The City of Bloomington Animal Shelter is an open admission shelter. As such, we take in any and all animals that need a place to go. We accept strays that are brought in by the public and we accept animals that must be relinquished by their owner. Our Animal Control Officers also pick up stray animals and bring them to the shelter.

Strays are held for 5 full days after the date of arrival. Attempts are made to locate an owner by checking current lost reports and calling any forms of identification the animal may be wearing. However, the owner of a lost animal should be diligent about calling and visiting the Shelter to look for their animal. The shelter takes dozens of lost and found reports weekly and takes in an average of 50 to 100 animals per week. The only way for an owner to know for certain whether their animal is at the shelter is for them to visit the shelter.

Owners who find their lost animals at the shelter will be assessed fines and fees based on daily boarding charges, vaccinations given, and tickets written by the Animal Control Officers for offenses such as restraint violations, public nuisance violations or failure to have a current rabies vaccination.

At the end of the stray period, animals that are not reclaimed by their owners are evaluated as to their suitability for adoption. Also, animals that are surrendered by their owner are given 24 to 48 hours to acclimate to the shelter environment and then they are also evaluated for adoption. Cats are evaluated in terms of their health, level of friendliness and ease of handling. Dogs are assessed in terms of their health, their behavior in the kennel and by a temperament test. Animals that are deemed healthy and family-friendly will be made available for adoption given space constraints.