The Best Houston, TX Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2025

Friends For Life Animal Shelter

We're here for the undercat and underdog, regardless of their breed, age or condition. Houston-grown, we're here to help our neighbors care for the pets they love. We're not done until every animal has a safe home. Until then, we'll be innovating, improving and tracking results to find the most effective ways to save lives.

THREE LITTLE PITTIES RESCUE

Three Little Pitties Rescue is a non-profit, 501c3 all-breed dog and cat rescue dedicated to saving animals out of desperate situations, primarily in the Houston, Texas area. From 2018 to 2024 the rescue has saved 13,000+ animals and delivered them to better lives up north.

Donna's love pet rescue

Our charitable, tax-exempt mission is to save as many lives as possible by giving homeless and lost animals a warm and special touch to show them that they are loved so they can trust again and return that love. I served in the military (Navy) from 1989 till 1993. My passion in life has always been to work with and care for animals. I have 7 dogs of my own (Palen, Rocsco, BK, Chico, Beau, Star and Annie). All of my dogs, except Palen, were found and taken in by my facility, The Dog House Pet Salon. If I could take every rescue home with me, I would. We have taken in over 290 homeless and lost animals since we opened our doors for business at The Dog house Pet Salon in 2009. We have re-homed 289 of them. Dash has been with us for one year. Dash needs a little more training to become confident and trust humans again. If I cannot re-home one of my loved ones, they will stay with me and live a good life. We believe that every lost animal with a microchip, rabies id/vet tag number or a name tag should be able to be identified and the parents contacted in a matter of seconds. We created the innovative My Pet Credentials mobile app for that very reason ‚an easy to use digital platform to empower the parents of lost pets with a means to find their lost pet quickly and efficiently without the need of calling, faxing or emailing. Pet owners, pet salons, rescue shelters and veterinarians can download the MPC app or register at www.mypetcredentials.com. The cost to pet owners is $16.99 annually. The platform is free for pet salons, rescue shelters and veterinarians. I am most proud of the lost and found function that is part of the MPC pet service platform. Pet owners enter the microchip number or rabies id/vet tag number in their pet's profile. If someone finds the pet, they can use the MPC mobile app or go to www.mpclost.com to identify the lost pet by entering any one of three tracking numbers. The MPC platform will immediately display: A picture of the pet (front, left and right Image) The pet's name, age, gender, breed, color and markings The pet's most current vaccinations A button to contact the owner who will receive a text, email and mobile app notification with the good Samaritan‚ name, phone number, email and message When someone finds a pet, MPC‚ lost and found function assists in reuniting the lost pet with their family, quickly and efficiently, by giving the Samaritan the ability to enter the lost pet's name, age, gender, breed, color and any markings along with any microchip, rabies id or vet tag number (tracking numbers) and upload an image of the lost pet. Once the tracking information has been entered by the Samaritan the family of the lost pet will be able to go to our universal lost and found website, www.mpclost.com, to input their pet's tracking information and our platform will display to the family an image of their pet, the pet's name as reported by the good Samaritan, age, gender, breed, color and any markings and the name, address and phone number where the pet can be reunited with their family. This innovative process reunites lost pets found with a microchip or rabies id or vet tag number with their families quickly and efficiently by eliminating the need to post lost and found flyers or waste time calling animal shelters, city pounds or veterinarians to locate their lost pet. I could go on about all the features of the MPC platform such as transfer of ownership, vaccination records storage, vaccination reminders and scheduling appointments with your pet salon. We created Donna's Love Pet Rescue for people who want to help end homelessness for animals and provide an easy to use digital platform to help identify pets, contact owners of lost pets quickly and efficiently and allow owners of lost pets with a microchip or rabies id or vet tag number to be registered with MPC for a quick and joyous reunion! The donation we receive from you helps with. Vetting Food Training Fostering Transportation Spay and neuter Our goal is also to educate the community on the importance of spay and neutering, having dogs vetted and properly trained and provided with appropriate identification markers. Animals are family too. To make a tax-deductible donation by mail: Donna's Love Pet Rescue 5917 Richmond Ave. Houston, TX 77057

Texas Sled Dog Rescue

Texas Sled Dog Rescue is a small rescue focusing on finding fur-ever homes for sled dog types (Siberian huskies and Alaskan Malamutes, and mixes). While in rescue, we will place them in foster homes, provide basic training as needed, and vetting which includes vaccinations, spay or neuter, microchip and other medical services as needed. Our volunteers are involved in all facets of rescue including but not limited to fundraising, transporting, evaluating dogs, respresenting the rescue at local dog events, fostering, etc.

