You call in for a pet that is available but when you show up it suddenly becomes unavailable.It seems that the ladies communicate about everything except the job that they are being paid for.I would drive there with anticipation of adopting a pet only to be disappointed when I approach the desk.They are not people friendly and would not recommend read more

Found a mom and her babies inside my car! We forgot to put the window up and she had her babies there, the shelter was sweet about taking them all and finding them homes. read more

Merced County Animal Control - Momma cat and her babies - Animal Shelters Near Me - Atwater, California

This place is amazing, full of beautiful furry friends! We are grateful for Shaggy & Marley and hoping soon we can visit and find them a sibling. read more

See all

Sign states intake is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. From 930-330p. I showed up on a Monday and the front desk lady said to come back the next day. So I did. Door was locked and the useless lady behind the front desk was too lazy to process the intake. If someone finds a dog and takes their time to properly take it to a shelter guidance should be taken. *Hint for anyone wanting to take a found dog to this shelter say it was found down the road so they don't waste your time and send you on a wild goose chase. Quite embarrassing how our shelter is ran, such a disgrace to the community! I hope the burdened employee loses her job. read more

The older lady at the front desk is very rude. If she doesn't want to be there she should just go home. I dropped my dog off at 10:30 for surgery. I came in at 3:45pm and asked for an update. She said "I don't have one". She didn't even seem like she cared I was asking about my dog. If you don't want to be there then leave. She shouldn't be the front face for the shelter, it's not a good look... read more

Had my dog 10 days I paid 1,000 to them 11th day without notice they gassed Her without any notice they are really heartless

I adopted an unknown age poochon mix fur baby for only $110. The process took about 2 weeks. When you adopt, please ask about the dog health and dental condition. I'm just lucky that this fur baby is healthy, though he has a little dental issue. read more

See all

I went in after checking out the website and photos, like you are supposed to do! I saw several fogs I liked. When I got there, three were already spoken for. One was just way too timid. I felt bad for it and felt like staff should have taken time to love on it, to reduce the fear. I know other shelter that will keep fearful ones in office areas to help with that, petting and touching them. Anyway, I wound up going home. A week later, I saw this young husky. Why his photo wasn't on website before I don't know. He had been there two months. There was also a border collie I liked, but it too had been spoken for. Im old and sort of crippled up. The worker was nice, kind to the dogs, saying hi to others. But at the same time, trying to discourage me from getting Sir Bouncealot! Lol! "Are you sure you can handle him! " " Lady, Im six ft tall and 200 pounds! I need him to help with my rehab and my hearing sucks. I need a furry doorbell and personal trainer!" It has been nearly a year now and I'm glad I fought to get him! He still won't come when called, but that is just husky DNA. I was prepared for it. Jumping Jack Flash-Jackie Blue-and sometimes JackA** is awesome! I take him Everywhere. He Does walk with a loose leash, steps right into back seat of car and stays there. He still doesnt get why pharmacy drive thru gives no food, lol! Thank you shelter for saving my Jack! read more

See all

I have to admit that I am so livid right now. I could just yell. I don't understand what's wrong with the world today why do some people have to exercise such ignorance. We just moved to the area an I came into this animal shelter to find a dog for my family. I found a couple of dogs that would've been a great fit (I included pictures below). There was a guy working there at the counter and I asked him what is the process of adopting an animal. So he explained it to me. So I advised that I would like to proceed with the adoption process. He then advised me of the cost as If I guess I couldn't afford it. When I still agreed to proceed with the process he said that he was in the "middle of doing something else and he will get with me, but I can take a seat and wait." So I didn't find anything wrong with that at the time cause I was more concerned with bringing a pup home to my daughters and wife. I politely took my seat and waited, and waited, and waited some more. After, he finally Finished assisting the other person. I just knew he would pursue helping me out now. But NO, he decided to walk around and act like he was doing other things more important; like grabbing papers and putting them back where he grabbed them from etc. yet I continue to wait. But guys this took the cake. One of the dogs that was leaving the shelter pissed on the lobby floor and a young lady volunteer or employee not sure what she was but she advised that she will clean it up. Instead of helping me this guy decides to tell her "no I'll take care of it." now tell me everyone how am I supposed to feel when someone is blatantly showing me first of all that they don't want to help me and then show me that they would rather clean up a dogs piss than to assist me in the adoption process of a dog. I don't know I have to shake my head on this one I thought things done changed. But ignorance still exists. read more

