The Best Stockton, CA Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2025

Better World Rescue

Better World Rescue is a proactive rescue focused on helping animals stay in loving homes as well as helping shelter animals to find loving homes. We focus primarily on community assistance and euthanasia-listed shelter animals. We offer spay/neuter assistance, training assistance, and medical bill assistance to at-risk animals in our community. We help save over 500 animals annually between our shelter and community programs.

Poke-A-Dot's Dalmatian's and Friends Rescue

Poke-A-Dot’s Dalmatians and Friends Rescue is ran by Sheri and Darrell. We are all passionate about saving dogs lives and finding special forever homes for each of them. We pull stray dogs from shelters, take in owner surrendered dogs, etc. We take stray dogs directly into our rescue and hold them while looking for owners. We provide any necessary veterinary care for all dogs in our rescue, including but not limited to shots, microchip and spay/neuter. We do not skimp on medical care. All of our rescue dogs are treated as they are part of our family. They are allowed in our homes, integrated into daily life and showered with love. Our adoption process includes an application, a home check, and meet and greet with our dogs. We also will spend time sharing emails and phone chats too. We believe in being a partnership with our adopters. We love to keep in contact and hear about our dogs in their forever homes, as well as receiving pictures. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit pet rescue. Any and all donations are gladly appreciated and you will receive a tax receipt promptly. We thank you in advance, and all the dogs too!

Calaveras Humane Society

We are not affiliated with any national organizations or lobbying groups, nor do we receive any government or taxpayer funding. We are funded by generous contributions from our community, grants, and dedicated volunteer efforts that help run our organization.

Humane Society of Tuolumne County

The HSOTC is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization established December 12, 1947. In 1997, the shelter acquired its current facility in Jamestown, CA. In 2010, the HSOTC became a limited intake/no-kill shelter where animals are only euthanized if they are too sick to be treated or too aggressive to be suitable for adoption. Since the HSOTC is limited in the number of animals that can be accepted, we employ waiting lists of owners wishing to surrender their pets for adoption.

Delta Humane Society & PCA of SJC

Established in 1966, Delta Humane Society & SPCA of SJC is a non-profit 501 © (3) and the only No-Kill shelter in San Joaquin County. With over 50 years of experience, we’ve rescued and cared for thousands of dogs and cats at our five-acre facility located at the same location since 1966. Our dedicated staff and volunteers treat our animals with love and compassion as if they were their own pets until they find forever homes. Caring for so many animals is a community effort and we are grateful to the many volunteers and sponsors that support us.

Animal Friends Connection Humane Society

Animal Friends Connection began in 1990 as an educational, rescue and adoption agency. In January 2000 we opened a Cat Shelter/Sanctuary and in 2004 started Sheltering dogs too. Since that time we have added dogs kennels and a nice exercise yard. Our Shelter currently houses up to 40 cats and 35 dogs at any given time. While we are primarily a volunteer organization, our Shelter would not be able to function without staff. The animals need to count on being fed twice daily and receive medical care. The public needs to be able to count on us to show them dogs or cats needing to be adopted. We are also there for those that need to re-home their pets or that find animals that need help. Many of our animals are in foster care or rescue homes. We are dedicated to providing shelter, promoting spaying and neutering to the public as well as spaying and neutering our own animals and providing medical care to those in need. We are committed to furthering Animal Welfare Education and adoptions throughout the greater Lodi – San Joaquin area, as well as at local community events, partnering with other organizations, and working with our local animal control agencies. We believe every creature deserves compassion and fair treatment.

All My Tomorrows Pet Rescue

All My Tomorrows Pet Rescue is an established 501c(3) foster based non profit animal rescue located in Lodi, Ca. AMT was founded in 2010, as a direct result of the Foreclosure Crisis, that was occurring at that time. During that challenging time, many people were forced to leave their homes and move into apartments that did not accept pets or had weight limits or breed restrictions on their leases. Many animals were abandoned, some left in their homes, when their families moved. Others dumped in the streets or at the shelters. We were there during that time to find foster homes for many of these animals in our communities. We offered veterinary care and the love and support that a foster home brings. When they were ready for adoption, we placed them in their forever homes. This is how we began our rescue and now, unfortunately, we are facing an even larger more desperate crisis for our companion animals. The Pandemic of 2020 and its many shock waves, has created an ominous scenario for our companion animals, for many reasons. The lack of affordable housing in our area combined with the rising costs of household goods and services has contributed to the current crisis we are facing. The rising costs of veterinary care and the shortage of spay and neuter clinics, has made it very difficult for many people to retain their pets. This is why it is so important that All My Tomorrows Pet Rescue has the support from their community. We need short and long term foster homes for our rescued pets and donations from the community so we can continue our life saving work.

