Dogs look out of a cage at the Hamilton County Humane Educational Society. Staff File Photo by Angela Lewis.Hamilton County is home to a slew of groups that rescue animals and offer adoptions, but there are four facilities that specialize in offering animals for adoption.
The groups take animals from a variety of sources, but adoptions are open to anyone who meets certain qualifications and pays the varying pet adoption fees.
In Chattanooga, the two big players are Hamilton County Humane Educational Society and McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center.
The Humane Society has been around since 1940, and its facility was renovated in 2009. The society collects surrendered and stray animals from all of unincorporated Hamilton County and several outlying communities.
The McKamey Center opened in 2008 and has a contract with Chattanooga to collect unwanted pets and offer adoptions.
All the organizations have charitable arms that welcome donations of goods, money and time.
In addition to the shelters, there are a handful of rescue groups that foster unwanted animals then offer the pets for adoption. Contact information for those rescue groups can be found at the shelters.
LOCATIONS
Hamilton County Humane Educational Society
212 N. Highland Park Ave.
Chattanooga, TN 37404
423-624-5302
www.heschatt.com
Open: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday; noon-4 p.m. Friday.
McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center
4500 N. Access Road
423-305-6500
Chattanooga, TN 37415
www.mckameyanimalcenter.org
Open: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 1-7 p.m. Sunday; appointments only Monday and Tuesday.
City of East Ridge Animal Services
1015 Yale St.
East Ridge, TN 37412
664-0271
www.petfinder.com/shelters/TN360.html
Open: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday
Pet Placement Center
5975 Dayton Blvd.
877-0738
Chattanooga, TN 37415
www.thalppc.com
Open: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday
Wally's Friends
(A low-cost spay and neuter clinic for cats and dogs, but not a shelter.)
155 Unaka St.
877-9966
Red Bank, TN 37415
www.wallysfriends.com
Open: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, appointments required.