Merced County Animal Control - Animal Shelters Near Me - Atwater, California

See all

We adopted our second German Shepherd from MCAC. He is an eight month old puppy. So far so good at home. We've been taking both our German Shepherds on daily walks to get rid of nervous energy and help them get to know each other. They are playing and getting along great. No fights so far. Our first German Shepherd is a 3 year old male. We took our German Shepherd to the shelter and introduced him to dogs we liked, and he picked Tank. He was very excited to see Tank when we brought him home. We kept Mr Beau in the house while Tank explored the yard for awhile and then we took them on a walk together. So far Tank loves our pool, and we have to keep him out of it because he was neutered. I'm glad he likes the pool. He can swim with the family as soon as he's healed. He walks very nicely on the leash. That may change as he gets more comfortable. Tank was getting uncomfortable around my five year old, so I held a handful of training treats and rubbed him everywhere giving him treats as I did it. I don't know if he had past negative association with human touch. We had my husband do it next, and then when we felt he was comfortable, my daughter. He's doing really well, and we all love him tons! read more

See all

The adoption process could've been better. The customer service while we were filling out the paperwork seemed like an inconvenience to the lady. When it came time to spay our dog, we picked her up and asked if there was pain killers or antibiotics and we were told "no she won't need any." When i called for clarification to see why we received no pain meds or antibiotics I was treated as if i was ruining her day and she had to time for my worries or concerns. I will not be doing any adoptions from here again. read more

I wanted to wait a few days before I wrote this, to see if it was still something that was bothering me. It it. I love rescue dogs. After having visited the Merced Animal Control Adoption Center, though, I can totally understand when people decide to purchase one instead. If THAT is the type of experience someone has with shelters, I wouldn't want to rescue either. The facility itself is gorgeous - it's everything except the building that bothered me. Before visiting, I went online to look at the dogs that they had posted as available on their website; Thursday there were 109 listed, on Friday there were 116, and Saturday morning there were 122. That's an enormous selection and included over ten puppies (which is part of what we were looking for) so we were more than happy to make the drive out. Upon arrival, we stopped in at the front desk where we found one lady to be extremely helpful, and the other brushed us off. We were told that there was currently a shelter there to pick up some dogs, so some of the ones that we saw in the kennels might already be spoken for. OK. We were then informed that any dogs with a colored dot on their paperwork were definitely already spoken for, they were just waiting for their spay/neuter. OK. We were then informed that some dogs without a colored dot on their paperwork were also spoken for, or not yet ready for adoption. We would need to get the ID number for the animals we wanted to look at, and then they would tell us which animals were still available. Um... okay. 'Also,' they told us, 'Some of the dogs have colored dots with writing on it - that means they're on hold for transport for another shelter coming to pick them up.' We asked if that meant that if we were interested in one of them, we would be able to adopt it since the shelter hadn't picked them up yet. No. ...Why would you hold an animal for a shelter for possible adoption if you have an home for it right here? I understand that some places need to fill a quota to make a trip, and they may have a lot of a particular type of breed so they don't want to take a bunch more on, but if you have several dogs on hold it would make sense that one could be swapped out if a suitable home were found for it before the transport arrived. OK. After having obtained all of that information, we headed out to check on the dogs and see who we were interested in meeting. Almost every single one had a colored dot on their kennel. We had made the long distance drive to look at these dogs, only to find that out of the 120+ listed, less than 20 were /maybe/ available - we would still need to take their ID numbers to the front to find out. The facility was nice - they had hallways that you could enter from one side and exit from another, making it easy to traverse the animals. Some of the doors were locked, which made it clear where we could go, even if there wasn't a sign on the door. Cool. We went out of one hallway and into the next - finding ourselves in a hallway with dogs marked aggressive, or illnesses marked on their sheets. We quickly exited out the other door, only to find that the door we exited out of had a sign saying, "QUARANTINE: KEEP OUT". There was no sign on the other door, and it was unlocked. Not good. After looking, we decided on five that we would ask about. Only three of those five were available. After looking at all three of them, we found that one of them had kennel cough; we asked if they would be able to hold and treat the animal so that we could safely introduce it to our other dog and make sure that they got along. No; they don't treat animals unless they're already adopted. That wasn't going to happen. There was one dog, though, out of the five we asked about, that might be available later that day - someone was coming to check her out, but they weren't sure if she was going to take her home. Okay. As it turns out, that dog /did/ get adopted, but while my husband was there to find out, he asked about why the dog with kennel cough was out with the populous and wouldn't be treated unless someone committed to adopting. One of the women that was there mentioned that there were several dogs with illnesses like Parvovirus and kennel cough that were out with the populous because they simply couldn't keep up with it, and that because they're a high kill shelter it didn't make sense to treat every single dog that came in when such a high percentage would be euthanized. I understand not spaying or neutering, I understand there being a feesibility issue around treatment/vaccination of every animal that comes through, but to put those animals out into the general populous thereby exposing healthy dogs AND THE DOGS OF POTENTIAL ADOPTERS (due to contamination issues) to highly contagious and (in the case of Parvo) life threatening diseases- is unacceptable. read more

