spcaLA South Bay Pet Adoption Center

I adopted Laya (now Pixie) in December 2015. They did a great job with the arrangements — i.e. getting her spayed, shots, etc. She was already housebroken and took well to our first obedience class. She’s a smart dog and my new best friend. Thank you spcaLA South Bay for taking care of Pixie until I found her.

I adopted my cats with them. They do an awesome job. A week ago I founded with a friend 4 kittens and their mum lost in a parking lot and they helped me with that. Amazing!

I adopted my grey and stylish feline from this location. She was at the kittenpalooza adoption event a few years back. SPCALA THANK you so much for uniting me with my soul mate. At the event I only had to pay $ 18 for my cat. This was the best $ 18 I have ever spent in my life. I highly recommend adopting here. I think it is wonderful that this is a non-​kill shelter. It was so comforting to know that if I had an issue with my new feline friend I could bring her back and she would not be put down. Of course I didn’t have to give my baby back because she is literally perfect in every way. Thanks again SPCALA. I LOVE YOU.

I brought in a dog I found in Hawthorne and I was extremely disappointed to find out that he had been «humanely euthanized» the same exact day he was supposed to be up for adoption. DO NOT TRUST THEM. They are supposed to help animals in need but they didn’t even give my little rescue a chance to find a home.

I found a dog in Hawthorne and was told by two local rescues that I was to bring him to the shelter where his owner may find him. Because he had a microchip, I was told I would have to wait 14 days before I could adopt him if his owner did not come for him. I came several times to the shelter to see him and was told I could not because he would be stressed out. I had this guy in my home for three days and against my better judgement, took him to the shelter. He was scared when I first caught him, but settled down when he knew he was safe. 3 hours before the 14 day hold was up, I called to see when I could pick up this little dog and was told he was humanely euthanized. He was killed. My name was on his record, I had two rescues willing to help me and now this poor dog who trusted me is dead. They claim to be no-​kill — they are not — they kill before they are legally allowed to and even when a dog has a home. Shame on you. RIP sweet boy.

We visited a few places before adopting our dog from spcaLA. We visited a few places that denied us from adopting due to our work schedule of 9 – 5. I understood why they did not like that but a lot of people on a normal schedule work 40 hours a week. Those places also charge more than double the adoption fee of other places. spcaLA was understandable and all the staff we encountered were very friendly. They seemed to really care about the animals and gave us as much detail as they could to make our transition easier. Our dog is doing very well and we appreciate spcaLA for being a well organized organization.

I adopted a dog last week from this shelter. She’s a pit/​lab or boxer/​pit mix. Not sure. But i hit the jackpot with this one. I waited 2 years, and met with countless adoption agencies. I must’ve met at least 20 dogs. None of them seem to fit with our family. I have a 5 year old and 17 year old kids. They were my first priority in adopting a dog. Plus I have 2 older cats. I couldn’t find a dog that was ok with kids and cats. Well, I finally found her. She’s the best dog ever! We named her Kaia and couldn’t be more pleased with her manners, training, and unconditional love. This shelter was so helpful and everyone was so kind. They new each personality of every animal in there and were so helpful. (Had to talk the husband into it) if you’re looking for a dog or cat I highly recommend this shelter. Plus it’ll give them room to bring another animal that could end up euthanized into there facility. Thank you, yukon shelter for this great gift!

Truly amazing place thank you so very much for the service you provide to the community as well as the contributions you provide to our little furbabies. You guys have changed my life for the better thank you so very much.

After a bad experience with a local German Shepherd breeder (Stay far far away from Thinschmidts German Shepherds in Corona, CA. Such a horrible, untrustworthy business!), we decided to look elsewhere for our new family member. A friend alerted us to a post on Facebook that showed the SPCALA had recently gotten in several adult German Shepherds. We decided we were too old for a puppy so an adult dog was just what we were looking for. We took a trip down to visit the dogs. It’s obvious they have been doing some work to the facility to help update it and make it nicer for the dogs. The volunteer helping us was a little new but you could tell he loved his job and the animals there. The dogs we met were sweet but we didn’t end up adopting any of them. My wife and I were not expecting much from a shelter but were pleasantly surprised. Check them out!

