Shelter
River Bluff Humane Society
Mission
The River Bluff Humane Society is a private, non-profit organization established September 15, 1983. A hand full of dedicated volunteers saw the need for a Humane Society and took it upon themselves to help the stray, abandoned, sick and homeless animals in the area.
In the Spring of 1990, we began building our current shelter at 1213 Brick Ave. in Red Wing. In February of 1991, we welcomed the first animals into the shelter, no longer relying solely on foster homes. It soon became apparent that a larger facility would be needed to meet all of our needs and began our building addition in the summer of 2002.
We are currently able to house 100 animals, including litters of puppies and kittens. Our facility now has 16 indoor/outdoor kennels for adoption dogs with heated cement floors in the winter and air conditioning for those hot summer months.
Since 2012 we have been making improvements based on the Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians to not only provide the minimum standards but to work towards the ideal. We are continuously striving to do better and to improve the lives of the animals in our care.
Adoption Policy
1. Adopters must be 18 years of age or older and must have a valid government-issued ID.
2. Other animals in the home where the adopted animal is to live must be current on vaccinations and spayed
or neutered.
3. The owner of the property where the animal is to live must give consent for the animal to live on the
property. This means that renters must provide their landlord’s contact information so that we can verify
that the pet is allowed in the rental.
4. The adopter must be in compliance with local pet ordinances. RBHS will not adopt animals into a home
when doing so would cause that home to be out of compliance. Ordinances may include limits on numbers
of animals, species/breed restrictions, and vaccination or licensing requirements and vary from one
city/county/state to another.
5. The adopter must be financially able to provide for the animal’s particular needs. This is determined on a
case by case basis in relation to the animal.
6. The home must be an appropriate fit for the animal’s needs. This is determined on a case by case basis
since all animals and homes are different.
7. Our animals are available on a first-come, first served basis. An approved application does not guarantee
that an animal will still be available in the future or that it will be held for an approved adopter. You can
read more about our hold policies here. Also, an approved application for one animal does not guarantee
that an RBHS Application for Adoption will be approved by the same adopter for another animal.
8. All dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens are spayed or neutered prior to adoption. Other species are generally
altered as well though some (such as birds) may not be.
9. All of our animals have detailed records of their time in our shelter and what we know about them prior to
their arrival here. All of that information will be passed on to adopters.
10. To the best of our knowledge, the animals we place up for adoption are healthy with no communicable
diseases though sometimes the stress of moving into a new home can cause minor issues (such as diarrhea
in dogs and cats, or cold-like upper respiratory illnesses in cats.) Any known health issues or physical
abnormalities that we know about will be disclosed prior to adoption.
11. All animals we place for adoption have been evaluated for their temperaments and any concerns will be
disclosed prior to adoption. We do not adopt out any animals that we assess to pose a danger to others. No
evaluation is perfect & we can’t always know how they will react in every situation so we encourage
adopters to be patient as they learn their new animal’s quirks.
12. We encourage communication regarding adopted animals and are happy to offer recommendations if any
issues arise.
13. We do not issue cash refunds for adoption fees if the adoption is not successful. We do issue credits that
can be used for another adoption, merchandise, or services if the animal is returned within the first 14 days
after adoption.