I approached searching for a kitty as I would dating. I contacted numerous rescue volunteers and let them know my specific interests. The first of this was a kitty that would get along with our other kitties, but that's hard to know unless the cats meet. With how far away Merced is from the South Bay, that was impractical. So, I had to rely on descriptions of personalities. Over a period of three weeks, I perused shelter websites from all over the state. I made numerous inquiries and even visited some shelters and adoption events in person, but I just wasn't finding "the one". However, one kitty on Merced's shelter site stuck in my mind the whole time. Obviously driving two hours each way wasn't ideal, but I couldn't get this kitty out of my mind! It was only one picture and he looked so special. During this three weeks, I phoned the shelter so many times that I probably spoke to every employee! I had questions about this kitty's availability, personality, ability to get along with people, with other cats, length of time in the facility, and health. The staff didn't know much about individual cats because it's a high-kill shelter and they simply aren't there alive long enough to get to know. In fact, if they enter the shelter unaltered, they don't even bother to alter them unless they're placed for adoption because they're more likely to be killed than adopted. Realize this, if you're squeamish about death (and what animal lover who wants to save them isn't?), this is an inescapable fact when dealing with a high-kill shelter. So, the standard explanation given was that the kitty was there for three weeks, meaning he must have quite a special personality. They explained that most cats do not last three weeks there; they get four days (or fewer if they're severely overcrowded). So if this kitty was still alive, it's because the employees really liked him and wanted to keep him around. That meant, inevitably, that other cats would be put down first, so don't be too impressed that kitties get lots of time here -- most don't make it out at all. I wasn't getting enough information to make a decision, so I kept calling in the hopes that I could find an employee who DID know more about his personality. It was critical that this kitty be highly social and tolerant of other cats. So, they put me in touch with the director herself. She was wonderfully helpful, taking him out of his cage and observing him in a room with other cats. She reported back that he was very social and friendly. The only requirement she had of me as an adopter was that I own my own home. (I don't know if that's a requirement across the board, but at that time, most of their strays were pets that people had abandoned when they vacated their rentals, so she felt better about adopting to homeowners.) I explained that I lived two hours away and we couldn't make it out until a weekend (they're open on Saturdays and that's when most of their out-of-town adopters show up), so they advised me to pay over the phone, ahead of time, to ensure he'd still be alive by Saturday. The money went for his neutering. The vet only worked on certain days and they can't legally adopt out an unsterilized cat or dog. So, that's what I did; paid with a credit card ($15). The really crummy thing (hence only four stars) was that depending on who I talked to each time I called, some employees said my kitty could STILL be put down by the time I arrived on Saturday, even though I had paid! They said it was so overcrowded that they couldn't guarantee he'd be alive within a couple days. That was horrifying. Another call clarified with the director that it was NOT the case; once you pay, the animal's safe. My partner and I arrived as planned, walked up to the window and handed over our kitty's cage #, and asked if we could go visit with a bright orange and white kitty who was meowing at us from the socialization room. They said sure! This kitty stole our hearts right away! Our sweet kitty whom we'd already adopted turned out to be as sweet as we'd been told he was. So, we ended up leaving with both of them! We'd only brought one carrier, so they provided an extra. I could tell the staff truly loved the cats. The other kitty was already neutered, so it was just $15 adoption fee. The state pays shelters more than that to kill each animal, so they technically lost money adopting them out vs. killing them. We also received starter goody bags and they applied flea control. The staff were incredibly warm and nice. They thanked us for saving these lives. Because we "ordered" ahead of time, we were spared walking past a bazillion cages to pick out an animal (don't want to do that because we'll want all of them and we can't take all of them) and we didn't have to smell a death room (the scariest part of going to kill shelters). Overall a fantastic experience! Five years later, our Merced kitties fill our lives with love! I wouldn't hesitate to adopt from here again. read more

