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Whether I’m at work or traveling somewhere away from Maine, whenever people learn that I’m from Maine I almost always get asked the same questions - where are the best places to stay along the Maine coast or where are the best restaurants. However, one especially surprising question is often, where are the top animal shelters in Maine?

A Comprehensive List of Animal Shelters in Maine

Why am I covering Maine animal shelters on a camping and travel blog? That’s simple - apparently there are a lot of people who travel to Maine to find a new family pet. It may be the fact that many people consider Maine as one of the more clean and naturally beautiful states in the country, so it stands to reason that the animals that are born and raised here are healthy and free of the sort of illnesses or problems many animals experience that are born closer to urban sprawl and under the cloud of city smog and pollution.

For this reason, and because SpiritCamping stands for the spirit of the wilderness - which includes all living creatures - I’m going to offer the most comprehensive and complete list of animal shelters in Maine that you’ll find anywhere. Bookmark this page for quick reference later when you’re looking for a Maine pet, or forward it to a friend who lives in the Northeast and is hunting for a new, healthy cat or dog. This state has lots of them and they’re waiting for a warm and loving home.

When we were in college, my wife and I actually visited a fair number of animal shelters in Maine - mostly those in central Maine near Bangor, and also a fair number in Southern Maine. In those cases I’ll offer a little insight about what we found there in terms of condition of the buildings and pets. One thing I will say is that we’ve never walked into a Maine animal shelter that we didn’t think was clean or well managed. Maine shelters are some of the most well-run facilities in the country.

Maine Animals Looking for a Loving Home

Without further ado, and the reason you came here in the first place - a complete list of all animal shelters in this state.

• Greater Androscoggin Humane Society - This facility at 55 Strawberry Ave in Lewiston is not far from St. Mary’s Medical center. This new facility, built in 2007, takes in an average of 5,000 pets a year in this state that’s one of the most severely overpopulated in the country.
• Bangor Humane Society - This shelter is located at 693 Mt. Hope Avenue in Bangor, another hot spot in the state with a very high population of pets. We visited this facility often while attending the University of Maine at Orono and found it to be one of the best run shelters in the State.
• Coastal Humane Society - This building is located at 30 Range Road in Brunswick, Maine and helps an average of 2500 pets a year.
• The Ark - This smaller shelter at the corner of Mountain and Ellsworth Roads in Cherryfield is now supported by a thrift shop.
• Charley’s Strays - This very small no-kill shelter in Clinton, Maine is completely maxed out and usually has a waiting list for new pets.
• HART - This wonderful facility at 302 Range Road in Cumberland that offers all kinds of great events.
• P.E.T.S. - This is a small central Maine organization that promotes the sterilization of pets, and they also often have animals available for adoption.
• Harvest Hills - This beautiful building at 1389 Bridgton Rd in Fryeburg helps over 1000 Maine animals every year.
• Almost Home Rescue - This is an amazing animal rescue organization filled with tremendous volunteers who work hard to save the lives of these wonderful animals. Contact them if you have a nice home for one of these pets!
• Houlton Animal Shelter - This shelter located at 263 Callaghan Road in Houlton serves Houlton and surrounding communities.
• Penquis Animal Welfare Sanctuary - This shelter in Milo boasts an impressive 80% adoption success rate.
• Loyal Heart Puppy Rescue - This is another rescue organization that has a significant collection of dogs available for adoption.
• Another Chance Animal Rescue - This is another great small town shelter at 37 Market Street in North Berwick that’s supported by a storefront thrift store and private donations.
• Responsible Pet Care - If you’re in Norway and are looking for a cat, this is the place to visit.
• Dogs Deserve Better - This national dog rescue organization has a center in Portland
• Central Aroostook Humane Society - This humane society is located in Presque Isle, up in Aroostook County.
• Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League - This facility is located at 146 Camden St in Rockport.
• Humane Society of Knox County - This building, located at 65 Dexter Street Ext in Thomaston offers cats, dogs and lots of great community services.
• Symour’s Bird Refuge - If you’re into exotic birds, stop by this bird refuge at 204 Gray Road in West Cumberland.
• The Animal Welfare Society - This is the premier animal welfare organization in the State, located in West Kennebunk. They offer animals for adoption as well as fantastic community events, education and services.
• Canine Commitment - A great cat shelter in Gorham.
• Journey Home Dog Rescue - A fantastic national dog rescue organization based out of Portland.
• Franklin County Animal Shelter - You can find this Maine animal shelter at 550 Industry Road in Farmington
• SPCA of Hancock County - This is a shelter where you can adopt cats and dogs located at 141 Bar Harbor Road in Trenton
• Waterville Humane Society - This is another branch of the Humane Society located at 100 Webb Road in Waterville.
• Kennebec Valley Humane Society - This Humane Society shelter is located at 10 Pet Haven Lane in Augusta.
• Protectors of Animal Life Society (P.A.L.S.) - This wonderful society and shelter is located at 188 Case Road in Winthrop.

If you do decide to adopt from any one of these organizations, be sure to bring plenty of references and evidence that you take good care of any existing pets you have (documentation of shots and vet visits, for example). While you may be a little put off by the questions these volunteers may ask, it’s important to understand that these volunteers see animals hurt and suffering by humans every day. They know their animals, but they don’t know you - so be kind and polite, and let them see how much you love all animals.

Tags: facts about maine, maine resources, wildlife

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