The directory below is organized for practical outreach for organizations for rescued animals. It includes national organizations and established regional shelters and rescue groups. It is not a verified ranking from largest to smallest; public data on animal intake, adoptions, budgets, and geographic reach are not directly comparable.
Each website is a starting point for finding its official contact page, donation information, or partnership team.
National organizations
| # | Organization | Main location / reach | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASPCA | National | aspca.org |
| 2 | Best Friends Animal Society | National; Kanab, Utah | bestfriends.org |
| 3 | North Shore Animal League America | Port Washington, New York | animalleague.org |
| 4 | Humane World for Animals | National | humaneworld.org |
| 5 | American Humane Society | National | americanhumane.org |
| 6 | Petfinder Foundation | National; supports shelters and rescues | petfinderfoundation.com |
| 7 | Petco Love | National; animal welfare grants and partnerships | petcolove.org |
| 8 | Greater Good Charities | National and international | greatergood.org |
| 9 | The Animal Rescue Site | Online animal welfare campaigns | theanimalrescuesite.com |
| 10 | RedRover | National; animals in crisis | redrover.org |
Major shelters and adoption organizations
| # | Organization | Main location | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Massachusetts SPCA-Angell | Boston, Massachusetts | mspca.org |
| 12 | Animal Humane Society | Twin Cities, Minnesota | animalhumanesociety.org |
| 13 | Denver Dumb Friends League | Denver, Colorado | ddfl.org |
| 14 | San Diego Humane Society | San Diego, California | sdhumane.org |
| 15 | Arizona Humane Society | Phoenix, Arizona | azhumane.org |
| 16 | Oregon Humane Society | Portland and Salem, Oregon | oregonhumane.org |
| 17 | Michigan Humane | Detroit and southeastern Michigan | michiganhumane.org |
| 18 | Humane Society of Utah | Murray, Utah | utahhumane.org |
| 19 | Operation Kindness | Carrollton, Texas | operationkindness.org |
| 20 | Helen Woodward Animal Center | Rancho Santa Fe, California | animalcenter.org |
The official websites for organizations such as Best Friends, Operation Kindness, and Helen Woodward provide dedicated contact information and department details.
Best Friends Animal Society+2
Large regional and community rescue organizations
| # | Organization | Main location | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Austin Pets Alive! | Austin, Texas | austinpetsalive.org |
| 22 | PAWS Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | pawschicago.org |
| 23 | Lifeline Animal Project | Atlanta, Georgia | lifelineanimal.org |
| 24 | Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters | Alpharetta, Georgia | furkids.org |
| 25 | Operation Paws for Homes | Mid-Atlantic region | ophrescue.org |
| 26 | SPCA of Texas | Dallas, Texas | spca.org |
| 27 | Humane Society of North Texas | Fort Worth, Texas | hsnt.org |
| 28 | Houston SPCA | Houston, Texas | houstonspca.org |
| 29 | Houston Humane Society | Houston, Texas | houstonhumane.org |
| 30 | Louisiana SPCA | New Orleans, Louisiana | laspca.org |
| 31 | Nashville Humane Association | Nashville, Tennessee | nashvillehumane.org |
| 32 | Charleston Animal Society | Charleston, South Carolina | charlestonanimalsociety.org |
| 33 | Humane Society of Tampa Bay | Tampa, Florida | humanesocietytampa.org |
| 34 | Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando | Orlando, Florida | petallianceorlando.org |
| 35 | Atlanta Humane Society | Atlanta, Georgia | atlantahumane.org |
| 36 | Nevada Humane Society | Reno, Nevada | nevadahumanesociety.org |
| 37 | Humane Society of Boulder Valley | Boulder, Colorado | boulderhumane.org |
| 38 | Seattle Humane | Bellevue, Washington | seattlehumane.org |
| 39 | Maryland SPCA | Baltimore, Maryland | mdspca.org |
| 40 | Animal Rescue League of Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | arlboston.org |
Specialized rescue and animal welfare groups
| # | Organization | Main location / reach | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Hope for Paws | Los Angeles, California; street rescues | hopeforpaws.org |
| 42 | The Sato Project | Puerto Rico and the continental U.S. | thesatoproject.org |
| 43 | Wings of Rescue | Nationwide animal transport | wingsofrescue.org |
| 44 | Big Dog Ranch Rescue | Loxahatchee Groves, Florida | bdrr.org |
| 45 | Villalobos Rescue Center | Louisiana; pit bull rescue | vrcpitbull.com |
| 46 | Muddy Paws Rescue | New York City | muddypawsrescue.org |
| 47 | Badass Animal Rescue | New York City and surrounding region | badassanimalrescue.com |
| 48 | Northwest Animal Companions | Pacific Northwest | nwac-rescue.org |
| 49 | Operation Catnip | Gainesville, Florida; community cats | operationcatnip.org |
| 50 | Alley Cat Allies | National; community cat welfare | alleycat.org |
Note: The last group includes specialized rescues and animal welfare organizations, not just traditional dog-and-cat shelters.