I love the Merced Animal Shelter! The newest member of our family was adopted from there three weeks ago. We had a very positive experience with the shelter: it's clean and modern, the staff and volunteers were wonderful, and there are so many great dogs to choose from (cats, too, I'm sure, but I write this from a dog-adopter's point of view). When we decided it was time for a new dog, we wanted to rescue one from "death row." There are so many strays in the valley that, unfortunately, they have a high euthanasia rate. Often times shelters in SF rescue dogs from these shelters, but we decided to head right to the source ourselves. If you're thinking of visiting, read Jen D.'s review. Very helpful. Keep in mind that all animals need to be fixed/neutered before leaving the shelter (very few are already "altered."). Since we live in SF, that meant falling in love with our dog on Saturday, then having to drive all the way back to Merced on Tuesday to pick him up post-surgery (2.5 hours of driving each way). A lot of driving, but he's worth it. : ) If anyone from the Merced Shelter is reading this, please know that the dog you called "Elvis Presley" is well-loved and very happy! An extra big thanks to the young man who helped us meet the dogs (don't know his name, - a big 49ers fan). You made our experience awesome. Save a dog! You'll be glad you did. read more

Animals were cute and lovable except for a few dogs that were either very aggressive or very scared. Staff was sub-par; a Spanish speaking woman came in with a small, scared dog she found in a Walmart parking lot. The office worker brushed her off and did nothing to help the poor woman when the dog got loose. The woman did not speak English and the dog didn't want to listen to anyone, but these things didn't cross the worker's mind while she stood there yelling, "Catch that dog! It's not safe to have him loose. Catch that dog!" You're the one working at an ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER, lady. You catch it. Needless to say, all of this happened after my friend had paid for the adoption. The dog is sweet and well mannered, no regrets at all. I called to see if the dog would be bathed before we picked her up as she needed to be seen by a vet for altering (spaying) and we were bringing her home to meet our dog. The woman informed me they do not bathe the animals before adoption. I'm sorry, what? Cats and dogs in the same facility, coming from who knows where, people coming and going back to their own animals, and you don't bathe them? I certainly hope this was a mistake and either I misheard her or she has her information wrong. Ask questions before adopting from this place and have a letter from your landlord/leasing agent stating its ok for you to have a pet. Otherwise they won't let you adopt! read more

The shelter is super dirty and the staff doesn't seem well-trained or knowledgeable about breeds and animals in general, or laws. They cut services and make it hard to get feral cats and won't pick up traps. Feral cats spread disease, and parasites, and kill lots of wildlife (especially birds). I don't know what idiot thought it up to cut services citizens pay for. You also wait a long time to get service at the shelter and whenever you ask for the supervisor they are never around. I have put traps in the transfer cage full of feces and urine like it hasn't been cleaned in a long time. You can smell the urine and feces coming from the back. How bad is it, of what I can't see? You would think they'd be embarrassed by how dirty the place is but I honestly think they don't care or have VERY LOW standards. My brother said it was better 5 years ago or so. You can tell that the people working there hate it and don't want to help you. read more

I get it shelters are overrun and underfunded... unfortunately in my experience there are SO many ways this shelter could improve! Seems that this location is overrun with chihuahuas and pit bulls... the rescues seem to immediately pull any of the desirable breeds which is cool (they adopt them out before they even leave Merced and drive them out to other cities, states, and Canada!) but they should regularly update the website to reflect that and also give the locals an opportunity to adopt the dogs they want, too! Web site has been poorly maintained and is not really informative as far as what programs are available in Merced and they do not participate in (or even share information about) any reduced cost spay and neuter programs which is terrible for the overall community and does nothing for the stray problem... the officer that works here was super condescending to me at first when I had come in to make a report about my two missing cats... someone in my area was illegally trapping. After already getting basically scoffed at by the police, he was acting like I was just a crazy cat lady and didn't know the law trying to say that stealing my cats and dumping them somewhere and otherwise harming them wasn't animal cruelty. Not only is it animal cruelty (abandonment of an animal) it's theft of property! Obviously I was distraught and then he tried to backpedal and place nice. They know this kind of stuff is going on yet do nothing, make no record, and offer no real advice. Officer said because it's county whatever happens in the city of Merced is basically whatever.. Not only this but I once brought in a stray dog and was treated pretty rudely and suspiciously as well, like it was an inconvenience or I was trying to bring in my own dog or something. Very weird. They don't even pick up deceased animals in the city anymore, either! My grandma used to work at the shelter way back when it was still in Merced, and it was even terrible back then.. read more