I visited the South Bay SPCA to look at a kitten. While I opted for a mature kitty at another location, I must say that this was one of the very best run facilities for adoptable pets I have ever visited. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. The environment for the pets was engaging and fun. If you are looking for a pet, you will find well cared for pets at the South Bay Pet Adoption Center,

We adopted our diva (chiwawa mix) two months ago. She is the light in our home and she was an underdog. She was older and there a long time. The staff really cares and knows their dogs.

Love this place because I like the way how they treat the cats. The cats are not in the cages at all. I just love it! In addition, my boyfriend and I adopted a cat from spcaLA 2 years ago. We love him so much.

All I know is, this is a special place that is filled with love and good vibes. We adopted our kitty about a year and half ago, and she’s been wonderful. Funny story, we adopted our adorable Dilute kitty doll here and she is just great. Most importantly, she is well taken care of and loved.
Very inviting kitty area and you can tell the staff is very in tune with the animals, because they got my girl’s temperament down. I love the sitting room where the kittens can jump on you and love on you. It’s also pretty good for kids, provided that they are a certain age and you just have to be patient with them. Overall, highly recommend if you’d like to choose a furry friend as your companion.

Don’t let the outside building looks deceive you. My bf and I decided to adopt a cat and after hunting around the different pet stores, we decided to go straight to the shelter. So this review is only on the cat area since I never stepped through the «doggie door»
I was so surprised to find the cat area with so many happy cats walking around and playing rather than sadly sitting in cages. There was a separate area for kittens too. The volunteers were really helpful in knowing each one of the cats and being able to talk about their personalities. There are little profile cards on each cat that has their background (where they were found or if they were dropped off by an owner), their age, if he/​she is already fixed, and other pieces of info on their personality such as if they’re good with other animals, good with kids, if they like to be groomed, if they like to play, etc. which was pretty helpful. We found the purrfect one – that’s right, I said it – pretty quickly when she came up to us and started playing, and especially when she let us hold her pretty easily.
The adoption process was pretty straightforward, however if you’re in an apartment it’s critical that you have your landlord’s # and copy of lease ready that indicates that it’s ok for you to have pets inside the apartment. For a kitten under 1 years it was about $ 95 for all the shots and vaccinations. I think it’s cheaper for older cats, they need love too!
The adoption also comes with a microchip that they insert into the animal which you’ll have to register later online. They also have the animal’s medical history since they took in him/​her in and give you a voucher for a free vet follow up during the week. Also, they insist that you keep the cat indoors forever (which we planned on doing anyway) to ensure you don’t lose him/​her.
Cheers to Arya, the newest love of our life!

The staff here are all very nice, helpful, knowledgeable, and not just want what’s best for the adoptable animal, but for everyone else in your household as well. My bf found a terrier mix that he really wanted and was a good age and size for our Chihuahua mix. But they warned us that he wasn’t good around other dogs. However, we still wanted to see if that was the case so they allowed us to have a meet and greet in the same day and even explained to us what behaviors the terrier was displaying that could cause our dog stress. Although, we were sad about not being able to bring home the dog we wanted, we definitely learned from the experience and are now more aware.
The facility is also very clean, easy to navigate, organized, and the animals do seem to be much better taken care of than at other shelters we have visited. There were also a good selection of different size, age, and breed of dogs available.

