our Friendly Finders program.