Shelter
Ayres Memorial Animal Shelter
Mission
Ayres Memorial Animal Shelter is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, privately funded public service organization, with educational implications, and dedicated to humane treatment of all animals.
We consider service to animals our top priority. We offer a haven to stray, unwanted, unidentified, and lost animals brought in by the Dog Control Officers of the towns and municipalities in western Montgomery County with which the Shelter has contracts. In addition, privately owned animals are accepted from individuals when space is available.
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Dogs and cats are kept until suitable homes are found.  We set no time limit on how long we will care for any adoptable animal. We are very flexible with this regard.
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We release animals in our care only to responsible owners.
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The animal shelter is not a boarding kennel.
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We do not euthanize animals for their owners; this is the responsibility of the owner and his/her veterinarian.
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We do not "pick up" dogs and cats. It is the duty of the Dog Control Officer to answer calls on lost, strayed or unidentified animals.
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We are not a branch of the Montgomery County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and therefore do not answer calls on animal abuse, neglect, cruelty, etc directly. Instead we advise the caller to contact an appropriate law enforcement agency such as the New York State Police, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the local police department, or the Montgomery County SPCA.
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We make every effort to return lost dogs and cats to owners.
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We have a lost dog/cat service. If your animal is missing, notify us immediately, giving the shelter Manager the circumstance, description of the animal, our name and telephone number. The Manager will have practical suggestions for you to follow, will post the information you have provided on the Shelter bulletin board, and will watch for the appearance of the lost animal as a new entrant at the shelter and notify you if it appears.
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We work in close harmony with town and village governments, recommending to the Town particularly the necessity of bringing all Town dog census lists up to date so that all owners are accounted for and so that revenues from dog licensing may be applied to Dog Control Officer salaries; contact charges from the Animal Shelter; and temporary/emergency housing facilities for animals when delivery to the Shelter would be difficult.
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We are not government funded. We depend on the public for financial donations as well as donations of dog and cat food, litter, bedding materials, pet toys, cleaning supplies, etc. Volunteers are always welcome and needed to groom and walk dogs, assist with normal chores , help with office records and fund raising, and much more.
Adoption Policy
Dog Adoption Fee: $150
The adoption fee includes: Rabies Vaccination, Duramune Max 5 Distemper Vaccination, Microchipping, Heartworm/Lyme Testing, Lyme and/or Heartworm Treatment if needed, Neuter/Spay, Deworming and Flea Treatment if needed.
Puppy Adoption Fee: $100 adoption fee + varying spay/neuter deposit by weight.
The adoption fee includes: Age appropriate vaccinations and dewormings. Puppies are not adopted out until at least 8 weeks of age. *The spay/neuter deposit is refunded when your adopted puppy is altered at your own vet, or applied to our clinic at Ayres.
Cat Adoption Fee: $50
The adoption fee includes: Rabies Vaccination, Fel-O-Vax IV Distemper Vaccination, FIV/FELV testing, Neuter/Spay, Deworming and Flea Treatment if needed.
Kitten Adoption Fee: $15 + varying spay/neuter deposit = $95 total for females, $65 Total for males.
The adoption fee includes: Age appropriate vaccinations and dewormings. FIV/FELV testing. *The spay/neuter deposit is refunded when your adopted kitten is altered at your own vet, or applied to our clinic at Ayres.
Finding our animals their perfect forever home is extremely important to everyone at Ayres. We do our best to match potential adopters with dogs who would best fit into their families and we pride ourselves in being completely honest when it comes to each animal and any quirks they may have. We understand that finding a new pet and adding them to your home can be a lot, and we strive to help make it as easy and happy of a process as possible!
If you see a dog/cat you see on our site, you can stop up anytime during open hours to meet that dog. It is always a good idea to call ahead of time, or even email us to find out if that dog is still available, if you have any questions you want to know before coming out or if you just want to see if that dog is a good fit for you or you for them. If a dog’s bio says that they require an appointment to meet them, it is either because they are in a foster home, or are still working on meeting new people and require our trainer to be present for the meet and greet.
Once you (and everyone in your home) meet the dog/cat you are interested in, we do have an adoption application that everyone has to fill out to begin the screening process.
For Dogs Only: If you didn’t do a meet and greet with any other dogs in the home, we do take that step next, too. Just like people. dogs don’t always hit it off, so a meet and greet always has to be done to ensure they are a good match for one another.
Once the adoption paperwork has been gone over, and everything looks great then we schedule a home visit with the dog to make sure all animals get along in the home and that it is a good place for said dog to call home. Don’t worry, we are absolutely NOT critical on home visits. Just want to make sure that it is safe for our dogs to live in.