We were looking for a kitten but ended up adopting a black cat. The kittens and the cats are in separate socialization rooms so you can get to play with them and know them. One cat just kept jumping in my daughter’s lap, so we knew he chose us. Black cats are harder to adopt, so we adopted Sebastian first… and then a month later, another black cat who had been there for a while. They were actually older kittens as they were not yet a year.
Allison really helped us, they do ask a lot of questions but this is because they want to make sure that the animals are well loved and cared for. After adopting both Sebastian and Merlin, we started photographing animals to help them find homes through their wonderful training program.
If you aren’t able to adopt a dog or cat, you can foster short term. Or you can volunteer at the shelter petting cats and helping train dogs so that they will be adopted quickly. They have a wonderful program that rewards good behavior so that the pets are socialized and trained during their stay there.
Check out their website
The South Bay location is actually in Hawthorne and it is smaller than the sister shelter in Long Beach. Both provide excellent training for the pets you adopt as well as resource information for anything you need. You adopt a pet, but you are assured they tell you everything they know so you make an informed decision… and they also support you after the process if you have questions or concerns.
I adopted there, and now I volunteer. I really enjoy fostering kittens and helping out with adoption fairs. Try it… you will be glad you did.

We have been looking for a Rottweiler to adopt and my wife saw one on Good Day LA this morning. We visited the shelter to see the dog and everyone was friendly and helpful, until they scrutinized my honestly-​filled-​out questionnaire. Evidently if you don’t want your dog living in your house full-​time, spcaLA won’t approve you for adoption. We have previously owned two Rottweilers who were integral members of our family, but slept outside. (They’re animals, not people.)
I understand they’re trying to protect animals from being adopted out for nefarious purposes, but it’s a little ridiculous that they wouldn’t take our past history into account. We had better luck with Orange County Animal Care, where we got our last Rottie. But hey, if spcaLA thinks euthanizing animals is preferable to having them sleep outside, who am I to argue?

My wife and I have been searching for the perfect addition to our family for years. We decided, years ago, that a pug was the perfect breed of dog for us. Here is our story about how SPCA LA helped up find the one, and they didn’t have to do anything but exist.
It has been something that I’ve always liked to do. Visiting the local pet shelter and looking at the pups & hoping every time that I would just stumble across the perfect one. My wife and I just moved to Los Angeles a few months ago. For my birthday, she decided to take me to the local shelter in Hawthorne to look at the animals.
As we were looking at a little terrier, I happened to look to the left and see a little one year old pug head stick out. We rushed to the cage. Asked them to get him out and, after 30 minutes of playing with him, we adopted the perfect pug for us.
He goes to the vet to get neutered on Monday, and we will bring him home Wednesday.
Infamous «One-​Sentence» Review of SPCA LA.
Thank you for helping us to find Nicholson. the perfect addition to our family.
(Okay. That was two, but WELL worth it.)

One of my friends was interested in adopting a dog, so we came here during lunch one day. The set up is pretty much the same as in all animal shelters. One room for the cats and another room for the dogs. Free street parking out front.
This place has about 14 or so stalls for dogs. Actually there was one stall for just a bunny.
The major difference between the place and other animal shelters is the smell. This place wasn’t stinky like other shelters I’ve been in. And the dogs all seem pretty happy.
Another good thing about this place is that the dogs here go through a TLC program which deals with little kids. What happens is the elementary school kids train the dogs so that they’re housetrained and are able to recognize commands.
The staff is friendly. See what dogs are available for adoption here:

This location (Hawthorne) is truly dedicated to the welfare of all animals. Their mission is preventing violence toward animals through law enforcement, education, advocacy and Intervention. They also offer awesome programs and services.
My daughter and 9 of her classmates just completed the TLC program. Teaching Love and Compassion (TLC) a six-​week long, intensive after-​school program run in collaboration with her elementary school. TLC is a violence prevention and intervention program; it aims to teach empathy and respect for all living beings through a combination of dog training and humane education. During the program they spend about half of their program time learning about important topics which include spaying and neutering, animal welfare, grooming, anger management, public speaking and conflict resolution. With the guidance of the TLC staff students were able to spend the other half of their program time training shelter dogs.
The TLC program and staff rock!!!
This kennel has some AWESOME dogs that would make your heart melt. I encourage anyone considering a new pet to take the time and visit this location. This kennel is much smaller than many others but the staff is friendly, knowledgeable and very sincere about their work.
spcaLA is a non-​profit organization and spcaLA does not receive funding from any federal, state or local government agency. Financial support for the organization’s humane programs is provided solely by donations.