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 2025! 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.
TRIAL ADOPTION
This program is a great opportunity to bring a pet home and ensure the pet is an excellent fit for your family! A trial adoption can last up to 30 days and you’ll receive support from our team throughout.
100 CLUB
We offer FREE adoptions for all long-stay dogs (100 days+). When you visit a LifeLine shelter, look for the promotional sticker on our kennel cards indicating an adoptable dog with a sponsored fee!
PETS FOR PATRIOTS
LifeLine supports our U.S. military veterans by partnering with Pets for Patriots! Every Pets for Patriots member receives a fee-waived adoption, a pet gift card, discounts on pet care and so much more.
ADOPTION PROCESS
If you are looking to adopt a pet, use the filter options to narrow down your search by location, pet species, age, size and personality traits. 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 Location filter, “Foster Home”. 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, visit the shelter as soon as possible to meet the pet. We cannot hold or reserve adoptable pets through online adoption inquiries or email inquiries.
If the pet is in a foster home, please complete an online adoption inquiry for the pet which can be found on their individual profiles. An email will be sent automatically to the foster parent with your information. Then, the foster parent will reach out to you within 72 hours to share more information about their foster pet and to coordinate a time for you to meet the pet.
Once you’ve found the best match for your home, the last (and most exciting) step to adopt a pet is to finalize the adoption.
An adoption counselor will take your information and process your adoption fee payment, if applicable. You can also add a donation during the checkout stage to help the thousands of pets we care for every year.
You will then sign an adoption contract and receive an adoption packet of helpful information about your new pet and resources for bringing them home. 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.***
OUT OF STATE ADOPTIONS
We welcome adopters who live outside the state of Georgia! All policies outlined below must be followed. We cannot hold pets or extend placement deadlines if all adoption requirements are not met.
The best way to adopt from out of state is to travel to Atlanta and visit the shelter in person.
Every state has different health, safety and legal requirements. Some states may require special documentation, such as a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate), vaccination certificates, and/or vaccine or testing requirements. Please familiarize yourself with your state’s requirements when considering adopting from out of state.
The adopter is responsible for all relevant transportation requirements (e.g. health certificate, additional copies of medical record, special documents, etc). LifeLine Animal Project will assist with supporting this process if time and resources allow, but cannot guarantee the completion of any documents, exams, or procedures outside of what is included in standard in-shelter adoptions.
If the adopter is unable to visit the shelter in person, an adoption counselor will conduct virtual adoption counseling (via video or phone call) to ensure the entirety of what is known regarding the animal’s behavioral and medical history is reviewed. The adoption counselor must speak with the adopter directly during the adoption approval process. A speaker or transporter on behalf of the true adopter will not be an acceptable stand-in during the adoption counseling conversation or application process; the primary caretaker of the animal must be in communication with the shelter and adoption counselor directly. Please email the adoptions team to start the conversation about adopting from out of state.
LifeLine Animal Project is unable to provide or arrange transportation to adopters.
All pets being adopted from out of state must be spayed or neutered, and must have a recovery period of 2-7 days before traveling.
We are not able to accommodate out-of-state fostering (including trial adoptions). Georgia law prohibits out-of-state fostering, and LifeLine’s resources for fosters do not extend outside of the state.
OTHER 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. A Trial Adoption allows you to take a dog or cat home for a 30-day 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.
No, LifeLine cannot certify service or emotional support animals, because this requires specific legal and medical processes beyond the scope of our work. Please consult with a licensed professional if you are in need of a trained service or emotional support animal.
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.
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.