Caitie's Foster Fam Rescue

Founded in May 2021, we are a non-profit 501(c)3 rescue made up of animal-loving individuals. Our team consists of animal rescuers who have been making a difference in the lives of homeless pets for over a decade. We each started as volunteers and fosters, specializing in medical needs cases. Because of the high demand for more medical fosters and rescuers, we decided to join together and start our own non-profit rescue. We are an entirely foster-based organization, so we do not have a physical shelter. All animals are kept in loving foster homes. Our founder, Caitie, has been fostering medical cases in the Houston area for over ten years.

Cypress Lucky Mutt Rescue

Cypress Lucky Mutt Rescue is a Houston area 501(c)(3) non profit organization dedicated to rescuing homeless and abandoned puppies and dogs from high-kill shelters and owners who can no longer care for them. By working with committed volunteers, foster homes, local veterinarians, trainers, and boarding facilities, we are able to rescue countless animals every year, provide them with loving foster care, and ultimately find them well-matched, carefully screened forever homes. We also plan to serve as a resource to our community and all pet owners by providing education and information on responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter, positive behavior training, and good nutrition and care.

Corridor Rescue

Corridor Rescue was born in 2009 when Deborah Hoffman, while driving through the area to work, realized there was a horrible problem with abandoned and stray animals. Her tenacity and love for the dogs would not allow her to stand by and watch...Corridor Rescue was conceived! Corridor Rescue is named after a 14 square mile area of Northeast Houston dubbed ‚'The Corridor of Cruelty'. The sheer number of dogs abandoned, dumped and allowed to roam the streets in this area is mind boggling. But sadly, the Corridor area is known for animal cruelty. The animals are unwanted, seen as a nuisance, and in some cases wrongly thought of as aggressive. People hit them, throw things at them, shoot them, fight them, and even deliberately run them over. Corridor Rescue has grown phenomenally over the last decade. What started as a one-woman show now has multiple volunteer teams and a kennel facility where we are able to take our rescued street dogs directly off the street for rehabilitation. The facility can house up to 30 dogs and is staffed with two Veterinary Technicians and three Kennel Technicians. The dogs receive medical care and enrichment to begin healing and to put them on the road to their forever home. Corridor Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is solely funded by the generosity of our wonderful donors and supporters. We are a volunteer-based organization, always looking for enthusiastic, outgoing, motivated, and animal loving volunteers to join our team. Corridor Rescue has a number of areas that you can help save lives.

Wag Again Rescue

Wag Again is a section 501(c)(3) foster based dog rescue group with years of animal and rescue experience amongst our volunteers. Wag Again is committed to helping the neediest, as well as the readily adoptable, among our community's most vulnerable creatures. We are a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to restoring the dogs under our care to physical and emotional health as they await placement in loving, responsible homes. Virtually all donated funds will be spent directly on the care of the animals. Wag Again stands ready to help you, the prospective adopter or foster home, find a companion who will thrive in your home. We are here to assist you in every way possible throughout the adoption process and will continue to be a helpful resource after you have welcomed your new pets into your life.

Forgotten coast animal rescue

Our co-founders Rachell Jones and Courtney Lomelo met in 2019 where all good rescue ladies hang out: Facebook groups dedicated to rescuing dogs. Although Rachell lives in Florida, and Courtney in Texas, together they networked and found a home for their first dog together! His name was Ryder. Courtney began rescuing street dogs in 2011 and Rachell entered the rescue world in 2018 inspired by countless dogs displaced by Hurricane Michael in Florida. The duo went on to network several more dogs on high-kill Houston shelters' euthanasia lists. They got to know each other over late night calls and Facebook messages. A true modern friendship! Finally, they decided to officially form a rescue together and Forgotten Coast Animal Rescue was born. Forgotten Coast Animal Rescue was named for Rachell's home coast in Florida. Presently, FCAR operates primarily in Houston, Texas. We hope to expand to North Florida, the forgotten coast, in the coming years to care for Rachell's home state.

Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue

is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization founded in 2008. We are a breed-specific organization dedicated to rescuing and rehoming German Shepherds in Houston, Texas and surrounding areas. GHGSDR is guided by three core values: dedication, integrity, and compassion. We are devoted to finding homes for our GSDs with people who want to continue our mission of giving these dogs a better life and a second chance. Our GSDs are obtained from public shelters after they have completed a stray-hold period or they are surrendered to us directly by their owners. We strive to ensure that each dog in our care is given the love, attention, and medical care they need to thrive. We believe that every dog deserves a second chance at a happy life. All of our rescued German Shepherds are placed in a foster home while we work tirelessly to find loving, forever homes; carefully matching each dog with an adoptive family who will provide them with the love and care they deserve. We attribute our success in rehoming German Shepherds to our wonderful volunteers. We have many volunteers who have been with us since inception, which gives us stability and a sense of history. We also have newer volunteers who bring enthusiasm and new ideas to our group, which is essential for us to continue our mission. As an all-volunteer run organization, we all hold different jobs in our actual lives. We are not professionals in animal behavior, training, or health, but we work closely with local veterinarians, trainers, and other animal welfare organizations to ensure that our dogs receive the best possible care and support.

Sunnyside Street Dogs

At Sunnyside Street Dogs, we believe every dog deserves a loving home and a happy life. We rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome street dogs, ensuring they receive the care and love they need. Our mission is to create a world where every dog is valued, protected, and cherished.

In the name of Zoey

Lola's Lucky Day

Lola's Lucky Day strives to make a positive impact by rescuing animals that otherwise would not have a chance in Texas. We rescue pups from the streets and shelters, get them healthy, fully vetted, spayed/neutered, and network with our partner rescues in Wisconsin to match them with loving families.

Kind In The Making

Reggie's Friends

Reggie’s Friends was founded out of our pure love of street dogs! Being parents to our former street dog Reggie and living in a city with a massive homeless animal crisis drove us to figure out how to do something to help! Reggie’s Friends is a registered 501c3 non-profit animal rescue organization dedicated to helping Street Dogs find Sweet Lives both in Houston and across the country. Our team of dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to place our amazing dogs into equally amazing forever families! In addition to adoptions, Reggie’s Friends also devotes time and resources to animal welfare education as well as helping community members vaccinate, spay/neuter owned pets as a way of helping cut down on the number of homeless pets. At Reggie’s Friends, we live and love by our motto #Street Lifet To Sweet Life!

Spring Branch Rescue

Houston, TX, a city that has an animal crisis. Spring Branch Rescue, based here, a 501C3 non-profit animal rescue tries to make a difference in the lives of Those Without Voices! We are that operates totally on donations from the community. We need a Cargo Van to help us with the rescue transport. Having our own van gives us the ability to transport our animals into Houston for events, to the vet and most importantly to their furever homes in the Pacific Northwest. Please donate whatever you can, no amount is too small! Please also share our fundraiser. How It All Started Many years ago I started networking lost & found animals in Spring Branch by creating a Spring Branch Lost Pets Page to help owners and finders with a place to post the animals. The page grew very quickly and became a neighborhood name. I started operating as an independent rescuer helping many animals in need by providing vet care and placing them in good loving homes. The number of animals found in the area has grown and the idea of becoming a non-profit organization became a reality. Now we are not only able to adopt our rescued animals in need found in our area, but have grown our name recognition in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Idaho, and Canada. We work together with an amazing community of animal lovers in Spring Branch and also Houston. We all work together to help the ones without voices. We save one animal at a time.

Athena's Angels Rescue

Living in Texas we witness the serious stray problem, animal abuse, and neglect there is on a daily basis. It is overwhelming, but we do our best to play our part in fixing this problem. We focus on saving dogs that many would turn away from. No matter what they have gone through they all deserve a second chance at life! We need to stand up and be their voice! Our Purpose Our rescue aims to primarily take on the difficult medical cases that most would turn away from.]We do everything in our power to get these guys on back on their feet and into their forever home. Every dog deserves a second chance at life!

