The Best Missouri Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2025

Stray Rescue of St. Louis

What sets Stray Rescue of St. Louis apart in the animal welfare community near and far? We seek out and take in those who no other organization will help or would simply euthanize because they are too expensive to heal. We take the abandoned, beaten, bred, fought, injured, terrified, defeated and betrayed. We see beyond their brokenness and are here to pick up the pieces to make these special animals whole again. We see the individual and know that there's no one size fits all treatment plan. The minute they enter our doors, we look in their eyes and promise them ALL the second chance they deserve for health, home, commitment and love. Because these animals come in with a story that would give us all nightmares, it takes them longer to open up, trust and believe in humankind again. But with patience and time always on their unique schedule we see the light shine in their eyes again. Animals have an amazing ability to forgive which never ceases to amaze us.

Unchained Melodies Dog Rescue

Unchained Melodies rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes chained, penned, and abused dogs that have no voice. We fight for stronger laws and have many programs that benefit our community.

Missouri German Shepherd Rescue

MOGS has several long-timers in our system that would really love to find either an Adoption or Foster Home. All of these amazing GSD's arrived at MOGS with some rough edges, but have worked really hard and are ready to take the next steps in the rehab process - landing in their forever home!

Rescue One

Rescue One is a state-licensed, 501(c)(3), foster-based rescue located in Springfield, MO. All of the animals in our care live in foster homes until a forever home can be found. We rescue without regard to breed, age, or ease of placement. Our mission is not only to rescue animals in need, but to also educate the public on responsible pet ownership and help provide low cost spay/neuter for those in need of assistance. Since forming in 2013, Rescue One has helped saved thousands of animals. Dogs find their way to us for many reasons: some are owner surrenders, some are strays, some dogs are found abandoned, left to fend for themselves in vacant homes, open fields, or on the side of the road, and many are pulled from area kill shelters. Besides giving love and socialization to the animals, all will receive necessary medical care, required vaccinations, and be spayed or neutered prior to adoption.

KC Pet Project

KC Pet Project is a 501c3, nonprofit charitable organization operating the KC Campus for Animal Care, Kansas City, Missouri's, Animal Shelter. We care for more than 15,000 animals a year and now have 14 locations in Missouri and Kansas to adopt out pets. We focus on progressive programs to help people keep their pets through Lost and Found services, our Keep Em Together, KC program, and pet safety initiatives like microchipping, pet identification, and more.

Center for Animal Rescue & Enrichment of St. Louis - CARE STL

We accept the homeless, abused, neglected, injured, and surrendered animals of the City of St. Louis into our care so they will be safe and loved until they can be adopted into loving homes.

Furry Kids Refuge

We are a no-kill, all volunteer animal rescue organization which started in the year 2003 by founder Carla Wing. Furry Kids Refuge was established to benefit the public at large by supporting local animal control agencies in their efforts to reduce the number of homeless companion animals. In June 2005, Furry Kids Refuge was established as a Missouri Not-for-Profit Corporation and a Federal 501(c) (3) charitable organization animal rescue that operates with a network of foster homes, a small facility and many dedicated volunteers.

City of Oak Grove Animal Control

Friends of the Friendless

We have helped animals since 2001. We are an all-volunteer association whose aim is to rescue animals and help place them into loving homes. These animals have a history of being unwanted, abandoned, lost, and abused but after proper care and assessment have been found to be stellar companions. There are usually many wonderful dogs and cats available. But there are also many, many more that need homes, too. That's where volunteers and donations become so crucial to the mission. A tax Deductable 501(c)3 charitable organization. DONATIONS WELCOME! 100% of all donations go toward the quality care we provide each animal. Let us know if you would like to help with any volunteer work.

Valentine’s Second Chance Animal Rescue

Long Veterinary Clinic

Long Veterinary Clinic is a locally owned mixed animal practice in Kearney, Missouri. We strive to provide top quality care for our patients, and comfort to our clients knowing their pet is receiving the best medical, surgical, and emergency care at an affordable rate. HISTORY OF LONG VETERINARY CLINIC Long Veterinary Clinic is a mixed animal practice located in Kearney, Missouri. The practice was bought by Dr. David Leighr in 2004, who brought new life to the facility by introducing new technology, equipment, services, and ideas. We offer comprehensive medical, surgical, and emergency services and are dedicated to providing the upmost care for our clients to ensure all needs are met in a timely fashion. Both Dr. Leighr and the staff regularly attend continuing education seminars, introduce new equipment, and add new services to provide the best care and options for our patients. Our doors at Long Veterinary Clinic are always open to new clients, and we welcome you to check out our facility.

