Pet Resources in Louisville
Shelters, rescues, rehoming help, and honest info about finding the right dog for you. No judgment, just options.
Adopting & Rehoming
Whether you're looking to bring a pet home or find one a new home, these resources can help.
🏠 Get Your Pet
Connects owners directly with adopters. Your dog stays with you until the right home is found. You screen applicants yourself.
getyourpet.com →🐾 Adopt-a-Pet Rehome
Partnered with shelters and rescues to help owners rehome pets safely. Walks you through the process step by step.
adoptapet.com/rehome →🐕 Rescue Me!
Free listing site with breed-specific categories. Rescue groups and individuals can browse and contact you directly.
rescueme.org →📋 Pet FBI
Free database that auto-generates a flyer and matches against found pet reports. Also lists adoptable pets.
petfbi.org →Found a pet? Check our Lost & Found page for step-by-step checklists, local shelter contacts, and the community board.
Looking for a Specific Breed?
Before going to a breeder, check breed-specific rescues. They exist for almost every breed, and the dogs there are already vetted, assessed, and come with known temperaments. You'd be surprised what ends up in rescue, purebreds included.
🔍 Search Shelters by Breed
Most people don't know you can search Petfinder or Adopt-a-Pet for a specific breed near your zip code. The dog you want might already be waiting in a shelter.
Local Breed-Specific Rescues
GRRAND
Golden Retriever Rescue and Adoption of Needy Dogs. Based in Louisville, placing Goldens since 1996. Serves greater Louisville, Lexington, and northern KY.
grrand.org →GPA Louisville
Greyhound Pets of America, Louisville chapter. Places retired racing greyhounds into loving homes. Greyhounds are quiet, clean, and make incredible companions.
gpalouisville.org →MisPits and Friends
Foster-based rescue helping all dogs, pits, mixes, seniors, puppies. No breed discrimination. Louisville-based.
mispitsandfriends.org →PBSF Dog Rescue
Pit Bulls of St. Francis, despite the name, they rescue all breeds and ages. Foster-based, volunteer-run, Louisville-based.
pbsfdogrescue.org →Don't see your breed listed? Search Rescue Me! by breed, they have categories for everything from Airedales to Yorkies.
Local Shelters, How They're Different
Louisville has three main shelters and they work very differently. Knowing the difference matters, especially if you're surrendering a pet.
Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS)
Government-run. The city's only open admission shelter, they take every animal that comes through the door, no matter what. That's important, but they're often at capacity and have to make difficult decisions about space and behavior.
If you surrender a pet here, know that the outcome isn't guaranteed, especially for older dogs, skittish dogs, or dogs with a history.
Kentucky Humane Society (KHS)
Private nonprofit. The state's largest pet adoption agency. They do not euthanize for time or space, but intake is by appointment only, with a questionnaire first. Wait times can be weeks.
The good news: they have a Pet Retention program that helps you keep your pet with behavior advice, vet care referrals, and resources. They'd rather help you keep your dog than take them in. That's worth trying before you surrender.
Animal Care Society (ACS)
Kentucky's first no-kill shelter, founded in 1984. Takes dogs and cats, with a focus on neglected, abused, senior, and special needs animals. Intake is by request: you fill out a surrender form and they review it.
Limited capacity means they can't take every animal, but if they accept yours, they're committed to finding them a home.
Important: If you need to surrender, try rehoming first (see above). Every day your pet stays in your home instead of a shelter is a better outcome. KHS has a good breakdown of why rehoming is usually better than surrender.
If You're Going to a Breeder Anyway
I'd rather you rescue. But if you're set on a breeder, do it right. A reputable breeder cares about the dogs first and your money second. A backyard breeder or puppy mill is the opposite. Here's how to tell the difference.
✅ Reputable Breeder Checklist
They health test their dogs. Not just "vet checked", real genetic testing for breed-specific conditions (hip dysplasia, eye issues, heart conditions, etc.). They should show you the results. If they say they "don't believe in testing," walk away.
They want to meet you. A good breeder interviews you as hard as you interview them. They want to know their puppy is going to a good home. If they'll ship a dog to anyone with a credit card, that's a red flag.
You meet the parents, or at least the mom. You should see where the dogs live. If you can't visit, or the "breeder" will only meet you in a parking lot, that's the answer. The conditions the parents live in tell you everything.
They don't always have puppies available. Reputable breeders breed rarely and carefully, maybe once or twice a year. If someone always has multiple litters, that's a volume operation, not someone breeding for the betterment of the breed.
AKC papers alone don't mean anything. Puppy mills register dogs too. Papers prove parentage, not quality. Health testing, temperament, and how the dogs are raised matter way more than a piece of paper.
If a breeder can't meet most of these, the dog you're buying probably came from conditions you wouldn't want to see. And the parents are still there, breeding the next litter.