SMART Rescue

A SMART Rescue is a Federally recognized 501(c)(3), organized under the name of Sunmart Animal Rescue Team, Inc., that was founded in 2002 by two veteran animal rescuers. SMART established themselves in the Petsmart at I-45 and FM 1960 and they have continued to grow in both volunteer and adoption counts. Currently, in addition to web based adoptions, the organization adopts pets through four Petsmart locations; Conroe at I-45 and Hwy 3083 and 2 locations in Spring, the Grand Pkwy and Kuykendahl and the Grand Pkwy and Riley Fuzzel and in Portofino Center off I-45 in The Woodlands/Shenandoah. SMART is 100% foster based and runs strictly off of donations. Animals are cared for in the homes of our volunteers with SMART providing for their medical expenses. All animals in the program are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, given health checks, and feline leukemia/FIV testing for cats and heartworm testing for dogs.

The Underdog Connection

Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas

In 1988 Sharon Elliott, a Cocker Spaniel enthusiast, was called on to assist in a raid of a backyard breeder. Sharon, horrified by what she saw, became determined to assist Cocker Spaniels who were abandoned and helpless. ​ The operation started small with two volunteers placing a dozen dogs a year. Within ten years this noble effort attracted a core of volunteers who re-homed a hundred plus dogs a year. In the late 1990's Cocker Spaniel Rescue established an internet presence with a website, www.cockerkids.org. While the website helped recruit volunteers and donations, the number of Cocker Spaniels in need increased dramatically. Now we have a presence on FaceBook and we are reaching even more Cocker Spaniel lovers. Today CSR serves the greater Houston area with foster homes stretching from Conroe south to Lake Jackson, west to Katy and as far east to Deer Park. Our primary service area is around 5,600 square miles with a population of 5.7 million people. We serve an area bigger than three individual states (Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Delaware). Thirty states that have populations smaller than the greater Houston area. In 2009 we were contacted about 633 Cocker Spaniels in need of help and we adopted out an all-time high of 300. In 2009, we were awarded the Pedigree Breed Rescue of the Year at the Westminster Dog Show.​ Dedicated volunteers are the heart of Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas. Currently we have about 50 volunteers and 30 foster homes. We are an all volunteer organization (no paid employees) and do not operate a facility. We refer to the Cocker Inn® as a virtual home, representing our network of foster homes and boarding kennels. About 80% of the dogs are in foster homes. The remaining 20% are boarded at several kennels across the greater Houston area. We would love to have foster homes for all the dogs but being boarded in a kennel is better than being on death row. We extend our thanks to those of you who "volunteer" money. Your donations enable us to provide veterinary care and board dogs when foster homes can't be found. Veterinarian bills consume 65% of our budget. Nearly all dogs require immunizations. About 70% must be spayed or neutered. Almost 50% undergo heartworm treatment. In addition to these basic services dogs may arrive with ear, eye or skin infections that must be treated. A few of the dogs in our care need specialized surgery for cataracts, luxating patellas, femoral head ostectomies or cherry eye repair. Other dogs arrive injured or sick with contagious diseases such as distemper, requiring extensive hospitalization. Understandably, not everyone can foster or make monetary donations. However, we have had great success from people posting our website on the company bulletin board, or sharing our story with family members and friends. We are always looking for ways to share information regarding rescue and would be honored to speak at a party or gathering to promote and educate on the joys of these 2nd Chance CockerKids®.

Save Rescue Coalition

S.A.V.E Rescue Coalition was formed for the purpose of reducing the homeless pet problem through Spay/Neuter, Adoption, Volunteering and Education.

Happy Faces Pet Ranch

Happy Faces Pet Ranch started years ago in the heart of our Founder. She is a lifetime pet lover with a passion for giving dogs (& other animals) a happy, healthy place to live with a loving caretaker. She recognized the extreme pet suffering and overpopulation in our area and could not find enough foster homes to take care of all the dogs needing help. The physical location for Happy Faces Pet Ranch was acquired in 2019. The property is over 12 acres with a climate controlled house for the dogs, an open fenced area for exercise and play, and remaining acres for walking or exercising the dogs around a beautiful treed setting. One or two kennel techs are on the property from 6:30 am until 9:30 pm each day. The dogs have schedules for routine exercise, feeding, and health care. Our Founder is a long time philanthropist and advocate for children and the rights and care of animals and has created a wonderful environment for sheltering dogs until adoption.

