Pet help guide
Help for pets and their people in Tampa Bay
The short answer
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay runs an adoption centre, an AAHA accredited animal hospital, a low cost spay and neuter clinic, a trap neuter vaccinate return programme for community cats, and a free pet food pantry. Two campuses, one in Tampa and one in Clearwater. Adoptions are same day and first come, first served.
What does the Humane Society of Tampa Bay actually do?
Five things, and only one of them is adoption.
| Service | What it is |
|---|---|
| Adoption | Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, reptiles and barnyard animals, same day, first come first served |
| Animal hospital | AAHA accredited, full service veterinary care by appointment |
| Spay and neuter clinic | Surgeries by appointment, with published fees |
| TNVR | Trap, neuter, vaccinate and return for community and feral cats |
| Pet assistance | Free pet food, delivery for homebound residents, and help for people trying to keep their pet |
This is a private non profit rather than the county animal services agency, and that difference decides which door a person should be knocking on. The comparison page sets the two out.
Where are the two campuses?
Tampa at 3607 N Armenia Ave, Tampa FL 33607. Pinellas at 3040 FL-590, Clearwater FL 33759.
Adoption hours run Monday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at both, with the last adoption at 4:30 PM. Intake services run Monday to Sunday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The animal hospital is Tampa only, Monday to Saturday, 7:00 AM to 2:30 PM, closed Sunday.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay<br> 3607 N Armenia Ave, Tampa, FL 33607, and 3040 FL-590, Clearwater, FL 33759<br> Adoption Tampa 813.876.7138, Pinellas 727.797.7722<br> Animal Hospital 813.870.3304, TNVR 813.625.0910
How does adopting work?
Come in and meet the animals. Adoptions are same day and first come, first served, and no pet is held or adopted over the phone, by email or through social media.
Every dog and cat leaves spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and dewormed. The dog adoption page has the fees and the four steps.
What does the clinic cost?
Fees are published rather than quoted, and they are lower than a private practice because the shelter runs the hospital as part of its mission. Spay and neuter surgeries need an appointment and a deposit.
The spay and neuter page has the current figures for cats, dogs and rabbits.
Can I get help feeding my pet?
Yes, and it needs no appointment. Free dog and cat food is available every Tuesday and Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM, first come first served, with one bag of each per person per week.
For homebound and elderly residents who cannot travel to the shelter, monthly deliveries run through a separate programme. The keep your pet page covers both, along with the help available to somebody thinking about giving a pet up.
What should I do about a stray or feral cat?
Ask first whether the cat is lost or living outside. Those are two different situations with two different answers, and treating a healthy outdoor cat as a lost pet usually makes things worse.
The shelter runs a TNVR programme for community cats: trapped humanely, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear tipped and returned to the colony. The community cats page explains how to tell the difference and how to book.
Why does a shelter run a veterinary hospital at all?
Because most of the animals that end up in a shelter arrive there for reasons a vet bill explains.
An affordable clinic and a food pantry are not side projects. They are the part of the operation that stops the intake door filling up, which is why the same organisation that rehomes animals also spays cats for a fraction of private practice fees and hands out dog food on a Saturday morning with no questions asked.
Proceeds from the hospital go back into the shelter’s own programmes.
I have lost my pet. Where do I start?
File a report, check the shelter listings daily, and get the word out locally. New animals arrive every day, so one search is not enough.
Found animals are held for a full seven day stray hold, including cases where a microchip is unregistered or leads nowhere. That policy was widened in 2026 from the three day county ordinance. In the last year the shelter reports 715 pets reunited with their families.
Can I volunteer or foster?
Yes to both, and fostering is the one that creates space fastest. Family volunteer days, teen programmes and a scheme that takes dogs out for the day all run alongside it.
Details sit on the shelter’s own volunteering and foster pages rather than here, because those change with capacity.
Questions we get asked
Do I need an appointment to adopt?
No. Adoptions are walk in, same day, first come first served, at both campuses. Bring the kennel card of the animal you want to meet to the front desk.
Is the animal hospital open to the public?
Yes. It is open to pets from the community, not only to shelter animals, and it is AAHA accredited. Appointments are needed, and vaccine only appointments can be booked online.
Which counties does the shelter serve?
It is based in Hillsborough with a second campus in Pinellas, and clinic appointments are open to residents of surrounding counties as well.
Does the shelter take in wildlife?
Wildlife is a different service from a domestic animal shelter. Call before travelling with any animal that is not a pet.
Come and see us
Adoptions are same day and first come, first served at both campuses. Clinic and intake services are by appointment, and the team will talk through the options before anything is decided.
The rest of the set
- What spaying or neutering a pet costs in TampaPublished spay and neuter fees at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay clinic for cats, dogs and rabbits, plus how appointments, deposits and drop off work.
- Humane Society of Tampa Bay or the county Pet Resource Center?Which Tampa shelter to call: the private Humane Society of Tampa Bay or the county run Pet Resource Center, compared by what each one does and takes in.
- Adopting a dog in Tampa, step by stepAdopting a dog at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay: same day walk in adoptions, the four steps, published fees, and what every dog comes home with.
- Stray cats, feral cats and what to actually do about themHow to tell a lost cat from a community cat in Tampa, and how the Humane Society TNVR programme works: $35 a cat, traps, drop off times and booking.
- Help to keep your pet, and what to do if you cannotFree pet food every Tuesday and Saturday in Tampa, delivery for homebound residents, affordable vet care, and rehoming support before surrender.
- Where do I take a stray dog I found in Tampa?Found a dog in Tampa: scan for a chip, file a found report, then bring it to Humane Society of Tampa Bay intake, open 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Held seven days.
- What should I do if I lost my pet in Tampa?Lost a pet in Tampa: file a report, check the Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s stray listings daily and call intake. Strays are held seven days.
- Where can I find affordable veterinary care in Tampa?The Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s AAHA accredited hospital is open to the public by appointment, Monday to Saturday: exams, surgery, dental.
- Where can I get low cost pet vaccinations in Tampa?Low cost dog and cat vaccinations at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay hospital, 3607 N Armenia Ave: rabies, distemper, parvo and panleukopenia, booked online.
- All guidesEvery guide on hstb.org in one place.
Last reviewed Humane Society of Tampa Bay