COVID-19 Updates
UPDATE 08/09/2021
The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society has begun Phase 3 towards opening back up to what we were pre-COVID.
Surrenders: We are accepting owner surrenders by appointment only. Please call 605-338-4441.
Adoptions: Pre-scheduled adoption appointments only. Applications may be filled out in the lobby or online. Same-day appointments are not guaranteed.
Volunteering: Please submit your application via the volunteer page on our website. Service groups and tours are available upon request. Please contact
danap@sfhumanesociety.com
UPDATE 06/07/2021The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society has begun Phase 2 towards opening back up to what we were pre-COVID.
Surrenders: We are accepting owner surrenders through our night receiving area, as well as stray animals. If you have multiple surrenders please call 605-338-4441 so we can make proper arrangements.
Adoptions: Pre-scheduled adoption appointments in-person or curbside adoption at this time. Masks are required in the building for all individuals.
Volunteering: Please submit your application via the volunteer page on our website. On-site service groups and tours are limited to 6 or less. If you wish to do a service project for the humane society off-site, please contact
Dana, our volunteer coordinator for a list of projects!
UPDATE 02/09/2021
The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society will remain closed to the public until further notice, and continue with curbside adoptions. We are working through what our plan for opening will be. We will post notices on social media and our website when we plan to reopen. Thank you for supporting us during this time!
Surrenders: We are accepting owner surrenders through our night receiving area, as well as stray animals. If you have multiple surrenders please call 605-338-4441 so we can make proper arrangements.
Adoptions: Curbside adoption only at this time.
Volunteering: Volunteer orientations are currently on hold. Please submit your application via the volunteer page on our website. On-site service groups and tours are still on hold at this time. If you wish to do a service project for the humane society off-site, please contact
Dana, our volunteer coordinator for a list of projects!
UPDATE 10/13/2020
The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society will remain closed to the public until further notice, and continue with curbside adoptions. We are working through what our plan for opening will be. We will post notices on social media and our website when we plan to reopen. Thank you for supporting us during this time!
Surrenders: We are accepting owner surrenders through our night receiving area, as well as stray animals. If you have multiple surrenders please call 605-338-4441 so we can make proper arrangements.
Adoptions: Curbside adoption only at this time.
Volunteering: Volunteer orientations are being scheduled for one-on-one orientation. Please submit your application via the volunteer page on our website. On-site service groups and tours are still on hold at this time. If you wish to do a service project for the humane society off-site, please contact
Dana, our volunteer coordinator for a list of projects!
UPDATE 06/15/2020
The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society will remain closed to the public until further notice, and continue with curbside adoptions. We are working through what our plan for opening will be. We will post notices on social media and our website when we plan to reopen. Thank you for supporting us during this time!
Surrenders: We are accepting owner surrenders through our night receiving area, as well as stray animals. If you have multiple surrenders please call 605-338-4441 so we can make proper arrangements.
Adoptions: Curbside adoption only at this time.
Volunteering: Volunteer orientations, service groups, and tours are still on hold at this time.
UPDATE 05/21/2020
The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society will remain closed to the public until further notice, and continue with curbside adoptions. We will post notices on social media and our website when we plan to reopen. Thank you for supporting us during this time!
UPDATE 04/24/2020
Be an informed pet parent and have a plan ready! See more here
UPDATE: 3/30/2020
As we continue to respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation, we wanted to share an update on the steps we are taking. Our priority has always been the health and safety of our animals, staff, volunteers, and our community. In this spirit and in response to the most recent recommendations from our government leaders about slowing the spread of COVID-19 and minimizing the risks to the most vulnerable among us, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the shelter and limit all non-urgent services to the public until further notice.
To help the animals that are currently in our care we have launched a curbside adoption program for the time being. Learn more here.
