Town Animal shelters Nassau and Suffolk

Dog in green grass field

When a pet owner on Long Island faces a sudden emergency—such as hospitalization, displacement, or temporary housing loss—municipal town shelters in Nassau and Suffolk County are often the first point of contact. However, it is important to understand that municipal shelters are legally designed for stray intake and permanent owner surrenders rather than routine pet boarding. If you need a town shelter to temporarily hold or arrange foster care for your pet during a crisis, you generally must provide proof of town residency, photo identification, documentation of the emergency (such as a hospital admission record or social services referral), and proof of current rabies vaccination and municipal dog licensing. Because municipal kennels have strict capacity limits, temporary crisis holds are typically handled on a case-by-case basis, and owners may be asked to sign a temporary boarding agreement with a firm pickup date or work with a partnered nonprofit rescue group that manages a dedicated volunteer foster network.  

Regarding how long a town shelter will hold a dog, the timeline depends entirely on how the animal entered the facility. Under New York State Agriculture and Markets Law (Section 117), dogs picked up as strays without identification must be held for a minimum redemption period of 5 days (and 7 to 9 days if the dog is licensed or microchipped and the owner is notified), though some Long Island towns extend their stray hold to 7 or 10 days before placing the dog up for adoption. Conversely, if an owner signs a formal surrender form, the waiting period is waived and the town becomes the legal owner immediately. For emergency temporary holds—such as when police or paramedics request an emergency safekeeping hold while an owner is hospitalized—town shelters typically hold the pet for a short window of about 7 to 14 days. If the owner or a designated family member does not reclaim the dog or make formal extension arrangements before that agreed-upon deadline expires, the dog may be deemed abandoned and legally transferred into the shelter's general adoption program.  

Here is the list of municipal (town) animal shelters in Nassau and Suffolk County,

Nassau County

• Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter

• Address: 3320 Beltagh Ave, Wantagh, NY 11793

• Phone: (516) 785-5220

• The Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter

• Address: 75 Marino Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050

• Phone: (516) 869-6311

• Oyster Bay Animal Shelter

• Address: 150 Miller Pl, Syosset, NY 11791

• Phone: (516) 677-5784

Suffolk County

• Brookhaven Animal Shelter

• Address: 300 Horseblock Road, Brookhaven, NY 11719

• Phone: (631) 451-6950

• Babylon Animal Shelter

• Address: 80 New Hwy, Amityville, NY 11701

• Phone: (631) 643-9270

• Huntington Shelter & Adoption

• Address: 106 Deposit Rd, East Northport, NY 11731

• Phone: (631) 754-8722

• Town of Huntington Cat Shelter Managed by Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center

• Address: 104 Deposit Rd, East Northport, NY 11731

• Phone: (631) 651-9788

• Islip Animal Shelter

• Address: 200 S Technology Dr, Central Islip, NY 11722

• Phone: (631) 224-5660

• Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter

• Address: 410 Middle Country Rd, Smithtown, NY 11787

• Phone: (631) 360-7575

• Riverhead Animal Shelter (Managed by North Fork Animal Welfare League)

• Address: 324 Church Ln, Riverhead, NY 11901

• Phone: (631) 765-1811

• Southold Animal Shelter (Managed by North Fork Animal Welfare League)

• Address: 269 Peconic Ln, Peconic, NY 11958

• Phone: (631) 765-1811