city-of-memphis Back to Homepage Open Menu city-of-memphis Back to Homepage I NEED HELP WITH MY PET HOMEPAGE / ANIMAL SERVICES / I NEED HELP WITH MY PET Print Screen ANIMAL SERVICES I NEED HELP WITH MY PET AGGRESSION TOWARDS HUMANS AGGRESSION TOWARDS OTHER ANIMALS ANIMAL EMERGENCY CENTER BARKING BEING DESTRUCTIVE IN THE HOME BITING CARECREDIT COUNTER SURFING DESTRUCTIVE SCRATCHING EATING POOP EXCESSIVE MEOWING HOUSE-SOILING HUMANE SOCIETY OF MEMPHIS AND SHELBY COUNTY JUMPING LITTER BOX PROBLEMS/HOUSE-SOILING MEMPHIS ANIMAL EMERGENCY MID-SOUTH SPAY NEUTER SERVICES NIPPING PETMED EMERGENCY CENTER PULLING ON THE LEASH RESOURCE GUARDING SEPARATION ANXIETY THROW ME A BONE PROJECT URINE-MARKING/SPRAYING REQUEST HELP TO KEEP YOUR PET If this is an emergency, like the pet is in need of immediate medical care or is a threat to public safety, please call 901-545-COPS immediately. If human lives are in danger, please call 911. We don’t want you to give up your pet. You love them. They love you. Your home may be the only home they’ve ever known, and it’s probably the best place for them to be. MAS is here for you as your Pet Resource Center to help keep them there. If you’re in a tough spot financially, and there’s something you need help with in order to be able to keep your pet, we can connect you with: Pet food Spay/neuter Necessary pet medical care Pet deposits/pet fees for housing Behavior counseling Short-term boarding if you’re in between housing Doghouse Minor fence repair If you reside in Shelby County (excluding Bartlett, Germantown, and Collierville), you are eligible for the services above and can request them by leaving a voicemail at our Pet Resource Center at 901-636-1418 or filling out this form. RESOURCES TO HELP YOU KEEP YOUR PET See below for a list of common reasons people surrender pets, as well as how to get help. My pet has behavior issues. Memphis Animal Services offers a behavior helpline staffed by an animal behaviorist to help pet owners in Memphis work through behavior issues in the hopes we can keep pets with the families who love them. Click here to take advantage of this free service which is funded by a grant from Maddie’s Fund! I’m moving and can’t take my pet. There are many pet-friendly housing options in the Memphis area. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time when you know you’ll be moving to check around for pet policies that will allow your pet. Some helpful resources are the lists of pet-friendly options at Apartment List, Apartment Guide, Zillow, and Rent to Own Labs. If you’ve been forced to move and can’t afford the pet deposit at a new place, you may qualify for the Throw Me a Bone project, funded by ALIVE Rescue Memphis. This program exists to provide funds or supplies to keep pets in loving families instead of being surrendered to shelters. Click here to request assistance from this program. Please allow 72 hours for a response. MAS can also assist with pet deposits and pet fees if you’re moving and can’t find an affordable place to take your pet. My pet is injured or sick and I don’t know where to take them. There are many veterinarians in the Memphis area; click here for a Google search of Memphis veterinarians. Memphis also has several emergency vets who see sick/injured pets after hours and on weekends and holidays. Our local emergency veterinary offices include: Animal Emergency Center – 3767 Summer Avenue PETMED Emergency Center – 555 Trinity Creek Cove I can’t afford to care for my pet. CareCredit – The CareCredit healthcare credit card helps to manage veterinary expenses— everything from routine exams to unforeseen emergencies. It is subject to credit approval, the amount of credit extended depends on your credit rating, and you must make sure the veterinarian you’re using accepts CareCredit (not all do). Throw Me a Bone project (funded by ALIVE Rescue Memphis) – This is a fund set up to help loving families keep their pets instead of surrendering to a shelter when there is some expense they can’t handle, either because an emergency has come up or because the family has fallen on hard times. They can provide funding or supplies ranging from veterinary care, food, kennel, fencing, training, etc. Click here to apply for assistance. Please allow 72 hours for a response. Memphis Animal Services can assist you if there is some necessary medical care your pet needs that you can’t afford. Leave a message at our Pet Resource Center at 901-636-1418 to request this service. Spay/Neuter Assistance Memphis Animal Services MAS offers free spay/neuter for dogs over 30 lbs. Leave a voicemail at our Pet Resource Center at 901-636-1418 to request the service. Mid-South Spay Neuter Services Mid-South Spay Neuter’s regular prices for spay/neuter are $55 & up for cats ($35 for feral cats) and $80 & up for dogs. Click here for the breakdown of prices. But they often have grants to help even more for certain people and pet owners. Check here to see if any of the current grants apply to you. My pet has behavior problems I don’t know how to deal with. See above for our FREE Behavior Helpline, but we’ve listed many common behavior issues below with tips on how to address them. COMMON DOG BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS House-soiling Being destructive in the home Separation anxiety Barking Jumping Resource Guarding Aggression toward humans Aggression toward other animals Pulling on the leash Nipping Counter surfing Eating poop COMMON CAT BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS Litter box problems/ House-soiling Urine-marking/spraying Destructive scratching Excessive meowing Biting IF YOU MUST REHOME YOUR PET The best thing for your pet is to stay out of the shelter. If none of our many Pet Resource Center services can help you keep your pet, you still have options for rehoming your pet without them ever having to spend one night in a shelter: Find a new home for your pet using Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet and the Petco Foundation Using Adopt-a-Pet.com Rehome, you can 1) create a profile for the pet you’re rehoming, 2) review adoption applications, 3) meet adopters, and 4) finalize the adoption. Adopt-a-Pet.com is a trusted non-profit organization and their dedicated team of pet experts offers support you throughout the process of rehoming your pet. They offer expert advice and safe meeting zones to provide a safer alternative to online classifieds. Foster the pet through MAS until they’re adopted This means your pet will continue to stay with you until they get adopted, but the pet will receive all wellness services at MAS at no cost to you (if needed), will be listed for adoption on our website (which gets about 15,000 visits per month!), and will have their adoption processed through us. Make use of your own network and social media Wouldn’t it be great if your pet was adopted by someone you know so you could keep up with them? Try to get the pet adopted by someone in your personal network! Take a great photo and/or video of your pet, write a nice bio all about their personality, and post it on any social media available to you, and ask everyone to share! Send it to email contacts, print flyers and post around your neighborhood, tell friends and family about the pet. Be sure to include your contact information! Here are some great resources for helping your pet put their best paw forward: Memphis Animal Services – Marketing Your Foster Pet Adoptimize photos Foster Caregiver Marketing Guide (Maddie’s Fund) Back to Homepage of City of Memphis Contact Us E-mail: mayor@memphistn.gov Useful Links 311 Online Support Center Access our City eMail on Office365 City of Memphis | COVID-19 Information