Butchertown, Louisville, since 2009
There's more than one way to get an animal home
Most people find us because they want to adopt. Adoption is only one of the four doors, and the other three are what keep the first one open. Pick the one that fits your life right now.
Door one
Animals available today
Every animal here has been through our vet, is up to date on shots, and is already spayed or neutered. The rest of this week's thirty-eight are in foster or finishing medical care, so call us at (502) 958-0140 if you don't see your match. Filter by what actually matters in your house.
No one here matches all of those at once. Try clearing a filter, or call us at (502) 958-0140 and we'll tell you who's coming out of foster this week.
What happens next
Adoption takes about a week
We don't do same-day walk-out adoptions. One extra week of matching is the reason our animals stay home once they get there.
Apply online
Fifteen minutes, no fee. Tell us about your household, your other animals, and your landlord if you rent.
We call you
An adoption counselor calls within two business days. This is a conversation, not an interview, and you can ask us anything.
Meet in person
Come to the campus where your animal is staying. Bring the whole household, including any resident dog, so we can do a proper meet.
Go home
Sign, pay the fee, and take home the medical file plus the food they're already eating. We check in at day three and day thirty.
| Animal | Fee | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Puppies and kittens under 6 months | $175 | Spay or neuter, full vaccine series, microchip, deworming |
| Dogs 6 months to 7 years | $145 | Spay or neuter, vaccines, microchip, heartworm test, 30 days of prevention |
| Cats 6 months to 7 years | $95 | Spay or neuter, vaccines, microchip, FeLV and FIV test |
| Any animal 8 years or older | $50 | Everything above, plus a written summary of any ongoing condition |
| Rabbits and other small pets | $40 | Spay or neuter, wellness exam, starter hay and pellets |
| Second cat adopted the same day | $25 | Spay or neuter, vaccines, microchip, FeLV and FIV test |
| Bonded pair, adopted together | $95 | Everything above, for both cats. We never split a bonded pair. |
Fees cover roughly a third of what we spend per animal. Donors and our clinic cover the rest, which is why the fee doesn't go up when an animal needs more work.
Door two
Foster is the reason we can say yes
Our building holds 34 animals. Our foster homes hold the rest, and they're the only reason we can take a bottle litter or a dog recovering from surgery.
Most fosters keep an animal for three to five weeks. Some take one litter a year. Both are worth doing, and you tell us what you can handle.
What we cover
- All food, litter, bedding, bowls, and a crate or pen
- Every bit of vet care and every prescription, at our clinic
- An on-call foster line that a real person answers until 10pm
- Transport help if you can't get to Story Avenue
- A no-questions return within 48 hours if it isn't working
Foster application
Takes about five minutes. Our foster coordinator answers every application within three days.
Door three
Open shifts this month
Shifts are two to five hours and you sign up for the ones you want. There's no minimum and nobody is going to guilt you about a week off.
| Role | Campus | When | Open | Sign up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning dog walker | Butchertown | Mon to Fri, 7:00 to 9:00am | 3 spots | |
| Cat room socializer | Butchertown | Daily, 9:00 to 11:00am | 2 spots | |
| Satellite adoption host | East End | Saturdays, 11:00am to 3:00pm | 1 spot | |
| Laundry and dishes | Butchertown | Sundays, 4:00 to 6:00pm | 4 spots | |
| Transport driver | Varies | 2nd Sunday, 8:00am to 1:00pm | 2 spots | |
| Clinic check-in desk | Poplar Level | Tue and Thu, 7:15 to 11:00am | 2 spots |
Dog walking and transport are 18 and up. Everything else is 14 and up with an adult on the same shift.
Orientation dates
Everyone starts with one 90-minute orientation. Do it once and you're cleared for every role above.
Saturday, August 15
10:00am, Butchertown adoption center
Wednesday, August 26
6:30pm, Butchertown adoption center
Saturday, September 12
10:00am, Butchertown adoption center
Door four
Give
Adoption fees cover about a third of what an animal costs us. This is the other two thirds, and monthly gifts are what let us commit to a surgery before we know who's paying for it.
Open to the public
The clinic on Poplar Level
We opened the clinic in 2016 because the cheapest way to empty a shelter is to keep animals out of it. You don't have to adopt from us to use it.
Anyone in Jefferson County can book. There's no income check for spay and neuter, vaccines, or microchips.
Low-cost spay and neuter
Booked out about three weeks. Drop off at 7:30am, pick up the same afternoon.
- Cat, male$55
- Cat, female$75
- Dog under 40 lbs$110
- Dog 40 to 80 lbs$135
- Dog over 80 lbs$165
Walk-in vaccine clinic
Every second and fourth Saturday, 9:00am to noon. No appointment, first come first served.
- Rabies, one year$15
- DHPP, dogs$20
- FVRCP, cats$20
- Bordetella$18
- Nail trim while you wait$12
Microchip and registration
Takes two minutes and doesn't need sedation. We register the chip in the room so it's live before you leave.
- Chip plus lifetime registration$25
- Update an existing chipFree
- Scan a found animalFree
Pet food pantry
Free, no paperwork, no questions. Second and fourth Saturday at the Butchertown campus, 10:00am to 1:00pm.