Angels Left Behind

Animals Best Friends

Animals Best Friends is a 501C3 non-profit organization that is run solely by volunteers. We are proud to be licensed in the state of Missouri.​ Animals Best Friends (ABF) was started in March of 1995 with 6 volunteers. By July of 2004, the organization was able to purchase a vet's office for the rescue facility. ​ We promote the importance of spay/neuter and educate the public on providing basic medical care and humane treatment of animals. All of our animals are spayed/neutered, current on vaccinations, microchipped and heartworm and flea prevention given. Any health problems are cared for and specialty vet services used as needed.​ Our Outreach Program continues to help the animals in need in our community.

Midwest Animal Resq

Midwest Animal ResQ (MARQ) was founded in 2009 as a small foster-based rescue group focused on saving dogs from inhumane conditions at local large scale breeding facilities. With the help of dedicated supporters and volunteers, MARQ has grown into a multifaceted group in a short period of time. While we are still very passionate about retired breeding dogs, our scope has increased along with our capacity to serve the animals of the greater Kansas City area. Our adoption center in Raytown, MO opened in 2015, and our sanctuary property on 6 acres provides safe housing for animals needing special medical or behavioral help prior to going to their forever homes. MARQ's fantastic network of fosters open their hearts and homes to animals in need until a forever home can be found. We are passionate about pets of course, but are also passionate about people and making sure their experience with us is just as wonderful as the new family member they are adopting. Our mission statement is "Completing families one tail at a time" and, our focus is taking the time to get to know our pets and our customers so we can make a perfect match! All of our adult animals go on a 30 day trial adoption to make sure everyone is happy in the new home, and our commitment to each animal is lifelong.

CritterHouseKC

Every pet deserves a home and every home deserves a pet. At CritterHouseKC, we specialize in finding foster homes and providing care for dogs in some of the most challenging situations, ultimately finding them permanent homes with loving families. We take in mamas and babies, pregnant dogs, orphaned puppies and those with a variety of special needs. We also have the opportunity from time to time to pull dogs released from commercial breeding facilities into our system. These pups require a special skillset to transition them from a life of breeding to life as a treasured family member. CritterHouseKC was born from a collection of volunteers who have served the greater Kansas City area rescue community for decades. We understand the needs of area canines and potential adopters alike and bring a fresh perspective to the art of connecting the right pet to the right home. Further, our great veterinary partners and our relationships with other rescue groups throughout the region allow us to offer low-cost adoptions after providing spay/neuter surgery, age-appropriate vaccination and microchips. ​ We are a licensed, privately-funded, 501(c)(3) organization whose generous donors and adopters are saving lives daily.

Raymore Animal Control

The Animal Control Division of the Raymore Police Department consists of two full-time Animal Control Officers (ACO). Duties of the ACOs include: • Pick-up and storage of loose, stray and dangerous animals • Enforcement of Raymore city ordinances regarding animals • Maintenance of animals housed at animal control facilities • Investigation of animal bite calls • Investigation of animal abuse / neglect calls • Adoption procedures of animals without homes • Direct contact with local veterinary offices regarding animal health concerns

North Kansas City Animal Control

The Animal Control Unit is responsible for responding to all domesticated animal related complaint calls, picking up and disposing of animal carcasses, picking up and transporting injured animals, and educating the public on animal related ordinances and care issues. There is an animal control officer available seven days a week. The shelter is open 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday. You may contact them by telephone at (816) 274-6024. The shelter is located at 2020 Bedford, North Kansas City.

KC Protective Animal Welfare Society

Warriors' Best Friend Foundation

Lee's Summit Animal Shelter

Animal Control provides enforcement of Animal Control Ordinances to ensure the humane treatment of animals while protecting public health and safety within the City of Lee’s Summit. Temporary shelter is provided to more than 4,000 stray, unwanted, abandoned, orphaned and injured animals each year. With a 98 percent adoption rate, Animal Control makes every effort to find each pet a new home if an owner cannot be located. Animal Control responds to calls for service concerning animal abuse, animal bites, pet waste, barking complaints and disposing of deceased animals. Traps are also available for nuisance wildlife causing property damage.