UPDATE: 3/17/2020
As we continue to respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation, we wanted to share an update on the steps we are taking. Our priority has always been the health and safety of our animals, staff, volunteers, and our community. In this spirit and in response to the most recent recommendations from our government leaders about slowing the spread of COVID-19 and minimizing the risks to the most vulnerable among us, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the shelter and limit all non-urgent services to the public through at least Tuesday, March 31.
The shelter will be closed to visitors starting Wednesday, March 18th. This includes adoption and surrender services. Appointments for surrender/intake services will be placed on hold. Our night receiving intake will still be open for stray animals. Should you need to pick up a missing pet, the city building next to the humane society will be open limited hours of 11am-2pm and 4-5:30pm each day, with no exceptions. Should you have an animal emergency, please contact metro communications at 367-7000.
Please be assured that we will not, under any circumstance, leave an animal in harm’s way. While we are closed to the public, our animals will continue to receive the very best care from our medical and animal care teams. From walks, meals, outdoor playtime, and lots of chin scratches – our dedicated staff will tend to their every need. In preparation for this decision, we started proactively managing the number of animals in our care by reducing intake and increasing adoptions. Over the past week, 55 animals were adopted into new homes.
We continue to closely monitor all CDC and local health authority updates as the situation continues to evolve – and we will use these recommendations to inform our decisions. We’ll keep you updated on any changes to our plans by our website and social media. Our focus remains on keeping you and our entire community safe and healthy while providing the best possible care for our animals.
We know this is a concerning time and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns, through email or on social media.
As always, thank you for everything you do for the animals. ❤️
UPDATE: 3/16/2020
As of March 17th, the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society continues to remain open during business hours. We will try and continue this as much as we are able.
In order to continue to provide needed services to the community, the shelter is open only to those that are utilizing adoption or have made an appointment for intake/surrender services.
Animal emergencies are continuing as needed in the field. If you see an emergency, please call 367-7000 and your calls will be dispatched.
We are taking as many steps as possible to keep our employees and volunteers safe. We need to be here for the animals!
We want to emphasize our support of the recommendation of social distancing and avoiding crowds. If you have recently traveled, have a cold or cough, or have had an illness with fever, please stay home and get well. We certainly do not want to put anyone at risk!
While we normally welcome school groups, tours, service groups and more, we are NOT allowing that for at least the rest of the month, and we will review as needed. If you come to utilize our adoption services or have made an appointment for intake/surrender services, please be respectful, utilize our sanitizing stations and keep personal space, so that our staff can continue to provide the best care possible for the animals that need us.
We will continue to monitor the CDC recommendations and give any updates about hours, volunteering, and events for next month as we can.
Original Post - 3/13/2020
**Visitation for SFAHS March 14th – 27th**
The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society is focused on protecting the health and well-being of the animals in our care, as well as our staff, volunteers, and the entire community. Our services will continue as normal as possible for the time being.
We are asking the public to refrain from visiting the shelter unless you are committed to adopting the same-day. Our website will remain active during this time should you want to see who is currently available. You are able to submit pre-screen application profile through our website, and for this limited time, we will call you to approve your profile or ask questions.
If you see an animal emergency, please call Metro Communications at 367-7000 and your call will be dispatched.
You can also call the shelter front office staff to set up an appointment to visit animals for adoption during this time, but remember, you must be an interested adopter to visit, and have an approved application.
We will keep an acute awareness of our normal cleaning and sanitizing protocols, which are designed to limited disease transmission, but we need the community's cooperation and support to continue to offer our services during this time. We have implemented increased cleanings and disinfecting of all spaces, not permitting any sick staff or volunteers to come to SFAHS, and following CDC workplace guidelines. We want to take every precaution we can while balancing our lifesaving work for the animals. If you are feeling ill, please do not visit the shelter for the health and well-being of our staff and volunteers.
We are choosing social distancing whenever possible as we monitor the situation, so if you do come to the shelter please use the hand sanitizer, respect personal space and let’s elbow bump or air high five instead of shaking hands! We could all learn a few new tricks now and then. We thank you for your understanding, and stay well!