- Dog or cat food, up to 30 daysFree
- Litter, one bag per householdFree
- Flea prevention, while supplies lastFree
Clinic appointments run through the front desk at (502) 958-0175. Emergencies go to a 24-hour hospital, not to us.
If you're the one who needs help
Surrender, intake, and found animals
These three get mixed up constantly, and picking the wrong one costs an animal days. Read the one that matches your situation.
I need to rehome my own animal
Start with the surrender line at (502) 958-0140, option 3. We're a managed-intake rescue, which means we take animals by appointment as space opens rather than turning them away at a door.
Before you surrender, ask us about the alternatives. Roughly a third of the calls we get end with the animal staying home.
- Behavior help: two free sessions with our trainer, on the phone or in person
- Cost help: the pantry, and payment plans on clinic work
- Housing help: a list of Louisville landlords who take large dogs
- Short-term boarding if you're in a crisis, up to 30 days
If surrender is still the right call, there's a $40 fee that we waive on request. Bring vet records and whatever food they're on.
I found a stray
Please scan for a microchip first. We scan for free at any campus during open hours, and no, you don't have to hand the animal over to do it.
- Get the animal somewhere safe and contained
- Bring them in for a free chip scan, or ask any vet to scan
- File a found report with Louisville Metro Animal Services, because that's where owners look first
- Post to the neighborhood groups with a photo and cross streets
Most found dogs are back home within three days when the finder does those four things. We'll walk you through it on the phone if you'd rather.
I want to bring you an animal from another shelter or a transport
We take transfers from rural Kentucky and southern Indiana shelters most weeks, and we prioritize animals whose time is up. Partner shelters should email transfers with a list and photos.
We can usually confirm a transport within 48 hours. Our limit is the number of open foster homes that week, not the building.
If you're an individual who trapped a litter or pulled an animal from a bad situation, call the surrender line instead. That's the same process, and we don't judge how the animal got to you.
I'm reporting cruelty or neglect
We can't investigate, and telling us delays the people who can. Cruelty and neglect reports in Jefferson County go to Louisville Metro Animal Services, and to the police if an animal is in immediate danger.
Once a case is resolved, we're often the ones who take the animals. That's the point at which we can help.
Three campuses
Where we are, and when
The hours are genuinely different at each one. Check before you drive, especially to the east end satellite.
Butchertown Adoption Center
Main campus
1207 Story Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
- Monday and TuesdayClosed to the public
- Wednesday to Friday12:00pm to 7:00pm
- Saturday10:00am to 6:00pm
- Sunday12:00pm to 5:00pm
East End Satellite
Inside Ridgeway Pet Supply
3814 Taylorsville Road
Louisville, KY 40220
- Monday to WednesdayClosed
- Thursday and Friday4:00pm to 8:00pm
- Saturday11:00am to 5:00pm
- Sunday12:00pm to 4:00pm
Beargrass Community Clinic
Low-cost clinic, by appointment
4410 Poplar Level Road
Louisville, KY 40213
- Monday to Thursday7:30am to 4:00pm
- Friday7:30am to 12:00pm
- Surgery daysTuesday and Thursday
- Saturday and SundayClosed, except vaccine clinic
Coming up
Events
Yappy Hour on Story Avenue
Friday, 5:00 to 8:00pm. Adoptable dogs on the patio, no cover, leashed dogs welcome. Butchertown campus.
Kitten shower supply drive
Saturday, 10:00am to 2:00pm. Bring formula, heating pads, or towels. Foster coordinator will be there to sign people up.
Fee-waived weekend for seniors
Saturday and Sunday. Adoption fees waived on every animal eight and older, at both adoption campuses. The application still applies.
Bark and Brunch, our one fundraiser
Sunday, 11:00am. Tickets $65, tables of eight $480. This one night covers about a fifth of the clinic's yearly budget.
2025, audited
Where the money and the animals went
We publish these whether or not the year went well. The 2025 numbers are below and the full audit is on request.
Every dollar we spent in 2025
Total 2025 operating budget: $1.94 million. Our audited financials and board roster go out to anyone who emails and asks.
Adopters
Three families, a year later
I told them I wanted a quiet cat and they steered me away from the one I'd picked out online. They were right. Bramble sleeps on my desk every day I work from home.
Priya RaghavanClifton, adopted Bramble in March 2025
Our resident dog is difficult and I expected to get talked out of it. Instead they did three separate meets in their yard before they'd let us sign. It worked.
Marcus FeldJeffersontown, adopted Duke in August 2025
Somebody called us at day three and again at day thirty. When our puppy stopped eating, we already had a name and a number, and we didn't feel stupid using it.
The Okonkwo familyFern Creek, adopted Biscuit in November 2025
Get in touch
Talk to a person
Our office answers the phone Wednesday through Sunday. If you get voicemail we call back the same day we're open.
- Main line(502) 958-0140
- Clinic front desk(502) 958-0175
- Emailhello at beargrassrescue.org
- Mail and drop-offs1207 Story Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
Send us a note
Adoption questions, clinic questions, press, or a donation you'd rather talk through first.