Second Chance Pet Adoptions

Second Chance Pet Adoptions is a NO-Kill not for profit adoption organization operating in the Greater Kansas City Area. We are dedicated to helping homeless animals and displaced dogs and cats find loving, responsible, safe homes. Second Chance sponsors adoption events at Petsmart (2650 NE Vivion Rd KCMO). Between the events the animals are kept in foster homes of volunteers who socialize and tend to the animals. Our History Back in 1997 a group of us formed Second Chance Pet Adoptions with our first dog Goldie and her ELEVEN puppies which came from Independence Avenue. We were one of the original groups that started in Pet Food Save Mart (before Petsmart and Petco came to Kansas City). They allowed us to keep both our dogs and cats in the store. We were an all breed rescue at that time. In the early days we adopted thousands of animals per year. Petco purchased Pet Food Save Mart and we at that point became foster home based. Through the years we have done hundreds of mobile adoptions with our motorhome or canopies and tents through the summers. When Petsmart opened up in the Merriam store location we were there for many years with our cats an dogs. Target on Barry Road welcomed us with our motor home for over 10 years. I still have people come up to us and say, "Yep, I adopted from you at Target!" We have been invited to showcase our animals through the years at multiple Petsmart locations throughout the KC metro. We opened up an Adoption Center on North Oak and were in that freestanding facility for 4 years. We welcomed students, girl scouts, birthday parties, and lots of belly rubs there. We focused on adoptions, training, and educating the youth on spay/neuter and adoption first. The health of some of our volunteers changed so we went vack to being primarily foster home program helping small breed dogs find good homes. We opened up an Adoption Center on North Oak and were in that freestanding facility for 4 years. We welcomed students, girl scouts, birthday parties, and lots of belly rubs there. We focused on adoptions, training, and educating the youth on spay/neuter and adoption first. The health of some of our volunteers changed so we went back to being primarily foster home program helping small breed dogs find good homes. We moved into Petsmart (2650 NE Vivion Rd) in February 2018 when the store opened. We love working with Stephanie, the manager, and her staff. It's a wonderful relationship that we greatly appreciate. Please go check out our cats during regular business hours and we also showcase our dogs most weekends. We are still in the business of educating the public on pet over populations and to think adoption first. Our focus has never changed, it's to find our animals their forever homes and to give them a second chance. The landscape in Kansas City has changed over the years. In the last 20 plus years Kansas City has welcomed many groups of wonderful rescues. So Kansas City can help thousands of animals find forever homes. We are a smaller group now and our focus is on permanent homes. We try to match the right pet with the right family. We pride ourselves in a less than 1% return rate. This is more important to us at this stage as we embark on our 22nd year. Our pets come from transports from out of state shelters, our local shelters, and owner turn ins. All of our animals are spayed/neutered, have age appropriate vaccinations, heart worm negative, cats are FELV/FIV tested, kittens FELV tested, and all are seen by a vet prior to adoption.

Humane Society of Ray County

The Humane Society of Ray County is a volunteer-based, independent animal shelter, helping dogs and cats without homes. We have no affiliation with the Ray County government. All animals accepted at the shelter are fully vaccinated per age and weight, microchipped, and spayed or neutered before being offered for adoption. Before and after spaying or neutering we house, feed, and care for them until they can be adopted. All staff members are volunteers, and we do not have any paid staff. Our incredible volunteers donate countless hours of time and effort each year to keep operations at the shelter running smoothly. The only payments we make to individuals go to the veterinarian who provides spaying, neutering, and medical care for ill animals. Use of Funds We gain funding from donations and adoption fees, and that’s it. We have no other source of income. We do not receive any funding from any government entity, nor do we have any foundation grants. To understand the importance of donations, it’s important to understand how the money is used. Facilities Our facilities occupy the former Ray County jail, provided to us at no cost through the generosity of Ray County, Missouri. We are thankful to occupy our building rent-free, courtesy of the Ray County government, but we are responsible for all operating expenses and ongoing maintenance. All utilities and other expenses, including said maintenance and upkeep, are paid for by the community through donated funds. Animal Care Upon arrival at the shelter, both dogs and cats get a full veterinary workup as soon as possible. They receive a checkup, all necessary shots according to their age and weight, a microchip, and they’re spayed or neutered. If they’re ill, they’re treated for their illness. On average, the adoption fees almost cover the cost of the veterinary services (except in the case of sick animals). So a pet who comes to us, gets the necessary services, and is adopted out almost immediately will usually not incur excessive expense. However, the longer the animals stay with us, the more money they cost to care for over time. Of course, that doesn’t include their share of heat, air conditioning, lights, food, water, bedding, litter, or even laundry expenses. You’d be amazed how much money it takes to operate an animal shelter!

Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue

Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue History Kansas Pit Bull Rescue (KPR) was founded in 2003 by two dog lovers who were tired of having to turn homeless pit bulls away from their small foster home network because they lacked space, volunteers and adequate funding. Their goal was to assist pit bull-type dogs who found themselves in high kill shelters in the Midwest. With significant help from supporters and donors, KPR placed over 100 needy pit bulls and pit bull mixes into responsible forever homes within their first two years of incorporation as a licensed 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. Kansas Pit Bull Rescue Becomes MABBR As we met more local bully lovers, KPR expanded in 2005 and created Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue (MABBR), a foster home network maintained entirely by volunteers. Since its expansion, MABBR has successfully placed thousands of pit bull-type dogs into permanent homes. With hard work, dedication and charitable donations, we believe MABBR will continue to have a tremendous impact on bully breed dogs in the Midwest. Dogs in MABBR’s Adoption Program MABBR volunteers rescue dogs from a variety of different situations. However, most of the dogs in our program come from small shelters in the Midwest where they have little chance of getting the exposure they need to find the right adopters. All the dogs in our program are temperament tested and evaluated on a daily basis until they find their new homes. Most MABBR dogs are in foster homes where they are socialized with other dogs, children and adults. Our foster families play a big part in our success as they not only invite these dogs into their home and care for them, but they also spend countless hours working with their foster dogs to ensure they are stable and well-mannered pets. MABBR takes the responsibility of choosing good adoption prospects very seriously. Although we don’t expect the dogs to come to us with perfect manners, we do expect them to be friendly with all people. MABBR has a zero tolerance policy with dogs that exhibit human aggression and will not place dogs that display dangerous behavior towards humans. As responsible bully owners and rescuers, it is our duty to ensure the dogs in our program are good breed ambassadors. MABBR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation MABBR is licensed by the State of Missouri and is a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation. All donations are tax deductible.

Boonville Animal Shelter

Welcome to Boonville Animal Shelter. We strive to offer healthy adoptable pets for adoption. We think an adoption should be a positive experience for both the new owner and the pet. We are a city run shelter and are licensed with the state of Missouri under the ACFA (Animal Care Facility Act) program. If you met our guidelines for adoption we will do our best to help you to find a great companion pet.

Columbia Second Chance

At Second Chance, we make families. We're a privately-funded animal rescue organization dedicated to rehoming animals and supporting relationships between people and pets. We do this through acts of rescue, adoption and education. We're always striving to increase the number of animals we help every year, and we wouldn't be where we are today without our amazing staff, donors, volunteers and foster families.

Carthage Humane Society

Carthage Humane Society is a not-for-profit animal shelter, serving our community for over 75 years. The Society's mission — to provide a safe haven for animals entrusted to our care —is a joyful one full of challenges and opportunities. We are a 501(c)(3) corporation, and our EIN is 43-6064526.

Central Missouri Humane Society

Our History • 1943: The Columbia Humane Society is formed as a regional animal welfare organization operating out of a small building on Creasy Springs Road. • 1968: Renamed the Central Missouri Humane Society and recognized as a nonprofit. • 1976: New shelter is built at 616 Big Bear Blvd. • 1988: Building addition to house more kennels. • 2009: Won the Zootoo.com Shelter Makeover Competition. On average, CMHS takes in and cares for over 2,000 animals each year! View our intake data on our shelter stats page. Each year our veterinary team performs thousands of free or low cost spay/neuter surgeries. Spaying or neutering your pet is the best way to reduce the unwanted pet population. We expand our limited shelter capacity through the kindness of over 100 foster homes; approximately 300 volunteers augment our shelter staff. We have a contract with the City of Columbia to house and care for animals picked up by animal control. We are not affiliated with any national humane organization and generate our funding primarily through private donations. It costs over $25,000 per week to run the shelter.

Pulaski County Humane Society D.B.A Loving Paws Adoption Center

Pulaski County Humane Society D.B.A Loving Paws Adoption Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, licensed by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and incorporated in the state of Missouri. Loving Paws Adoption center, built in 2011, is a physical shelter in Crocker, Missouri. We house up to 12 dogs and 15 cats/kittens at a time. Our mission is to help pets in need through sheltering, adoption, fostering, education, spay/neuter, and community outreach. Our shelter is a safe, comfortable, no kill place for these animals to stay until they find their forever home. We do not receive any public or government funding and rely solely on donations from private individuals and area fundraisers as well as utilizing volunteers to support and manage our adoption center.

Dexter Animal Shelter

The animal shelter is a division within the Dexter Police Department

M'Shoogy's Emergency Animal Rescue

With a strict no-kill policy, several hundred dogs, cats and other animals of all ages and sizes call M'Shoogy's home. It costs approximately $50.00 per month per animal, excluding medicine, and approximately $500.00 per day to open the door. In over 19 years, we have saved more than 15,000 animals from certain death. Gary and Lisa Silverglat started M'Shoogy's and have given and lived a 24 hour commitment to the animals. They have had four days away from the Sanctuary in over 20 years. They have never taken a salary for themselves, only given everything they have with no thought of monetary compensation. There are also other individuals, volunteers, and employees who help provide care and love for the animals. Several acres in the back are also dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation. Many animals are given medical attention and food until they are old enough and/or well enough to be reintroduced into the wild. Summer and spring brings around a large amount of raccoons and possums. Fox, owls, deer, squirrels and ducks have all called M'Shoogy's home for a little while. M'Shoogy's also provides educational tours and talks for groups to teach the importance of treating animals with dignity and respect. Permit laws and legislation against animal abuse have also been passed with M'Shoogy's help.