Harris County Pets

Dude's Animal Ranch And Sanctuary Inc

Our love for helping animals in need started from a very young age and continued to grow throughout the years. Our beloved dog “Dude” passed away Easter morning 2023 surrounded by the people who meant the world to him, his humans. Dude was a lover of all animals big and small; he was the “King” of his castle and “Big Daddy Dude” to 2 orphaned kittens ( Jinx & Mr. Whiskers ) he raised, loved, and nurtured them as his own when they were just a week old. Over the years Dude has watched and assisted his humans rescue, foster, and adopt others just like him in need of a loving forever home. When Dude passed away after 17.5 years of giving unconditional love, devotion, and comfort to his humans and fur babies alike Brendon and Brian knew they needed to continue Dude’s mission to provide “A safe haven for all animals in need.” This is when we decided to turn Dude’s passion for all animals in need into a 501(c)(3) non-profit rescue organization.

Great Pyrenees Rescue Society of Texas

Great Pyrenees Rescue Society (GPRS) is a rescue group that focuses on rescuing dogs in Texas and places many in the Pacific Northwest including Oregon and Washington state. Great Pyrenees Rescue Society is a coalition of rescuers founded by Malise Saucier in 2006 to facilitate the placement of Great Pyrenees dogs and Pyr mixes across the country, with rescues located in several states that have high kill shelter rates for the Great Pyrenees breed. GPRS has long history of successful adoptions both in Texas and in the Northwest through a monthly transport of Pyrs from Texas to the Pacific NW. GPRS also has a large network of fosters for Pyrs both in the Northwest and Texas. Great Pyrenees Rescue Society of Texas: Saving and Rehoming Great Pyrenees Dogs in Need Located in Texas, Great Pyrenees Rescue Society is a volunteer run, foster-based, 501(c)(3) animal rescue dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of Great Pyrenees dogs whose lives are in danger. Absolutely 100% of all donations go to the dogs that we care for. Most of our dogs come to us from kill shelters around the Central Texas, South Texas and Greater Houston area. We place them in foster homes in the Pacific Northwest and Texas while they are evaluated and rehabilitated until we find a permanent home for them. We transport and adopt dogs to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, New Mexico, and Arizona, along with Texas. There are so many more wonderful, majestic, and deserving Great Pyrenees needing help in Texas than we have places for. The only way we can save these precious dogs is with your help. We always need temporary foster homes, donations, volunteers' help and of course if you can give a dog a permanent home, you'll complete our dream.

Lucky Penny Rox Rescue

Lucky Penny Rox Rescue (LPRR) is a foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Fort Bend County, TX, but we operate in many surrounding counties, including Wharton, Fort Bend, Harris, Matagorda, and Galveston. We believe in rehab and second chances. We are a small, southern rescue with a heart as big as Texas! We do not discriminate when taking cats and dogs into our homes as long as we have funds and fosters to accommodate them. We aim to find each animal a home as quickly as possible, but only after their foster home has learned their needs. Our ultimate goal is to find forever homes that are a perfect fit for the animal and the human family. Please join us in rescuing unwanted animals and educating the public about spay/neutering and the millions of unnecessary euthanasias that happen every year.

Lucky Tails Inc

Santo's Sanctuary and Rescue

Santo's Sanctuary & Rescue was formed to promote the safe caring of dogs until their perfect home is found, while at the same time using education as a tool to help solve Houston's pet problem.

Gulf Coast Cocker Spaniel Rescue

We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) rescue organization specializing in the rescue of Cocker Spaniels. We are not a shelter. Our rescue process involves finding loving foster homes for all the dogs in our program until their forever home can be found. As you can imagine, we are in constant need of volunteers, foster homes and funding. Any help given in any of these vital areas is greatly appreciated and essential for our efforts to continue.

Second Chance Poms, Inc.

Pomeranian rescue group for southeast Texas. We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.