Friends of the Animal Community

Friends of the Animal Community (FOAC) is a non-profit, mostly volunteer organization dedicated to meeting the medical and social needs of adoptable pets, providing the path to a loving forever home. We rescue and adopt dogs, cats and other animals. We are a small organization dedicated to relieving over-crowding at Tuolumne County Animal Control (AC); promoting the health of abused and abandoned animals; reducing unnecessary euthanasia; and ultimately expediting movement of homeless dogs into permanent, loving homes. As its name denotes, FOAC also provides assistance in meeting the needs of pets belonging to people in our community. These needs include re-homing a pet whose owner must relinquish it, or who can no longer care for it, and, in extreme emergencies, we have helped with financial assistance for medical issues or boarding and feeding. We are the only dog rescue group in Tuolumne County that offers this free service. Essentially, we give animals another chance for a better life.

His Paws & Tails Rescue and Transport

His paws & tails Rescue and Transport is a foster-based animal rescue and adoption organization serving our local community in Central Valley, California. We rescue animals from shelters, owner surrenders and strays that are never claimed, and place them into loving homes. Aside from this, we help families keep the number of unwanted litters down by providing vouchers for affordable spaying and neutering. In addition, we help families create simple security measures, such as fixing loose boards and locks, that will keep their pets from escaping.

Golden State German Shepherd Rescue

Saving Dogs through Adoption and Education Our Mission is to provide education about the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) breed, find homes for abandoned GSDs and build a community of support for them. Our volunteers and rescued dogs are primarily located in the Central Valley of Northern California. Established in 2009, we are an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization with no paid staff or facility. We are recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity and all of your donations are tax deductible.

Humane Society of Stanislaus County

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization in Stanislaus County focused on providing resources to people, their pets, and local rescues in the Central Valley.

Heaven Sent Rescue, Inc.

Second Chance Cocker Rescue

Second Chance Cocker Rescue, Inc. is a 501(c)3 California corporation. We are an all volunteer, Cocker Spaniel rescue, finding loving homes for Cocker Spaniels in need across California. All our dogs receive a vet exam, vaccinations, and spay/neuter. They are behavior tested so we can best match the dogs to the families. We offer sanctuary homes to the older or chronically ill dogs. We offer medical care to those who need it, like little 2-year-old Picasso who ate a piece of shredded towel, damaging his intestines severely. His family relinquished him to their local shelter because they could not pay for his medical care. We took him in, provided the three surgeries for a total of $6,000 to bring him back to health, and adopted him to a wonderful family in Rancho Murieta where he is living his dream life. Sometimes our dogs become heroes, like Charlie. He was adopted by Jeannie when he was 8 years old. She always said he came as a foster and refused to leave. Jeannie had diabetes and Charlie saved her life many times. The last time Jeannie passed out in the snow, he laid down on her and barked his head off to attract attention. The paramedics said his body heat and barking saved her life yet again. Every year, we are working to expand our network of volunteers, fosters, and donors with the goal of saving even more Cocker Spaniels across California. We are so grateful for your support, both financial and otherwise, and hope you know how essential it is in achieving this goal. Without your help, so many dogs would not be alive, healthy, and in loving homes today.