My brother got cited when he was babysitting my dog and I live in a different town. Teresa the lady at the animal shelter was very nice and helpful, called multiple times when she was there and she was able to communicate to the officer that cited my brother, she was great I knew I sounded a little annoying bc I didn't know the procedures of the steps needed to be taken and she helped out so much. Thank you again Teresa read more

Extremely well maintained. Staff friendly and helpful. I really like the rooms that you can take pets to see how they interact with you and children away from the hustle and bustle of the kennel walkways. I'm always sad that I can't save them all. The kennels were clean and bedding was in most. All pets had descriptions on the doors. Well operated facility. read more

I saw an article about Merced County animal adoption center having a 20$ adoption special, it comes with neuter & first shots so I decided to check it out. I get there & told the lady I am looking to adopt a puppy. She said ok, take this catalog and motioned to a hall saying, you can go look around... She acted like I was interrupting her day..So, I said ok, never been there so I followed the signs. Every single kennel was poorly maintained, the cages had poop and pee in them. It stinks really bad. Some of the dogs are just laying there like they are sick. Poor babies. The catalog and the cage numbers were not the same, after awhile I finally found a cage of puppies. I couldn't find anyone to help me, the cage of puppies didn't have their age, breed or male/female...So I walked back to the office to ask for help, the same lady was there talking to someone else, so I waited. She finally asked me what I need, I told her I was interested in a puppy, told her the door number, she searched around on the computer then showed me a photo, it wasn't the right puppy, I asked her if she could just come help me..she said, no, I will call an attendant. So i walked back out to the kennel...after awhile the attendant walked up, we walked to the cage I was interested in and the puppy I wanted was gone. Within like maybe 15 minutes someone else had taken the puppy I wanted. Just to be clear, there was no hold sign on the door so not sure what happened. I won't go back because everything is unorganized, dirty and it's really hard to find help there. read more

Please people. If you find a stray animal DO NOT turn it in to find their owner. This place was the worse. Very busy shipping animals to other facilities, too busy to help anyone standing right in front of them. Seemed only interested to charging what they could get away with to pick up your lost animal. read more

Lost dog after 13 years went into to see how to adopt another dog and what are available. Rude lady came to the door peeked out and yelled go to the website and slammed the door and walked away. You were very rude and disrespectful, I'll go elsewhere. read more

I wish I caught the name of the officer that has been helping us but we have been having issues with a dog showing up to our residence and after calling the owner several times and the dog is still getting out we have resorted to calling animal control. The woman officer that has come out has been so polite and helpful with a very professional approach to this issue. She gave my daughter a sticker and coloring book and has been very helpful! Keep up the great work! read more

All of you with negative views, you need to organize to get the SPCA reopened. VOLUNTEER to help any no kill organization in the area. The county struggles for money, the animals suffer. There isn't a no kill shelter near by. TAKE ACTION, be part of the solution and do something to help save lives. Foster, educate on spay/neutering, volunteer, donate... get involved! read more

I've called here and APD several times about a lose pitbull. They never show up. I guess we have to wait until someone actually gets attacked for anyone to show up. read more

