Running an animal shelter involves more than caring for animals. From intake and medical tracking to adoptions, donor management, and volunteer coordination, there's a lot to manage. That’s where animal shelter software comes in. These digital tools are designed to streamline daily operations, improve transparency, and enhance animal welfare through smarter record-keeping and task automation.

Whether you're running a small rescue or a large nonprofit shelter, choosing the right software can drastically improve efficiency and animal care. This evergreen guide lists the Top 10 Animal Shelter Software options that help organizations operate seamlessly and compassionately.

1. ShelterBuddy

ShelterBuddy is a comprehensive animal management system designed for shelters, rescues, and humane societies. It supports animal intake, licensing, medical records, adoptions, and field operations. The cloud-based platform ensures that data is accessible from any device, helping staff and volunteers stay aligned.

ShelterBuddy’s intuitive interface is perfect for tracking an animal’s journey from intake to adoption, while also supporting reporting needs for grant applications or government compliance.

Key Benefits:

• Complete animal profile and medical history tracking
• Integrated adoption and foster management workflows
• Donation and fundraising tools built in
• Real-time updates for field officers and shelter staff

2. PetPoint

PetPoint is one of the most widely used animal shelter software systems in North America. It helps organizations manage everything from adoptions and foster care to inventory and licensing. The software is cloud-based and offers secure access to animal data from anywhere.

With PetPoint, animal shelters can maintain detailed records, integrate microchip data, and generate insightful reports to help with planning and compliance.

Top Features:

• Detailed medical and behavior history tracking
• Integration with microchip registries and Petfinder
• Volunteer and staff scheduling tools
• Automated reports and customizable forms

3. Chameleon

Chameleon is a feature-rich software trusted by large shelters and animal control agencies. Its robust infrastructure makes it suitable for organizations managing high volumes of animals, volunteers, and field services.

It offers modules for licensing, field service, case management, and more, making it a powerful and scalable tool. Although the learning curve is steeper, the customization capabilities are vast.

Why Choose Chameleon:

• Comprehensive field service and case management tools
• Extensive data reporting and analytics
• Custom workflows for licensing and enforcement
• Integration with other animal tracking platforms

4. RescueGroups.org Software

RescueGroups.org offers free and low-cost software to animal rescues and shelters. It’s perfect for smaller organizations or those on a budget. Their software supports website hosting, animal data management, adoptions, and pet listings.

The platform is community-driven and integrates with major pet adoption websites, ensuring that animals reach a larger audience. It’s easy to set up and doesn’t require advanced technical skills.

Core Advantages:

• Free and affordable options for nonprofits
• Pet listing synchronization with major adoption platforms
• Website integration for online adoptions
• Email alerts for adopters and foster parents

5. Adopets

Adopets focuses on simplifying and digitizing the adoption process for shelters and potential pet parents. The platform allows adopters to submit applications, schedule meet-and-greets, and complete adoptions online.

This modern solution improves user experience, reduces paperwork, and helps shelters process applications more efficiently. Adopets also provides analytics to track adoption success and engagement rates.

Platform Highlights:

• Online adoption application and screening tools
• Appointment scheduling for meet-and-greets
• Digital contracts and payment processing
• Dashboard for tracking adoption KPIs

6. Animal Shelter Manager (ASM)

Animal Shelter Manager is an open-source software solution used by shelters worldwide. It helps manage medical records, adoptions, foster placements, and even lost-and-found pets. ASM is ideal for organizations that want control over their data without recurring costs.

It can be hosted locally or in the cloud and supports multi-user access, making it ideal for both small and mid-sized operations. While it may require technical knowledge for setup, it offers significant flexibility.

Why It Works:

• Open-source and customizable
• Animal intake, outcome, and treatment tracking
• Foster care and kennel inventory features
• Built-in reporting and label generation

7. Pawlytics

Pawlytics is a newer but fast-growing animal rescue software known for its user-friendly design and automation features. It supports foster-based rescues, helping teams manage animal data, foster homes, applications, and medical treatments in one place.

Pawlytics is particularly helpful for modern, cloud-based rescues looking for sleek dashboards, responsive customer support, and a digital-first approach.

Benefits of Using Pawlytics:

• Foster and medical record management
• Mobile-friendly and easy to navigate
• Digital forms for adoption, intake, and volunteer signup
• Automated reminders for vaccines and treatments

8. Trackabeast

Trackabeast is a shelter management solution tailored for small to mid-sized animal shelters. It covers everything from intake to adoptions and includes modules for volunteers, donors, and fundraisers. The interface is clean and intuitive, which helps staff get up to speed quickly.

Its cloud-based model allows multi-location access and ensures data is secure and easily backed up. For shelters that need simplicity and power, Trackabeast delivers.

Key Features:

• Simple intake and outcome workflow
• Volunteer and donor management tools
• Customizable reports and data exports
• Online adoption request forms

9. Shelterluv

Shelterluv is a forward-thinking animal shelter software platform designed for modern shelters that want to streamline operations and boost adoption rates. With an emphasis on mobile functionality and digital tools, Shelterluv simplifies the adoption experience for both staff and adopters.

It also supports fundraising, digital signatures, and mobile payments, making it easy to adopt from anywhere—even at off-site events.

Why It’s a Favorite:

• Mobile checkout for adoptions and donations
• Digital microchip and health record tracking
• Built-in marketing tools for adoptable pets
• Online application and contract tools

10. SmartShelter

SmartShelter is a lesser-known but powerful solution focused on helping small to medium shelters digitize and organize. It includes intake forms, behavior assessments, spay/neuter tracking, and follow-up reminders.

SmartShelter is appreciated for its straightforward interface, cost-effective pricing, and ease of use. It’s a good choice for new shelters or rescues transitioning from paper-based systems.

Main Features:

• Easy-to-use dashboard with customizable fields
• Intake, health, and vaccination records
• Automatic alerts for follow-up tasks
• Exportable reports for audits and grants

Conclusion

Managing an animal shelter or rescue is a labor of love—and the right animal shelter software makes that labor easier, more organized, and more impactful. From intake and medical records to adoptions and donor engagement, the platforms listed above offer a range of solutions tailored to the needs of organizations big and small.

When selecting software, consider:

• The size of your shelter or rescue operation
• Budget and long-term costs
• Technical skill level of staff
• Integration with adoption sites and payment systems
• Customizability and support options

Whether you're just starting out or scaling operations, these top 10 animal shelter software tools can help you save time, stay compliant, and focus more energy on what matters most—helping animals find loving homes.