Lifesaving mission at Miami-Dade County Animal Services

April 6, 2023 — Animal Services

Miami-Dade County Animal Services takes in about 30,000 dogs and cats each year, regardless of age, breed, medical condition, or temperament. The stray and abandoned animals in our care receive quality veterinary care.

Animal Services first achieved their lifesaving status in 2015. The industry terminology is “no-kill” and the recognized threshold for no-kill shelters across the country is saving greater than 90 percent of animals entering a shelter. Reaching this gold standard milestone did not happen by chance. It is a testament to the incredible hard work of the shelter team every day.

In line with our lifesaving mission and the industry standard, humane euthanasia is only used in cases where a pet proves to be a danger to public safety with a poor prognosis for rehabilitation, or a pet is irremediably suffering from an incurable, painful condition. Animal Services has made tremendous strides towards its lifesaving mission and operates many lifesaving programs including but not limited to:

• Comprehensive adoption programs
• Free roaming cat trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs
• High-volume, affordable spay/neuter services
• Rescue group transfers
• Proactive pet retention programs
• Medical and behavioral programs
• Increased staff to provide improved pet welfare
• Fostering
• Volunteering
• Off-site community adoption and spay/neuter events
• Surrender prevention/pet retention
• Transports to other Counties and States

Our mission is to save the lives of abandoned animals in our care, protect animals from cruelty, reunite lost pets with their owners, protect people and pets in the community from health-related issues and ensure the public's safety.