We just adopted our second dog from this shelter. We drove out from the SF Bay Area to do so, and the staff were extremely helpful both with finding the location of the dogs we wanted to see, and with a meet-and-greet and cat testing for the dogs we wanted to meet. Why Merced County? I volunteer in shelters, involved in animal welfare (blogging, social media), trained as a dog trainer and taken behaviorist courses... very dog-centric (or crazy). I've been talking with a couple local rescue organizations... and while they do amazing work, got frustrated. No problem with the application or anything (they can be choosy, but I passed) - it's the communication! We've been back and forth trying to organize with one very well known group for three WEEKS (after spending an hour meeting the dog and meeting them for training classes with the dog - over 6 hrs of driving total), and they can't manage to set up a home check. Another organization just dropped the ball (called us, said they'd call at a certain time, never did - so we persued the other dogs we were checking out). Gave us grief about not having a yard despite the dog we were inquiring about was a houdini who jumped 6 ft fences and escaped). A bit crazy. Thinking this might go nowhere, we decided to go to the source of where many rescues pull from, central valley. Not to mention it's sort of a "one-stop-shop" when you want to check your dog against a good number of dogs at the same time to see how they'll mesh. Want to stress: rescues do amazing, life-saving work, and there are hundreds of great ones locally. The dogs. Tons available. Variety - all sizes, shapes, breed types (herding, terrier, sight, etc) And many MANY who will make great family pets. I went down entire rows where the dogs simply sat there, gazed out at me, and wagged their tail. There are many dogs who are not stressed out, calm, well behaved. Most dogs are young. Most look like they're in generally good or perfect health. By the time I finished the last row of kennels, I was choked up a little by how *good* the dogs here are - and yes, I volunteer regularly in shelters. The shelter. Recently built (2009) facility is nice. The kennels are not too bad (for a high-occupancy shelter), and kept up decently compared to others I've seen and volunteered in. It won't compare to some of the glossy bay-area ones, but not bad for what they're up against. The staff were very helpful and friendly, and the process is extremely simple. It's also not busy (if you look at their stats, they adopt out ~250 dogs/year but do ~1250 transfers -- so you won't be elbowing anyone out of the way for a dog). What we did: I recommend if you go out there (from any distance) the following - either have a good list of dogs you are interested in beforehand or call to check on the status the same day you drive out. They are a high-kill shelter, and do many rescue pulls. Two of the dogs we wanted to meet out of a list of around 8 were gone (one was adopted- yay!) But there are a *ton* of dogs there, around 200, so you have a good chance of finding others who fit what you're looking for. Start with Petfinder, http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelterid=CA718. It's not completely up to date, but has nice photos, video, and descriptions. Then find the dog on Petharbor (click the top link on this page: http://www.co.merced.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=163), which is also more up to date. Write down the "A" number. If you want to find out the dogs location, or have a hard time finding him/her, the A number is the easiest way to find the dog. If the dog is not in Petharbor, chance it's not at the shelter. Check out the other dogs - many more available here. Note the intake day - dogs are held 3 days, so this affects who is technically adoptable on the day you visit the shelter. You can still at least see the dog though - they don't hide the stray holds in locked rooms or anything. Make a list, *calmly* walk down all kennel rows and check them out, shortlist the ones you want to visit, and the staff will help you out. OR - just go there and look. So many dogs you're bound to find a great one available. Dog intros (w/ours): they started doing a behind-the-fence introduction, and then we did several more in a room indoors. We introduced several dogs to our girl to see who she would be most compatible with. They also walked the dog around a bunch of cat cages and cats behind a window (moving around etc) to watch for his reaction. If you find a dog, he/she will need to be altered before they leave the kennel. Most dogs are not yet altered. This is a next-day appointment for us, so it's not a long wait (it seems as though they no longer do the alteration deposit). We return tomorrow to pick him up. Total cost is $110. Highly recommended, and you're really helping a dog in need. Central valley has somewhat poor "live release" stats, but absolutely fantastic dogs needing homes there - check them out and save a life! read more

I drove 1-1/2 hours from Pleasanton to adopt a cat, and I'm so happy I did. I went to the shelter twice (Saturday and Tuesday) and both days I was the only person there adopting. There are so many beautiful animals there. The shelter is very nice and clean, the staff helpful and professional. Please take the time to visit this shelter where there are so many animals needing a home, but few people looking to adopt. If you adopt an animal that hasn't been spayed/neutered (which most aren't) you'll have to go back after it's fixed. I didn't mind making the drive twice when I thought about all the animals, but no one else there adopting. My cat is very healthy (I took her to my vet for a check up just to be sure). LOTS of dogs and cats needing a home, so please make the drive. read more

WOW! I don't know how new this place is, but it is really nice! The area is very well maintained and kept up which is nice because the old one was far from impressive. The dogs for the most part seem to be paired in order to socialize along with the fact that they are fed and cleaned on a regular basis. The staff doesn't want to intervene while you search for the newest addition to your family, but if you decide to go here I trust you won't be disappointed as there are too many good pets to choose from. I honestly wish I could take them all! read more

Very nice and clean shelter with hard working people. I adopted my cat from this shelter ( I drove from San Jose ) because they really need support to provide homes and good care for so many wounderful cats and dogs ... If you ever decide to adopt an animal please consider to drive over there to Atwater and you will really see big diffrence you can make in a life of animal . There are nice ,friendly workers at the shelter that can help and assist you in adoption process. I never forget that day when I went straight to the shelter and saw my cat's big green eyes and his face asking " please give me your love and home". Now Windsor is so funny and such a cute. He is very loving and very friendly boy and I cannot imagine home without this cat:)) Just now my "puring machine" is sitting next to me after he made some trouble and lookig at me like a monkey curious Gorge. read more

