Animal control services in Alachua County, Florida, are primarily provided by Alachua County Animal Services. However, there are several other Alachua County dog rescues that service the community. Below is a roundup of all the dog rescues that operate out of Alachua County as well as a few standouts from the surrounding areas.
Alachua County Animal Services
Alachua County Animal Services (ACAS) is the municipal shelter for Alachua County, Florida. They are classified as “no-kill” and maintain a very high percentage of live outcomes for adoptable dogs. ACAS works hard to get to know each dog well and do their best to provide good outcomes for the dogs in their care. The vast majority of the dogs that I work with are at Alachua County Animal Services. This is also where many of the local rescues pull their dogs from.
The following rescues take nearly all of their dogs from Animal Services in Alachua County or Animal Services in surrounding areas.
Contact Info
352-264-6870
3400 NE 53rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32609
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The Humane Society of North Central Florida
The Humane Society of North Central Florida is a large organization that rescues hundreds of dogs from Alachua County Animal Services and surrounding shelters and adopts them out from their site and from PetSmart adoption events. They are are a limited-intake, no-kill shelter that has been rescuing animals from across North Central Florida for over 40 years.
Contact Info
352-373-5855
4205 NW 6th Street
Gainesville, FL 32609
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Paws on Parole
Paws on Parole is an amazing program that pairs inmates from the Florida Department of Corrections and the Alachua County Jail with dogs from Alachua County Animal Services and other local animal shelters. The dogs learn the basic skills needed to pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen test during the eight-week program.
Inmates describe the experience as being life-changing and often go on to volunteer with the program when they get out. There is almost always a Paws class in training. They have regular outings where potential adopters can meet the dogs in training before they graduate. Volunteers are needed to assist with these events, so contact Paws if you’re interested in volunteering or adopting.
Contact Info
Hilary Hynes @ 352-264-6881 or 352-213-1241
Plenty of Pit Bulls
Plenty of Pit Bulls (POPB) is a wonderful organization that rescues the dogs most in need: bully breeds whose behavior is suffering in the shelter or who have medical needs. They operate entirely out of foster homes. POPB is extremely supportive of foster and adoptive families, and offer assistance with training and medical, among other things.
Contact Info
PO Box 12319, Gainesville, FL 3260
Second Chance Rescue
Second Chance Rescue saves dogs that have no other options. These dogs often have medical or behavioral concerns. Second Chance relies entirely on foster homes. They do adoptions on Saturdays from Earth Pets, by the mall.
Contact Info
352-363-1364
Faithful Friends
Faithful Friends focuses on providing excellent foster care while finding the perfect home for every dog that they rescue. They have had over 3,000 successful dog and cat adoptions in the Gainesville area since 2018.
Contact Info
Florida Rottweiler Rescue Ranch
Florida Rottweiler Rescue Ranch and Sanctuary is a non-profit, no-kill organization dedicated to providing sanctuary and medical care for abused, medically needy, and older Rottweilers. They rescue dogs at risk of euthanasia from shelters, assist owners unable to care for their pets, and support military families relocating.
Contact Info
941-822-2762
5815 N County Road 225, Gainesville, FL 32609
Nearby Resources Outside Alachua County
Puppy Hill Farms
Puppy Hill Farms operates through foster homes and rescues dogs from Animal Services like other rescues, but they also have a sanctuary for unadoptable dogs. As part of the Maddie’s Pet Rescue Project, Puppy Hill Farms supports “no-kill” Alachua county initiatives.
Contact Info
352-478-1444
8714 SR 21, Melrose, Florida 32666
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Williston Animal Group
Williston Animal Group (WAG) is a non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of dogs in their community. They primarily rescue dogs from high-kill shelters and collaborate with other rescue organizations in the region to find them fosters and forever homes.
Contact Info
352-528-9888
1804 SW 18th St, Williston, Florida 32696, United States
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Ewenity Farm Herding Dog Haven
Ewenity Farm Herding Dog Haven has been a foster-based rescue organization since 2011 specializing in herding breeds such as Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, and Corgis. All their adoptable dogs are microchipped, spayed/neutered, and vaccinated. They typically gather lots of information about each dog before placing it for adoption. Note that they are currently not accepting owner surrenders. They pull most of their dogs from rural shelters.
Contact Info
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Should your rescue be on this list? Let me know!