Animal Care Center (Shelter)

Overview

The City of St. Louis Department of Health's Animal Care and Control division maintains a Missouri Department of Agriculture licensed animal shelter to house and care for animals brought in by Animal Care and Control Officers and members of the public. The shelter facility is located at 2801 Clark Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103.

The City of St. Louis entered into a contract with the Center for Animal Rescue and Enrichment (CARE STL) on March 1, 2019, to assume operations at the Animal Care Center shelter. CARE STL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which works to continue an increased live-release rate for shelter animals.

News Release: New Partner Welcomed for Animal Shelter Operations

Adoptions, Fostering, and Volunteering

Under the negotiated terms, CARE STL will oversee the care of animals in the shelter facility. including veterinary care, exercise, and socialization. Adoptions, foster homes and volunteer opportunies will also be managed by the CARE STL staff. View adoptable pet photos.

• Interested in adopting an pet from the City of St. Louis Animal Care Center?
  • Dog adoption application
  • Cat adoption application
• Interested in fostering? Learn how to become an iCare foster pet parent. 
• Become an iCare Volunteer at the Animal Care Center

If you have lost a pet in the City of St. Louis

• Finding your pet is missing is heartbreaking, but there are steps you can do to try and locate him/her. 
• Post fliers as soon as possible in the area where your pet may have been lost.
• Utilize social media to help spread the word that your pet is lost. Below are several social media sites dedicated to lost and found pets:
  • Facebook.com/STLLostPets
  • Twitter.com/STLLostPets
  • Facebook.com/missourilostfoundpaws
• Complete a lost pet report with STL Lost Pets at www.stllostpets.org.
• Check Craigslist frequently–under “community” there is a link for “pets”. You should post a photo of your lost pet there, as well as a description. Then, continue to check Craigslist daily to see if perhaps someone else located your pet and has posted it to Craigslist.
• Continue to check with local shelters. You may need to visit each shelter individually (and perhaps more than once) to walk through to see if your pet has been brought into the shelter facility. Area animal shelters include: 
  • Animal Care Center (managed by CARE STL), 2801 Clark Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103, 314.612.5310
  • Humane Society of Missouri
    • St. Louis City campus - 1201 Macklind Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, 314.951.1562
    • Maryland Heights campus - 11660 Administration Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146, 314.951.1588
  • Animal Protective Association of Missouri, 1705 South Hanley Road, St. Louis, MO 63144,  314.645.4610
  • Stray Rescue of St. Louis, 2320 Pine Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, 314.771.6121
  • Saint Louis County Animal Care and Control, 10521 Baur Boulevard, Olivette, MO 63132, 314.615.0650
• If your pet is microchipped, contact the microchip company and notify them your pet is lost and make sure your contact information is up to date. 

If you find a deceased animal in the City of St. Louis

Finding a deceased animal, either domestic or wildlife can be difficult. If you find a deceased animal, please contact the Citizens' Service Bureau (CSB) to report the animal to city services. You can call CSB at 314.622.4800, or you can file a report online through the CSB website.

Reporting an animal related concern, including neglect or abuse

To report companion animal-related concerns or ordinance violations in the City of St. Louis, the most important next step you can take is to contact the Citizens' Service Bureau (CSB). You can call the CSB at 314.622.4800, or you can report an animal related concern online.

If an animal appears to be in immediate distress, please call Animal Care and Control directly at 314.657.1500 during business hours or the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department at 314.231.1212 after hours or on weekends. 

Animal Control Fees

The Department of Health Commissioner has established fees for relative to the keeping or relinquishment of animals in the City of St. Louis, in accordance with Ordinance 70889. Information regarding these fees is available in the Health Commissioner's Order #1004. 

Note: There may be additional shelter fees due to other vaccinations and veterinary treatment.

Fees may be waived by the Commissioner of Health and/or his or her designee on a case-by-case basis determined by proof of low-income status or financial hardship, such as current award letters for TANF, SSI, pension, SNAP, welfare, Medicare, Disability, WIC, subsidized housing, and/or unemployment.

Trap-Neuter-Return

The City of St. Louis passed Ordinance #69798 in 2014 allowing for a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program for feral cats in the city. Colonies of feral cats must be registered with the city through a sponsor. Any animal welfare group is eligible to act as a sponsor once it is approved by the City of St. Louis Department of Health and the majority of any other approved sponsor(s). 

If an animal welfare group wishes to undertake the responsibilities of a sponsor, an application can be obtained here: TNR Sponsor Application

Sponsors will oversee colony caregivers. The following form can be presented to an Animal Control officer in the event a caregiver is visited by Animal Control regarding an animal-related concern: TNR Caregiver Identification