The adoption process was quick and straightforward. I visited the shelter on Saturday with my family and my dog Dusty. Prior to my visit I looked through a list of their adoptable pets on PetFinder and found John Belushi. My family and I immediately fell in love with him! The staff were friendly, informative, and helpful; everything went smoothly. My dad and I picked up John this morning (Tuesday). He quickly got used to the house and is currently laying by my side. The 2 hour drive to Merced from Fremont was definitely worth it. He is a great addition to the family and an awesome playmate for Dusty. Merced Animal Shelter is my go-to place to rescue dogs now. read more

To start off 1 star is too many. I had a dog show up in my yard tonight when I got home. A pit bull to be exact. Not that all pit bulls are bad. However this one was very mean and vicious and was trying to eat my cats so I had to do something about it so I grabbed it and was panicking trying to get my cats away and the dog was attacking me so I called animal control and told them what had happened and the lady on the phone said sorry there's nothing we can do just let it go and we can send someone to look for it in the morning. Isn't that nice how animal control is letting this dog who is attacking people and other animals and they just said to let it run around. Who knows who else it's going to attack or hurt? I've had good experiences with animal control but this really crossed the line. read more

Very nice looking and clean facility. I have adopted three dogs from here. They have awesome staff!

i thought i was doing a good deed getting a kitty from the animal shelter. but when i picked up the kitty i was told he was sick and i would have to get medication for him. they should not let people pay for and pick up sick animals. now i have to take him to a vet and hope he will be ok. read more

I found this female golden retriever mix at an RV campground in Merced California. She is very sweet and calm. She has A six extra toe on her back feet and one of them was outgrown and grew into the pad of her foot about half an inch. Her foot was infected and her hair was very matted. Found her in the rain at the RV park and took her in and took her home. Took her to the groomers and took her to the vet. The vet was able to cut the nail and get it out of her foot pad and provided antibiotics and a rabies shot. The groomer was able to cut out most of the mats in her hair and bathe her. If she is your dog please contact me. 909-226-3206. Kimberly. I wanted to post this to some lost dogs in Merced websites. But it looks like they all charge money to post for finding a dog. So please spread the word if you see this and know of a lost dog website in Merced. I was passing thru camping. Not familiar with Merced. She had no collar or chip. I bought her collar with my phone number on it. And her temporary name. Mercy May from Merced. read more

See all

As a volunteer at the Merced County Animal Shelter, I am the one of the people that does the Petfinder listings, and the one that does the videos and many of the descriptions. I want to explain why the dogs and cats aren't already neutered/spayed and why you must come back when you have chosen your new family member. Please remember the number of wonderful dogs and cats at the shelter. The staff is incredible and do their very best to help everyone find their lost pet by encouraging them to look every third day or more often for them, check out the websites which is updated hourly, and never give up. The shelter offers $15 mirochips, which DO SAVE LIVES if the information is CURRENT! But it would be cruel to put a sweet animal through the trauma of such a surgery only to be euthanized days later. This is why the dogs and cats are not spayed/neutered until they are adopted. Also, if they are rescued, most rescues have an agreement with their local vets and prefer to do it that way. So, yes, you might have to wait a few days for your new beloved family member. I assure you, they will be forever grateful and well worth that few extra days! Please remember to encourage your friends and neighbors to come adopt from the shelter. One day, I hope to no longer be needed to volunteer out there and I hope all dogs and cats will find forever homes. In a perfect world. read more

I adopted two of the cutest, friendliest, most well-behaved (if I do say so myself) dogs from here (see pics). I'll admit that the aesthetic of this shelter does leave a lot to be desired, but who really cares when you're saving a life. Right?? Seriously, if you are in the market for a dog to love, get thee to Merced. There are so many (emphasis on many) wonderful dogs and cats to choose from that it can be a bit overwhelming in that you'll want to rescue them all. Being that this is a county shelter with no on-staff veterinarian, most of the dogs haven't been spayed/neutered so be prepared to leave a deposit and have the dog fixed either through your own personal vet or at a low cost clinic. As is often the case with shelter dogs, both of the dogs I adopted developed kennel cough, but it was nothing a round of antibiotics couldn't fix. Despite this, I wouldn't hesitate to adopt a dog from here again and again (if I could, but seeing how I get called a crazy dog person enough these days, I think I'll stick to two.) I realize that while adopting any animal (rather than buying) is a good thing, adopting from here makes it feel like you truly made a difference. read more

