Livingston County Animal Shelter

The Livingston County Animal Shelter receives rescued animals and provides them with the care they need to get adopted into loving homes. Surrendered, abandon, stray, neglected and abused animals are cared for here. The shelter provides a safe and loving environment, along with veterinary care. Adoptions Adoptions are done on a first come, first served basis. All adopted animals will be spayed or neutered, heart worm or feline leukemia tested, micro chipped, and given age appropriate vaccinations prior to leaving the shelter. You must be over 18 years old to adopt an animal from the shelter and a valid ID is required. All fees must be paid in full before an animal can leave the shelter. If you rent, approval from landlord is required. Stray Animals In accordance with Michigan state law, strays are held for four to seven days in order to help the owner find and claim the animal. We work to post descriptions and pictures of stray animals on our website as soon as we are able to. Our website also has a database of lost and found animals. If you have lost an animal, we strongly encourage you to visit the shelter in person and read these tips on how to recover a lost pet. After four to seven days the animal becomes the property of Livingston County Animal Control and Shelter and may be available for public adoption. Surrendered Animals Animals that are surrendered to Livingston County Animal Control and Shelter by their owner may be available for immediate adoption, after they receive proper veterinary care. Surrender reasons are usually noted in the pets profile. Dog Licenses Michigan State Law requires that all dogs over four (4) months old be licensed. To obtain a dog license, you will need to provide proof of current rabies vaccination and proof of spaying/neutering (if applicable) at the time you purchase the license. In accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan, this information must be provided every time you renew your dog license. Livingston County Animal Control and Shelter sells one year and three year dog licenses throughout the year. Please visit our Dog License page for additional requirements and details. Bite Reports All animal bites should be reported to Livingston County Animal Control and Shelter and Livingston County Health Department. If medical attention has been received after a bite, please read the How to File a Bite Report page, download the bite report and fax it to (517) 546-0232. Abuse and Neglect Please visit our Abuse and Neglect page to see what constitutes animal abuse or neglect. Our Animal Control Officers will respond to calls and complaints and investigate to see if animal cruelty statutes have been violated. If a violation has occurred, the officer may work with the owner to educate them on how to correct the violation or we may immediately prosecute. Feral/Wild Cats Increasing numbers of feral/wild cats are an issue in many areas of Livingston County. While Livingston County Animal Control and Shelter does not have the resources to trap feral cats for you, we can offer you assistance through our TNR (trap, neuter and return) program. TNR offers a humane and effective solution to feral cat overpopulation.

Donations can be made directly to the animal shelter. We do accept monetary donations. There is a special fund set up for our shelter so we may use the funds for medical needs for a pet or for improvements to the shelter. Checks can be made payable to Livingston County Animal Control and mailed to the shelter at 418 S. Highlander Way, Howell, MI 48843. Our biggest need is dog and cat food. Our food bills are close to $6,000 per year! We feed any good quality DRY food for dogs and cats. We use very little canned food, we only feed that for an animal that is ill or has a dietary requirement. We also use regular cat litter. Clumping litter is NOT used in shelter environments as the litter has to be totally discarded every couple of days, so it is not cost efficient. We also accept towels, blankets (thin ones that can run through a washer), wash cloths and sheets. If a pet won't eat or destroy a blanket or towel, they will get one to lie on. Our towels and blankets are washed by the prison laundry, so there are requirements on the weights of our blankets, the lighter the better. We use Kuranda Dog Beds. They are almost indestructible and are great in a shelter were dogs are under stress and like to chew. You can go to http://kuranda.com/donate and have a dog bed sent directly to us! We do take cloth dog beds, but once they are soiled, they will be discarded. Our pets can always use toys. It will need to be washable or easily sterilized to prevent the spread of disease from animal to animal. We do collect VGs. VGs donates 1% of the total receipt, minus alcohol and tobacco. We'll put those donations to good use. Receipts can be sent or dropped off at the shelter. We no longer use newspaper. So please take them to your local recycle center. You can view our shelter Wish List here: https://www.livgov.com/animalcontrol/Pages/Wish-List.aspx