If you are ready to add a dog to your household, Arizona ranks as one of the best states in the country to make that happen by adoption. When it comes to finding a place to adopt a dog, chances are good you have several shelters to choose from in your area.
BetArizona.com took a break from covering Arizona sports betting and used data from RescueMe.org to find the number of dog rescue groups and adoption agencies in every state. Then, we ranked each state by how many rescue organizations they had per square mile.
States with Most Dog Rescues per Square Mile
Arizona Has Lots of Places to Find a New Dog
Arizona is in the top half of the country at No. 25 with the most dog rescue groups per square mile with 420. Arizona is different from just about every other state in the union. It’s the sixth-largest state with nearly 114,000 square miles, but 65 percent of the state’s population lives in Maricopa County. That’s where the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area is located.
Best Things Arizona compiled a list of the seven best places around the state to adopt a dog, and five of them are in that one metro area, but there are great places around the state.
The price for adoption will vary depending on location as well as the size and age of the dog. For instance, HALO Animal Rescue in Phoenix has a range of $0 to $605, the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA in Phoenix has fees up to $300 and Chandler’s Underdog Rescue of Arizona lists fees up to $200.
Home Fur Good in Phoenix even earned a spot on Yelp’s top 15 places in America to adopt a dog. If only you could have such a can’t miss proposition on Arizona betting apps.
Every place is a little different on the cost, so it’s good to check around. A lot of shelters offer a military veteran discount and there are some with programs for seniors who adopt older dogs. Most of the shelters receive no funding, so they operate solely on money they raise from sales and from donations.
According to the website bestfriends.org, Arizona is striving to become a no-kill shelter state by 2025. Statistics on the site say that 91,531 dogs and cats have been saved compared to 6,441 killed for an 85.9% save rate.
The adoption process in Arizona includes bringing everyone in your household for the visit after the shelter has helped you choose a possible pet. A counselor will help with any training needs or tips for caring for the animal. They will verify that you live in a place that allows pets and Arizona also requires dogs to have a license as part of the state’s anti-rabies efforts. Check with your city or county to see which rules apply to you.
Author
Douglas Pils has been a sports journalist for 30 years in Texas, Arkansas and New York having worked for the San Antonio Express-News, the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News and Newsday. He most recently ran the Student Media Department at Texas A&M for eight years.
