About Us

Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC) was established as the first city pound on June 5, 1902. Since then, it has served as the only open-admission public animal shelter in the City of Richmond. We provide humane care for more than 3,000 stray, sick, injured, and relinquished pets per year. Our focus is on keeping owned animals out of the shelter environment and instead offering pet owners a variety of rehoming options and resources to find placement for their pet(s). With such a great need for immediate intervention with stray, sick, and injured animals in our area, our ability to take in surrendered animals is limited, and we operate on a case-by-case basis when the space and resources are available in this regard.

While we seek to help every pet that comes into our care, there are instances where humane euthanasia is the only option. When an animal is considered a danger to the community or is suffering due to a severe medical condition, we believe the most responsible and compassionate option is humane euthanasia. First and foremost, our commitment is to public safety and ending unnecessary suffering. RACC is not considered a "no-kill" animal shelter and does not subscribe to this label. However, we never humanely euthanize animals due to space or length of stay.

Our Animal Control unit investigates animal cruelty, enforces humane laws, and issues pet licenses/permits. These services include the enforcement of City ordinances related to animals, removal of killed or injured animals/wildlife, impoundment of stray pets, and investigation of animal-related neglect, cruelty, nuisance, and bite cases.

RACC's City budget covers basic operational needs at the shelter, but does not allow for extensive emergency medical surgery or treatment rendered for each animal in need. That is where the RACC Foundation comes into play. The RACC Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to our animal shelter, which supports the costs of critical emergency care for our shelter animals, and increases marketing and outreach efforts through fundraising and volunteer coordination. Together, RACC and The Foundation are passionate about saving lives and are excited to share the many inspiring stories of compassion towards our City's most vulnerable animals. Please follow us on Facebook, and keep an eye out for our upcoming fundraising and adoption events!