Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for considering adoption! Adopters must be 18 years of age or older and have proper facilities to contain and care for an animal. Potential adopters should provide a Driver’s License or ID at the time of adoption. If the adopter’s current address does not match the one on their identification, they should be prepared to offer proof of current address through other means such as a utility bill or lease agreement.

If you are considering pet adoption, please stop by the animal shelter during regular hours, or see available pets online.

The City of Sugar Land does not have a license or registration program. Sate law does require that all dogs and cats over 4 months of age be current on their rabies vaccination. Residents should keep their animal’s vaccination certification on file and be prepared to provide it to an animal services officer upon request.

No, Sugar Land Animal Services does not service private traps for wildlife. If you trap any wildlife, please release the animal back into the same area where it was trapped. If you are unable to do so, please contact a pest control or wildlife control service. Some animals are illegal to transport per the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, including the transportation of raccoons, which is a class C misdemeanor. 

Trapping should be a last resort for wildlife.

Nature loves a vacuum. Removing the animal will just provide the opportunity for another to take its place. Many studies have proved that the majority of relocated animals do not survive. The best thing you can do for wildlife is to leave them alone. To solve the problem, the food source, shelter and water need to be removed or you will just get a replacement.

More information:

• Top 10 Ways to Prevent Wildlife Problems
• Coexisting with local wildlife

Ordinance No. 2330 was approved by City Council on May 7, 2024 establishing a Community Cat Program after recommendation by the Animal Advisory Board in their March 22, 2024 meeting.   In a TNR or Community Cat Program, unowned outdoor cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, treated for fleas (only in cases of extreme infestation), ear-tipped (the universal sign that a community cat has been neutered and vaccinated), and then returned to the area where it was originally trapped.  The program was proven to work through a pilot at First Colony Mall where 48 cats have been trapped with 16 being adopted, 5 transferred to rescue and 19 returned to the mall since March 2023.

Interested caretakers can register with the shelter to begin participation in the program and receive further instructions.

Sugar Land Animal Services does not accept owner surrenders. The City’s adoption programs are aimed at finding homes for animals that enter the shelter through animal control for public health and safety purposes. We understand how hard it is to decide that you need to find another home for your pet, so we can provide you with a resource list that includes other local animal shelters and rescues that accept owner surrenders. Please contact us at animalservices@sugarlandtx.gov to request the list. 

Snakes are nomadic and will usually move on very quickly. Most of the snakes in our area are Texas rat snakes which are non-venomous. If the snake is in your yard, wait a while. They are generally passing through. If the snake is in your garage, you can leave the garage door open for a while and wait for the snake to find its own way out. If you have a snake in your home, you will need to contact a pest control or wildlife removal company for assistance.

• Fort Bend County Animal Services
  1210 Blume Road
  Rosenberg, TX 77471
  Ph: 281-342-1512
• Rosenberg Animal Control
  1207 Blume Road
  Rosenberg, TX 77471-4071
  Ph: 832-595-3490
• Stafford Animal Control
  2702 S. Main St.
  Stafford, TX 77477-5599
  Ph: 281-261-3950
• Katy Animal Control
  25839 Interstate 10 E
  Katy, TX 77494
  Ph: 281-391-4740
• Missouri City Animal Control
  3849 Cartwright Road
  Missouri City, TX 77459-2443
  Ph: 281-403-8707
• Harris County Animal Service
  Ph: 281-999-3191
• BARC
  3200 Carr St.
  Houston, TX 77026
  Ph: 713-229-7300
• Houston Humane Society
  Ph: 713-433-6421
• Houston SPCA
  Ph: 713-869-7722
• CAPS-Citizens for Animal Protection Society
  Ph: 281-497-0591
• HOPE
  Ph:713-622-4673

If you are able to, you may remove the animal from your private property, the street, sidewalk or median using gloves or a shovel to avoid direct contact and place the animal in a garbage bag. It is okay to place it in your garbage bin for pickup on your scheduled trash day. 

If you are unable to do so, you may call a private dead animal removal company. If the animal is in the road and creating a traffic hazard, please contact Animal Services for assistance.

The animal shelter does not offer any veterinary services to the public. Sugar Land is home to many wonderful veterinarians and practices. We suggest searching the internet, or asking a neighbor for a recommendation. If you are in need of low cost alternatives, you can contact one of the following.

• Petco on Highway 6 by Luv My pet at 281.265.0700
• KAAWS at 281-200-2325
• Greater Good at 281-496-5983
• Houston Humane Society Wellness Clinic at 713-433-6453
  
  

Reporting Animal Bites 

State Health and Safety Code (Chapter 8-26), every animal bite must be reported to authorities.

Per City Ordinance, Animal Services will investigate bites that are level 3 or above on the Dunbar Bite Scale.

During normal business hours, please call 311 /  After hours and weekends, please call 281-275-2020

You will need to provide the below information:

• Name
• Phone Number
• Address of Residence / Address of where the Bite Occurred
• Date and Time of the Bite
• Any information on the owner of the Animal / Description of the Animal 

If you have lost your pet, notify us at animalservices@sugarlandtx.gov so that we can be on the lookout for it. Also notify other local agencies as pets can wander miles away from home. Keep an eye on our social media for posts about animals that have come into the shelter as well as  our "Found Pets" page. There are other sites where you can post your lost pet and have others help you in your search. When you contact us at the email address, we can send you a list of those resources along with other agencies to contact. There are groups on facebook for lost and found pets in Fort Bend County as well- (fortbendcountytxlostandfoundpets). You may also consider posting on Nextdoor to let your neighbors know to keep an eye out for them.

If your pet has a microchip- contact the microchip company to verify that your contact information is up to date. Many times we get animals in the shelter that are chipped but the contact information is out of date.

Some No Kill facilities pre-screen what they will take into their shelter. Less desirable animals are not admitted or transferred to other facilities. Sugar Land's animal shelter does not pre-screen animals; and does not euthanize for space. We will euthanize for medical or behavioral reasons following our policy and procedures. 

The "No Kill" Concept

A No Kill shelter is a great concept, but in reality even a No Kill shelter can euthanize 5-10% of its intake and still be considered No Kill. Maddie's Fund, an organization dedicated to increased community lifesaving, shelter medicine education, and pet adoptions across the U.S., defines a No-Kill shelter as “an animal shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals even when the shelter is full, reserving euthanasia for unhealthy and untreatable animals.” Maddie’s Fund also has detailed definitions for healthy, treatable, rehabilitatable and manageable animals.

Working Towards Forever Homes

The City’s Animal Shelter does not promote itself as a "no kill" animal shelter. The shelter uses various strategies to ensure adoptable animals find a forever home. Even though the animal shelter has exceeded its capacity since 2015, the animal shelter does not euthanize for space. In addition, the City utilizes the following "no kill" strategies to ensure animals are adopted:

• Spay/neuter all animals in shelter care prior to adoption
• Rescue groups
• Community fostering program
• Comprehensive adoption programs
• Medical and behavior programs
• Public Relations/Community Involvement
• Volunteer programs
• Proactive redemptions on impoundment
• Compassionate Director
• Community Cat Program (TNVR)