So I am out at my cousins farm following her to her mechanics. A kitty falls out from the under carriage and gets hit by the back tire. It screams and drags its back hind into the bushes. I find the kitty try to get it out to take it to a vet to b put down... it bites me. The poor thing was no more than a pound and it was scared and injured. I take it to my vet who asks me to take the kitty to Atwater (live in ,Newman) cause it's a cat that might have rabies.. I have been bitten and there is a protocol for these things. Long lecture on feeding strays and how it's better to let animals suffer ... huh? Ok. Its afternoon and I have a dog aggressive dog (tons of animals at the shelter) and it's 100 decrees out.. it illegal to leave a pet in a hot car.... so i need someone to ride with me. Cant find a soul. So all night I'm crying and nursing the poor kitty.. holding it.. its purring and it's all good. I namer her Abbey (as in Abbey road) I get up early.. head to the Merced animal shelter so the poor baby can finally b put down. I walk in the door and I am crying (the poor kitty im totally traumatized) say I'm here to have a kitty put down. They ask is it mine. I say no and explain. The elderly woman at the desk asks are you.....? Yes. Why didn't you come yesterday. I explain. From then on it all went south. All of a sudden its like I robbed a bank . She tosses paperwork at me.. FILL this out! Wow. So I look at the young woman behind her and say I am a veteran with ptsd and this treatment is not cool. She goes into her rant about the rabies issue and more protocol. Am I in a twilight zone? Im just trying to put a hurt kitty down. I was in the military.. I totally get protocol... but the kitty!!! They get on the phone with an officer hes 30 mins out. By this time I'm so mad.. hurt.. upset.. confused... seriously? It shouldnt b this difficult and when I mention I have a disability its like it was a green light to abuse me instead of saying.. so sorry.. let's start again. Nope. So I go to walk out. She says you have to take the cat. I say.. arent u going to euthanize it? She goes into more protocol about how they can't handle the animal before the officer writes his report. Its a 1 lb animal .. with a broken spine.. in a locked crate and it's already so traumatized... can i keep it in the building with the AC? Nope. So go out to my running car (my dog) get in. Its hot even with air running. I drive a few blocks down the street to find shade. I drive back 20 mins later. Sitting there 5 mins. Officer calls me asking why I took off with the kitty. Lol I'm sitting outside. He comes outside.. bashes on the window like I'm a suspect. I open the window and ask him not to treat me like a criminal like the ladies inside... he ends up screaming and yelling in my face.. as I'm telling him im a retired military war vet with ptsd and to please stop.. hes screaming about his loser brother with ptsd... (seriously then YOU of all people should understand). Finally I had to tell him what happened to me... now he wants to act compassionate! Just wow!!! I got completely and totally disrespected because I care for animals and I got bitten. FYI shelter people watch "The Invisible War" so you know how to deal with people who have been thru what I have. Educate yourself on how to treat all humans with respect! Dont treat people badly ... You don't know what they have been through!!!! To all veterans and people of merced county.. don't adopt anything out of this shelter! If they treat caring humans like this... how are the animals being treated? Poor Abbey the kitty got the raw end of the deal. At least I have yelp!!!!!! read more

I've had better experiences. One of the lady's didn't explain herself very well and it took 30 minutes just to get my dog back.

I cannot begin to express my disappointment. My family and I fell in love with this adorable little girl last Monday 11/23. She'd only been in the shelter for a day. I called and inquired about her. The next day, Tuesday the 24th, I received a call saying she was "spoken for". No elaboration. I thought, "well, at least she has a home", but something in my gut felt wrong. I called again today (Monday, Nov 30th) just to check and they said she was transferred to San Francisco. WHAT?! Why?! If a local person was interested in giving her a loving home, why send her 2 hours away? Not only that, but she sat in the shelter until Friday the 28th--4 days after i expressed interest-- when San Francisco SPCA was able to come get her. Now I'm trying to locate her in San Francisco. I can't give them one star, because I knew a doctor that worked (works?) there and she is so extremely compassionate, that I can't imagine indifference runs through the place. But what a huge let down. I feel that this was extreme disregard for the dog, as well as the customer. read more

A very clean and modern facility. Filled to the brim (100+ dogs; 100+ cats) with many nice animals so lots of good choices. The staff was very friendly and professional. It is a kill shelter and though the nice folks there do everything they can to care for the animals, they will euthanize the animals if individuals and rescue groups don't pull them. Definitely worth the trip and we adopted a beautiful and friendly new member of our family. read more