PALS Haven

Like most non-profits, PALS started with a simple idea and a desire to help out in the community. For PALS founders, Nancy Alumbaugh and Daunis Bradshaw, the desire was to help the homeless and abandoned animals of Lodi, and the idea was to do so by supporting the Lodi Animal Shelter. And, so, in 2004, PALS (People Assisting Lodi Shelter) was formed, and would shortly thereafter be granted 501(c) 3 status. In the beginning, PALS had no building to call our own; many of those who would become PALS volunteers had been volunteering at the Lodi Animal Shelter already, and after PALS was formed, we continued to do so in many capacities, even fostering animals in our own homes. Shortly after forming, PALS would enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Lodi, authorizing PALS to undertake fundraising, and perform pet adoptions, out of the Lodi Animal Shelter. In addition to our countless volunteer hours cleaning cages and kennels, feeding the animals, socializing the animals, and walking dogs, PALS, through its fundraising efforts, also provided vaccinations, microchips, FELV/FIV testing for cats, and other special medical needs, for all shelter animals. But, there was still so much more that needed to be done. Plans to build a new Animal Shelter in Lodi were continually being placed on the backburner, and the current facility, which was built in the 1950s, was in serious need of upgrades. Inadequate housing space for stray and abandoned animals was also a concern. As plans for a new shelter continued to stall, PALS looked for other ways to help alleviate the space shortage at the shelter. In 2006, Bill and Carol Meehleis, of Meehleis Modular, donated an existing modular building, and moved it next to the Lodi Animal Shelter. That same year, through a generous grant awarded to PALS by the Lions Club’s “Lions Love Lodi” grant program, PALS was able to erect four large covered outdoor kennels, behind the new PALS building, as well as the PALS sign along Kettleman Lane; an additional five kennels, for smaller dogs, would be added the following year. While it was nice to have a PALS building, it was an empty shell at first. Fitting it out would require much more fundraising, and generous donations from local businesses, and individuals, for it to fully materialize into the PALS shelter and adoption center. Generous donations allowed PALS to construct four cat rooms inside the building, where cats can lived and socialized with one another in a more natural setting. An additional generous donation from Terri and Toni Clark allowed for the construction of the “Meet & Greet” room, where potential adopters could spend some time to get to know the animals they’re looking to adopt. Other necessities such as a refrigerator were donated by Lowes, and a washer and dryer were donated by Jenny Lind. Through its fundraising efforts, and the generous donations of those in Lodi, and surrounding communities, PALS was also able to make upgrades to the Lodi Animal Shelter itself, including a fresh paint job, a new air conditioning unit, and a 100’ long decorative iron fenced-in dog-run along the south wall of the Lodi Animal Shelter, which PALS volunteers use daily to walk both PALS’ dogs, and shelter dogs; PALS would also be the first recipient of funding from the Art in Public Places Fund when their public art project, a mural that runs along the south wall of the Lodi Animal Shelter, was approved by the Lodi Art Advisory Board in 2007. In 2009, PALS would create LSP (Lodi Shelter PALS) in order to staff the shelter’s front office. LSP’s staffing of the Lodi Animal Shelter’s front office allowed the shelter to offer adoptions to the public six days a week. LSP staff also tracked adoptions, and the licensing of cats and dogs within Lodi. It has been a long journey, from those early days to where we are now. We’ve saved the lives of countless cats and dogs. And, we know we couldn't have done it without the tireless efforts of all of our volunteers who have given, and continue to give, untold hours of their time to this endeavor. Nor could we have come this far without the generous financial support of our many event sponsors, benefactors, and community members. Your generosity has truly been a blessing. In partnership with the Lodi Animal Shelter, we made great inroads into cutting down on the needless deaths of companion animals in Lodi, through education, rehabilitation, and the adoptions of our furry friends into good homes. Many challenges have presented themselves through the years, and PALS, with the support of our volunteers, and the generosity of our donors, has met each one of them head-on. Perhaps our greatest challenge, the lack of adequate housing for stray and abandoned animals, led PALS to undertake a project that would span a decade, and launch the first large scale, modern, state-of-the-art rescue facility in the area, PALS Haven.

Pets and Pals Animal Shelter

We are a no-kill adoption center. We have been located in the City of Lathrop since purchasing the property in 1985. Pets and Pals as an organization was established in 1950 by Gladys Sargent. From the very beginning it has been the goal to help homeless pets find loving homes, as well as making sure as many pets as possible are spayed or neutered to help avoid pet overpopulation. We bring pets into the shelter based on availability of space. Once a pet is brought in, we make sure the vaccinations are current and the animal is scheduled for a spay or neuter. While in our care, the dogs are allowed to go in play groups to our spacious yards with swimming pools and shade trees for 3 hours of the day. The dog runs are very large indoor/outdoor kennels with heated floors in the Winter and misters and cooling fans in the Summer. We want to make sure their stay is as comfortable as possible. We screen with applications to try to find homes where our dogs and cats will be cared for and to reduce the risk of shelter returns. The application helps guide us in finding a good fit for both the applicant and pet.

Lodi City Animal Shelter

Lodi Animal Services offers the community many valuable programs and