Pets of the Month

These are just a few of the animals at MEHS awaiting their forever family.  Your next best friend may be waiting for you!  Won't you be one of elite families that helps us save more than 1,000 animals each year?

How to See Our Adoptable Animals

1. Visit our shelter during business hours (listed above).  We are open every day for your convenience.

2. Attend an off-site adoption event - we are at PetsMart in O'Fallon, IL on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 11 am to 3 pm.

3. View our available at See Our Animals

The Adoption Process / Fees

All potential adopters must complete an adoption questionnaire and be approved by our adoption counselors.  Adoption of some special needs animals may require a home visit prior to adoption.  Adoption fees are $130.

If adopters are 60 years or older, they can participate in the

Purina® Pets for Seniors discount program which lowers the

adoption fee to $80. 

What the Adoption Fee Includes:

Adopted pets have received the following services:

Dog / Puppy

Initial DHLPP vaccination

Bordatella vaccination

Rabies vaccination *

Deworming

Spay / Neuter

Microchip and Registration

Heartworm test (dogs over 6 months old)

Collar / Leash / ID Tag

Cat / Kitten

Initial FVRCP vaccination

Rabies vaccination *

Deworming

Spay / Neuter

Microchip and Registration

FIV / Leukemia test

Collar / ID Tag

Cardboard Carrier

* If an adopted pet does not already have a rabies vaccination, we pay the $12 expense.

A typical owner would pay $200 to $300 for the same services.

Why do we charge an adoption fee?

We are asked sometime why we don't give animals away, if we really want to find them homes.

Our adoption fee serves 2 purposes.

First, it helps to defray some of the costs of operating the shelter.  About 1/3 of our costs are recovered through adoption fees.  We do not receive any funding from local, state or federal government agencies.  We also do not receive funding from any national welfare organizations.

Second, we want to place animals in homes with adopters who are able and willing to pay the normal expense incurred with owning a pet.  Our adoption fee is approximately equal to the cost of an annual exam and vaccinations for a healthy pet.  Owning a pet is a lifetime economic commitment.

If you have more questions about adopting from MEHS, please contact us at adopt@mehs.org.